Tag Archives: WWALS

Roads, rezoning, sales tax, Sunday alcohol, and Troupville River Camp @ VCC 2019-12-05

Unusual on the Valdosta City Council agenda for Thursday are an award to Valdosta Main Street and a request by WWALS Watershed Coalition for support for its Troupville River Camp project; see also WWALS blog post.

Downtown Valdosta aerial logo
Photo: via Valdosta Today.

Possibly controversial is the item to allow Sunday Alcohol Sales to begin at 11:00 a.m. Business as usual includes a rezoning several road widening and other traffic improvement items.

Here is the agenda.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, December 5, 2019
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

  1. Opening Ceremonies
    1. Call to Order
    2. Invocation
    3. Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag
  2. Awards and Presentations
    1. Special Recognition of the Valdosta Main Street Program as a Georgia Exceptional Main Street (GEMS) by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Office of Downtown Development.
    2. Consideration of a request for a Special Presentation at the December 5, 2019 Regular City Council Meeting.
    3. Consideration of the December, 2019 Employee of the Month Award (Sergeant Heather Willis, Valdosta Police Department).
  3. Minutes Approval
    1. Valdosta City Council – Regular Meeting – Nov 7, 2019 5:30 PM
  4. Public Hearings
    1. Consideration of an Ordinance to rezone 6.70 acres from Planned Mixed Use Development (PMD) to Highway-Commercial (C-H) by Quick Trip Corporation (File No. VA-2019-08). The property is located at 1394 North St. Augustine Road. The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission reviewed this request at their November Regular Meeting and recommended approval (8-0 Vote).
    2. Consideration of an Ordinance for Text Amendments to Chapter 102 – General Provisions, Chapter 106 – Definitions, Chapter 242 – Zoning Procedures, Chapter 302 – Subdivision and Site Development Standards, and Chapter 332 – Infrastructure and Site Improvements of the City of Valdosta Land Development Regulations (File No. VA-2019-09). The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission reviewed this request at their November Regular Meeting and recommended approval (8-0 Vote).
  5. Ordinances and Resolutions
    1. Consideration of an Ordinance to amend the City of Valdosta’s Alcohol Ordinance to allow Sunday Alcohol Sales to begin at 11:00 a.m.
    2. Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Revenue to provide sales tax information to the City of Valdosta’s Finance Director.
    3. Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the acceptance of a Contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation for the Eager Road/Jerry Jones Widening Project.
  6. Bids, Contracts, Agreements and Expenditures
    1. Consideration of bids for traffic improvements at the intersection of Park Avenue and Forrest Street.
    2. Consideration of bids for a Front-End Loading Dumpster Garbage Truck for the Public Works Department.
    3. Consideration of a request to approve a Contract for new water meters for the City of Valdosta.
  7. Local Funding and Requests
    1. Consideration of a request to approve street selections for the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) Program.
    2. Consideration of a request from the WWALS Watershed Coalition for a Letter of Support for the Troupville River Camp.
  8. City Manager’s Report
  9. Council Comments
  10. Citizens to be Heard
  11. Adjournment

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Videos: Tower, appointments, sewer main, boat ramp, water trails, Paddle Georgia @ LCC 2019-05-14

All three rezonings breezed through, except slightly the longest was the tabling of the proposed 300′ communications tower off of US 84 East. The tower had the most people: those sitting in the back.

Surprisingly, one of the two Authority appointments was not the incumbent. None of the candidates were introduced, and none spoke.

One Citizen spoke, me, on behalf of WWALS, thanking them and inviting them.

Commissioner Clay Griner was not present. The other four voting Commissioners unanimously approved everything, including the one tabling. At least two staff speakers were not introduced, one not named except by last name, and one never named at all.

Below are Continue reading →

Tax Assessors Special Called Meeting, Lowndes County, Georgia 2018-10-25

In the VDT Community Calendar:

Board of Assessors Special Called meeting, 9 a.m. Oct. 25, 1st floor, Lowndes County Governmental Building, 302 N. Patterson St.

