I think I had mentioned previously that I served as the president of North Carolina PTA for a 4-year stint back in the late 90's, a very enlightening and rewarding experience. With all my kids out of school (my "baby" turned 30 back in January), I "retired" after that service and have not been actively involved except for occasionally assisting with training, troubleshooting, or advice upon request.
The annual state convention is being held tomorrow and Saturday down in Research Triangle Park, and I had planned go down for Saturday's session where us "old timers" are recognized, chat with old friends, and witness a new president being sworn in.
That relaxed scenario has changed somewhat with a phone call asking me to fill in as parliamentarian during the business sessions. I've agreed even though I am NOT a registered parliamentarian, but I live with that process just about every day so think I can guide them through it okay. So it's going to be "working weekend" for me.
In other words, I won't be around to post on this blog for the next couple of days - talk to you next week!
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Transportation news
Today's TAC (Transportation Advisory Committee) meeting was full of business items and information. Committee members present at this meeting included our two newest members, Guilford County Commissioners Paul Gibson and Kirk Perkins, along with our NC Board of Transportation member Doug Galyon, and city councilmembers Robbie Perkins, Don Vaughan and me.
Several routine items were approved including approval of amendments to the 2004-10 TIP (Transportation Improvement Program), submittal of our self-certification which says the MPO is complying with all federal rules and regulations, adoption of our planning work plan for the coming year, and endorsement of the Collector Street Plan.
We also received updates on the 2006-12 TIP, learning which projects are still on schedule to be funded and which ones will be delayed (quite a few!). Bill Marley from the Federal Highway Administration delivered the good news that the MPO had passed its first “Triennial Certification Review” with flying colors and even complimented our public involvement process.
Here’s a few interesting things shared at the meeting:
a NCDOT’s 25-year plan calls for $84 BILLION in expenditures with only $55 billion in projected revenues. Construction cost overruns are commonplace now due to the fact that the price of concrete has increased 41% and the price of steel - 51%, while the costs for petroleum products, a key ingredient of asphalt, continue to skyrocket. These are the main reasons so many construction projects are being delayed, to deal with the cash flow problem.
a Congress still has not reauthorized the federal transportation funding law. This is another reason our transportation funding is so iffy - the state does not yet know how much money it will have to allocate to us local folks. NC is pushing for changes in the money distribution formula – right now, only 90.5 cents of every federal gasoline tax dollar we send to Washington returns to NC in allocations. It is hoped to get that figure up to 95 cents of every dollar. Those few percentage points cost the state $750-800 million every year in fewer transportation dollars.
a A consultant presented an assessment of long-range traffic conditions based on computer modeling. No surprises there – vehicle miles traveled, the time we spend in our cars, and congestion will continue to increase. The good news is that all the road projects we have currently planned will be effective in reducing that congestion. The model also showed that our main problems are going to be on “arterials” – streets like Holden, Wendover, Market, and Friendly – as opposed to our interstates and the urban loop. The city and county need to take a good look at some of our development policies to place new development in places that will not impact critical roads and intersections so badly. It was also noted that the school board needs to seriously consider traffic management and access BEFORE they acquire a piece property for a new school.
Most folks would likely find this meeting extremely boring, but if we don’t do appropriate transportation planning NOW, congestion and air quality will be even worse in the future. Our biggest obstacle? Too many needs, too few dollars!
Several routine items were approved including approval of amendments to the 2004-10 TIP (Transportation Improvement Program), submittal of our self-certification which says the MPO is complying with all federal rules and regulations, adoption of our planning work plan for the coming year, and endorsement of the Collector Street Plan.
We also received updates on the 2006-12 TIP, learning which projects are still on schedule to be funded and which ones will be delayed (quite a few!). Bill Marley from the Federal Highway Administration delivered the good news that the MPO had passed its first “Triennial Certification Review” with flying colors and even complimented our public involvement process.
Here’s a few interesting things shared at the meeting:
a NCDOT’s 25-year plan calls for $84 BILLION in expenditures with only $55 billion in projected revenues. Construction cost overruns are commonplace now due to the fact that the price of concrete has increased 41% and the price of steel - 51%, while the costs for petroleum products, a key ingredient of asphalt, continue to skyrocket. These are the main reasons so many construction projects are being delayed, to deal with the cash flow problem.
a Congress still has not reauthorized the federal transportation funding law. This is another reason our transportation funding is so iffy - the state does not yet know how much money it will have to allocate to us local folks. NC is pushing for changes in the money distribution formula – right now, only 90.5 cents of every federal gasoline tax dollar we send to Washington returns to NC in allocations. It is hoped to get that figure up to 95 cents of every dollar. Those few percentage points cost the state $750-800 million every year in fewer transportation dollars.
a A consultant presented an assessment of long-range traffic conditions based on computer modeling. No surprises there – vehicle miles traveled, the time we spend in our cars, and congestion will continue to increase. The good news is that all the road projects we have currently planned will be effective in reducing that congestion. The model also showed that our main problems are going to be on “arterials” – streets like Holden, Wendover, Market, and Friendly – as opposed to our interstates and the urban loop. The city and county need to take a good look at some of our development policies to place new development in places that will not impact critical roads and intersections so badly. It was also noted that the school board needs to seriously consider traffic management and access BEFORE they acquire a piece property for a new school.
Most folks would likely find this meeting extremely boring, but if we don’t do appropriate transportation planning NOW, congestion and air quality will be even worse in the future. Our biggest obstacle? Too many needs, too few dollars!
Monday, April 25, 2005
Unexpected schedule change
I will have to miss tomorrow's council-related duties. An urgent family matter has arisen that demands I be in Hillsborough with my son tomorrow morning. I especially hate to miss the council briefing session, but will get a copy of the audio tape and catch up on what I miss. Sorry, but family first in this situation!
Saturday, April 23, 2005
This week's schedule
This week is going to be busy in spots, but not too bad overall.
The White Oak Plant (Cone Mills) 100 Years Celebration kicks off with a Community Leaders Breakfast on Monday, April 25 at 7:30AM followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the White Oak Archive and Design Center.
Tuesday, April 26 is going to be the busiest day beginning with a meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Greensboro Partnership at 7:30AM followed by the regular monthly city council briefing session at 9AM. Items to be discussed include:
a Presentation on City Response to High Crime Areas—A New, Multi-Departmental Approach
a Review of Proposed 05/06 Housing & Community Development Budget
a Update on Planning Process for Celebration of 2008 Bicentennial
a Preliminary Recommendations and Update on Changes to Solid Waste Disposal Services (Transfer Station)
a Report on Proposed New Process for Permitting and Managing Special Events
a Staff Response on Timing of CBD Fringe Area Study
a Council Discussion of Speakers From the Floor Format and Alternate Members for Boards and Commissions
A luncheon ceremony and tour of the new Degussa Stockhausen Superabsorber Plant #3 follows at noon.
I chair the TAC (Transportation Advisory Committee) meeting at 1:45PM on Wednesday, April 27. The main items on that agenda are mostly technical things dealing with MPO self-certifcation, the 2006 planning work program, endorsement of the collector street plan, update on the 2006-12 TIP (Transportation Improvement Program), and receiving results of the Tri-annual Certification Review. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? NOT - but very necessary! A 4PM consultation with Assistant City Manager Ben Brown follows that.
The one "fun" event for the week is the opening night of "An Infinite Ache" at Triad Stage on Thursday, April 28.
PART is sponsoring a Land Use Charette in Kernersville to begin developing strategies and revising local ordinances to allow Transit Oriented Developments in the Urban Core of the Piedmont Triad on Friday, April 29. Participants will get a chance to apply what we saw in Charlotte on April 15 and design the area around a proposed transit station. Time to get creative!
The White Oak Plant (Cone Mills) 100 Years Celebration kicks off with a Community Leaders Breakfast on Monday, April 25 at 7:30AM followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the White Oak Archive and Design Center.
Tuesday, April 26 is going to be the busiest day beginning with a meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Greensboro Partnership at 7:30AM followed by the regular monthly city council briefing session at 9AM. Items to be discussed include:
a Presentation on City Response to High Crime Areas—A New, Multi-Departmental Approach
a Review of Proposed 05/06 Housing & Community Development Budget
a Update on Planning Process for Celebration of 2008 Bicentennial
a Preliminary Recommendations and Update on Changes to Solid Waste Disposal Services (Transfer Station)
a Report on Proposed New Process for Permitting and Managing Special Events
a Staff Response on Timing of CBD Fringe Area Study
a Council Discussion of Speakers From the Floor Format and Alternate Members for Boards and Commissions
A luncheon ceremony and tour of the new Degussa Stockhausen Superabsorber Plant #3 follows at noon.
I chair the TAC (Transportation Advisory Committee) meeting at 1:45PM on Wednesday, April 27. The main items on that agenda are mostly technical things dealing with MPO self-certifcation, the 2006 planning work program, endorsement of the collector street plan, update on the 2006-12 TIP (Transportation Improvement Program), and receiving results of the Tri-annual Certification Review. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? NOT - but very necessary! A 4PM consultation with Assistant City Manager Ben Brown follows that.
The one "fun" event for the week is the opening night of "An Infinite Ache" at Triad Stage on Thursday, April 28.
