Tag Archives: Valdosta

Three days of Budget Hearings @ LCC Budget 2015-03-03

Billed

back in December as “Commission Meets with Constitutional Officers,
Elected Officials, and Outside Agencies”
and two weeks later than originally scheduled, it’s
three days of what is on the County’s calendar now as

Budget Hearings,
today, Wednesday,
and
Thursday,
all three days at the Lowndes County Governmental Building,
300 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, GA 31601.

There’s no agenda posted.

At least these meetings are on the county’s calendar before the last minute,
which is an improvement on
last year.
However, last year they did publish an agenda.
Here are videos of last year’s similar hearings.

-jsq

LCDP Cash Mob at Stan’s Quality Meats 2015-03-03

At 12:30 PM Tuesday (tomorrow)

LCDP Chair Tom Hochschild will be there with signs and supporters,
he tells me.
Plus in addition to supporting this local business he recommends
people make a small donation to the Lowndes County Food Bank
for those less fortunate. -jsq

LCDP PR 26 February 2015,

LCDP Cash Mob at Stan’s Quality Meats & Grocery Outlet,

The Lowndes County Democratic Party’s
first-ever Cash Mob! 8AM to 8PM next Tuesday March 3, in line with our

March Monday 2 meeting topic,
“Democratic Party Values: Supporting Local Business”.
facebook event.

For this Cash Mob, we are asking Continue reading →

Sabal Trail contractor yard at end of Valdosta Airport runway

The same company that sued Lowndes County in 2007 to try to put a
tall building above the 30-foot height limit in Valdosta’s Runway Protection Zone
now appears to want to put a contractor yard for Sabal Trail’s fracked methane
pipeline in the same location.
Will this involve any tall cranes?
What about Moody’s flights off of that runway at Valdosta Airport?
And what about those aquifer recharge zones?

Among the contractor yard maps

Sabal Trail filed with FERC 20 February 2015,
there’s this one: Continue reading →

Valdosta sewage into Alapaha River watershed three times in February 2015

Valdosta didn’t mention it and the Florida Department of Health doesn’t seem to know it,

but
Knights Creek is in the Alapaha River watershed.
Valdosta spilled sewage into it twice in February.
Plus that 16 February spill into Dukes Bay Canal
also ends up in the Alapaha River.
But never you mind,
Valdosta also spilled
into the Withlacoochee River through the usual Sugar Creek.
Somehow I don’t think all these spills are not Valdosta’s fault.
Seems like it’s time for Valdosta to finish fixing its wastewater problem.
And since the most recent spills were due to rainfall directly on
Valdosta,
the

levee proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers on Sugar Creek
at the Withlacoochee River wouldn’t help,
nor would it help at any time for spills directly into the Withlacoochee
River at GA 133, nor for Dukes Bay Canal nor Knights Creek,
which flow into the Alapaha River.

News Release, Florida Department of Health (FDH), 27 February 2015,

Florida Department of Health Advises of Possible Wastewater Contamination, Continue reading →

Sewage spill not Valdosta’s fault this time

Not every spill is the city’s fault.

City of Valdosta PR, VDT, 18 February 2015,

Sewage spilled into waterway,

VALDOSTA — An estimated 375 gallons of sewage dumped into a
tributary of Dukes Bay Canal Monday, according to city officials.

A spokesperson for the city said the wastewater spill near Old
Statenville Road and Arlington Ave. was the result of a manhole
overflow at the 1100 Block of Old Statenville Road around 11 a.m.
Monday.

The public is being cautioned Continue reading →

Videos: ESPLOST V kickoff meeting @ ESPLOST 2015-02-24

Co-Chair Jerome Tucker emphasized that ESPLOST helping
public schools also helps economic development.
See below for who we now know are the
committee members for the Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST).
It’s mysterious why that information wasn’t in

the PR before the meeting,
but now we know, since Gretchen went and took the videos
and collected the flyers you’ll find below.

Early voting already started that same day and continues through March 13th,
with the final Election Day 17 March 2015.

Lowndes/Valdosta Citizens for Excellence in Education

Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax

For Lowndes County Schools and Valdosta City Schools Continue reading →

Videos: 1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23

In the briefest Planning Commission meeting I can recall,
Stovall got her

rezoning of 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension
recommended unanimously Monday 23 February 2015.
Ivy Gate subdivision’s second phase

to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road
at

4088 Cat Creek Road
was also recommended unanimously.
Nobody spoke for or against either rezoning,
and there was no discussion from Commissioners,
other than a recommendation by Commissioner Wildes that all lots
face interior roads for Ivy Gate.

After the rezonings,

Commissioners joked that with a meeting so brief they might catch
up with the County Commission.
County Chairman Bill Slaughter responded, “Actually, we just showed up
to show you how to run a quick meeting.”
The difference is GLPC actually does discuss when there’s something to discuss.
These cases will show up on the County Commission agenda for March 10th,
so we’ll see who takes longer on them then.

Here’s
the agenda,
and below are links to the videos, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23

Stovall wants

to rezone 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension
and
Ivy Gate subdivision wants a second phase

to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road.
The existing Ivy Gate Subdivision is on Bowen Way.
The only nearby property on Cat Creek Road is

4088 Cat Creek Road, across the road,
owned by James Arthur Kutzli.

Thanks to Lowndes County for starting to

post Planning Commission agendas
including

this one.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office

325 West Savannah Avenue

Monday, February 23, 2015 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading →

What does conversion of the Land Bank Authority mean? @ ESPLOST VLCLBA 2015-02-25

What does “conversion of the Land Bank Authority” mean?
What are they converting this Authority to?
Or do they mean the Authority is voting on converting some real estate
from non-taxable to taxable?

Valdosta News, City of Valdosta, 23 February 2015,

In The City This Week, Feb. 23-28,

Feb. 25: Land Bank Authority Meets. Members of the Valdosta-Lowndes
County Land Bank Authority will hold a meeting on Wednesday, Feb.
25, at 9 a.m., in the Neighborhood Development Conference Room (Room
202, Valdosta City Hall Annex). This meeting is being held to vote
on the conversion of the Land Bank Authority. The Land Bank
Authority exists to foster the public purpose of returning property
which is in a non-revenue generating, non-tax producing status to
effective utilization status in order to provide housing, new
industry and jobs for citizens. For information, call (229)
671-3617.

Even the state doesn’t have up to date information about this
board.
According to the Continue reading →

ESPLOST V kickoff meeting today @ ESPLOST 2015-02-24

A committee of unknown members is holding a kickoff meeting today
for the Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax.

Various local news media carry the announcement below,
but none of them seem to have the names of the committee members
beyond one co-chair.
I guess we’ll find out from the videos Gretchen is going there now to take.

In the City of Valdosta’s

In The City This Week, Feb. 23-28,

Feb. 24: ESPLOST V Campaign. The ESPLOST joint committee will host a
campaign kickoff on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 5 p.m., in the Valdosta
City Hall Annex Multi-Purpose Room. At the meeting, committee
members will share proposed projects for Lowndes County and Valdosta
City Schools with citizens. Early voting runs Feb. 23 through March
13. The final opportunity to vote will be on the official Election
Day, March 17. For more information, email Co-Chair John Eunice at
jleunice@yahoo.com.