On the LAKE Front

What people are interested in having their pennies spent on —Gretchen Quarterman

Received yesterday on Allocate resources in a yearly budget? -jsq

As I was out campaigning, it was interesting what people are interested in having their pennies spent on. Many want better sidewalks and safer places to ride their bikes. One Valdosta police officer particularly commented on the dangerous bike riding conditions (especially on North Oak Extension). Many in the un-incorporated areas want increased fire protection and it seems that everyone better drainage (and I don't mean simply open ditches for rain water) and still others would like to see some soccer fields.

It seems like we should be able to do some prioritizations and then save up for these things. I guess that will be up to the new commission chairman and members and they will have to figure out how to move forward without a SPLOST immediately in 2014.

Personally, I'd like to see a public accounting of how the previous SPLOSTS were spent. And not in big categories, but the actual details... But that's just me.

-Gretchen Quarterman

-jsq

Valdosta Street Railway 1899-1924

 

What's that little shelter by the front gate of VSU? It's the last physical remnant of the Valdosta Street Railway, an early 20^th century streetcar system, when Valdosta was the smallest city in the country to have one. Valdosta had 5,613 people in 1900, about twice as many as present-day Hahira.

Dean Poling described the origins of Valdosta's streetcars in Valdosta Scene 26 February 2010:

Streetcars and bicycles: upcoming movies at VSU

You do know that Valdosta was the smallest city in the U.S. that had a streetcar system, right? Here's a movie about what probably happened to it, like all the others, followed by a movie about another mode of transportation: bicycles.

"Taken for a Ride" and "Pedal Power!" screening

Public Event · By Valdosta State University Social Issues in Film Series
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
7:00pm
VSU University Center room 1171
DOUBLE-HEADER!

"Taken for a Ride" focuses on the Great American Streetcar Scandal (or Conspiracy), in which major US companies deliberately bought-up and dismantled the public light-rail streetcar lines in dozens of American cities. The guilty companies? General Motors, Firestone Tire, Standard Oil, Phillips Petroleum, and Mack Trucks—all companies that wanted to replace the public streetcars with buses and then private cars.

"Pedal Power!" is an inside look at the world's growing cycling movement and how bikes are pushing-up against a dominant car culture in North America. From Critical Mass bike rides and "bike-to-work" programs, to increasingly popular "public bike" programs, bicycles are becoming an ever-important component of cities.

Co-sponsored with the Valdosta Community Cycling Center.

-jsq

 

Why did old US 41 N increase from $8 M to $12 M? —John S. Quarterman @ SGRC 2011-09-19

I asked why the Old US 41 North widening project changed from $8 million on the unconstrained list to $12 million on the constrained list, an increase of $4 million or 50% when the description did not change? The answer indicates GDOT and local governments want to drive development north in the county, leaving pedestrians and bicyclists stranded yet having to pay.

Corey Hull responded:

Halfway through we received new cost estimates....

GDOT did the cost estimates, in cooperation with the local government that was responsible for that.

A state employee told me after the meeting that GDOT raised some estimates because it thought the local government, in this case the Lowndes County Commission and staff, didn't put in enough to cover the project. I don't know whether GDOT was figuring by Atlanta costs or not.... At least the cost didn't go up further in the final project list; I just checked and it's still $12 million.

Corey elaborated that some projects increased and some decreased. I asked him which ones did which. He said he'd have to go back and compare. Later he helped me produce a list of comparisons of costs of Lowndes County projects, which shows that one went down by 30% and three went up by 50% or more. One, RC11-000099 St. Augustine at Norman Intersection Improvements, went up by 131.5%.

That $12 million for widening less than 3 miles of one road is more than one item that was in the unconstrained list but cut from the constrained list: $7.5 million for a bus system, with three bus lines that would connect Wiregrass Tech, Five Points, Downtown, Moody, East Side, South Side, West Side, and the Mall. A bus system recommended by the Industrial Authority's Community Assessment to aid in employee attendance, industry recruitment, and workforce.

You could probably even start up a substantial commuter rail system using existing freight line tracks for less than $12 million. Even though GDOT apparently only believes in roads and bridges, busses and trains are actually more cost-effective, especially for lower-income people. The same lower-income people who will be disproportionately taxed by T-SPLOST as a percentage of their income.

Instead, the description for the Old US 41 North project admits the county is driving

Map of Azalea City Trail: path of Saturday afternoon's bike ride

Here's a map of the Azalea City Trail, which is the path of (Saturday 12 May 2012) sponsored by Valdosta Bike Co-op.