PART is sponsoring a Land Use Charette in Kernersville to begin developing strategies and revising local ordinances to allow Transit Oriented Developments in the Urban Core of the Piedmont Triad on Friday, April 29. Participants will get a chance to apply what we saw in Charlotte on April 15 and design the area around a proposed transit station. Time to get creative!
Friday, April 22, 2005
A great day!
It's refreshing to have a day when all my council activities are pleasant ones - today was one of those days.
I started off by participating in the opening ceremony for the Special Olympics at Grimsley's stadium along with hundreds of smiling special athletes and volunteers. If you ever need your spirits lifted, this is the place to be. Congratulations to all the athletes - we can all learn from your examples of determination and courage. And thanks to all the volunteers and staff for a wonderful event - including members of Greensboro's police and fire departments.
The dedication ceremony for the new playground equipment provided by the Greensboro Bar Association at Foust School was uplifting as well. These local attorneys and judges "adopted" Foust and have been volunteering at the school all year, tutoring students and serving as "Lunch Buddies" to provide support and encouragement. Their biggest project was to purchase bright new playground equipment for the school. Students from kindergarten through the 5th grade expressed their appreciation in a variety of ways - songs, poems, cheers, and even sign language - and ended the program with a "Bubble Send Off" with all the students sending lots of bubbles into the air.
Both of these happy events were made possible through the efforts of many caring, giving volunteers this community is so lucky to have living in Greensboro. Thanks, folks!
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Apologies to Claudette
I sincerely apologize to fellow councilmember Claudette Burroughs-White for my previous comments on this blog about her "violating a negotiated agreement" not to introduce a motion concerning the TRC at Tuesday night's council meeting. It has become clear to me that the information I had received on Monday regarding her intentions was incorrect. I am sorry for any hurt I may have caused due to this miscommunication.
Whew - my computer still lives!
Looks like my computer is going to stay in service a while longer after all!
My husband and I managed to fuss and cuss our way through replacing its "internal battery" this afternoon (and cleared a few dust bunnies out of its innards as well). We were delighted that it booted back up and didn't explode, but unfortunately, the original problem persisted.
I started checking files and folders and finally got around to emptying the "cache" and all it's cookies. Voila - the problem went away! So I guess something had slipped past my spy zapper or firewall/virus protection after all. Anyway, if the problem starts up again, that's the first thing I'll check!
Back in business!
My husband and I managed to fuss and cuss our way through replacing its "internal battery" this afternoon (and cleared a few dust bunnies out of its innards as well). We were delighted that it booted back up and didn't explode, but unfortunately, the original problem persisted.
I started checking files and folders and finally got around to emptying the "cache" and all it's cookies. Voila - the problem went away! So I guess something had slipped past my spy zapper or firewall/virus protection after all. Anyway, if the problem starts up again, that's the first thing I'll check!
Back in business!
E-Waste Collection
The city will be holding its first Electronic Recycling event in the Greensboro Coliseum parking lot on Saturday, April 23 from 8AM-2PM. Old computers, keyboards, monitors, printers, radios, TVs, typewriters, copiers, stereo equipment, fax machines, phones, answering machines, cell phones, and electronic toys -- anything electronic -- will be accepted.
I have a bunch of old stuff to unload -- just hoping this computer will not be included in that!
I have a bunch of old stuff to unload -- just hoping this computer will not be included in that!
If I lose my "voice"...
ARGHH!!! I am experiencing major difficulties with my '98 Compaq dinosaur - extremely sluggish, losing large chunks of time on the clock, etc. I've run virus checker, spyware/adware checkers, win.ini, and computer diagnostics, but could not find a problem there. My future daughter-in-law/computer tech advises it may be the internal battery. We're going to tear into this thing and hope for the best. So if you don't hear from me for a while, that's why!
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
OUCH!
[Alternate title: The Vote on the TRC That Should Never Have Been Forced Upon Us]
Here it is 2AM and sleep is not going to come anytime soon. I might as well blog and get this out of my system instead of tossing and turning. Let's hope I am coherent enough after that 7-hour council marathon to explain what happened - and hope I don't later regret what I write.
The original resolution was nothing more than a feel-good, namby-pamby statement that had no real substance beyond "the shootout was a bad thing and we don't want anything like that to happen again." So how did we end up passing a motion to "oppose the TRC" on a divisive 6-3 vote after everyone of us had previously expressed our disgust and sorrow that the shootout ever occurred in the first place?
The short answer is "lack of trust" -
* lack of trust in the process itself as I have articulated ad nauseum in previous posts,
* lack of trust in the way media would interpret any resolution, no matter how benign, based on past performances,
* lack of trust in the GTCRP and how that endorsement action would be manipulated to denote much, much more,
* and saddest of all, my loss of trust in a fellow councilmember who violated a negotiated agreement when she introduced a resolution councilmembers had mutually agreed would not be introduced. [Please note my clarification and apology on this point.]
There's no need to expound on the first two; I think they are pretty clear. But the last two need some further explanation.
My concern about how the GTCRP would "use" any positive action is based on their previous behavior when Mayor Holliday named Judge Lawrence McSwain to the commission selection committee. The Mayor was quite reluctant to get involved in that early process since he did not want it to be interpreted as supporting the TRC . Upon assurances by some members of the GTCRP that such participation would not be used to suggest that he was in support, he appointed Judge McSwain to participate. It didn't take long at all before various written and oral comments started coming from the GTCRP to the effect of "See, the mayor is supporting this effort by making this appointment." So much for their assurances! I adhere to the old adage "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME!"
I was absolutely shocked that Claudette forced a vote on this issue by introducing the resolution. The mayor had been meeting with 2-3 councilmembers at a time over the past several days to work out a compromise solution and avoid splitting the council with a negative outcome. In fact, he actually wrote the resolution that was introduced in hopes that we could get a 9-0 vote in suppport of it and present a unified front. However, opposition to that resolution was expressed by a couple of folks so he scrapped that idea. The final "gentleman's agreement" that I understood was that we would each express our own heartfelt opinions on the subject and let it go at that with no motions at all being made. That would let the public know how we felt individually without officially "torpedo-ing" the TRC process. Unfortunately the agreement was violated, and we now have to live with the consequences.
This did not have to happen! I know that NONE OF US ARE HAPPY ABOUT THE RESULTS -- EVERYBODY LOST ON THIS ONE. It's issues like this that makes me absolutely hate politics sometimes.
Here it is 2AM and sleep is not going to come anytime soon. I might as well blog and get this out of my system instead of tossing and turning. Let's hope I am coherent enough after that 7-hour council marathon to explain what happened - and hope I don't later regret what I write.
The original resolution was nothing more than a feel-good, namby-pamby statement that had no real substance beyond "the shootout was a bad thing and we don't want anything like that to happen again." So how did we end up passing a motion to "oppose the TRC" on a divisive 6-3 vote after everyone of us had previously expressed our disgust and sorrow that the shootout ever occurred in the first place?
The short answer is "lack of trust" -
* lack of trust in the process itself as I have articulated ad nauseum in previous posts,
* lack of trust in the way media would interpret any resolution, no matter how benign, based on past performances,
* lack of trust in the GTCRP and how that endorsement action would be manipulated to denote much, much more,
* and saddest of all, my loss of trust in a fellow councilmember who violated a negotiated agreement when she introduced a resolution councilmembers had mutually agreed would not be introduced. [Please note my clarification and apology on this point.]
There's no need to expound on the first two; I think they are pretty clear. But the last two need some further explanation.
My concern about how the GTCRP would "use" any positive action is based on their previous behavior when Mayor Holliday named Judge Lawrence McSwain to the commission selection committee. The Mayor was quite reluctant to get involved in that early process since he did not want it to be interpreted as supporting the TRC . Upon assurances by some members of the GTCRP that such participation would not be used to suggest that he was in support, he appointed Judge McSwain to participate. It didn't take long at all before various written and oral comments started coming from the GTCRP to the effect of "See, the mayor is supporting this effort by making this appointment." So much for their assurances! I adhere to the old adage "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME!"
I was absolutely shocked that Claudette forced a vote on this issue by introducing the resolution. The mayor had been meeting with 2-3 councilmembers at a time over the past several days to work out a compromise solution and avoid splitting the council with a negative outcome. In fact, he actually wrote the resolution that was introduced in hopes that we could get a 9-0 vote in suppport of it and present a unified front. However, opposition to that resolution was expressed by a couple of folks so he scrapped that idea. The final "gentleman's agreement" that I understood was that we would each express our own heartfelt opinions on the subject and let it go at that with no motions at all being made. That would let the public know how we felt individually without officially "torpedo-ing" the TRC process. Unfortunately the agreement was violated, and we now have to live with the consequences.
This did not have to happen! I know that NONE OF US ARE HAPPY ABOUT THE RESULTS -- EVERYBODY LOST ON THIS ONE. It's issues like this that makes me absolutely hate politics sometimes.
Beauty
After a hellacious experiece like tonight's council meeting, I have to remind myself that there IS still beauty in this world. This tree in my front yard offers that solace.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Responding to advice
Roch posted some good observations on tonight's consideration of the TRC issue under comments on an unrelated topic. Those comments beg for a response, so rather than have it buried where readers might not find it, I'm posting that response HERE.
Thanks for the sound advice, Roch, but...
In all my posts on the subject of the TRC, you will find my concerns are based on questions about accuracy, potential bias, etc., NOT whether the process is needed nor the motives behind it.
