Videos: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC Work 2024-11-12

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There was so much discussion at the Work Session this morning that the meeting was 30 minutes long. They spent ten minutes on the ULDC Text Amendments; the ones that remove pine trees from being protected species. Even the UPS replacement got discussion.

Regarding the purchase of VSU South Campus, Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker wondered how this could so easily move forward when the proposed animal shelter is taking so long. There was a little discussion.

They vote at 5:30 PM this evening.

Collage @ LCC 12 November 2024

Here are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

ULDC text amendments remove pines and pecans from protected trees @ LCC 2024-11-12

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Update 2024-11-12: Videos: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC Work 2024-11-12.

Thanks to Jason Davenport for sending a current draft of the ULDC text amendments for this evening’s Public Hearing at the Lowndes County Commission at 5:30 PM.

They are on the LAKE website in Word and PDF formats.

I’m not sure how the public is supposed to comment intelligently on these changes with about two hours to look at them, if they happen to look when I post this. The county has not posted any drafts of these text amendments.

Pines and pecans no longer protected: ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC 2024-11-12

The big change is:

5. Replace 4.07.07 (D) with:
4.07.07(D) All pine and pecan trees, even those over 24 inches dbh, are not considered protected trees.

Everyone understands that trees falling in Hurricane Helene (and Debby and Idalia) were a big problem.

But this seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Continue reading →

Agenda: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC 2024-11-12

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Update 2024-11-12: ULDC text amendments remove pines and pecans from protected trees @ LCC 2024-11-12.

Because Monday is Veterans Day, both the Work and Regular Sessions of the Lowndes County Commission will be Tuesday, November 12, 2024.

Collage @ LCC Agenda 2024-11-12

Most of the almost $2.5 million being contemplated is for the purchase of the VS U South Campus.

Cost	What
$2,156,000.00	Purchase of VSU South Campus Property
$111,223.17	LMIG Supplemental Local Road Assistance (LRA) 2024 Restriping Bids
$85,097.4.00	Bid for 60 SCBA Cylinders for the Fire Department
$72,103.12	UPS Replacement at the Valdosta and Clyattville Public Safety Radio System Tower Sites
$2,424,423.69	Total

Here is the quite long agenda.

We don’t have the board packet, because I forgot to send in the open records request. However, the packet materials for the rezonings will probably be much like the ones from the preceding GLPC meeting, and the ULDC amendments should be somewhat similar to those the Lowndes County Commission previously tabled.

For the VSU South Campus, see Packet: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-22.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2024, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2024, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Georgia post-Hurricane Helene Forestry Meeting Series 2024-12-10

DAY	DATE	LOCATION	ADDRESS
Monday	December 9	Tift County Extension Office	1468 Carpenter Rd S., Tifton, GA
Tuesday	December 10	4-H Center, Lake Park	6100 4-H Club Rd. Lake Park, GA
Wednesday	December 11	UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center	8163 SR-147, Lyons, GA
Thursday	December 12	Augusta Library	823 Telfair St., Augusta, GA

Packet: 2 Lowndes, 8 Valdosta, 1 Hahira @ GLPC 2024-10-28

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The Loch Winn Farms subdivision rezoning on Loch Laurel Road, long delayed due to the Planning Commission not meeting because of lack of quorum and then hurricane, plus in between being tabled by the Lowndes County Commission waiting on Planning Commission review, finally got that on Monday, October 28, 2024.

Collage @ GLPC Packet 2024-10-28

GLPC also heard a new Lowndes County case, REZ-2024-17 Evans Property, Bemiss Rd., 0145B 100, ~1.4 acres, R-1 to C-H, “to allow the property to be used at its highest and best potential.”

Plus six Valdosta cases from the previous month’s GLPC agenda, and one new Valdosta case (a church) and one new Hahira case (a parking lot for a restaurant).

There are no LAKE videos of this GLPC meeting, because Gretchen was out of state as was jsq.

You may wonder, as I do, why doesn’t Lowndes County video it? Or why doesn’t Valdosta do facebook live, like for Valdosta City Council meetings?

Maybe you’d like to ask that Commission and that Council those questions.

Here is the agenda: Continue reading →

Videos: DRC Emergency Services, VSU South Campus Purchase, missing HOA, and Navigability @ LCC Regular 2024-10-23

As Gretchen noted, “There was no work session for this meeting. Shockingly there was discussion.”

The Commissioners and even the County Attorney and County Manager were quite chatty in the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, Tuesday, October 22, 2024, about hurricane debris, and especially about their upcoming $2 million purchase. They also heard from two citizens.

Collage @ LCC 23 October 2024

They revealed in 5.a. Agreement with DRC Emergency Services, LLC that the hurricane debris removal would probably last six months.

In 5.b. Purchase of VSU South Campus Property they revealed that the likely future occupant is is the Board of Elections. They discussed this one item for ten minutes! Unheard of. Good, though.

In 6. Reports – County Manager Paige Dukes estimated about $1.5 million in property damage to Lowndes County assets. Not counting VLPRA, Hospital, and other authorities with their own budgets.

