VALDOSTA — The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved six items during their regular meeting. Key among these decisions were the rezoning for an upcoming grocery store near the Foxborough subdivision on North Valdosta Road and a multi-year plan for crucial information technology replacements across county departments.
The rezoning request for the grocery store site was the final of three public hearing items addressed by the Commissioners. The property owner sought to rezone just over 71 acres of land near the Foxborough subdivision on North Valdosta Road. The requested changes would convert the land from E-A (Estate Agricultural) to C-H (Highway Commercial) zoning to accommodate the new grocery store. After a brief discussion during their Monday work session, the Commissioners moved forward with the item. During the public hearing, one individual spoke in opposition to the request, while another spoke in favor. Despite the varied input, the Commissioners ultimately approved the rezoning unanimously, clearing a path for new commercial development that will impact residents in the area.
In a significant move for county operations, Commissioners also unanimously approved a comprehensive five-year process for information technology replacements. This plan, presented with zero interest on the price, aims to gradually replace current technology that is nearing the end of its useful life, is no longer supported, or has become too costly to maintain. Aaron Kostyu, Lowndes County Director of Information Technology, articulated the necessity of the upgrades, stating, “The existing technologies that these are replacing are either approaching the end of their useful life, end of their supported life, or they no longer represent a cost effective or sustainable investment for Lowndes County.” Kostyu emphasized that these projects are designed to maintain the “reliability, security, and efficiency of the county’s technology infrastructure while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
According to Kostyu, the technology refresh will encompass a partial upgrade to core and network infrastructure, new hardware and software for the communication center, and replacements for court hearing rooms and remote courtroom carts. A substantial challenge for this project has been the rising cost of technology due to major AI companies saturating the market. Kostyu noted that what was initially an approximately $180,000 project for hardware escalated to $1,000,000 for the exact same equipment. He explained that AI companies have “pre-purchased” the next three releases of memory, leading to significantly higher prices for necessary hardware, sometimes “a hundred times more expensive for server equipment.” This market pressure necessitated a redesign of the upgrade approach, focusing on extending the life of existing infrastructure and leveraging licensing and maintenance agreements over new physical hardware purchases. The technology project has been discussed for two budget cycles before reaching this unanimous approval.
Other zoning requests also received unanimous approval from the Commissioners. One request involved a property on Madison Highway near the Valdosta Airport, which will be unified from four existing zoning districts into two: R-A (Residential Agricultural) and CON (Conservation) for a proposed Family Ties subdivision. Another rezoning from E-A (Estate Agricultural) to R-1 (Low-Density Residential) was approved for a property to accommodate a mobile home, with the applicant reportedly waiting for this approval to move in.
In other business, the Commissioners approved an emergency repair for the top amplifier of the Clyattville Tower Public System Radio System tower. This repair was deemed critical after the amplifier was found to be unresponsive during routine maintenance.
Finally, Commissioners approved the purchase of five new 2027 Ford F-150 Crew Cab pickup trucks. One truck is designated for the Utilities Department, two for the Magistrate Court, and two for the Code Enforcement Department. Each truck was approved at a cost of $44,770.00, funded through capital funding.
The meeting concluded with the “Citizens To Be Heard” segment, where residents voiced concerns on various topics including an extension of the moratorium against data centers, a request for a closer look at the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, protection of the McIntyre Family Cemetery from the proposed Sabal Trail Pipeline project, and issues regarding commissioner representation. County Commission Chairman At-Large Bill Slaughter, along with County Manager Paige Dukes, Commissioner Michael Smith, and Commissioner Demarcus Marshall, engaged with citizens specifically on their data center concerns. Discussions on these citizen concerns are expected to be covered in a separate report.