What I AM objecting to is being politically manuvered to take a stand on something that has not even been researched and written yet. It's like being told that someone is going to produce a magnificent painting and I'm supposed to pass judgment and say it's beautiful before the first drop of paint has been placed on the canvas. I have nothing on which to base a decision except the very biased rantings of the group who initiated the whole process. (Granted, they have toned down the rhetoric considerably, but it's hard to ignore the initial statements and publications they put out there in the beginning.) So the "talent" of the artist is very much in question to begin with.
In my analytical mind, it would be foolish on my part to bless the unknown! Show me your work first, THEN ask me to judge the finished product where I can see for myself the accuracy, presence or lack of bias, etc.!
Is it too much to ask that the GTCRP grant the city council/me the same courtesy, respect, and opportunity to have an open mind that they are demanding for themselves?
Thanks for the sound advice, Roch, but...
In all my posts on the subject of the TRC, you will find my concerns are based on questions about accuracy, potential bias, etc., NOT whether the process is needed nor the motives behind it.
What I AM objecting to is being politically manuvered to take a stand on something that has not even been researched and written yet. It's like being told that someone is going to produce a magnificent painting and I'm supposed to pass judgment and say it's beautiful before the first drop of paint has been placed on the canvas. I have nothing on which to base a decision except the very biased rantings of the group who initiated the whole process. (Granted, they have toned down the rhetoric considerably, but it's hard to ignore the initial statements and publications they put out there in the beginning.) So the "talent" of the artist is very much in question to begin with.
In my analytical mind, it would be foolish on my part to bless the unknown! Show me your work first, THEN ask me to judge the finished product where I can see for myself the accuracy, presence or lack of bias, etc.!
Is it too much to ask that the GTCRP grant the city council/me the same courtesy, respect, and opportunity to have an open mind that they are demanding for themselves?
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Another week, another schedule
Thankfully, the coming week's schedule is not as hectic as last week's.
Monday, April 18 begins with a 9:30AM meeting with a local attorney regarding a zoning case followed by a 10AM conference with the mayor. Noon will find me at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library at George K's.
Tuesday, April 19 brings another potential marathon city council meeting with 5 rezonings on the agenda beginning at 6PM. Looks like another LONG night.
Wednesday, April 20 starts out with a 10AM meeting of the Piedmont Triad Rural Planning Organization (RPO) on which I serve as an ex officio representative from PART. A noon meeting of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (COG) follows immediately afterwards at the Special Events Center at the Coliseum.
Shhh! Don't tell anyone I don't have anything official on my calendar for Thursday - yet!
Friday, April 22, I will bring official greetings at the opening ceremonies of the Greensboro's Special Olympics at Grimsley's Jamison Stadium at 10AM. There is a 1PM dedication ceremony at Foust School for playground equipment donated by the Greensboro Bar Association.
Not too bad!
Monday, April 18 begins with a 9:30AM meeting with a local attorney regarding a zoning case followed by a 10AM conference with the mayor. Noon will find me at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library at George K's.
Tuesday, April 19 brings another potential marathon city council meeting with 5 rezonings on the agenda beginning at 6PM. Looks like another LONG night.
Wednesday, April 20 starts out with a 10AM meeting of the Piedmont Triad Rural Planning Organization (RPO) on which I serve as an ex officio representative from PART. A noon meeting of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (COG) follows immediately afterwards at the Special Events Center at the Coliseum.
Shhh! Don't tell anyone I don't have anything official on my calendar for Thursday - yet!
Friday, April 22, I will bring official greetings at the opening ceremonies of the Greensboro's Special Olympics at Grimsley's Jamison Stadium at 10AM. There is a 1PM dedication ceremony at Foust School for playground equipment donated by the Greensboro Bar Association.
Not too bad!
Saturday, April 16, 2005
The Charlotte excursion
50+ people from the Triad traveled on a PART-sponsored field trip to Charlotte on Friday to get a look at "transit-oriented development." Several staff members from Greensboro's planning and transportation departments attended. Paul Gilmer (member of the Greensboro Zoning Commission), Mary Skenes (chair of the Guilford County Planning Board), and I were the only board/commission/city council representatives from Greensboro to take advantage of this educational, eye-opening excusion. Citizens and staff from a number of other Triad cities and counties and PART were represented as well.
The purpose of the trip was to examine the new urban development that has occurred in Charlotte because of their new transit plans and what it took to accomplish it. We wanted to see if any of this would make sense in Greensboro and other Triad cities as we develop our rapid transit plans, and if so, what do we need to change to make it happen?
(I haven't quite mastered how to include photos inside my post so you'll find them in following posts.)
After a quick orientation in Charlotte's city council chambers, we toured South End. This former deteriorated corridor of abandoned industrial factories, crumbling buildings, and rampant crime and drug problems is now "the place to be" in Charlotte. There has been over $425 million of new investment with rehabilitation/reuse of old buildings and new construction. It is home to upscale condos and townhomes, new businesses including a "cluster" of design firms, and numerous food and entertainment venues. This corridor is currently served by a trolley running on the abandoned rail line that parallels South Boulevard and will have light rail transit in a couple of years.
Johnson & Wales University has been major addition to downtown with a beautiful classroom building with windows on the ground floor where folks can look in and see the students preparing food in the kitchens. Their student housing is very attractive as well. There are numerous other housing opportunities downtown in high rises and townhomes; in some cases, the density is 64 units per acre! Plans for 1800 additional residential units in downtown - in two buildings - have been recently submitted for review.
Charlotte's First Ward (Hope VI project) was impressive with a mixture of all housing types. This very desirable development includes public housing mixed in with half-million-dollar townhome units as well as attractive street scaping and easy access to transit. The value of single family homes there has doubled in five years.
We also toured the Elizabeth Avenue development which is a collaboration between Grubb Properties, Presbyterian Hosptial, Central Piedmont Community College and the city. Elizabeth Village is planned to have 810 residential units, 250,000 square feet of retail, 340,000 square feet of offices, a hotel and movie theater, and parking for 3000. The city is doing a streetscape and significantly reducing parking requirements (from 5,000 down to 3,000) due to a trolley planned to service this area.
We finished the day with lunch and presentations by the Charlotte Planning Department and local developer Tony Pressley, the driving force behind the South End development.
Lessons learned:
a Transit-oriented development must consider land use, mobility, and character of the surrounding area. One size does NOT fit all.
a It takes a partnership between the public and private sector to make it work. Neither can do it alone. Charlotte sometimes uses "pre-zoning" for certain areas where the city initiates the rezonings to remove that burden from potentail developers.
a Planning and transportation staff with a"let's find a way to make it work" attitude versus a "no, that's not allowed" approach can make a world of difference.
a Density is NOT a dirty word! While not appropriate for all locations, appropriately designed mixed-use developments can be very attractive and functional.
a It helps to have a corporate presence that is willing and able to be involved in the community. If I heard "Bank of America" once, I heard it a hundered times as various projects were discussed.
a Community education, input and buy-in are essential. We must communicate, communicate, communicate!
My only disappointment was the absence of more Greensboro elected officials and board members - i.e., our policy and decsion makers. - on this trip. Our city staff who have been charged with rewriting our Land Development Ordinance (LDO) may potentially include some of the strategies we saw being used in Charlotte to facilitate controlled growth. I hope my fellow councilmembers will understand and appreciate the potential benefits of these proposals when it comes time to adopt them.
The purpose of the trip was to examine the new urban development that has occurred in Charlotte because of their new transit plans and what it took to accomplish it. We wanted to see if any of this would make sense in Greensboro and other Triad cities as we develop our rapid transit plans, and if so, what do we need to change to make it happen?
(I haven't quite mastered how to include photos inside my post so you'll find them in following posts.)
After a quick orientation in Charlotte's city council chambers, we toured South End. This former deteriorated corridor of abandoned industrial factories, crumbling buildings, and rampant crime and drug problems is now "the place to be" in Charlotte. There has been over $425 million of new investment with rehabilitation/reuse of old buildings and new construction. It is home to upscale condos and townhomes, new businesses including a "cluster" of design firms, and numerous food and entertainment venues. This corridor is currently served by a trolley running on the abandoned rail line that parallels South Boulevard and will have light rail transit in a couple of years.
Johnson & Wales University has been major addition to downtown with a beautiful classroom building with windows on the ground floor where folks can look in and see the students preparing food in the kitchens. Their student housing is very attractive as well. There are numerous other housing opportunities downtown in high rises and townhomes; in some cases, the density is 64 units per acre! Plans for 1800 additional residential units in downtown - in two buildings - have been recently submitted for review.
Charlotte's First Ward (Hope VI project) was impressive with a mixture of all housing types. This very desirable development includes public housing mixed in with half-million-dollar townhome units as well as attractive street scaping and easy access to transit. The value of single family homes there has doubled in five years.
We also toured the Elizabeth Avenue development which is a collaboration between Grubb Properties, Presbyterian Hosptial, Central Piedmont Community College and the city. Elizabeth Village is planned to have 810 residential units, 250,000 square feet of retail, 340,000 square feet of offices, a hotel and movie theater, and parking for 3000. The city is doing a streetscape and significantly reducing parking requirements (from 5,000 down to 3,000) due to a trolley planned to service this area.
We finished the day with lunch and presentations by the Charlotte Planning Department and local developer Tony Pressley, the driving force behind the South End development.