Oddly, the City of Valdosta doesn't seem to have such a map anywhere on its web pages, nor does the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA).

-jsq

Valdosta Bike Co-op community ride on the Azalea City Trail

Valdosta Bike Coop has sprouted a blog. And it's doing a bike ride this weekend.

On Saturday, May 12, 2012 the Valdosta Bike Co-op will host its first community ride on the Azalea City Trail. The ride will begin at the start of the trail near Vallotton Park and will finish at the end of the trail near the Craig Center. This will be a family-friendly ride and will keep a reasonable pace. The ride will begin at 1 PM following a brief bike safety lesson.

The ride will begin with a proclamation by a local leader of the City of Valdosta appointed by Mayor John Gayle. The proclamation will officially declare May as National Bike Month in the City of Valdosta. Riders will then follow the nearly 3 mile trail through beautiful Central Valdosta.

The goal of this ride is to promote the use of the bike and pedestrian trail as well as to promote National Bike Month. The members of the Valdosta Bike Co-op would like to invite the entire community to join us in the fun, healthy, and safe community ride.

-jsq

PS: Owed to Matt Portwood.

Videos @ LCC 2012 03 27

Here are videos of the entire 27 March 2012 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission (LCC). The audio feed is coming directly from the Commission's own audio system. We don't know why County Manager Joe Pritchard is frequently barely audible, nor why the microphone at the audience podium sometimes seems hardly to be working, nor why Commissioners ask people in the audience to speak when there is no microphone pointing at the audience.

Some of these videos have already been blogged:

• Bicycles noted in appointment to VLMPO Citizens Advisory Committee
• Joyce Evans and Frank Morman reappointed to Land Bank Authority
• Col. Mark A. Ruse and Moody AFB ORI

Here's a playlist:

Videos
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 March 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

Bicycles noted in appointment to VLMPO Citizens Advisory Committee @ LCC 2012 03 27

Lowndes County cares about bicycles? That's news!

The Lowndes County Commission appointed Edward Rawls, retired professional engineer and Blake Waagner, owner of Valdosta Bike Center to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO) Citizens Advisory Committee. Commissioner Crawford Powell surprisingly said:

I think the perspective from the bicycle group would be interesting on the MPO.

Interesting development!

Also, the Commission continued the tradition which I believe was started by Commissioner Joyce Evans of attempting to get all applicants for appointed boards to introduce themselves. I think that's a good thing.

Here's the video:

Bicycles noted in appointment to VLMPO Citizens Advisory Committee
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 March 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

The group overwhelmingly supported the building of... —Matt Portwood

Second of two reports on last night's VLPRA steering committee received today. -jsq

The message of Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority Executive Director George Page was clear at tonight's Master Planning Steering Committee workshop when he told the group “I'm not a fan of the status quo.” If you've followed the work of Mr. Page and the staff of the VLPRA, especially their work on securing the upcoming baseball tournament which is projected to have an economic impact of about $250,000, then you know that this is no exaggeration.

The meeting tonight was the first of a series of meetings that are geared toward getting public involvement in the upcoming Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan. The VLPRA has contracted with the Nashville-based architectural and land planning group Lose and Associates, to conduct the comprehensive plan. Lose is pronounced more like the geologic term defining windborne silt (loess), and less like how we identify the team that scores fewer goals in a soccer match (lose). The meeting tonight, which was led by two Lose planners, was focused on evaluating current VLPRA programs and facilities and offering suggestions for future improvements.

This evening's group of about 15 participants consisted of

Bike News —Matt Portwood

Received Friday. -jsq In the Fall of 2010 the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority cut a red ribbon at a ceremony dedicating Phase II of Freedom Park. The park's new phase included a walking track, disc golf course, and a dog park. The addition of the small dog park to Freedom Park's amenities was largely the result of a motivated group of citizens who urged the Authority to build the leash-free exercise and play space. 444 locals signed an online petition requesting that the VLPRA “create an off-leash dog park, accessible to all residents and visitors where pets can safely be taken for exercise and play.” As a result of this community involvement, park visitors now have a safe and shaded spot to enjoy a game of fetch with Fido.

The mission of the VLPRA is

“to provide quality Recreation and Parks, and to advance environmental conservation, which promotes the highest quality of life for the entire community.”

In the upcoming months, the VLPRA will begin revising its master plan.