Tag Archives: Valdosta City Council

Pollution and a Private Prison? –Dr. Mark George

As the VDT transcribed:
“I think we can do better than a generator that burns human waste. I think we can do better than a private prison and those are two things that we seem to be excited about as a community.”
Dr. Mark George spoke to the Valdosta City Council, 20 Jan 2011:

We’ve previously written about CCA private prisons and AZ immigration law on 21 December 2010:

Considering how many local farmers and others around here use hispanic help without inquiring closely as to where they come from, a CCA prison in Lowndes County would be more than ironic.

Spending state tax dollars to lock people up while cutting funding for education that would cost less per person doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.

Is this what we want to be known for?

And in If it’s sunny enough in Buffalo on 16 September 2010: Continue reading →

Text of letter from Russell Anderson to officials

Can you find a “veiled threat” in the appended letter? LAKE couldn’t.

Some people seem to be forming opinions of that letter without ever having read it. LAKE has published links to a PDF of it from four previous posts: “Far from Over”, “What is Fiery Roots”, Russell Anderson Responds, and “We got off on the wrong foot”. Formerly LAKE only had a PDF of a scan of a paper copy of the email of 3 Jan 2011. Per request, Russell Anderson has sent plain text, which appears below. -jsq

All,

My name is Russell Anderson. I am the Co-Director of Collectiveprogression.org and graduate of Valdosta State. I am writing to inform you of my intent to publish the below piece on our website and to our readership as well as produce a full length documentary about the community struggle against the proposed Wiregrass LLC biomass incinerator. I have you all on this email {Sterling Assets, Langdale’s, Council, Commissioners, Authority, Attorneys} and ALL of you have continued to pass the blame and buck on the building of this plant. Rather than doing the more responsible thing (pending EIS),

Continue reading →

“Once again you ignore suggestions” –John S. Quarterman

I just sent this. -jsq
From: “John S. Quarterman”
To: Brad Lofton
Cc: [see below]

Responding to Brad Lofton’s message, actually Dalton, Georgia already has a 365kW solar array installed and in use. That’s larger than the 350 kW array VLCIA has “about to break ground”, and Dalton got theirs without having to take a biomass plant with it.

As for wood-sourced biomass, Rayonier Jesup Mill produces around 78 MW, which is more than the 40MW biomass plant VLCIA is thinking about starting. Jesup also got high air and water pollution and high crime.

Meanwhile, Dublin is already hiring for 350 jobs for the MAGE SOLAR manufacturing plant, while VLCIA’s biomass plant would only bring 25 jobs.

Once again you ignore suggestions for clean energy projects and reiterate the biomass plant and its bag-on-the-side solar plant as the whole of VLCIA’s plan.

Fortunately, I have confidence that such experienced developers as the VLCIA board can do better than that.

Continue reading →

“a great plan!” –Brad Lofton

Brad Lofton replies to my message to the VLCIA board. I’ll respond in a separate post. -jsq
To: John S. Quarterman
From: Brad Lofton
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 12:47:04 -0500
Cc: [see below]

John! Good morning. Always good to hear from citizens so interested in economic development. I’ll be happy to forward your correspondence to the other members of our board. I also appreciate your comments in acknowledging our recent success in the renewable energy cluster. With a 350 Kw solar array about to break ground, and a 40 Mw biomass, no community in Georgia has been more successful in the green, renewable energy sector.

Speaking of Dublin, their recently hired economic development director (a friend of mine named Cal Wray) recently requested a meeting with us in Valdosta this month to study our program and evaluate how we’ve been able to create 1,700 new jobs and nearly half a billion dollars in new investment over the past four years even in the midst of a painful recession. It’s a tribute to good leadership, and a great plan! Have a nice day,

BL
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Cc: “Michael G. Noll”, “Mary B. Gooding”, “Ricketts, Allan” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>, “Copeland, Roy”, “‘John S. Quarterman'”, “Susan R. Wehling”, Kay Harris

Tom Call: New VLCIA Board Member

The Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA) has a new board member, Tom Call, local realtor and pesticider:
Roy Copeland
Roy Copeland 		Tom Call
Tom Call 		Mary B. Gooding
Mary Gooding 		Norman Bennett
Norman Bennett 		Jerry Jennett
Jerry Jennett,
Chairman
Since VLCIA’s website has no picture for Tom Call, LAKE has used the one from his Plaxo page.

He’s on the board of Homeland Defense Corp., which does “Custom Automated Mosquito and Insect Misting Systems” and says this:

Thomas B. Call graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. After a career in the agricultural chemicals industry, Tom branched out into real estate. Today, he is the owner of Coldwell Banker Premier Real Estate, and owns a number of successful businesses specializing in residential and commercial real estate development. www.Valdostarealtors.com
(Also on that board are Continue reading →

Unanswered Concerns about the Biomass Plant

I’m quoting myself here, responding to Brad Lofton’s letter of 19 Sepember 2010.

-jsq

From: “John S. Quarterman”
To: <blofton@industrialauthority.com>, Leigh Touchton
Cc: [VDT and several elected officials; list available upon request]
Subject: Re: Brad Lofton, Executive Director Industrial Authority, doesn’t want his correpondence in the Valdosta Daily Times
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:08:17 -0400

Brad Lofton,

Leigh Touchton has forwarded me copies of the correspondence between you on behalf of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA) with her and the VDT.

I must say I don’t agree with your assertion that:

“The vast majority of her concerns for our project would have been answered two years ago if she had come to any of our forums…”
Here are some examples of unanswered concerns.

Continue reading →

Biomass Town Hall, 8 July 2010

On July 8th there was a town Hall meeting about the biomass plant proposed for Valdosta.

Pastor Angela Manning of New Life Ministries sums up why she called this Town Hall meeting:

Speakers included: Continue reading →

Highland Renewable Energy Strategy

Previously writing about biomass and carbon dioxide I said I’d supply an example of the sort of thing I’m looking for as a regional analysis for renewable energy, including biomass, solar, wind, wave, tides, and others. Here it is: the Highland Renewable Energy Strategy approved by the Highland Council at its 4 May 2006 meeting. It’s a 58 page document about renewable energy strategy and planning guidelines, considering numerous types of renewable energy, pros and cons of each, power distribution, effects on environment, protected areas, etc., illustrated copiously with detailed maps. And updated: Continue reading →