Lessons learned:
a Transit-oriented development must consider land use, mobility, and character of the surrounding area. One size does NOT fit all.
a It takes a partnership between the public and private sector to make it work. Neither can do it alone. Charlotte sometimes uses "pre-zoning" for certain areas where the city initiates the rezonings to remove that burden from potentail developers.
a Planning and transportation staff with a"let's find a way to make it work" attitude versus a "no, that's not allowed" approach can make a world of difference.
a Density is NOT a dirty word! While not appropriate for all locations, appropriately designed mixed-use developments can be very attractive and functional.
a It helps to have a corporate presence that is willing and able to be involved in the community. If I heard "Bank of America" once, I heard it a hundered times as various projects were discussed.
a Community education, input and buy-in are essential. We must communicate, communicate, communicate!
My only disappointment was the absence of more Greensboro elected officials and board members - i.e., our policy and decsion makers. - on this trip. Our city staff who have been charged with rewriting our Land Development Ordinance (LDO) may potentially include some of the strategies we saw being used in Charlotte to facilitate controlled growth. I hope my fellow councilmembers will understand and appreciate the potential benefits of these proposals when it comes time to adopt them.
View from new "Elizabeth Village" - a collaborative effort between Grubb Properties, Presbyterian Hospital, and Central Piedmont Community College
Friday, April 15, 2005
Bravo!
I have to admit I had some doubts about a classic opera being "re-done" by Elton John and Tim Rice, but my fears were totally unfounded. Tonight's performance of Aida at the Coliseum's War Memorial Auditorium was fantastic, and my husband and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend this latest offering of the Best of Broadway series - it will be playing through Sunday evening.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Fun Fourth on the move
We discussed a number of exciting changes to Greensboro's Fun Fourth Festival at this morning's advisory committee meeting. Due to road construction on Greene Street and booming businesses in the South Elm Street area (what a wonderful "problem" to have!), we will be moving from "Olde Greensborough" to the "Cultural District." Activities will be spread out over a three-day period to take advantage of the "long weekend" and to avoid some scheduling conflicts with other area celebrations.
Here's a quick look at the PRELIMINARY schedule of activities.
The Block Party will be held on Saturday July 2 from 8PM-12:30AM at the intersections of Davie, Summit, Lindsay and Church Streets. Budweiser is the sponsor, and confirmed entertainment includes Clarence Carter and the Rooftoppers.
Heritage Day @ Blandwood will be held on Sunday, July 3 from 1-6PM at the Blandwood Mansion on Washington Street. There will be free tours of the Mansion, a colonial encampment, heritage crafts, performances by the Jamestown Pipes & Drums and by "Polecat Creek" and other musical groups, and plenty of food.
The Pops Concert and Fireworks will follow at Jamison Stadium (Grimsley High School) that same evening. July 3. The concert begins at 7:30PM which will be the normal MUSEP (Music for a Sunday Evening in the Park), and patrons will be allowed to sit on the field on their usual blankets and chairs. This will be followed with a short ceremony at 8:30PM followed by the Greensboro Philharmonia concert, 1812 Overture, and traditional fireworks.
The Fun Fourth Parade and Street Festival will be held on Monday, July 4 with the parade kicking off at 10AM and the festival ending at 6PM in time for interested patrons to meander over to First Horizon Park for the Grasshoppers game and THEIR fireworks display. Lots of entertainment and fun activities will be available for all ages.
Numerous sponsors and volunteers have already signed up to assist with Fun Fourth, and many more are needed and welcome. If anyone is interested, you can get more information at 274-4595 or on line at funfourth@bellsouth.net.
Have ideas or suggestions for new activities or attractions? Please tell us about them!
Here's a quick look at the PRELIMINARY schedule of activities.
The Block Party will be held on Saturday July 2 from 8PM-12:30AM at the intersections of Davie, Summit, Lindsay and Church Streets. Budweiser is the sponsor, and confirmed entertainment includes Clarence Carter and the Rooftoppers.
Heritage Day @ Blandwood will be held on Sunday, July 3 from 1-6PM at the Blandwood Mansion on Washington Street. There will be free tours of the Mansion, a colonial encampment, heritage crafts, performances by the Jamestown Pipes & Drums and by "Polecat Creek" and other musical groups, and plenty of food.
The Pops Concert and Fireworks will follow at Jamison Stadium (Grimsley High School) that same evening. July 3. The concert begins at 7:30PM which will be the normal MUSEP (Music for a Sunday Evening in the Park), and patrons will be allowed to sit on the field on their usual blankets and chairs. This will be followed with a short ceremony at 8:30PM followed by the Greensboro Philharmonia concert, 1812 Overture, and traditional fireworks.
The Fun Fourth Parade and Street Festival will be held on Monday, July 4 with the parade kicking off at 10AM and the festival ending at 6PM in time for interested patrons to meander over to First Horizon Park for the Grasshoppers game and THEIR fireworks display. Lots of entertainment and fun activities will be available for all ages.
Numerous sponsors and volunteers have already signed up to assist with Fun Fourth, and many more are needed and welcome. If anyone is interested, you can get more information at 274-4595 or on line at funfourth@bellsouth.net.
Have ideas or suggestions for new activities or attractions? Please tell us about them!
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
PART update
Today's meeting of the PART Board of Trustees went well. This is a regional board composed of representatives from seven counties (Alamance, Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, Rockingham and Surry), four cities (Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem), the MPOs - transportation planning organizations - of those four cities, two airport authorities (PTI and Smith-Reynolds) and three NC Board of Transportation members. I am always pleased at how well this board works together to address regional transportation issues.
We had the opportunity to inspect one of our new buses that PART actually owns instead of leasing. It was comfortable with plenty of room inside and sported our new color scheme - jet black with the red/white PART logo. The best part - this bus was manufactured locally in the Daimler-Chrysler plant in Jamestown!
The following business items were approved:
a The quarterly financial report showed general fund revenues running slightly higher than budget projections, mainly due to increasing bus ridership and car rental tax revenues. PART is averaging over 800 riders a day, and we expect that number to continue growing as people get disgusted with the rising price of gasoline. One point that is being used in our marketing presentations now is - " PART's $2 fare is less than what you are paying for a gallon of gas these days!"
a The board accepted $871,924 from NCDOT to move forward with studies and preliminary engineering for the possible light rail transit system.
a We approved one Park-and-Ride lot in Thomasville and two in Pilot Mountain. With the van pools and car pools operating out of those three locations, we have potentially eliminated 100+ cars a day from our congested highways. Additional locations in Lexington and Rockingham and Randolph counties are being explored. Eventually we will need to consider providing PART bus service to those locations.
a A committee was appointed to study our long-term financial needs and from where that revenue might come. It is pretty obvious that both the federal and state governments are cutting back on funding, placing the burden more and more on local governments. We all agreed the situation would be much better if the General Assembly would use the money in the Highway Trust Fund for transporation costs instead of raiding it more each year to balance the state budget.
Nancy Dunn, the NCDOT board member from Forsyth County, noted an unfair funding situation she is trying to eliminate. Currently all money budgeted for construction and maintenace of interstates such as I-40 and I-85 is charged against the budget for the highway divisions those highways pass through. That scary bridge on I-85 South crossing the Yadkin River from Davidson County into Rowan County is in dire need of replacement, but the cost of a new bridge - $20 million! - would use up every penny of Division 9's funding for the next six years, leaving no money at all for construction of new roads in that division. I agree that is not fair! We here in Greensboro faced that same situation when money was spent to widen I-40 through town.
Check out our 2004 annual report for an update on PART's activities for the past year.
We had the opportunity to inspect one of our new buses that PART actually owns instead of leasing. It was comfortable with plenty of room inside and sported our new color scheme - jet black with the red/white PART logo. The best part - this bus was manufactured locally in the Daimler-Chrysler plant in Jamestown!
The following business items were approved:
a The quarterly financial report showed general fund revenues running slightly higher than budget projections, mainly due to increasing bus ridership and car rental tax revenues. PART is averaging over 800 riders a day, and we expect that number to continue growing as people get disgusted with the rising price of gasoline. One point that is being used in our marketing presentations now is - " PART's $2 fare is less than what you are paying for a gallon of gas these days!"
a The board accepted $871,924 from NCDOT to move forward with studies and preliminary engineering for the possible light rail transit system.
a We approved one Park-and-Ride lot in Thomasville and two in Pilot Mountain. With the van pools and car pools operating out of those three locations, we have potentially eliminated 100+ cars a day from our congested highways. Additional locations in Lexington and Rockingham and Randolph counties are being explored. Eventually we will need to consider providing PART bus service to those locations.
a A committee was appointed to study our long-term financial needs and from where that revenue might come. It is pretty obvious that both the federal and state governments are cutting back on funding, placing the burden more and more on local governments. We all agreed the situation would be much better if the General Assembly would use the money in the Highway Trust Fund for transporation costs instead of raiding it more each year to balance the state budget.
Nancy Dunn, the NCDOT board member from Forsyth County, noted an unfair funding situation she is trying to eliminate. Currently all money budgeted for construction and maintenace of interstates such as I-40 and I-85 is charged against the budget for the highway divisions those highways pass through. That scary bridge on I-85 South crossing the Yadkin River from Davidson County into Rowan County is in dire need of replacement, but the cost of a new bridge - $20 million! - would use up every penny of Division 9's funding for the next six years, leaving no money at all for construction of new roads in that division. I agree that is not fair! We here in Greensboro faced that same situation when money was spent to widen I-40 through town.
