Videos: Regular Session @ VLCIA 2012 01 17
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett,
Andrea Schruijer Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Project Manager,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 17 January 2012.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
According to what Col. Ricketts said at their most recent regular meeting,
apparently what VLCIA is accepting bids for today is Phase 2, not Phase 1,
of Infrastructure for Westside Business Park.
I still give them credit for at least
posting an announcement of today's meeting on their website.
The red rectangle indicates the area of clearing and grading
for Phase 1 Infrastructure for Westside Business Park.
Col. Ricketts said that had already been completed.
This is all on Belleville Road near Lake Park.
They had already asked for bids for Phase 2, which is
for an internal roadway, storm water and sewer, lighting, paving, etc.
Video: Infrastructure, Westside Business Park @ VLCIA 2012 01 17
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett,
Andrea Schruijer Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Project Manager,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 17 January 2012.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Notice of a Special Called Meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County
Industrial Authority for the purpose of reviewing bids and awarding
a contract for Westside Business Park Phase I Infrastructure Project
on
Friday, January 27, 2012, 12 Noon at the Authority offices, 2110
N. Patterson St. 229-259-9972.
That's not a link in the middle; they underlined the date and time.
Soon, maybe they will discover italics!
Update 12:20 PM 2012 01 27: And here is
video of Col. Ricketts at that 17th January 2012 Regular Session, saying Phase 1 had already been completed and they
had asked for bids for Phase 2. So Phase 2 is presumably what they're accepting bids for right now. I still give them credit for posting a notice of today's special called meeting on their website. -jsq
Westside Business Park Phase 1 Infrastructure (Clear/Grading)
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett,
Andrea Schruijer Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Project Manager,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 17 January 2012.
Picture by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Erdrich Umformtechnik to invest $39 million in Laurens County, Deal
reports
Gov. Nathan Deal announced today that Erdrich Umformtechnik GmbH &
Co.KG (Erdrich), a German-based automotive supplier, will construct
a state-of-the-art metal stamping facility in Dublin in Laurens
County. The company will create 178 jobs and invest $39 million in
the construction of this plant.
“Automotive industry suppliers find in Georgia the logistics
infrastructure, skilled workforce and overall business environment
necessary for them to compete globally while meeting the needs of
their customers,” Deal said. “I am also encouraged to
see yet another German company call Georgia home, indicating even
further that our efforts to build and foster international
relationships are yielding positive results. Georgia proudly
welcomes Erdrich to our state.”
Erdrich is a midsized family-owned company that produces complex
metal parts and subassemblies for the automotive industry, and has
been in the metal stamping business for more than 50 years. The
company has two plants in Germany, one in the Czech Republic and
another in China that supplies parts to other automotive supplier
companies as well to BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen.
“Following an extensive multistate search for the right U.S.
business location for our company, we were delighted to find the
right fit in Dublin, Georgia,” said CEO Georg Erdrich.
“This very pro-business community met our requirements with
respect to logistics to our customers, access for our suppliers,
operating costs, workforce and quality of life. The economic
development leadership at the state and local level worked closely
with us to make our decision based on confidence in the data, the
business analysis and the leadership.”
So apparently at least one locality in Georgia is capable of attracting
this kind of industry.
Near Savannah a couple of doctors are pioneering ways
for everyone to profit from solar now.
Yesterday, the Driftaway Cafe started serving up with solar.
A ground breaking project is underway in the coastal empire that
harnesses the power of the sun and hopes to pave the way for the
future of clean energy. One main part of this project is for
everyone to be able to supply their own power.
Clean, sustainable energy has been a hot topic for some time now,
especially, energy that doesn't send our money overseas.
“We need to develop every available source of American
energy,” says President Obama.
The problem is that until now alternate sources have been out of
reach or too expensive for most of us.
“It's very important we learn how to harness our own power and
how we structure that today is important for future
generations,” says Dr. Sidney Smith, co-owner of Lower rates
for Customers.
“Lower Rates for Customers” is hoping to do just that.
The plan is to make solar power the way of the future and affordable
for everyone. They have an all encompassing plan that can have
anyone generating their own electricity within 45 days, even if you
don't have the land to put up solar panels.
“We provide you with the place, the hook up, the technology
and Georgia power will send you a check to supplement your power
bill,” says Dr. Pat Godbey, co-owner of Tabby Power.
Business like the Driftaway Cafe jumped on the chance to get
involved.
“Their financial model for the future just struck a nerve with
me and I wanted to be a part of it,” says Driftaway owner,
Robyn Quattlebaum.
Cheaper, cleaner, and accessible: that's good business sense!
Cobb Electric Membership Corp.'s board of directors voted Tuesday to
pull out of the $2.1 billion 850-megawatt Plant Washington project,
citing the uncertain impacts of tightened federal regulation of
carbon emissions. Cobb EMC was the largest participant in the
consortium
Power4Georgians.
The consortium began looking for other partners to replace Cobb EMC
well before Wednesday's decision, which had been anticipated, said
Dean Alford, spokesman for Power4Georgians.
“This in no way changes the course,” he said.
“It's still full steam ahead.”
But he wouldn't say who else would help fund it.
We'll see whether he's blustering or actually has any further backers.
Videos of last night's Lowndes County Commission Regular Session @ LCC 2012 01 24
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 January 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
We still don't know what the county is going to do about
that cost overrun for the Moody AFB gate.
Nobody said at the work session yesterday morning; maybe they'll say
at the regular session tonight when they vote on a contract with
some sort of revised dollar figures in it.
County Manager Mike Fletcher waved around a copy of the revised
contract with Scruggs Company for the new Moody AFB gate,
but said he had not provided it to the Commissioners.
I wonder if they'll see it before they vote tonight?
He said it was 226 pages long, but most of that was DOT boilerplate,
and only something like 20 pages was the actual county contract.
Seems like they could read that much by tonight.
So could we, the public, if it was somewhere we could see it.
He also didn't say what happened to the
$128,497.05 cost overrun.
The Commissioners asked no questions.
Commission had not seen Moody AFB gate contract with Scruggs before Work Session @ LCC 2012 01 23
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 January 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Just as prohibition of alcohol failed in the United States in the
1920s, the war on drugs has failed globally. Over the past 50 years,
more than $1 trillion has been spent fighting this battle, and all
we have to show for it is increased drug use, overflowing jails,
billions of pounds and dollars of taxpayers' money wasted, and
thriving crime syndicates. It is time for a new approach.
Too many of our leaders worldwide are ignoring policy reforms that
could rapidly reduce violence and organised crime, cut down on
theft, improve public health and reduce the use of illicit drugs.
They are failing to act because the reforms that are needed centre
on decriminalising drug use and treating it as a health problem.
They are scared to take a stand that might seem “soft”.
But exploring ways to decriminalise drugs is anything but soft. It
would free up crime-fighting resources to go after violent organised
crime, and get more people the help they need to get off drugs. It's
time to get tough on misguided policies and end the war on drugs.
Branson isn't just a billionaire speaking his mind, he was also on the
Global Commission on Drug Policy that studied the problem
and recommended last summer that we end prohibition.
Branson does bring his business experience to bear:
the blog of LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange
They sure did talk about
Miller Business Park
a lot.
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