Tag Archives: Water

Southern Company Shareholder meeting: renewables more than doubled in one year 2017-05-24

While its natural gas percentage remained flat, and coal and nuclear decreased, Southern Company (SO) more than doubled its renewable energy generation percentage in one year. Maybe I’ll mention that at the annual shareholder meeting in May.

2017 Mix:
2017 Energy Mix
2016 Mix:
2016 Energy Mix

When: 10:00 a.m., ET
Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Where: The Lodge Conference Center
Callaway Gardens
4500 Southern Pine Drive
Pine Mountain, GA 31822-2593

Event: Annual Southern Company
Shareholder Meeting

Southern Company has all its SEC filings online, including Continue reading →

Videos: Trash disposal renewals, regional T-SPLOST, another lift station pump, Dasher Streets @ LCC 2017-03-27

More than four minutes yesterday morning on Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal: maybe it’s still contentious because they still don’t have a good model. Maybe not everybody wants to have their trash picked up at the end of their driveway like they lived in town. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM, and they agreed add an agenda item amending the ordinance to change insurance requirement from $5 million to $1 million. As of this writing at 8AM, they have not yet changed their online agenda. We’ll see how it eventually changes from the agenda already blogged.

They spent more than three minutes on Regional T-SPLOST; follow the link for details. Another Lift Station Pump lift station pump needs replacing And Dasher wants the county to maintain a couple of dirt streets.

Below are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. See also the agenda. Continue reading →

Trash disposal renewals, regional T-SPLOST, another lift station pump, Dasher Streets @ LCC 2017-03-27

Regional T-SPLOST is on the agenda this morning. Back in 2012 we all voted down a statewide T-SPLOST (Transportation Special Sales Tax).

As we learned at the February Lowndes County Commission Planning Session Day 2, on 28 February 2017 in Waycross there was a “public hearing” about a possible regional T-SPLOST. When I asked SGRC about that, they sent the Waycross agenda, saying “This is not a public meeting and was not advertised as such, however it is open to the public.” Apparently something happened at that meeting, since T-SPLOST is on the Lowndes County Commission agenda now, with this in the attached document:

HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: According to House Bill 170, counties within a Regional Commission District have the option to institute a Regional T-SPLOST. The Georgia Department of Transportation is requesting action to be taken by April 1, 2017, either in favor of or opposed to a Regional T-SPLOSI’. If ten (10) of the eighteen (18) regional counties fail to get support for a Regional T-SPLOST, then individual counties can initiate an independent T-SPLOST’.

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After Lowndes County spent unknown hundreds of thousands of dollars suing Continue reading →

Videos: Coal ash, Calles, Val North PD Water Sewer, Habitat CDBG, Sewage Valves, Stone Creek Antenna, Sheriff, Alcohol @ LCC 2017-03-14

Not on the agenda: Coal Ash and Y-Lead from Hahira Middle School and Teen Explosion. Also Stone Creek train quiet hours.

In a fifteen minute item, the Commission approved a split rezoning for REZ-2017-02 Calles, and they approved the removal of conditions from REZ-2017-03 Val North Dr, Stewart Circle. They approved the CDBG Grant preparation, but they didn’t mention they can’t actually apply until the resolve their feud with the local cities about tax allocation.

Below are links to each LAKE video of the 14 March 2017 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. See also Continue reading →

Videos: Sewage, Coal Ash, Historic Preservation, a dead cat, and turkeys @ VCC 2016-03-09

The Valdosta City Council heard from citizens about coal ash, wastewater, and toxic waste in the landfill. Mayor John Gayle offered to answer later in his office Eric Howard’s question about wastewater in his yard. The Mayor expressed his opinion that he and the council couldn’t do anything about the landfill, and read for yourself what he said about the Florida county resolutions about Valdosta wastewater. George Boston Rhynes told a droll tale about a dead cat and turkeys.

The Historic Preservation appeal was long and contentious, with the Mayor twice breaking a tie because only four City Council members were there: the appeal was approved. A citizen spoke about that afterwards, as did Council Tim Carroll.

Council Robert Yost recommended all the Hospital Authority Board should resign.

They unanimously approved both of the rezoning items; ditto the right of way maintenance bids.

And Firefighter Michael Penland is employee of the month.