Check out our 2004 annual report for an update on PART's activities for the past year.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Hello from McCall!
I just returned from a quick TV interview with McCall Pera (WUPN 48) on the issue of smoking at the Coliseum. (The story should air tonight at 10PM.) McCall did a story back on March 19 about the "Teach-In" that featured Roch, David H., Sue P. and me. Roch and "the Hogg" helped set up her own blog during the short time that story was being taped.
McCall asked me to say "hello to all the blogging community" for her and that she has recently posted on her blog. So, hello from McCall!
McCall asked me to say "hello to all the blogging community" for her and that she has recently posted on her blog. So, hello from McCall!
It COULD be worse!
I really enjoyed my hour+ conversation this morning with the four local officials from different cities in Ukraine. We shared a lot of information and even managed to crack a few jokes, despite an interpreter having to translate everything into English and Russian.
We mainly discussed open government, budget preparation, the bidding process for city contracts, monitoring finances, and preventing corruption. While this may sound extremely dull to most folks, these were topics of great interest to them (and from some of their comments, I think I understand why).
a The city of Lutsk has about the same population as Greensboro, but their city council has 70 members divided among three political parties. The two larger parties are on opposite ends of the political spectrum (sound familiar??) with the third party being smaller and in the middle. This third party was described as being "golden" because neither of the other parties has a majority - members of the third party get VERY popular whenever one of the others is trying to get something passed. I guess politics is the same the world over!
a I described the requirement for a councilmember to abstain whenever he/she has a "conflict of interest" and would personally benefit from action on a particular item. One of them joked about how that would work in his city - Mr. So-and-So will have to say "I have to abstain because I have already accepted a bribe from that person." But I got the impression he wasn't really joking that much.
a They were surprised that the bank where Mayor Holliday works is NOT the bank that handles the city's account, wondering if councilmembers were punishing him in some way. The comment was made that having an inside track for one's business is a key reason that some people choose to serve on their city councils and the Parliament in their country.
a When I described the public hearing process, they wanted to know if we had trouble with speakers being unruly or disruptive. I told them this rarely occurs but that the Mayor DOES have a switch that turns off the speaker's microphone if necessary. There was laughter as one said "We are quite familiar with such a switch, it gets used often in our meetings."
a Our visitors were thumbing through the city budget book while I was talking, and there was a big stir when they came to one of the pages. When the interpreter asked for an explanation, they held up the page with the city councilmembers' photos and noted a majority of our city council is female. Their comment? "We know things are being done right in this town if the women are in charge." OKAY!!!!
I hope I do not give a bad impression of our visitors and their politics. Quite the contrary, our guests were genuinely interested in how democracy and open government work so that they can apply these lessons when they return home. Although this country is much older than ours, one has to remember that Ukraine was part of the USSR under commmunist domination for many years. So they are "newcomers" to democracy and how it should function.
Anyway, my point to local critics of city govenment and its operations is - be thankful because it could be a heckuva lot worse!
We mainly discussed open government, budget preparation, the bidding process for city contracts, monitoring finances, and preventing corruption. While this may sound extremely dull to most folks, these were topics of great interest to them (and from some of their comments, I think I understand why).
a The city of Lutsk has about the same population as Greensboro, but their city council has 70 members divided among three political parties. The two larger parties are on opposite ends of the political spectrum (sound familiar??) with the third party being smaller and in the middle. This third party was described as being "golden" because neither of the other parties has a majority - members of the third party get VERY popular whenever one of the others is trying to get something passed. I guess politics is the same the world over!
a I described the requirement for a councilmember to abstain whenever he/she has a "conflict of interest" and would personally benefit from action on a particular item. One of them joked about how that would work in his city - Mr. So-and-So will have to say "I have to abstain because I have already accepted a bribe from that person." But I got the impression he wasn't really joking that much.
a They were surprised that the bank where Mayor Holliday works is NOT the bank that handles the city's account, wondering if councilmembers were punishing him in some way. The comment was made that having an inside track for one's business is a key reason that some people choose to serve on their city councils and the Parliament in their country.
a When I described the public hearing process, they wanted to know if we had trouble with speakers being unruly or disruptive. I told them this rarely occurs but that the Mayor DOES have a switch that turns off the speaker's microphone if necessary. There was laughter as one said "We are quite familiar with such a switch, it gets used often in our meetings."
a Our visitors were thumbing through the city budget book while I was talking, and there was a big stir when they came to one of the pages. When the interpreter asked for an explanation, they held up the page with the city councilmembers' photos and noted a majority of our city council is female. Their comment? "We know things are being done right in this town if the women are in charge." OKAY!!!!
I hope I do not give a bad impression of our visitors and their politics. Quite the contrary, our guests were genuinely interested in how democracy and open government work so that they can apply these lessons when they return home. Although this country is much older than ours, one has to remember that Ukraine was part of the USSR under commmunist domination for many years. So they are "newcomers" to democracy and how it should function.
Anyway, my point to local critics of city govenment and its operations is - be thankful because it could be a heckuva lot worse!
Sunday, April 10, 2005
BUSY schedule this week!
Even though there are no official city council meetings, all my other city-related duties are hitting full force this week. I'll provide reports on some of these after they occur (if I have enough energy left to do so).
Monday, April 11
aI've been ask to serve on the Strategic Planning Committee for the Greensboro Partnership, the new organization formed by the merger of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, Action Greensboro, and the Greensboro Economic Development Partnership. The first meeting kicks off bright and early Monday morning at 8AM.
aI'll have to dash out early in time to meet with the visitors from Ukraine at 9AM.
aThe day finishes up with a visit to the Guilford Metro Communications Division Justice Complex. They are holding an open house from 6-8PM to celebrate National Telecommunicator Week. The public is invited, and I urge you to go see the impressive operations of our 911 center.
Tuesday, April 12
aA casual lunch event will kick-off the Downtown Greensboro Business Improvement District at 11:30AM. The DGI Clean & Green Team will be introduced as well as the Greensboro Police Center City Resource Team.
aI'll be attending the monthly meeting of the East Hunter Hills Community Watch at 7PM.
Wednesday, April 13
aI'll be chairing the monthly meeting of the PART board. Items of interest on the agenda include approval of funding for continued study of possible light rail transit, approval of three Park-and-Ride lots (one in Thomasville and two in Mount Airy), and appointment of a subcommittee to explore long-range financial solutions.
aThe rest of the day will be spent with the Executive Committee of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (PTCOG) planning retreat. I serve as the city's representative on this board. We'll be discussing 1) key issues in aging, 2) connecting land use, transportation, open space, and air quality, 3) environmental programs successes, and 4) administrative issues, including the 2005-06 budget. This marathon begins at 2PM and ends with a dinner beginning around 6PM.
LONG DAY!
Thursday, April 14
aThe day begins with an 8AM meeting of the Fun Fourth Advisory Committee.
aThen it's off to Raleigh for a "leftover" assignment from my days as the state PTA president - service on the State Board of Education's Charter Schools Advisory Committee. This has nothing to do with my city council role, but does consume a lot of my time. We'll be reviewing the 15 applications for new charter schools - with only one opening available. Ouch!
aIf traffic on I-40 doesn't make me too late, I have to choose between a clean air meeting in Winston-Salem or a public hearing on Greensboro's new Land Development Ordinance process, both at 7PM.
Friday, April 15
aPART is sponsoring a bus trip to Charlotte to learn about the $425 million in new development in the South Boulevard Corridor spurred by the announcement of light rail transit there. Planning and transportation staff, elected officials (including me), real estate developers and builders, and other interested folks are participating in this all-day excursion that departs at 7:30AM.
aIf I have any energy left, my husband and I will use our season tickets to attend "Aida" at the Coliseum this evening.
Saturday, April 16
aI plan to attend the 2PM dedication ceremony of the newly renovated Dudley High School.
Hopefully, that's it for the week, but one never knows. I ended up with three unscheduled meetings with various groups this past week - two with housing groups and one concerning our efforts to deal with poor air quality.
And you thought city council members do nothing but meet twice a month! [SMILE]
Monday, April 11
aI've been ask to serve on the Strategic Planning Committee for the Greensboro Partnership, the new organization formed by the merger of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, Action Greensboro, and the Greensboro Economic Development Partnership. The first meeting kicks off bright and early Monday morning at 8AM.
aI'll have to dash out early in time to meet with the visitors from Ukraine at 9AM.
aThe day finishes up with a visit to the Guilford Metro Communications Division Justice Complex. They are holding an open house from 6-8PM to celebrate National Telecommunicator Week. The public is invited, and I urge you to go see the impressive operations of our 911 center.
Tuesday, April 12
aA casual lunch event will kick-off the Downtown Greensboro Business Improvement District at 11:30AM. The DGI Clean & Green Team will be introduced as well as the Greensboro Police Center City Resource Team.
aI'll be attending the monthly meeting of the East Hunter Hills Community Watch at 7PM.
