Let's Talk Valdosta, A City of Valdosta Podcast

Today's episode of Let's Talk Valdosta features Traffic Manager Larry Ogden. Mr. Ogden discusses all things traffic management, awards, and a recent visit from Georgia Technical College!

On this episode of Let's Talk Valdosta, Senior Planner of Historic Preservation, discusses Historic Preservation Month and upcoming events for the department.

The Valdosta Fire Chief, Brian Boutwell discusses the departments recent accomplishments along with, the upcoming "Push In" Ceremony on Friday, March 24th! #ACityWithoutLimits

On this episode of Lets Talk Valdosta, Neighborhood Development and Community Protections Manager, Anetra Riley and Residential Construction Coordinator, Richard Joyner discuss the misconceptions of both departments and what citizens should know. 

Anthony Musgrove and Richard Hardy discuss the recent APWA award for the Valdosta On-Demand transit system.

On the newest episode of, Let's Talk Valdosta, Sgt. Melissa Roe discusses the upcoming 9/11 memorial 5K.  Check it out and register today!

Kristin Patten and Stephanie Hauser of South Health District, visits Let's Talk Valdosta to discuss the rise of COVID-19 and what citizens can do to prevent the spread. 

The City of Valdosta's new Mainstreet Director, Brandie Dame along with Mainstreet Program Coordinator, Ally Sealy discuss current happenings and their new ideas for Downtown Valdosta.  The new Community Relations and Marketing Manager, Sharah' Denton discusses her vision for the City of Valdosta from a public information perspective.

Lets Talk Valdosta is back and begins with a one on one discussion with City Manager, Mark Barber as he discusses ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act).

New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise with many counties seeing daily case increases comparable to, and for some even higher than, those seen during the first COVID-19 wave in 2020. Our Public Information Team talks to South Health District Officials about Vaccinations, Myths associated with them, and the latest information on what health officials are seeing.    

Coming off of National Police Week, the Public Information Team speaks with Chief Leslie Manahan and Lt. Scottie Johns about community support and how that helps the jobs they do each and everyday. Also, the Valdosta Police Department is hiring! Have you ever had an interest in joining? Now is your chance! 

Valdosta Food Trucks are back for another season - Social Distancing Style! The City of Valdosta and Valdosta Main Street are hosting Food Truck Thursday, March through November. The event will be held on the third Thursday of each month throughout the season. The event will be set up as a ‘Food Truck Crawl' with food trucks that will be set up simultaneously around Downtown Valdosta. Eventgoers can enjoy everything from BBQ to shaved ice, burgers, tacos, smoothies and so much more! Visit one location or visit all of them – plan your crawl ahead of time! Hear from lKing of R&B food truck owners on how they got started and big plans for the future! 

HAVE YOU HEARD?! We're thrilled to announce that an affordable public transit service is coming to Valdosta. Valdosta On-Demand is a micro-transit service that riders can request in real-time or schedule in advance if they prefer it. The service will launch on April 27. It will operate Monday-Friday, 6 am-9 pm, and costs only $2 per ride. Riders can book a ride through an easy-to-use app or by calling our customer service center. To ensure we meet the needs of everyone in the community our fleet includes wheelchair-accessible vehicles and our app supports blind and low-vision riders. Hear from Valdosta City Manager Mark Barber, Deputy City Manager of Operations Richard Hardy and Via Partnerships Lead Olivia Blahut who discuss Valdosta On-Demand and all it has to offer.

Mayor Scott James Matheson and the Valdosta City Council held their Annual Strategic Initiatives Summit (SIS) on March 19th and 20th at the Woman's Building in Valdosta. The retreat was moderated by the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government. During the Summit, the Mayor and Council received departmental reports from city staff and reports from executive directors of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority. These presentations allowed the Mayor and Council to get updates on projects within the City limits and throughout Lowndes County. It provided the Mayor and Council an opportunity to ask specific questions needed to help them craft their goals and objectives for the year. Hear from District 4 Councilmember Eric Howard and District 6 Councilmember Andy Gibbs on their takeaways from the weekend

Mayor Scott James Matheson and the Valdosta City Council held their Annual Strategic Initiatives Summit (SIS) on March 19th and 20th at the Woman's Building in Valdosta. The retreat was moderated by the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government. During the Summit, the Mayor and Council received departmental reports from city staff and reports from executive directors of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority. These presentations allowed the Mayor and Council to get updates on projects within the City limits and throughout Lowndes County. It provided the Mayor and Council an opportunity to ask specific questions needed to help them craft their goals and objectives for the year. Hear from City Manager Mark Barber on his takeaways from the weekend

Mayor Scott James Matheson and the Valdosta City Council held their Annual Strategic Initiatives Summit (SIS) on March 19th and 20th at the Woman's Building in Valdosta. The retreat was moderated by the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government. During the Summit, the Mayor and Council received departmental reports from city staff and reports from executive directors of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority. These presentations allowed the Mayor and Council to get updates on projects within the City limits and throughout Lowndes County. It provided the Mayor and Council an opportunity to ask specific questions needed to help them craft their goals and objectives for the year. Hear from Mayor Matheson on his takeaways from the weekend.   

Downtown Valdosta is the home to an estimated 800 businesses with approximately 8,200 jobs, representing 20% of the city's total jobs. The average downtown business has 10 jobs per establishment. A lot of effort goes in behind the scenes to keep the heart of our city more vibrant than ever! It is all done by a two-person team with Main Street Director Ellen Hill and Main Street Program Coordinator Rachel Thrasher. In 2020 we welcomed 5 new businesses that brought approximately 32 new jobs and $400,000 of investment to our downtown. While the shutdown was not an ideal situation to be in for restaurants and retail businesses, many of the downtown merchants decided to rise to the challenge of reinventing their business models to fit with the restrictions and were successful.  In this episode, we cover the latest updates from Valdosta Main Street and what's to come in 2021.