VALDOSTA — Due to a resignation on the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities advisory council, the county made a new appointment to the council.

Berinda Nwakamma was appointed by the Lowndes County Commission Tuesday during a meeting. She will be one of two appointments to DBHDD Region 4 council from Lowndes County. She will serve a three-year term.

The board approved the construction of a roughly 300-foot-tall telecommunications tower on U.S. Highway 84 East. The item was originally tabled at the board’s last meeting.

According to county documents, the primary motivation for a new tower is to cover a gap in the existing coverage area.

At the meeting, proponents said the tower will provide additional coverage and improve safety for the affected area.

Commissioners made multiple purchases during the meeting, including an updated standard utility agreement/preliminary engineering agreement between the county and Georgia Department of Transportation valued at about $50,000.

The county approved a contract, valued at about $60,000, with Motorola yearly maintenance, county documents stated.

Documents said the maintenance will support databases used for the sheriff’s jail inmate data.

Also for the sheriff’s office, the county leased in-car computers for deputies, valued at $130,350.51. The lease is for three years.

The county approved the purchase of Pronto Software for probation monitoring and tracking of probationer compliance worth a one-time setup fee of $3,500 and a yearly cost of $15,840.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256