Wednesday, April 13
aI'll be chairing the monthly meeting of the PART board. Items of interest on the agenda include approval of funding for continued study of possible light rail transit, approval of three Park-and-Ride lots (one in Thomasville and two in Mount Airy), and appointment of a subcommittee to explore long-range financial solutions.
aThe rest of the day will be spent with the Executive Committee of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (PTCOG) planning retreat. I serve as the city's representative on this board. We'll be discussing 1) key issues in aging, 2) connecting land use, transportation, open space, and air quality, 3) environmental programs successes, and 4) administrative issues, including the 2005-06 budget. This marathon begins at 2PM and ends with a dinner beginning around 6PM.
LONG DAY!
Thursday, April 14
aThe day begins with an 8AM meeting of the Fun Fourth Advisory Committee.
aThen it's off to Raleigh for a "leftover" assignment from my days as the state PTA president - service on the State Board of Education's Charter Schools Advisory Committee. This has nothing to do with my city council role, but does consume a lot of my time. We'll be reviewing the 15 applications for new charter schools - with only one opening available. Ouch!
aIf traffic on I-40 doesn't make me too late, I have to choose between a clean air meeting in Winston-Salem or a public hearing on Greensboro's new Land Development Ordinance process, both at 7PM.
Friday, April 15
aPART is sponsoring a bus trip to Charlotte to learn about the $425 million in new development in the South Boulevard Corridor spurred by the announcement of light rail transit there. Planning and transportation staff, elected officials (including me), real estate developers and builders, and other interested folks are participating in this all-day excursion that departs at 7:30AM.
aIf I have any energy left, my husband and I will use our season tickets to attend "Aida" at the Coliseum this evening.
Saturday, April 16
aI plan to attend the 2PM dedication ceremony of the newly renovated Dudley High School.
Hopefully, that's it for the week, but one never knows. I ended up with three unscheduled meetings with various groups this past week - two with housing groups and one concerning our efforts to deal with poor air quality.
And you thought city council members do nothing but meet twice a month! [SMILE]
Friday, April 08, 2005
Garbage costs?
I received an interesting inquiry from a constituent today. She asked how much extra property tax was she now paying due to council's decision to move some of the costs of garbage disposal from the monthly fee over to the property tax.
She owns rental property, and before this change, her tenants paid the garbage fee themselves because it was included on their city services (water) bill. Now that this service is being funded through property taxes, she realized she was picking up the tab for her tenants' garbage service. Bottom line, she wanted to know how much to raise her rental rates to recoup this expense that is now coming out of her pockets, not her tenants'.
Budget Director Larry Davis supplied me with the following formula to answer her question.
To calculate her city property tax bill {for the additional amount}, she should take the property’s value, divide by 100 and then multiply by .05675.
For example: For a house valued at $100,000, the additional amount of property tax for garbage service would be $56.75 a year. Dividing that figure by 12 shows she would need to raise her rents by a little less than $5 a month to cover the extra costs.
So if your landlord raised your rent on you, this may be the reason why!
One needed clarification: The $5 per month fee has disappeared from your city services bill. So in the case of people living in a house you own, there's no net difference (YET) in the amount you are paying for garbage service. You are just paying it through property taxes instead of a fee on your city services bill, and that's fine - you may even gain a bit of ground since it is now deductible for income tax purposes.
Where it becomes unfair is for people who pay property tax on business properties and have to pay extra for dumpster service or for people who own vacant land that does not require garbage service at all. Those taxpayers are now subsidizing this service with their property tax - and not receiving the service.
Can you tell I voted against this change? [SMILE]
She owns rental property, and before this change, her tenants paid the garbage fee themselves because it was included on their city services (water) bill. Now that this service is being funded through property taxes, she realized she was picking up the tab for her tenants' garbage service. Bottom line, she wanted to know how much to raise her rental rates to recoup this expense that is now coming out of her pockets, not her tenants'.
Budget Director Larry Davis supplied me with the following formula to answer her question.
To calculate her city property tax bill {for the additional amount}, she should take the property’s value, divide by 100 and then multiply by .05675.
For example: For a house valued at $100,000, the additional amount of property tax for garbage service would be $56.75 a year. Dividing that figure by 12 shows she would need to raise her rents by a little less than $5 a month to cover the extra costs.
So if your landlord raised your rent on you, this may be the reason why!
One needed clarification: The $5 per month fee has disappeared from your city services bill. So in the case of people living in a house you own, there's no net difference (YET) in the amount you are paying for garbage service. You are just paying it through property taxes instead of a fee on your city services bill, and that's fine - you may even gain a bit of ground since it is now deductible for income tax purposes.
Where it becomes unfair is for people who pay property tax on business properties and have to pay extra for dumpster service or for people who own vacant land that does not require garbage service at all. Those taxpayers are now subsidizing this service with their property tax - and not receiving the service.
Can you tell I voted against this change? [SMILE]
Upcoming Coliseum events
Here are some of the events coming up at the Coliseum mentioned at yesterday's War Memorial Commission meeting.
The musical play "Aida" will be presented in the auditorium April 15-17 as part of the Best of Broadway series. (My husband and I have purchased season subscriptions to this series and have enjoyed every performance we have seen.)
Motley Crue is here on April 21 with Mercy Me performing the next night on April 22.
"American Idol" fans can rejoice over two scheduled events coming this summer - a June 29 Fantasia Barino concert and a July 17 American Idol Tour which will feature this year's 12 finalists.
The Coliseum has become "the place to be" for religious groups' conventions and events with the Southern Baptist Convention (uses the entire Coliseum complex, having the same economic impact on the community as the Men's ACC Tournament) in 2006, the United Methodist Church Convention in 2007, the United Pentecostal Convention in 2008, and a PromiseKeepers event expected to draw 15,000+ attendees.
The 2005-06 year is going to be "basketball heaven" at the Coliseum. Major events include the Women's and Men's ACC Tournaments, the NCAA Regionals 1st and 2nd round (ticket sales are going extremely well, only 6,000 left), and two Duke basketball games. Marc Bush from the Sports Commission noted there will be 28 basketball games played in the Coliseum in 15 days during next year's "March Madness."
The musical play "Aida" will be presented in the auditorium April 15-17 as part of the Best of Broadway series. (My husband and I have purchased season subscriptions to this series and have enjoyed every performance we have seen.)
Motley Crue is here on April 21 with Mercy Me performing the next night on April 22.
"American Idol" fans can rejoice over two scheduled events coming this summer - a June 29 Fantasia Barino concert and a July 17 American Idol Tour which will feature this year's 12 finalists.
The Coliseum has become "the place to be" for religious groups' conventions and events with the Southern Baptist Convention (uses the entire Coliseum complex, having the same economic impact on the community as the Men's ACC Tournament) in 2006, the United Methodist Church Convention in 2007, the United Pentecostal Convention in 2008, and a PromiseKeepers event expected to draw 15,000+ attendees.
The 2005-06 year is going to be "basketball heaven" at the Coliseum. Major events include the Women's and Men's ACC Tournaments, the NCAA Regionals 1st and 2nd round (ticket sales are going extremely well, only 6,000 left), and two Duke basketball games. Marc Bush from the Sports Commission noted there will be 28 basketball games played in the Coliseum in 15 days during next year's "March Madness."
Coliseum update
I attended Thursday’s meeting of the War Memorial Commission (advisory group to the Coliseum). Representatives from the Greensboro Sports Commission and the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau (key partners in recruiting events to the coliseum) were present. No media covered the meeting.
The following items were discussed:
Concessions/catering is handled by Centerplate which remits a percentage of their gross revenues to the Coliseum. Gross revenues neared $400,000 for March. An 18% increase in concessions sales at the Women's ACC Tournament was credited to Dippin'Dots sales (think "ice cream M&Ms"). This cold treat has become a hot item for the Coliseum, especially with kids.
Financial report: The Coliseum should stay within the budgeted deficit amount this year despite an unexpected expenditure of $105,000 to replace 1950's era air handling units. One of them failed a couple of months ago and dumped several inches of water into the War Memorial Auditorium. [Kudos to the hardworking coliseum staff who cleaned up the mess in time for all performances to proceed as scheduled.]
Revenues are down $1.2 million from last year, but staff has managed to reduce operating costs by $1.17 million to offset that. They are delaying numerous expenditures in order to stay within budget. Income from the Women's ACC Tournament was $100,000 more than last year's event.
The Commission approved the 2005-06 budget for inclusion in the city budget. The budget and projected deficit are in the same range as this year's with revenue continuing to lag due to the absence of hockey and concerts (and the resulting downturn in concessions, parking, advertising and premium seating revenue). Projected revenues include $200,000 from the CVB in marketing support for several major events that bring large numbers of people to town.
Items of great concern that are NOT funded in this proposal include the need to replace the worn out carpet in the Special Events Center and the Jumbotron scoreboard in the arena for which replacement parts are no longer available. (It has already exceeded its supposed "useful life" by two years.)
Matt Brown reported on his continuing efforts to get a hockey team back into the building; there are a number of promising opportunities. There's also a possibility of indoor football again.
The following items were discussed:
Concessions/catering is handled by Centerplate which remits a percentage of their gross revenues to the Coliseum. Gross revenues neared $400,000 for March. An 18% increase in concessions sales at the Women's ACC Tournament was credited to Dippin'Dots sales (think "ice cream M&Ms"). This cold treat has become a hot item for the Coliseum, especially with kids.
Financial report: The Coliseum should stay within the budgeted deficit amount this year despite an unexpected expenditure of $105,000 to replace 1950's era air handling units. One of them failed a couple of months ago and dumped several inches of water into the War Memorial Auditorium. [Kudos to the hardworking coliseum staff who cleaned up the mess in time for all performances to proceed as scheduled.]
Revenues are down $1.2 million from last year, but staff has managed to reduce operating costs by $1.17 million to offset that. They are delaying numerous expenditures in order to stay within budget. Income from the Women's ACC Tournament was $100,000 more than last year's event.
The Commission approved the 2005-06 budget for inclusion in the city budget. The budget and projected deficit are in the same range as this year's with revenue continuing to lag due to the absence of hockey and concerts (and the resulting downturn in concessions, parking, advertising and premium seating revenue). Projected revenues include $200,000 from the CVB in marketing support for several major events that bring large numbers of people to town.
Items of great concern that are NOT funded in this proposal include the need to replace the worn out carpet in the Special Events Center and the Jumbotron scoreboard in the arena for which replacement parts are no longer available. (It has already exceeded its supposed "useful life" by two years.)
Matt Brown reported on his continuing efforts to get a hockey team back into the building; there are a number of promising opportunities. There's also a possibility of indoor football again.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
The morning after
UGH! Last night's lengthy city council meeting really wore me out - a five-and-a-half hour meeting will do that to you. I pulled into my driveway just before midnight but was so keyed up that it was the wee hours of the morning before I wound down and finally got to sleep.
On top of that, my clothes dryer picked this morning of all mornings to quit on me.
Needless to say, I have had better days! {GROWL}
On top of that, my clothes dryer picked this morning of all mornings to quit on me.
Needless to say, I have had better days! {GROWL}
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
373-CITY
Do you need city service or information but don't have a clue who to call (besides your city council representative)? The city now has a "one-stop" number to make it easy for you.
[This information is straight from the press release.]
The City of Greensboro [is providing] one easy-to-remember phone number for residents to call for all non-emergency city services starting today. Residents can call 373-CITY (373-2489) to be connected to the City’s Contact Center, where experienced City Service Representatives can assist residents with City information and services.
Representatives are available to take calls from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and in most cases can provide an immediate answer. Residents that call the number after hours can leave a message and get a prompt reply the following day or the next business day if left during the weekend. The City of Greensboro Contact Center helps residents with concerns such as:
· How to dispose of and get your old appliances picked-up
· How to report a broken traffic signal
· Where to obtain a business license
· What day your trash is collected
· Where to park downtown
· How to get a pothole filled
· Where to pay a parking ticket
The 373-CITY number is for NON-EMERGENCY calls only. Individuals with an emergency should call 9-1-1 for medical, police, or fire service. Residents are also reminded that the City provides a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) that can be used by calling 333-6930.
[This information is straight from the press release.]
The City of Greensboro [is providing] one easy-to-remember phone number for residents to call for all non-emergency city services starting today. Residents can call 373-CITY (373-2489) to be connected to the City’s Contact Center, where experienced City Service Representatives can assist residents with City information and services.
Representatives are available to take calls from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and in most cases can provide an immediate answer. Residents that call the number after hours can leave a message and get a prompt reply the following day or the next business day if left during the weekend. The City of Greensboro Contact Center helps residents with concerns such as:
· How to dispose of and get your old appliances picked-up
· How to report a broken traffic signal
· Where to obtain a business license
· What day your trash is collected
· Where to park downtown
· How to get a pothole filled
· Where to pay a parking ticket
The 373-CITY number is for NON-EMERGENCY calls only. Individuals with an emergency should call 9-1-1 for medical, police, or fire service. Residents are also reminded that the City provides a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) that can be used by calling 333-6930.
Dell impressions
I attended a very nice dinner in Winston-Salem last night hosted by Dell officials to hear about their efforts to reach out to local businesses to supply many of the materials and services needed by their new facility in Forsyth County. Mayor Holliday and councilmembers Diane Bellamy-Small and Don Vaughan were also present along with Guilford County Commissioners Kay Cashion and Linda Shaw and other elected officials from High Point, Winston-Salem, and Forsyth County. Dell is conducting an information sesssion in Winston today where over 700 businesses have already registered in order to learn how they might get "a piece of the Dell pie."
Some tidbits we learned last night:
a With Dell being an "on time" manufacturer - building computers on site and shipping them out immediately - they expect their suppliers to be "on time" as well, delivering the needed goods and services within 90 minutes of receiving Dell's order. They hope that the information and good business practices they share with local businesses will increase those business' overall productivity and success with all their customers, not just Dell.
a Dell doesn't just manufacture technology, they use it throughout their business model. That includes everything from the actual assembly process to electronically monitoring supervisors' evaluations and salary recommendations of employees to make sure no bias exists.
a Dell has a strong ethics policy. Every employee from the janitors up to the executives is briefed on the code and must sign a statement acknowledging that they understand that code. One violates that code at one's own risk - a manager somewhere in the Dell organization is "getting the axe" this morning for berating his employees and using foul language.
a Dell has a "central command post" in Austin that rivals anything the Pentagon has, to the point they can zero in on one of the delivery trucks in France and tell you exactly what merchandise is on that truck.
a Dell officials are highly impressed by the regional cooperation in the Piedmont area and think our transportation system is great.
I was very pleased with what I heard last night - we have a great corporate citizen joining the Piedmont family. Plus, as one Guilford County Commisioner and I joked privately with each other, WE in Guilford County aren't having to foot the bill for them to come!
Some tidbits we learned last night:
a With Dell being an "on time" manufacturer - building computers on site and shipping them out immediately - they expect their suppliers to be "on time" as well, delivering the needed goods and services within 90 minutes of receiving Dell's order. They hope that the information and good business practices they share with local businesses will increase those business' overall productivity and success with all their customers, not just Dell.
a Dell doesn't just manufacture technology, they use it throughout their business model. That includes everything from the actual assembly process to electronically monitoring supervisors' evaluations and salary recommendations of employees to make sure no bias exists.
a Dell has a strong ethics policy. Every employee from the janitors up to the executives is briefed on the code and must sign a statement acknowledging that they understand that code. One violates that code at one's own risk - a manager somewhere in the Dell organization is "getting the axe" this morning for berating his employees and using foul language.
a Dell has a "central command post" in Austin that rivals anything the Pentagon has, to the point they can zero in on one of the delivery trucks in France and tell you exactly what merchandise is on that truck.
a Dell officials are highly impressed by the regional cooperation in the Piedmont area and think our transportation system is great.
I was very pleased with what I heard last night - we have a great corporate citizen joining the Piedmont family. Plus, as one Guilford County Commisioner and I joked privately with each other, WE in Guilford County aren't having to foot the bill for them to come!
On the road...in town
I spent several hours "on the road" yesterday in and around Greensboro in the twice-a-month ritual we councilmembers perform - visiting the sites for proposed rezoning at tonight's council meeting. On tonight's agenda, there are cases being heard from every quadrant in the city - southwest (Grandover properties), southeast (Lee St. @ the Urban Loop), northeast (Flemingfield Road behind the K-Mart Distribution Center), and northwest (Fleming Road near the Urban Loop). Pardon my obvious bias, but after touring a big chunk of the city yesterday, I reached the conclusion that our city is GORGEOUS in springtime.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Responding to Rich - Public Transportation
Rich J. has suggested two topics in his comments he would like to have discussed. So here goes with the first one - public transportation. I'll give some background information before I get to the specific question.
The Greensboro area is served by two public transit systems - GTA which provides service inside the Greensboro city limits and PART which connects the GTA service to High Point's (Hi-tran) and Winston-Salem's (WSTA).
GTA was established in 1991 when Greensboro took over operation of the bus system from Duke Power. It currently offers 14 weekday and 7 evening routes plus Saturday and Sunday service. In the July 1, 2003 - June 30, 2004 fiscal year, GTA carried 2.3 million riders. Ridership increased by 28% in the last year.; ridership figures are expected to jump significantly when the new University Connector Service begins in the spring of 2006.
GTA gets its funding through federal and state grants, a 1.75 cents allocation on the Greensboro property tax, some advertising revenue, and passenger fares ($1 per ride). Operating a public transit system is expensive and almost all are heavily subsidized by government. I quoted in an earlier post, "No one in history ever made money by moving people, not even the stagecoachs." That statement holds true for GTA and there are many people who are critical of that fact.
(As an aside, I find it interesting how little criticism there is about the subsidies we give for highways in addition to the gasoline tax revenues. For example, the city issued $17.33 million in bonds for street construction in fiscal year 2003 alone - bonds that are repaid with property tax revenues. So if you own property, you are subsidizing street construction whether you own and drive a car or not. AND, that does not include the millions spent each year on police officers to enforce traffic laws, respond to wrecks, direct traffic, etc. So while it is not as readily apparent, our streets are just as heavily subsidized.)
Now, on to Rich's question about using trolleys instead of buses. It would be extremely expensive to replace the current buses GTA has in service and I'm not sure I could justify tht expense just so the vehicles would be more attractive. (Whether you like the "wrapped buses" and the advertising on them or not, this does generate quite a bit of revenue to offset the operating costs of the system.) The key to gaining more riders is to offer more frequent service and more direct routes to popular destinations. But that 'key" requires much more spending - both on capital for new vehicles as well as for operating costs such as fuel, paying the drivers, maintenance, etc.
