Water 2030

Yesterday's presentation on the Water 2030 Initiative sponsored by the NC Rural Economic Development Center and the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments was a sobering, eye-opening report. Clean water is quickly becoming a scarce resource in North Carolina because of the following factors:

* our growing population, which is expected to grow from our current 8.5 million to 12 million by 2030,

* the most dense population concentration is in areas of the state (the Piedmont crescent) with the least water resources,

* increasing use - many or our emerging industries such as pharmaceuticals, resins and biotechnology depend on clean water; the proliferation of new golf courses require lots of additional irrigation,

* and the vulnerability of our natural resources - for example, recent droughts and the impacts of Hurricane Floyd.

A recent survey identified 525 public water systems in our state serving 5.8 million people, 409 public sewer systems serving 4.4 million people, and 465 municipal stormwater systems (at least half of whom report a moderate incidence of flooding). Many of these systems are in need of upgrades and/or expansions with an estimated cost of $16.83 billion by the year 2030.

You can access the full report containing all the conclusions and recommendations here . This report includes a call for a statewide ONE BILLION DOLLAR bond referendum for water, sewer, and stormwater improvements to be placed onto the November 2006 ballot and the creation of a permanent state funding source for these improvements. Since voters will have to make a decision on this important issue in the fall, I strongly recommend that you become educated on this issue that has far-reaching implications for our future supply of clean water.

On the local level, Greensboro's Water Resources Department does a great job in operating and maintaining our water, sewer and stormwater programs. We have tremendous future needs(included in the statewide report) and have many efforts underway to address them ourselves such as the development of Randleman Lake, slip-lining and replacing our aging sewer lines (for example, the Latham Park project), and various projects to alleviate flooding problems. We have been paying for these improvements through steady increases in our city water and sewer charges, and with all the pending needs, those increases are unfortunately likely to continue.

Whether you are looking at water and sewer availability from a local or statewide perspective, it is an issue of ever-increasing importance that will demand continued attention and investment.

Walkable Communities workshop

Mark Plotz and Bob Chauncey from the National Center for Bicycling and Walking led about a dozen participants (including myself) in a "Walkable Community" workshop this afternoon at Lindley Recreation Center, one of six sessions being held this week. Leigha Shepler of Safe Guilford and Safe Kids started things off with a review of pedestrian deaths and injuries in Guilford County (which ranks #16 in the nation for the pedestrian death rate) and what is being done to address this problem. Then Mr. Plotz and Mr. Chauncey discussed and shared examples of "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of pedestrian and bicycle accommodations in Greensboro and other cities across the nation.

Greensboro is making some progress -- GDOT reported at Tuesday's council briefing session they will be constructing 96+ additional miles of sidewalks in Greensboro over the next three years -- but we have a lot of additional work to do if we are to become truly pedestrian and bicycle "friendly." For example, the city's only marked bicycle lanes at this point are in the short stretch of Spring Garden Street running through the UNCG campus; there are plans to extend those lanes down to Holden Road.

Then it was field trip time with a walking tour of the adjacent Lindley Park neighborhood to note things that were good and things that need improvement. Here are a couple of photos from that walk and the Lindley Park neighborhood. In the first one, the group is leaving Lindley Recreation Center headed up Springwood Drive.

Bob Chauncey measured the width of sidewalks and streets along the way.

We encountered some recent sidewalk repairs on Beechwood Street.

Even with marked crosswalks, crossing Walker Avenue can still be a challenge.

Lindley Park is one of our older neighborhoods that is blessed to have lots of sidewalks that offer residents plenty of opportunities to walk and enjoy a beautiful spring day.

The rebuilt stone-arch bridges in Lindley Park itself are attractive as well as useful.

I had to depart early to attend another meeting so I was unable to participate in the debriefing session where suggestions for improvements were to be formulated. I am sure the other participants and the consultants came up with recommendations that will ultimately reach city council members.

This workshop was an enjoyable experience and a nice way to spend the afternoon exploring one of the District 5 neighborhoods.

Meetings, meetings, meetings!

With final agreement being reached on the meeting schedule for Committee C to review assigned city departments in preparation of the 2006-07 budget, I've gained an additional meeting for every Tuesday (except for one change to a Wednesday) from now until mid-June. Those sessions are scheduled to last for two hours where the committee members (Mike Barber, Dianne Bellamy-Small, and I) will receive detailed information and explanation of the programs and expenses for those departments.