Two citizens spoke: 7. CWTBH: Jesse Bingham of 2563 Naples Lane recounted a tale of multiple developers building wildly different buildings around his house, and still no HOA.

7. CWTBH: John S. Quarterman, speaking for WWALS Watershed Coalition as Suwannee Riverkeeper, talked about the Georgia House Study Committee on Navigability and recommended Commissioners contact statehouse members. See separate post.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Packet: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-22

Update 2024-10-23: Videos: DRC Emergency Services, VSU South Campus Purchase, missing HOA, and Navigability @ LCC Regular 2024-10-23.

The board packet adds the agreements to the agenda for this evening’s Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, 5:30 PM, Tuesday, October 22, 2024.

One agreement details the $3,500 a month for renting for hurricane debris removal the failed subdivision the county bought for $568,971 in February 2022, on GA 122 between Walker’s Crossing and Banks Lake.

The other agreement specifies what the county is buying from VSU for $2,156,000. It says they’re renting part of it back to VSU at least through December, with options for following months through June 2025, for $1 (one dollar) a month.

Collage, Packet, LCC 2024-10-24

The packet does not include a map of the VSU property being purchased, but presumably it’s the same as the lots in that block owned by BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA in this map by the Lowndes County Tax Assessors. At least those properties match the addresses listed in the agreement: 901 N Patterson Street, 903 N Patterson Street, 109-111 E. Force Street, 906-908 Slater Street, and 112 East Gordon. Continue reading →

Agenda: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-21

Update 2024-10-22: Packet: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-22.

The agenda is so light the Lowndes County Commission cancelled the Work Session, and are going straight to voting in the Regular Session, 5:30 PM, Tuesday, October 22, 2024.

They’re finally going to get some income for the failed subdivision they bought between Walker’s Crossing and Banks Lake, and they’re buying the old Georgia Power building from VSU for $2,156,000.

Hurricane debris removal rental, VSU South Campus purchase, No Work Session, Regular Session @ LLC 2024-10-22

The “VSU South Campus Property” is the old Georgia Power building at 901 N Patterson Street and apparently most of the rest of the block.

The location of the hurricane debris removal sounded familiar.

DRC Engineering Services, LLC is a hurricane debris removal contractor of the Georgia Department of Transportation. It has asked to use approximately five acres of County owned property located at 7404 Ga. Highway 122 East for hurricane debris management purposes. It has agreed to pay the County $3500 per month for use of the property. The proposed agreement is attached.

Ah, yes, the property the county bought for $568,971 in February 2022 because Continue reading →

Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC 2024-10-14

Update 2024-10-21: Agenda: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-21.

The TXT-2024-03 ULDC Text Amendments are quite long and detailed. The county still has not published them for the tax-paying and voting public to see. You can see them now, because LAKE got them with an open records request, and now they are on the LAKE website.

Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn rezoning, millage rates, river gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection: Grove Pointe, Nelson Hill @ LCC 2024-10-14

It’s good the Lowndes County Commissioners decided Tuesday to table those amendments (and the rezoning) until the Planning Commission can review them.

Cost	What
$3,369,213.71	Sprayfield Expansion Phase
$78,392.6.00	Grove Pointe Nelson Hill Watermain Interconnection
$3,025.00	Joint Funding Agreement with USGS for Stream Gauge Maintenance
$3,450,631.31	Total

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

Videos: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC Regular 2024-10-15

Update 2024-10-17: Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC 2024-10-14.

As Chairman Bill Slaughter said they would in the preceding Millage Public Hearing, they adopted the roll back millage rate of 7.356 rather than the advertized rate of 7.804. Last year (2023) the rate was 8.778.

The Fire District Millage Rate is continuing at 2.5 mil. The commission plans to continue this rate for 5 years from the start date. This is probably year 3, so apparently 2 more years.

Collage @ LCC 15 October 2024

They actually did table the 5.a. TXT-2024-03 ULDC Text Amendments and the rezoning 5.b. REZ-2024-15 Loch Laurel – Carroll Ulmer so the Planning Commission could hear them at the October 28 meeting and then voted on at the November 12 Lowndes County Commission Regular Meeting.

There was quite a bit of discussion between Commissioners and Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes and Utilities Director Steve Stalvey about the Sprayfield Expansion. Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange

Videos: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC Work 2024-11-12

ULDC text amendments remove pines and pecans from protected trees @ LCC 2024-11-12

Agenda: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC 2024-11-12

Georgia post-Hurricane Helene Forestry Meeting Series 2024-12-10

POST HURRICANE HELENE FORESTRY MEETING SERIES

AGENDA

Packet: 2 Lowndes, 8 Valdosta, 1 Hahira @ GLPC 2024-10-28

Videos: DRC Emergency Services, VSU South Campus Purchase, missing HOA, and Navigability @ LCC Regular 2024-10-23

Packet: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-22

Agenda: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-21

Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC 2024-10-14

Videos: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC Regular 2024-10-15