302 N Patterson, Street View

There’s no agenda, and nothing about this on Continue reading →

Videos: EMT, Cleaning, Bids, VLCIA bonds, Airport Authority, Opioids @ LCC 2018-05-22

By far the longest item was a special proclamation for EMT Services, at 4.5 minutes, followed by cleaning bids, which took almost three minutes for the Lowndes County Commission to reject.

In Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, Gretchen took 2 minutes to invite them to WWALS’ Wild & Scenic Film Festival, at Mathis Auditorium, Thursday, May 31, 2018.

WSFF WWALS Logo, Graphics

Almost everything else was read out and unanimously approved, except the one most contentious the previous morning, 7 b. Additional Deputy Coroner Request, was tabled.

Below are Continue reading →

Still inconsistent, but has speed humps: Lowndes County Thoroughfare Plan 2018

The little-known Lowndes County Thoroughfare Plan drives development in Lowndes County. With no public notice and no public hearing. the Commissioners voted on it Tuesday, April 10, 2018. Probably you only heard that would happen if you looked at their agenda late last week, or you happened to read what I wrote about it Monday.

Lowndes County Road Map

Obtained through open records request, it’s on the LAKE website now.

Like the 2009 plan, Continue reading →

Videos: Resolutions and Railroad crossing @ Hahira 2018-01-30

The Hahira City Council passed two resolutions at its February 1, 2018 Regular Session, one supporting GA HR 158 to stop state fee diversions, and another supporting the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail. Two days before I spoke about both and there was discussion at the Hahira Work Session of January 30, 2018.

Another item from that Work Session has unfortunately become big news: possibly closing the Lawson Street railroad crossing, where a man was killed February 5 when a Norfolk Southern train struck a dump truck, according to WTXL. WALB says, “The Georgia State Patrol identified the driver as Dexter Brown, 48, of Barnwell, S.C.”. Mayor Bruce Cain gave a statement to Hahira Today, which also included some discussion of that agenda item: Continue reading →

Resolutions against GA state fee diversions and for water trail @ Hahira 2018-01-30

Tonight, a resolution for Georgia HR 158 against state fee diversions, and another resolution supporting the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, at the Hahira City Council Work Session (and Thursday on the Regular Session agenda). Also, Terry Benjamin will get sworn in again as Councilman, District 1, the food truck zoning ordinance is back, there’s a RR crossing closure request, and a Recommendation to Raise Hahira Depot Rental Fee from $400 to $500, among other items on the agenda.

Hahira City Council
January 30, 2018
Work Session Agenda
6:00 pm- Hahira Courthouse

  1. Call to order 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 →

America’s largest college mutual fund VA529 owns Spectra Energy, a stranded investment

Parents and grandparents buy 529 college savings plans as safe investments, so VA529 chose poorly in Spectra Energy, the very risky company behind the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline now plowing through the Floridan Aquifer drinking water of south Alabama, Georgia, and all of Florida and under the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers against growing opposition. Maybe you’d like to mention that to Mary G. Morris, the Chief Executive Officer of Virginia529 College Savings Plan, the biggest mutual fund investor in both Spectra Energy and in Enbridge, which is buying Spectra. There’s a handy VA529 contact form or you can call or write:

1-804-371-0766
Toll-Free: 1-888-567-0540
9001 Arboretum Parkway
North Chesterfield, VA 23236

Spectra is so risky it just sold itself so Enbridge would take on about $22 billion of Spectra debt. Debt especially racked up since Continue reading →

Sabal Trail protests continue –VDT 2016-09-23

Front page today in the newspaper of record in the largest city in the Suwannee River Basin: the WWALS protest against DAPL and Sabal Trail at the US 84 Withlacoochee River bridge last Saturday, between Quitman and Valdosta, GA.

Vdt Desiree Carver, Valdosta Daily Times, Friday, September 23, 2016, front page, Sabal protests continue,

The WWALS Watershed Coalition stood on the bridge between Brooks and Lowndes County Saturday to show solidarity with Dakota Access Pipeline opponents in Dakota and to continue its battle against the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline.

That’s the US 84 bridge over the Withlacoochee River, on the Continue reading →