I accepted another assignment this week as well. You may recall that the city council appointed a committee/task force earlier in March to examine the skyrocketing costs of the SCAT program with a deadline of April 18 to report back to the full council. Councilmembers Dianne Bellamy-Small, Florence Gatten, and Goldie Wells volunteered to serve along with three members of the GTA board to investigate the situation and formulate solutions. Unfortunately, Florence has been hit with an out-of-town family emergency and Goldie is dealing with her own medical situation, rendering both unavailable to work on this assignment at the moment. I've agreed to join the committee (whose assignment has now expanded to address the call for 30-minute service on all GTA routes and other budgetary stresses) so that we get moving in time to forward any recommendations for inclusion in the upcoming budget. Our first meeting has been scheduled for this Friday morning so my hope to concentrate on gardening chores that morning just flew right out the window.

A lot of us councilmembers campaigned on the premise that we needed to be "more hands-on." That is quite evidently happening, and we are paying a big price for that -- big chunks of additional time spent in meetings. I'm NOT complaining -- it comes with the territory -- but I am reminded of that old saying, "Be careful what you ask for -- you may just get it."

See you in a meeting somewhere!

City Connections

The latest edition of City Connections is available.

Weekly schedule

This week is one of those weeks with most days showing few or no obligations and one day with back-to-back meetings that will keep me hopping.

I had only one official meeting on Monday, March 27. That was my regular monthly "chat" with City Manager Mitchell Johnson to discuss anything that either of us wanted to talk about. These one-on-one meetings are Mitch's way to stay tuned in to councilmembers' needs and concerns.

Tuesday, March 28 is my busy day this week beginning with an 8AM meeting with fellow "Committee C" members Mike Barber and Dianne Bellamy-Small to try to figure out a meeting schedule to study our assigned departments for budget preparation purposes.

That will be followed by our regular monthly briefing session. Items on that agenda include the presentation of the War Memorial Stadium Redevelopment Study, a policy discussion on mixed-use development, and a presentation on the Sidewalk Construction Plan. Some of us are hoping to explore our options to get the Project Homestead investigative report released as well.

After that, I have to dash out to the Cardinal Country Club to bring greetings from the city and present a proclamation at a luncheon honoring the 50th anniversary of the Charity League of Greensboro. This philanthropic organization sponsors a number of charitable projects around our community.

Then it's off to the PART office for a 2PM consultation with the executive director and our NCDOT board member to go over some issues.

Thankfully I don't have anything official on my calendar yet for Wednesday so hopefully I can rest up and recoup after Tuesday's marathon.

I plan to participate in the Walkable Communities Workshop at Lindley Recreation Center on Thursday, March 30. I'm hoping for a warm sunny day as much of that workshop will be spent walking through the surrounding neighborhood. This event is scheduled to last until 5PM, but I will have to leave early to attend a 4PM presentation of the findings of the NC Rural Center's Water 2030 Initiative at the Special Events Center at the Coliseum.

Friday looks like another free day at this point, so maybe I can begin to tackle some of my gardening chores. I'm ready for Spring to arrive and stay.

The right to know

The backbone of the freedoms we Americans enjoy is the public's access to information and the inner workings of their government at all levels. I wholeheartedly embrace this concept of "the public's right to know" with one important qualifier -- "at the appropriate time." At the heart of that statement lies the question, "When is the appropriate time?"

Sometimes the premature airing of certain information can have detrimental and costly effects. The General Assembly obviously recognized the need for limited access to sensitive information in passing the Open Meetings Law which spells out specific occasions (legal issues, personnel issues, land acquisition) when the city council's deliberations and inside information can be temporarily withheld from public scrutiny.

Also, I think most citizens recognize the necessity for law enforcement officials to be able secure evidence and findings uncovered in the course of their investigations until they have solved the case and nabbed the suspects. If that information becomes public too early in the investigative process, the likelihood that key witnesses will "clam up" or disappear and vital evidence be hidden or destroyed increases tremendously, greatly impeding the chance to successfully nail any wrongdoers. When "the right to know" has the potential of impeding or derailing the outcome of an investigation, then secrecy must be accepted until the case is concluded.