Below are links to the LAKE video of each item, with a few notes (some drawn from Valdosta’s own SUMMARY OF ACTIONS), followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda.

Videos: Calles back again for Alexandria Street + another County + 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2017-02-27

Here are the LAKE videos for the 27 February 2017 Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, with Wilmer Calles on behalf of Rosa Calles again about going “backwards” to agricultural zoning (the neighbors don’t like it). See the agenda. Plus another county rezoning (the county votes on those two tonight). There were also to Valdosta rezonings, but Gretchen had to leave with the LAKE camera before the first one was finished. The county or the city could video these Planning Commission meetings themselves. Continue reading →

Videos: Calles again, Val North PD Water Sewer, Habitat CDBG, Sewage Valves, Stone Creek Antenna, Sheriff, Alcohol @ LCC 2017-03-13

Maybe more will show up at 5:30PM today for the Regular Session than the Chairman and only two Commissioners at yesterday’s Work Session (Joyce Evans and Mark Wisenbaker).

Chairman Bill Slaughter revealed why he had been missing from the meetings two weeks before: he had been attending an America’s Defense Community event in in San Antonio, Texas about Moody AFB. Follow the link for more about this. He complimented Vice-Chair Joyce Evans for running the meeting better than usual in his absence. She did beat his former record of five minutes by holding a three-minute Work Session.

The returning REZ-2017-02 Calles rezoning now wants to split half conservation and half R-A. Apparently the other rezoning, REZ-2017-03 Val North Dr, Stewart Circle, PD Amendment and Conditions Removal, Water & Sewer, ~9 acres had been heard before and was now being reconsidered because a road had been paved. Remember that when they try to claim roads don’t drive development.

Below are links to each LAKE video of the 13 March 2017 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. See also the agenda, and the LAKE videos of the 27 February 2017 Greater Planning Commission meeting. Continue reading →

Calles again, Val North PD Water Sewer, Habitat CDBG, Sewage Valves, Stone Creek Antenna, Sheriff, Alcohol @ LCC 2017-03-13

The county apparently doesn’t want its Peterson Road Isolation Valves leaking like Valdosta’s famous January 2017 WWTP failure. Two other water cases are on the agenda for this morning’s 8:30 AM Work Session, both rezonings: REZ-2017-02 Calles, Alexandria St, R-10 and CON to R-A and CON, Well and Septic, ~13 acres back again (Planning Commission still doesn’t like it; staff maybe), a new one, REZ-2017-03 Val North Dr, Stewart Circle, PD Amendment and Conditions Removal, Water & Sewer, ~9 acres.

Parcel 0167 098A
Parcel 0167 098A

The “Conflict of interest certification, resolution, and authorization” under FY 2017 CDBG Grant, Valdosta- Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity actually means no conflict of interest, according to the agenda sheet, which also notes “Lowndes County is currently on course to apply for $750,000.00 in CDBG funds from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for a new public facility for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity.” Well, they’re not on course until they stop feuding with the local cities about tax revenue allocation, because they can’t apply for any state or federal grants until that is resolved.

Two safety items: Stone Creek Antenna Space License Agreement and Sheriff's Office Vehicle Lease Agreement.

And no County Commission meeting is complete without alcohol: Beer & Wine License – Rajendrakumar N. Patel of Bhumi Corporation – 6685 Bemiss Rd., Valdosta, GA. I don’t recall they’ve ever denied one of those, so I don’t know why they don’t just make an ordinance that permitting staff can approve them.

Here’s the agenda. Gretchen is there with the LAKE camera. Will the meeting take more than the three minutes last time?

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, March 13, 2017, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, March 14, 2017, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Brief agenda plus Water @ VCC 2016-03-09

No water on the agenda, but there’s a WWALS event for those who want to speak about water issues.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, March 9, 2017
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Valdosta City Council

  1. Opening Ceremonies Continue reading →

Calles back again for Alexandria Street + another County + 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2017-01-27 2017-02-27

Back again, Wilmer Calles on behalf of Rosa Calle still wants to go “backwards” to agricultural zoning and the neighbors don’t like it, on the agenda for tonight’s Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, after a split recommendation for tabling by GLPC a month ago, indication of many objections at the County Commission Work Session two weeks ago, and being tabled the next day at the County Commission Regular Session. Plus another county rezoning and two in Valdosta tonight.

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 27, 2017 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading →