Hear it from the Mayor, Acting City Manager, and Council of Valdosta, Georgia, and just in time for them and the Lowndes County Chairman, Manager, and Commissioners to attend their annual Bird Supper in Atlanta to discuss it with state legislators: fees collected by the state of Georgia should be dedicated to the purposes for which they were collected. Below are LAKE videos are from the Valdosta City Council, Thursday, January 25, 2018, including a few words I said about which local governments already passed this resolution.
Tag Archives: Government
Lowndes County Chairman speaks for stopping state fee diversions 2018-01-22
The Lowndes County Commission votes tonight, 5:30 PM, on a resolution Chairman Bill Slaughter put on the agenda yesterday morning in support of stopping diversion of state fees, just after a report about a tire amnesty that was apparently funded by the Georgia Solid Waste Trust Fund, which has had fees diverted upwards of $50 million. Valdosta and Hahira also have that resolution on their agendas, after Lanier County, Adel, and Atkinson County passed it recently. If you can attend one of these meetings and thank these elected officials for doing this, I’m sure they would appreciate it.
Video. Chairman Bill Slaughter said Continue reading
Videos: Sewage at Valdosta City Council 2017-03-09
Two citizens spoke about sewage overflows at the Valdosta City Council Thursday 9 March 2017, including about the seven downstream Florida counties passing resolutions calling on the Florida governor to step in. Here are LAKE videos of what they said and the mayor’s answers. Also, George Boston Rhynes told a droll tale about a dead cat and turkeys.
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7. CTBH – Eric Howard on Stormwater and Wastewater
Video. He said he got a house near the river to fish and swim, only to discover Continue reading
Five water items at Lowndes County Commmision + a board appointment @ LCC 2017-02-14
If you care about water and sewage and water quality in wells and rivers,
many county commission and city council decisions affect all of those.
Here are some examples this week from the Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
which represents the most populous county in the Suwannee River Basin,
upstream from Florida.
Also, WWALS board member Phil Hubbard was appointed to Continue reading
$1.7 million sanitary sewer improvements, Lowndes County Commission 2017-01-10
Tonight at 5:30 PM the Lowndes County Commission will vote on a contract for $130,000 out of $1.734 million for sewer system improvements from a GEFA loan. This includes work at the Land Application Site (LAS), which Lowndes County uses instead of a wastewater treatment plant. The LAS is in the Withlacoochee River watershed. Here is video of discussion of this item from yesterday morning’s Work Session.
6.i. Engineering Services for Sanitary Sewer System Improvements
Video. Utilities Director said Carter & Sloope was the same firm who originally designed the Lowndes County Land Application Site. The agenda sheet says, apparently mis-spelling the name:
Continue readingBevel Creek, not Beaty Creek, on Williams Road off Loch Laurel, Lowndes County, Georgia
Mystery finally solved of where is the road over what creek does Lowndes County Georgia want to replace a bridge?
Item
6.b. Replacement of Beatty Creek Bridge on Williams Road,
for
yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session:
where is this for the $634,800 low bid from Southern Concrete Construction of Albany, GA?
There are two Williams Roads in Lowndes County and no Beaty Creek.
In the north end of the county Cat Creek has a tributary Beatty Mill Creek,
with a Williams Road running near it between
Upper New Bethel Road and Beatty Mill Creek Road.
But according to all the maps I can find, Williams Road does not cross
Beatty Mill Creek.
So what exactly is it that the county wants to pay the low bidder $634,800 for? In the 8:30 AM Tuesday 25 April 2016 Work Session, Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker asked, “Where exactly is this?” Continue reading
Videos: WWALS asks Lowndes County to invite Army Corps of Engineers to investigate Sabal Trail discrepancies @ LCC 2016-04-12
Delivered to the Lowndes County Commission Tuesday 12 April 2016 on paper and then by email
(PDF, plus
1-page Suwannee County, FL request to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
28-page
WWALS invitation to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers),
following up from two previous addresses to the same Commission.
See also the Carter Way item in that same Commission meeting, also related to Sabal Trail. Continue reading
Hamilton Co. FL and Lowndes Co. GA asked to oppose Sabal Trail
Two WWALS board members asked their county commissions in two states to oppose Sabal Trail. The Hamilton County, FL Commission answered about the Suwannee River; the Lowndes County, GA Commission sat silently about the Withlacoochee River. Neither did anything, which is why WWALS filed a petition Friday to oppose FL-DEP’s proposed permit for Sabal Trail to drill under the Suwannee River; more on that later. You can help by calling Georgia Gov. Deal and commenting to GA-EDP and FERC. And by becoming a WWALS member today!
On July 21st, Chris Mericle spoke about the Suwannee River. LAKE Video, Hamilton County, FL Commission considers opposing FL-DEP Sabal Trail permit 2015-07-21,
Local resident Chris Mericle asked his county commission to once again oppose the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, this time by opposing a permit Continue reading
Florida pro-fracking bill failed
Photo: Jeff Burlew, via Tallahassee Democrat.
Thanks to Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson of Our Santa Fe River (pictured in blue shirts on left) and many others, a pro-fracking anti-open-records bill failed in the Florida legislature yesterday. WWALS helped persuade both its Florida counties, Madison and Hamilton, to pass anti-fracking resolutions, like so many other Florida counties did as OSFR tirelessly travelled the state. Bills in the Florida House and Senate to ban fracking outright did not pass. But neither did the fracking industry’s bill that would have exempt it from disclosure of its toxic chemicals, and would have prohibited local governments from banning fracking. No doubt the fossil fuel industry will be back next year with a Florida pro-fracking bill, but so will the opponents, with bills to ban fracking. And in another year, maybe Florida will catch on that when the Georgia legislature unanimously approved a solar financing bill, it’s time for the Sunshine State to put fracking behind it and get on with clean, safe, renewable sun, wind, and water power.
Orlando Sentinel, 29 April 2015, Florida fracking bill won’t pass this year, Continue reading
Not in our county, state, or aquifer: Valdosta votes against Sabal Trail pipeline tonight
Tonight at 5:30 PM
the Valdosta City Council will vote on
a resolution against the Sabal Trail pipeline
they discussed Tuesday at their Work Session.
Valdosta added a clause about the
Floridan Aquifer
to the clauses already in the
resolution Lowndes County passed Tuesday evening
that Valdosta is supporting.
Valdosta’s
aquifer clause reads:
As VSU Prof. Don Thieme remarked yesterday, Continue readingWHEREAS, the City of Valdosta has concerns regarding any potential effect the proposed pipeline or its construction might have on the Floridan aquifer, the primary source of the drinking water supply for our City, County and the south Georgia area; and