With that said, I totally agree with Ed Cone's column in today's News & Record that the report on the investigation into the Project Homestead problems should be released immediately. That investigation is complete (or as complete as it is ever likely to be, given the sloppy recordkeeping and "poor memories" cited by the District Attorney), and there is no longer a need to keep those findings confidential. The public -- and the city council -- has a definite need and right to know the details and findings/non-findings of that investigation. If those findings are critical of the actions of the city council and/or some of its individual members, so be it!

On the other hand, I absolutely deplore and condemn the irresponsible actions of "the leaker" and the News & Record for their recent release of the RMA investigative report into the problems in the Greensboro Police Department. Those findings were merely the beginning point for a more thorough investigation that is now underway, and the premature public airing of that information and specific names of key players has severely damaged that investigation. Formerly cooperative witnesses are declining further involvement now that their confidentiality has been breached ( who can blame them?). One can only imagine the scrambling that must be going on in certain quarters to alter or get rid of potentially damaging evidence now that they know which specific incidents involving certain individuals have been targeted. I also fear that potential witnesses in any future investigation of any sort are likely to hesitate before cooperating lest their names be splashed all over the news too.

(And can you imagine what "rubes" the FBI must think we are, unable to maintain confidentiality? Do you think they'll ever trust US again?)

In my opinion, "the leaker's" arrogance, total disregard for established procedures, and betrayal of the city council's need for confidentiality in certain circumstances coupled with the newspaper's rush to "get the story" has irreparably damaged the chance of uncovering the truth in this sad case (or at the very least, made it exceedingly more difficult). On top of that, the city manger is now having to conduct an investigation to find out who leaked the information, another distraction from all the other pressing matters that should be claiming his attention such as preparations for the budget.

The other tragic casualty in this unfortunate situation is the loss of trust and respect among councilmembers, knowing that it is highly likely that it was "one of us." Councilmembers are fairly certain who "our leaker" is now based on things that have come to light. That person could be facing legal prosecution, and at the very least, owes fellow councilmembers an explanation and apology. Our working relationship is forever damaged, and I for one can never see myself trusting or respecting that person again.

My puzzled question, both to "the leaker" and the News & Record is, "WHY?" Why did you find it necessary to jeopardize our ability to uncover the truth and mete out justice in this case?

The city council, the city manager and city attorney, the acting police chief and his investigative team, and even the FBI were/are aggressively pursuing the investigation and had/have publicly committed to "do the right thing." In every statement I have heard from fellow councilmembers, it was evident we would release everything we could when the investigation is complete and the city manager and the FBI have taken the appropriate actions taken to deal with those findings. I have no doubt about our commitment to honor the public's "right to know" at the appropriate time.

The unfortunate leak and subsequent publication of the RMA report was poor judgment, in my opinion. When the "right to know" is inappropriately applied, the results can be just as criminal and damaging to truth and justice as the original wrongdoing!

What a guy!

I attended today's luncheon celebration at the Coliseum in honor of Olympic gold medal winner Joey Cheek, and all I can say is "WOW!"

This selfless young man is mature way beyond his years when it comes to understanding what is really important in life. He acknowledged what a privileged life he has led with people who loved him and sacrificed for him to help him achieve his dreams. His realization that many people do not have even the most basic opportunities to succeed in life (or even to survive at all) led him to donate his Olympic bonus money to the Right to Play organization and in some small way, repay his debt to society. He noted that he has made plenty of mistakes during his life, and this was his opportunity to do something right and leave a legacy long after he is gone.

Joey was apparently moved to tears as he watched a replay of his gold medal performance in the 500-meter speedskating event and the subsequent medal ceremony. He fondly recalled watching the Olympic medal ceremonies when he was 10-years-old and formulating his dream to someday be one of those Olympic champions.

Kudos go to the local planning group that put this whole Joey Cheek Day event together in record time. In a short span of ten days, local volunteers planned a full day of activities and managed to secure enough corporate and individual donations to pay for all the events, match Joey's $40,000 contribution to Right to Play, and raise an additional $80,000 to support local programs with similar missions. These amounts are in addition to the recent scholarship created in Joey's name at Greensboro College for a student from the Sudan.

