“It's forthcoming. I can’t tell you anything because quite frankly,
lawyers have their own schedules. I literally do not know specific
details because I'm not privy to that information as of this moment.”
Well, it's good to know somebody's in charge at the Authority.
It is unbelievable that despite all the concerns in our community about
biomass, the Industrial authority is still considering to sell the
land to a company like
Wiregrass Power LLC.
This is the same company
the Industrial Authority once stated
it had no faith in anymore.
This is the same company
that just missed another deadline as stipulated by
their contract. And this is the same company that apparently does not
have the best interest of our community in mind.
The Valdosta City Council could also hold an ethics investigation
of their own appointees to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority,
on the topic of why those appointees are in favor of a project with
demonstrated health hazards to the community.
Short of that, Valdosta could demand transparency from VLCIA:
VDT is not quite right when it says Only city can stop biomass. The Lowndes County Commission could do it.
According to Ashley Paulk, a few months ago VLCIA approached the Lowndes County government, asking them to ask VLCIA not to extend Sterling Planet's contract for the biomass plant. Chairman Paulk refused to accept that hot potato and instead laudably told the community what was going on. Yet there was a bit of a good idea in what VLCIA was asking. Lowndes County could pass an ordinance such as VDT is suggesting banning the incineration of human feces.
For that matter, wasn't the rezoning to build a certain biomass plant according to a certain plan which has no expired? Maybe the rezoning is already null and void and the Commission just needs to declare it so.
Short of that, the Lowndes County Commission could demand transparency from VLCIA:
In a recent Valdosta council meeting, longtime councilman Sonny Vickers
asked if there was any way to put the biomass issue to rest once and for
all. The good news, Councilman Vickers, is that there is and it's all
in the city’s hands.
The Industrial Authority signed an agreement with Wiregrass Power LLC
which allows the company to purchase the land from the Authority and
proceed with the project on its own. Although the Authority hasn't
yet voted on the issue, it appears that they don’t have a choice and
may be compelled to honor the agreement.
Compelled? Give me a break!
VLCIA has an attorney, and one of its board members is an attorney.
If they can't find a way to break a land purchase contract because
conditions have changed, they need new legal counsel.
A usually reliable source tells me that this morning at 8AM
VLCIA will hold a special called board meeting to consider
a specific dollar offer from Sterling Planet for the site
of the proposed biomass plant.
I see nothing in the public notices online.
The Industrial Authority's
own online calendar has today marked,
although it doesn't say for what.
The VDT's online calendar
does have it listed:
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority Special Called Meeting
When
Friday
Jul. 8, 2011
8:00 AM
Description
Purpose of meeting is to discus real estate. Call 259-9972.
Where
Authority Offices
2110 N. Patterson St.
Valdosta, GA
The VDT calendar doesn't say what real estate, but the source
has usually been correct before.
Since it's about real estate they'll probably go directly into executive
session, which means the public can't attend that part.
However, public can attend the public street outside.
At an event this afternoon at UT-San Antonio, Mayor Julian Castro
announced a suite of green energy projects that he said would position
San Antonio as the nation's "recognized leader in clean energy technology"
and help fulfill his aggressive environmental goals.
Most notably, Castro and leaders from CPS Energy, the city-owned utility,
pledged to shut down one of its coal-fired power plants 15 years ahead
of schedule. By 2018, the city would mothball the 871-megawatt J.T. Deely
Power Plant — a bold move in a growing state that's seemingly addicted
to coal.
Karen Noll asked the VLCIA board to put a no-biomass clause
in any purchase agreement regarding the proposed biomass site.
She began with these words:
I'm Karen Noll.
I hope some of you already have seen my writing and
have read my letters to you in the past.
I'm obviously here on one issue.
I hope that in the future I can be talking to you about other issues.
But right now I'm talking to you about biomass.
And we celebrated that it was dead and it was gone and now it's not.
Because we really don't know ... what the plan is.
Karen Noll made a pitch based partly on saving taxpayer money.
In addressing health concerns, she handed the board a letter from local doctor
Craig Bishop.
She handed the board a petition with "at least 700 signatures"
and she said for each signature there was probably at least one more
that didn't sign.
Some of what she said appeared to be drawn from a letter
that is appended in this post after the video.
Matt Flumerfelt put down his trumpet to speak for the biomass protesters.
He recommended responsibility on behalf of the children and grandchildren.
He also said he looks forward to
the new VLCIA executive director,
since her background in hotel marketing fits with his vision of
the area as a retirement community.
For the children —Matt Flumerfelt
Irregular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 June 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Compliments to Mayor Fretti for saying we will competitively expand the Wiregrass Solar plant!
Responding to
George Rhynes' point,
I said that while I had recommended moving Citizens to be Heard to the
end of the agenda, it never occured to me that it might get moved
after Council Comments, which did lead to an impression that Council
did not want to hear and did not plan to respond.
I noted that if Council videoed its own proceedings and put them on the web,
that would help make the problem moot.
I'm thinking videos distributed by the City Council itself would probably
get
more citizens viewing them than ones distributed by bloggers like me and
George and by LAKE.
My main point was that, even though Brad Lofton and Col. Ricketts apparently
never told Mayor Fretti, there was a larger solar array in
the blog of LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange
“It's forthcoming. I can’t tell you anything because quite frankly, lawyers have their own schedules. I literally do not know specific details because I'm not privy to that information as of this moment.”
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