Second, while you may see buses that appear empty on certain routes during certain times of the day, many of them are packed, especially during the peak hours. For example, PART now has to operate two buses during the peak morning and afternoon rush hours on the Greensboro-68 Hub route to accomodate all the riders. GTA puts smaller buses on the lesser-used routes, but the larger buses are needed on many other routes. While a trolley might make sense for the proposed downtown circulator route coming with the new university service, it would not meet the needs of the heavier routes.
We find ourselves between that proverbial "rock and a hard place." Do we spend more money to purchase more buses/trolleys to improve the quality and frequency of service which in turn increases our operating subsidy, in hopes of attracting "choice" riders (those who ride because they WANT to, not because they HAVE to)? Or do we continue with the status quo and continue to choke on the increasing congestion on our streets and the accompanying poor air quality? Increasing ridership on public transit is one of the main strategies to help our area reduce our ozone and particulate matter air pollution (another topic for another day).
It will be interesting to see what effect the ever-rising cost of gasoline will have on this debate. Another tidbit from the transportation forum- "You will look back fondly to the day when gasoline was ONLY $2 a gallon." Ouch!
Readers, what do YOU have to say about this?
The Greensboro area is served by two public transit systems - GTA which provides service inside the Greensboro city limits and PART which connects the GTA service to High Point's (Hi-tran) and Winston-Salem's (WSTA).
GTA was established in 1991 when Greensboro took over operation of the bus system from Duke Power. It currently offers 14 weekday and 7 evening routes plus Saturday and Sunday service. In the July 1, 2003 - June 30, 2004 fiscal year, GTA carried 2.3 million riders. Ridership increased by 28% in the last year.; ridership figures are expected to jump significantly when the new University Connector Service begins in the spring of 2006.
GTA gets its funding through federal and state grants, a 1.75 cents allocation on the Greensboro property tax, some advertising revenue, and passenger fares ($1 per ride). Operating a public transit system is expensive and almost all are heavily subsidized by government. I quoted in an earlier post, "No one in history ever made money by moving people, not even the stagecoachs." That statement holds true for GTA and there are many people who are critical of that fact.
(As an aside, I find it interesting how little criticism there is about the subsidies we give for highways in addition to the gasoline tax revenues. For example, the city issued $17.33 million in bonds for street construction in fiscal year 2003 alone - bonds that are repaid with property tax revenues. So if you own property, you are subsidizing street construction whether you own and drive a car or not. AND, that does not include the millions spent each year on police officers to enforce traffic laws, respond to wrecks, direct traffic, etc. So while it is not as readily apparent, our streets are just as heavily subsidized.)
Now, on to Rich's question about using trolleys instead of buses. It would be extremely expensive to replace the current buses GTA has in service and I'm not sure I could justify tht expense just so the vehicles would be more attractive. (Whether you like the "wrapped buses" and the advertising on them or not, this does generate quite a bit of revenue to offset the operating costs of the system.) The key to gaining more riders is to offer more frequent service and more direct routes to popular destinations. But that 'key" requires much more spending - both on capital for new vehicles as well as for operating costs such as fuel, paying the drivers, maintenance, etc.
Second, while you may see buses that appear empty on certain routes during certain times of the day, many of them are packed, especially during the peak hours. For example, PART now has to operate two buses during the peak morning and afternoon rush hours on the Greensboro-68 Hub route to accomodate all the riders. GTA puts smaller buses on the lesser-used routes, but the larger buses are needed on many other routes. While a trolley might make sense for the proposed downtown circulator route coming with the new university service, it would not meet the needs of the heavier routes.
We find ourselves between that proverbial "rock and a hard place." Do we spend more money to purchase more buses/trolleys to improve the quality and frequency of service which in turn increases our operating subsidy, in hopes of attracting "choice" riders (those who ride because they WANT to, not because they HAVE to)? Or do we continue with the status quo and continue to choke on the increasing congestion on our streets and the accompanying poor air quality? Increasing ridership on public transit is one of the main strategies to help our area reduce our ozone and particulate matter air pollution (another topic for another day).
It will be interesting to see what effect the ever-rising cost of gasoline will have on this debate. Another tidbit from the transportation forum- "You will look back fondly to the day when gasoline was ONLY $2 a gallon." Ouch!
Readers, what do YOU have to say about this?
Friday, April 01, 2005
Visitors from Ukraine coming to town
One of the more interesting activities in which I participate from time to time is sharing information about our city government and how it operates with international visitors to Greensboro. Most of these visitors come here through The Piedmont Triad Council for International Visitors (PTCIV) or through Sister Cities programs.
Four officials from Ukraine will be visiting in Greensboro the second week of April as guests of PTCIV. I will be meeting with them on Monday morning, April 9, to explain the concept of open government and the city's budget development process. All the visitors I have enountered, particularly ones from the former Soviet states like Ukraine, always seem amazed at how democracy functions and how citizens are so involved in the process.
If you encounter these visitors and their local hosts about town, please give them a warm Greensboro welcome!
Four officials from Ukraine will be visiting in Greensboro the second week of April as guests of PTCIV. I will be meeting with them on Monday morning, April 9, to explain the concept of open government and the city's budget development process. All the visitors I have enountered, particularly ones from the former Soviet states like Ukraine, always seem amazed at how democracy functions and how citizens are so involved in the process.
If you encounter these visitors and their local hosts about town, please give them a warm Greensboro welcome!
Official schedule for the coming week
Things are getting busier now that the holiday and spring break are past. Council-related meetings and activities on my calendar this coming week include the following:
a Sunday, April 3 - Council members are invited to the Florida Marlins exhibition game at First Horizon Stadium as guests of Action Greensboro. This event is one of the rare "fun" activities on our offical schedules.
a Monday, April 4 - Local elected officials are invited to a reception and dinner Monday evening in Winston-Salem hosted by Dell executives in conjunction with the Supplier Information Session they are conducting the next day. At that Tuesday information session, local business owners will learn about opportunities to conduct business with Dell.
a Tuesday, April 5 - The regular meeting of the Greensboro City Council will begin at 6PM in the City Council Chambers. From looking at all the zoning cases on the agenda, it looks like it's going to be another one of those long marathon meetings. [GROAN]
a Thursday, April 7 - The War Memorial Commission which advises on operation of the Greensboro Coliseum, holds its regular monthly meeting at 12:30PM. Since I am the council liaison to this board, I will be attending.
Later that same afternoon, I'll be meeting with some members of the city staff to learn more about the upcoming process to develop the new LDO (Land Development Ordinance).
a Sunday, April 3 - Council members are invited to the Florida Marlins exhibition game at First Horizon Stadium as guests of Action Greensboro. This event is one of the rare "fun" activities on our offical schedules.
a Monday, April 4 - Local elected officials are invited to a reception and dinner Monday evening in Winston-Salem hosted by Dell executives in conjunction with the Supplier Information Session they are conducting the next day. At that Tuesday information session, local business owners will learn about opportunities to conduct business with Dell.
a Tuesday, April 5 - The regular meeting of the Greensboro City Council will begin at 6PM in the City Council Chambers. From looking at all the zoning cases on the agenda, it looks like it's going to be another one of those long marathon meetings. [GROAN]
a Thursday, April 7 - The War Memorial Commission which advises on operation of the Greensboro Coliseum, holds its regular monthly meeting at 12:30PM. Since I am the council liaison to this board, I will be attending.
Later that same afternoon, I'll be meeting with some members of the city staff to learn more about the upcoming process to develop the new LDO (Land Development Ordinance).
Urban loop annexation update
Planning Director Dick Hails has supplied council members with updated information on the proposal to annex portions of the southern loop at the April 5 council meeting. These clarifications are a result of the meeting between city and county planning and legal staffs yesterday.
First, Greensboro has used the provisions in the law to annex NCDOT public right-of-way four times in the last five years, so this is nothing new. The latest one was a 2-mile stretch of the eastern loop from I-40/85 up to Burlington Road/US 70. Tuesday night's proposed action is just another one of these.
The county, acting on a similar situation within the last two years, had already ruled that "the zoning on a public roadway does not affect the development of adjoining property which may be zoned differently." Mr. Hails concludes, "...we do not see the action by City Council to approve the proposed original zoning on the Urban Loop ROW [right-of-way] as directly impacting the development potential of adjoining properties in County's jursidiction."
Hopefully the results of this meeting will lessen the concerns that some people have expressed about this proposed annexation. As far as the county is concerned, your property rights and development potential are the same, with or without the annexation and zoning.
In my opinion, this action will actually improve your potential development value if that is what you want since you will have easier access to city services with the "city" being so close to you.
First, Greensboro has used the provisions in the law to annex NCDOT public right-of-way four times in the last five years, so this is nothing new. The latest one was a 2-mile stretch of the eastern loop from I-40/85 up to Burlington Road/US 70. Tuesday night's proposed action is just another one of these.
The county, acting on a similar situation within the last two years, had already ruled that "the zoning on a public roadway does not affect the development of adjoining property which may be zoned differently." Mr. Hails concludes, "...we do not see the action by City Council to approve the proposed original zoning on the Urban Loop ROW [right-of-way] as directly impacting the development potential of adjoining properties in County's jursidiction."
Hopefully the results of this meeting will lessen the concerns that some people have expressed about this proposed annexation. As far as the county is concerned, your property rights and development potential are the same, with or without the annexation and zoning.
In my opinion, this action will actually improve your potential development value if that is what you want since you will have easier access to city services with the "city" being so close to you.
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