Well, it’s not exactly the same geographical area.
GLPC is exclusively for Lowndes County, including its cities.
VLMPO is for the Valdosta Urbanized Area, which does not include
all of Lowndes County, but does include parts of Berrien and Lanier Counties.
According to
VLMPO’s home page:
In April 2003, Governor Sonny Perdue officially designated the Southern
Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC) as the Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) for the Valdosta Urbanized Area. As the MPO,
the SGRC is responsible for carrying out transportation planning
in the Metropolitan Planning Area using funding received from the
US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration and
Federal Transit Administration, administered by the Georgia Department
of Transportation. The MPO works with these and other transportation
planning partners to fulfill the requirements of various federal, state
and local transportation planning laws and plans.
And it’s not quite the same subject area.
GLPC mostly hears rezoning cases, although it also deals with larger planning
issues such as the
Comprehensive Plan, which includes transportation.
VLMPO is focused on transportation, but gets into all sorts of related issues:
Continue reading →
Received yesterday. Includes an update on T-SPLOST and a Public Comment item. -jsq
Good Afternoon,
Please find attached
the agenda for the
Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Policy Committee
meeting on January 10, 2012 at
1:30 pm. At the SGRC office (address below). The public is welcome to
attend.
If you have any questions please contact Corey Hull at chull@sgrc.us or
at 229-333-5277.
Corey Hull, AICP
MPO Coordinator
Valdosta-Lowndes MPO
327 W. Savannah Ave.
Valdosta, GA 31601
I really support this idea. Initially, I was concerned about it, because
I know that things like the SCRAM bracelet and the ignition interlock
devices are very expensive to install and maintain, especially if you
consider the costs involved with probation fees. $213.00/month may not
sound like a lot of money to some people, but it is a king’s ransom
to others (saying $7.00/day makes it seem more manageable). Still,
allowing non-violent offenders the opportunity to work and rehabilitate
themselves outside of a prison is a big step forward in the philosophy
of crime and punishment in this county, in my opinion.
Tuesday the Lowndes County Commission approved ankle bracelet monitoring
for nonviolent jail inmates so they can serve the rest of their time
outside the jail, putting them in a better environment and
decreasing expenses at the Sheriff’s office.
This sounds like a good idea.
I have not expressed an opinion because,
as Barbara Stratton pointed out,
the public doesn’t really know what was in the proposal County Commissioners
got in their agenda packet.
However, I would like to compliment Commissioner Joyce Evans about trying to do
something about nonviolent prisoners.
Summarizing the
ankle monitoring discussion of Monday morning,
County Manager Joe Pritchard Tuesday evening asked the Lowndes County Commission
to approve continued work by county staff with the Sheriff’s office in implementing
an ankle monitoring system to move some inmates out of the county jail.
Commissioner Richard Raines gave the credit to Commissioner
Joyce Evans for both proposing a drug court and for
proposing ankle monitoring.
Commissioner Evans declined comment but did make the motion,
seconded by Commissioner Powell, and approved unanimously.
I’m a super fan of planning,
and I’m a fan of the
Comprehensive Plan.
I think that if we don’t know where we are going,
and we don’t have a plan on how we’re gonna get there,
we’re not gonna get there.
And the five year plan that tells us exactly what we’re going to
in the next five years to get to our 2030 plan is a groovy idea.
So that part I’m in favor of.
I’ve been over this document pretty thoroughly with Jason,
and I still have some questions outstanding which I’m sure
that they’ll get resolved.
He’s been super helpful.
The one thing I talked to Mr. Raines about and I would encourage
the other Commissioners to consider is that in section 4.5.1,
at least that’s what I have it on my document.
Investigate
Here are videos for the entire Lowndes County Commission
Regular Session of Tuesday 13 December 2011.
Gretchen took these using a new camera with fast stop-start,
high zoom, and taking audio input directly from the county’s own
microphones.
How do you like it?
Videos for Lowndes County Commission 13 December 2011
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 13 December 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
County Manager Joe Pritchard briefly described
agenda item
8.a. Ankle Monitoring System
He said it would permit jail inmates to serve some of their time outside the jail.
He mentioned early discussions with Commissioners Joyce Evans and Richard Raines,
and said it started related to drug court, but the idea had expanded.
He recommended the board approve the County Manager working with the
judges to organize the monitoring.
Chairman (and former Sheriff) Ashley Paulk remarked that this could lower the jail population.
He seemed to be in favor of it.
Sheriff Chris Prine had some concerns that were hard to hear,
but seemed to be related to budget.
Pritchard indicated that everybody realized the program was an experiment,
and everyone would work with the Sheriff to avoid any unnecessary impact.
Commissioner Raines also reassured the Sheriff along the same lines.
8.a. Ankle Monitoring System –Joe Pritchard @ LCC 12 December 2011
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 12 December 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
The Commission started early, and they were already into agenda item
7.a. REZ-2011-16 South Beach Commercial, US Hwy 41 South R-10 & TLA to C-G, ~1.7 acres
when this video started.
Then they moved right into
7.b. Lowndes County – Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Updates — Resolution to Transmit
As you can see, County Planner Jason Davenport had little to say
about that
(mostly that this draft isn’t the final version; they’ll revise it some time
next year after they hear back from the state),
and the Commissioners even less (they said nothing),
at Monday morning’s Work Session.
Tonight at 5:30 PM they vote on sending these materials to the state.
If you want to know what’s in these documents, see
Gretchen’s writeups
The actual documents are
on the LAKE web site.
LAKE obtained them from elsewhere after the county refused to honor
an open records request.
The Chairman told Gretchen yesterday that those versions were “close enough”
to what they’re going to vote on tonight.
Comprehensive Plan @ LCC Work Session, 12 December 2011
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 12 December 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
These videos of Monday morning’s work session start some way into the agenda,
because they started about five minutes early.
Here are
the videos.
Videos of LCC Work Session, 12 December 2011
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 12 December 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Just another Wal-Mart Fired Untrained Department Manager.
This is an
initial introduction to a much bigger story of truth that cannot and will
not be hidden forever! Nor will Wal-Mart Workers here in American continue
to be mistreated and ignored as if we were in the Republic of China or in
some other third world nation. Galatians 6:7, Saint Luke 4:18……
In April 2003, Governor Sonny Perdue officially designated the Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC) as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Valdosta Urbanized Area. As the MPO, the SGRC is responsible for carrying out transportation planning in the Metropolitan Planning Area using funding received from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, administered by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The MPO works with these and other transportation planning partners to fulfill the requirements of various federal, state and local transportation planning laws and plans.
