Tag Archives: Valdosta

Why a water system trust indenture? @ LCC 2013-05-13

Commissioners had questions when Utilities Director Mike Allen said a trust indenture was required by the state for any new water system, so if anything fails the trustee can step in and operate it, in this case for Merciful Community Center Trust. This was at yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

Commissioner John Page wanted to know if a site plan had been seen.
A: Nope.

Page also wanted to know if the indenture was for running a pipeline to the site.
A: Nope: it’s for a well.

Commissioner Richard Raines wanted to know whether the indenture was necessary because of the size of the well.
A: Because it’s for a business, not a private residence.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Appointees: Airport Authority @ LCC 2013-05-13

Only one of two potential appointees to the Airport Authority showed up.

No mic for County Manager Joe Pritchard at yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session, but by turning the sound way up I think he said the term of Wayne Edwards on the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority expired this month, and there were two applicants: Jeff Sykes president and CEO of First American Prescription Drugs and Kevin McCraney of Georgia Power. Jeff Sykes was present and spoke. McCraney didn’t. Maybe the Commissioners assumed everybody knows McCraney. I do; but do you? Sykes said:

Continue reading →

May LAKE meeting tonight

Same agenda as in January, local governance: Water, trash, and money.

What: Monthly LAKE Meeting
When: about 6PM Tuesday
(after the County Commission meeting)
14 May 2013
Where: Let's Eat Cafe
2102 W. Hill Ave.
Valdosta, GA 31601
(just west of I-75, at the Shell station)

Don't let the location fool you: Let's Eat is locally owned, and serves a lot of locally-grown food.

If you're on Facebook, please Like the LAKE facebook page. You can sign up for the meeting event there, or just come as you are.

-jsq

Solar Music City Center, Nashville, Tennessee

Valdosta has a larger solar installation than Nashville, Tennessee, but Valdosta’s is hidden away at the Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant while Nashville’s biggest is on its new Music City Center. Which do you think shows the most leadership, and will attract the most business?

In Lightwave Solar’s May 2013 newsletter, LightWave Completes Music City Center Solar Project,

LightWave Solar recently completed the installation of a 211 kilo-watt (kW) solar system for the Music City Center, and it is the largest solar installation in Nashville.

Installed within the guitar shaped structure on the roof, the system consists of 845 solar panels and four inverters weighing 1,800 pounds each. The system will generate approx. 271,000 kilowatt-hours per year, enough electricity to power the electric vehicle charging stations and lighting for the building. Over 25 years, the clean electricity will offset nearly 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of taking 920 cars off the road.

“This project shows great leadership on behalf of the city,” said Steve Johnson, President of LightWave Solar. “We applaud the mayor’s vision in making Nashville a more sustainable city with a bright future.”

And leadership can extend even beyond solar into water and habitat:

Continue reading →

Lakeland environmental violations

Demolition debris buried without a permit? That happened in Lakeland, and it’s causing a heap of trouble for the City Council. Could such a thing also have happened in a nearby county?

Andy Alcock reported yesterday for WCTV, Lakeland Hires Firm to Check Environmental Issues

There’s a new push to find out about dozens of potential environmental violations in the South Georgia city of Lakeland.

As we first reported last week, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division issued a notice of violation for the city of Lakeland.

That notice lists twenty-three properties where demolition debris may be buried without a permit.

The city council has now unanimously approved the hiring of an engineering firm to assess those sites.

Stevenson & Palmer Engineering will be paid an hourly rate plus expenses not to exceed $15,000 without approval by the city.

There are claims of improperly demolishing, burning and burying dozens of homes.

According to whom?

Continue reading →

Lowndes County v. Deep South Sanitation: Why?

Why is Lowndes County suing a local business for the benefit of investors in New York City? I guess we’ve discovered the litigation last month’s Lowndes County Commission executive session was about. Why is this a good use of taxpayer money?

On Deep South Sanitation’s facebook page yesterday,

Friends, we all watch the news and we see governments making changes that are unacceptable to the American people. Well, it is happening right here in our hometown. LOWNDES COUNTY has issued a CIVIL ACTION LAWSUIT against DEEP SOUTH. The preliminary hearing is set for FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2013 at 9:30AM in Courtroom 5D of the Lowndes County Judicial Complex. The purpose of the hearing is to force DEEP SOUTH to shutdown on that day! (We are a small, local, family owned and operated business.) We need your support because this hearing will effect almost every one of you. “IF” we are forced out, Advanced Disposal will be your “ONLY CHOICE” for garbage service. That means there will be a MONOPOLY for garbage service in Lowndes. The County maintains that it is not MANDATORY for the citizens to use Advanced Disposal so then who else can we choose? CHOICE keeps business healthy and HONEST. Please help support this matter for your sake and ours by calling LOWNDES COUNTY and voice your concerns. Also, there are several petitions being sent around as of today. We personally thank each and every one of you!! From: Cary, Debbie, Trevor, Dylan and Sadee Scarborough

Unnamed Lowndes County “representatives” spelled out in the VDT back in January that

“According to the solid waste ordinance, Advanced Disposal will be the only residential hauler licensed to serve unincorporated Lowndes County.”

A few hours later yesterday, also on DSS’s facebook page,

Continue reading →

NRC tries to ignore hearing requirement for San Onofre nuke restart

Maybe the ASLB was referring to some other NRC that should hold public hearings? The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) agreed with Friends of the Earth (FOE) when it ruled that restarting either San Onofre unit requires a full public hearing like a trial, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) interprets that as having nothing to do with its own staff decision process. This is after the city of Los Angeles (and numerous other southern California cities and the San Diego Unified School District) said it didn’t want any decision about restarting any San Onofre reactor/ without a full, transparent, public decision process. The L.A. Times says all this is creating “confusion”. Just last week I heard Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers say confusion was bad for business. Maybe it will be bad not just for Southern California Edison and its San Onofre nukes, but also for Georgia Power and Southern Company’s 19-month-late and billion-over-budget nuclear boondoggle at Plant Vogtle.

Abby Sewell wrote for the L.A. Times yesterday 7:24 PM, San Onofre ruling creates confusion,

Continue reading →

Videos: trucks and row crops @ LCC 2013-04-23

Plus a presentation to Joyce Evans, all about mosquitoes, and a love fest between the county and the VDT!

Here’s the agenda with a few notes, and links into the video. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s work session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Mosquito trapping and spraying @ LCC 2013-04-23

A logical and systematic plan for mosquito trapping and spraying is what Public Works Director Robin Cumbus described at the 23 April 2013 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

She said the county contracts with VSU for trapping and surveillance. Mosquitoes trapped either by the county or by VSU are sent to Public Health Atlanta for testing.

Mostly in July, Aug, Sep This testing is presumably for mosquito-borne diseases; According to USGS disease maps using CDC data, there were 15 cases of positive test results for West Nile virus in Lowndes County in 2012; that’s 13% of the total of 113 for the whole state.

15 West Nile Cases in Lowndes County in 2012

She continued:

Continue reading →

Two appointments, a rezoning, 2 alcohol, an indenture, a building, and bids for paving LCC 2013-05-13

Where is the Lowndes County Commission getting the money for paving parts of nine roads? Who are they appointing to the Airport Authority and the South Georgia Community Service Board?

Here’s the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 13, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →