On the LAKE Front

Ill-conceived to contaminate our air —Barry Z. Hyatt @ VLCIA 19 April 2011

Every protester has a story:

We're here to protest the building of the biomass plant. We think it's ill-conceived to contaminate our air. Our children, retirees, all sorts of folks....

Here's the video:

Ill-conceived to contaminate our air --Barry Z. Hyatt @ VLCIA 19 April 2011
Biomass protesters,
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
Brad Lofton Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Project Manager,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 April 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Wake-up and break off the spell of the Leviathan —George Boston Rhynes

This comment from George Boston Rhynes arrived just now, on "Talk to my chairman". -jsq

I was at the last LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING when Chairman Ashley Paulk shared information about the Biomass Project extension being denied and the alleged secrecy surrounding keeping the general public ignorant.

"Because certain people won’t share with you and I think it’s unfair. We were approached about three weeks ago, Mr. (Joe) Pritchard (County Manager) was, by the Industrial Authority, and we were tentatively asked to make a move to ask that they not extend the contract." (Chairman Paulk!)

Chairman Paulk words prove that there is an apparent pattern and practice

I'm all for openness —Tom Call

The member who hardly ever speaks at board meetings makes a strong case for openness.

Tom Call called me back about the biomass plant, and we talked about a number of other matters. He remarked that he was not an appointed spokesperson for the Industrial Authority, so this is just him talking.

I asked him about Ashley Paulk's remarks in the 26 April 2011 Lowndes County Commission meeting. Tom Call said VLCIA was not standing behind any other body, and he clarified what had happened.

He said the biomass plant had been brought to the Industrial Authority by

Talk to my chairman —VLCIA board members

Yesterday I wrote that we were left with hearsay through Ashley Paulk and people he talked to about what the Industrial Authority is up to, and I had left telephone messages with all five VLCIA board members. So far, three out of five have called me back.

Roy Copeland referred me to VLCIA Chairman Jerry Jennett for an update about the present status of the biomass plant.

He also had many good things to say about the activism in the community, including this:

Because people in the community are concerned, that makes us better. And sometimes there are good things that come out of disagreement.

This opinion is not new from him: he told me many of the same positive things about activism months ago after a VLCIA board meeting. We discussed that there were other things VLCIA does that were worth supporting.

He also said he is in favor of putting the minutes online,

Who's for What at the VLCIA

I don't like to publish hearsay, but since the Industrial Authority won't talk, that's what I've got. According to Leigh Touchton, Ashley Paulk told her Tuesday night:

He said that Jerry Jennett took the biomass vote off the agenda at last Industrial Authority meeting (April 19) even though Mary Gooding and Roy Copeland wanted the vote to be taken ( a vote that was to oppose an extension of the biomass contract since the biomass incinerator had not met timeline benchmarks like having a buyer, etc). He said that Allan Ricketts, Industrial Authority attorney Steve Gupton, and Jerry Jennett went up to Atlanta to meet with Wiregrass officials and that's when he (Chairman Paulk) got a call telling him all this and he said he wouldn't keep quiet about it. He said the three men asked Wiregrass LLC officials to rescind their letter asking VLCIA for an extension on their contract and to substitute a new letter saying they were withdrawing their request for extension (or not going forward to ask for extension).

This is in addition to what you can see him on video saying during the meeting. More after this picture of the cast of characters:

Move on, find other avenues, other projects —Ashley Paulk

Ashley Paulk agrees with my mother about what the Industrial Authority should do.

At the Lowndes County Commission meeting last night, Chairman Paulk discussed the biomass plant with Dr. Noll, and said:

Certain people won't share it with you, and I don't think it's fair.

We were approached ... almost three weeks ago by the Industrial Authority and we were asked to ... ask them not to extend the contract. Well, it's not our contract; we could do that, but ... we didn't.

And then last week the Tuesday of their meeting, I received a call ... on my way back fromm Atlanta and they had gone up there to talk to Wiregrass Power, because they'd written a letter asking for an extension.

My understanding was that they asked Wiregrass to write another letter to remove that extension request.

These are things, I think should be public knowledge.

There's more in the video.

Regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, Lowndes County, Georgia, 26 April 2011
Video by Alex Rowell for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

He told me several weeks ago about the commission being asked to vote not to extend.

Biomass is a bad idea —Matt Flumerfelt @ VLCIA 19 April 2011

Matt Flumerfelt says he's a musician, writer, and poet, and doesn't usually go in for speaking about politics. But he's come to the conclusion that the biomass plant is a bad idea.

Here's the video:

Biomass is a bad idea —Matt Flumerfelt @ VLCIA 19 April 2011
Regular monthly 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, 19 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Wiregrass Solar is connected to the grid —Col. Ricketts @ VLCIA 19 April 2011

Acting Executive Director Allan Ricketts reported to the VLCIA board that the Wiregrass Solar plant is connected to the grid now. He gave a bit of detail about the commissioning ceremony that was cancelled due to weather; apparently dignitaries from across the state were expected to attend. No new date has been set. He's still supposed to let me know when the new date is set.

Here's the video:

Wiregrass Solar is connected to the grid —Col. Ricketts @ VLCIA 19 April 2011
Biomass protesters,
Regular monthly 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, 19 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

About those minutes —Bobbi Anne Hancock @ VLCIA 19 April 2011

Stonewalling is a good way to get your Industrial Authority on the front page of the local newspaper (again). Here's video of what Bobbi Anne Hancock said to the board about their minutes (and other things).

First, here's is VDT reporter David Rodock's excerpt of what she said last night:

Bobbi Anne Hancock, the woman who made an Open Records request with the Authority for meeting minutes from 2006 to the present day, spoke to board members during the citizens to be heard portion of the meeting.

"The majority of your costs for the request are for the five hours

Protesters at Industrial Authority, 19 April 2011

The protesters are revolting these days! Is there nothing an Industrial Authority can do to keep them off its doorstep?

Where are these people protesting? Could it be outside the Industrial Authority?

Protesters @ VLCIA 19 April 2011 Part 1 of 4:
Biomass protesters,
Regular monthly 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, 19 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Why that sign says