The fundraising efforts didn't stop there. Allen Johnson of the News & Record (who served as master of ceremonies) took on the role of auctioneer and helped to raise several more thousand dollars on the spot by soliciting bids on sweatshirts and caps autographed on the spot by Joey.

Jim Melvin bid $3,000 for the Right to Play jacket pictured above and then donated the jacket to Dudley High School. Another bidder paid $2,000 to take a ride with Joey in his new Corvette given to him by Black Cadillac earlier in the day. Councilmember Sandra Anderson Groat and City Information Director Nancy Lindemeyer were the top bidders for two autographed Wheaties baseball caps.

It was a great day for Joey Cheek and an even greater day for Greensboro. Best wishes, Joey -- you have a great future ahead of you!

"Road trains"

NCDOT recently cancelled a couple of public hearings in this area to receive public input about allowing "twin trailers" to be hauled on US421 up to the interchange with I-85 in Greensboro at the "Southern Loop." I know some drivers are uncomfortable driving near those large double-trailer rigs.

Those motorists should be grateful they aren't driving in the outback in Australia's Queensland! Take a look at these photos of "road trains" they have there recently sent to me by my friend Joe Wright.

(The Aussies drive on the left side of the road like the British do.)

Joe wrote: I've attached two photos which you might find interesting. They are road trains These juggernauts are let loose on the outback roads in Queensland. They travel at around 100 kph. [about 70 mph]

The local advice for passing one -- When you come up behind, find the next rest spot, pull over and have a cuppa [cup of hot tea] for 15 or so minutes then continue your journey. Or if on a single lane road and one is coming the opposite direction, get off the road and stop!!!

I'm sure glad we don't have to deal with those things here!

Weekly schedule

It's back to work this week after having few official duties last week. I didn't have any meetings today but have spent quite a bit of time reviewing the materials in the big cardboard box of notebooks city staff supplied each councilmember for our budget committee assignments. This indepth budget review is going to require a lot of time and work -- I'm reminded of that saying, "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it."

Tuesday, March 21 will start off bright and early with the Annual Employee Service Awards Breakfast in the Coliseum Plaza area. This event recognizes those city employees who have reached their milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or more years of service as well as those who retired during the past year. The highlight of the breakfast is the naming of the three outstanding city Employees of the Year nominated by their fellow workers.

The regular city council meeting will begin at 5:30PM in the council chambers. This is the night to receive public input on the "wish list" for the upcoming November bond referendum. At this point, the only "for sure" item on that list is additional fire stations. If you feel strongly about a particular need or project, this is the time to make your voice heard. Other items on the agenda include a couple of rezoning requests and a change in the city ordinances to prohibit people from parking vehicles for sale on public streets in residential areas (except for the person who owns the abutting property).

There are two subjects that are NOT on the official agenda -- the leak of the RMA report to the newspaper and the non-release by the district attorney of the Project Homestead report -- that are sure to be brought up for discussion. There are a number of us councilmembers that want decisive action to be taken on both issues.

I will attend the next meeting of the Heart of the Triad steering committee at 8:30AM on Wednesday, March 22. The weeklong planning charrette will be coming up the first week of April.

From 11:30AM-12:45PM, I will be participating in a panel discussion at Lindley Recreation Center titled "Politics and the Media" sponsored by Youth Leadership Greensboro. The central focus of the panel is to discuss local politics and the ways in which media influences politics.

Then it's off to the monthly TAC meeting (Transportation Advisory Committee). Agenda items include an amendment to the MTIP to account for increased vehicle prices and updates on air quality, the BiPed (bicycle, pedestrian, and greenways) planning process, and the environmental study of the US 70 widening project.

Don't miss the numerous activities on Thursday, March 23 honoring Joey Cheek for his Olympic and humanitarian accomplishments. I'll get to see him at the Chamber of Commerce's elected officials reception. After that, my husband and I will hopefully go out to celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary.

I've agreed to listen to members of the Greensboro Firefighters Association on Friday morning, March 25 to hear their continuing concerns about their retirement medical benefits.

Councilmember Dianne Bellamy-Small will be holding her District 1 town hall meeting at 10AM on Saturday, March 25 at Barber Park. I'm working with Donna Newton of the Neighborhood Congress to schedule a similar meeting for District 5 residents.

Joey Cheek press release

I somehow overlooked this press release that came in last week so I'll share that good news now.

CHEEK DONATION EFFORTS REACH HALF-MILLION MARK

3/14/06 - Chicago, IL - It has now been one month since Olympian Joey Cheek won Olympic gold in Torino, Italy. Immediately thereafter Cheek donated the $25,000.00 prize purse (and later an additional $15,000) to Right To Play, an athlete-driven international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play as a tool for the development of children in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Cheek expressed particular concern with the Darfur region of the Sudan and challenged corporations and individuals around the world to take action and contribute to RTP. Contributions to date exceed $500,000.00. The list of corporate supporters includes; Lenovo, The Gap, Nike, Jet Set Sports, General Mills and The US Olympic Committee. Notable individual contributions have also come from friends of the US Ski Team as well as fellow speedskaters Clara Hughes of Canada and Yang Yang (A) of China.

"My hope at the Olympics was to use my moment in the spotlight to call attention to people in the world who need our help. That said, I never imagined the response would be so overwhelming. I'm thrilled almost beyond words. While the Olympics are now behind me, it seems the public interest in supporting RTP and the situation in Darfur is growing with each passing day. I sincerely hope to continue this positive momentum well into the future and I thank everyone who has stepped up and gotten involved thus far." - Joey Cheek

As the Olympic Games drew to a close Cheek was honored by his peers, being elected to carry the American flag into the closing ceremonies, and by the public at large, as he was elected the recipient of the US Olympic Committee's Spirit Award. Joey Cheek was then bestowed the crown jewel of Olympic sports marketing when he was selected to appear on the Wheaties box.

Cheek has now signed an ongoing endorsement agreement for Lenovo computers, makers of ThinkPad, and will appear on their behalf later this week in Las Vegas. He recently completed an extensive media tour through NY City and has now embarked on a month long series of speaking engagements.

Joey Cheek will meet with President Bush later this week at the Republican National Gala, then join House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi the following day at the Center for National Policy to address the situation in Darfur.

April 8th-15th Joey will join a delegation from Right To Play on a trip to Zambia. Later that month he will return to Washington, DC to attend the White House Correspondents Dinner on 4/29 and participate as a featured speaker at the Save Darfur Coalition's Rally to Stop Genocide on 4/30 - 30,000+ attendees are expected at the event.

Cheek's hometown of Greensboro, NC has declared March 23rd 'Joey Cheek Day', upon which the city will welcome Cheek home for the first time since their native son became Olympic Champion. The day long celebration will include numerous activities to honor both Cheek's accomplishments and generosity. The community has pledged $80,000.00 to a combination of Right To Play and local youth programming charities. Included in the day's events will be the official announcement of Greensboro College's Joey Cheek Scholarship, a four-year scholarship in Cheek's honor to be awarded to a student from the Darfur region of the Sudan.

Greensboro has also honored their local hero with the recent unveiling of a celebratory billboard featuring Joey (view the billboard here: http://www.qsports.net/).

For more information on Joey Cheek, contact:

Patrick Quinncell: 414-213-4818

qsports@yahoo.com

www.QSPORTS.net

Heart of the Triad planning charrette

Here is the official invitation and schedule for the Heart of the Triad planning charrette. Please mark your calendar and plan to participate if you are interested.

JOIN IN ON THE FUN!

During the week of April 3rd the Heart of the Triad planning team will host a week long planning session, or charrette, to develop several plan alternatives. To accomplish this, the planning team needs your help. The charrette is a proven planning tool designed to gather input from a broad range of interest groups and distill that information into plan alternatives in a very short time frame. The process allows for a hands-on approach to the planning process where participants will provide input and see the results almost immediately.

The week will be broken down into sessions where groups will invited in. Sessions have been set for elected officials, managers, planning boards, transportation officials, and the general public. You are encouraged to attend all the sessions, but please make a special effort to participate in the session for your group.

Monday, April 3rd 12:30 to 2:00 PM
Elected Officials and City/County Managers Session: This is your opportunity to provide input and help shape the plan. A light lunch will be provided. Also plans are being made to hold a press conference during the period to show regional support for the project and to serve as a kick-off for the week.

Monday, April 3rd 6:30 PM
Initial Public Presentation: Overview of Heart of the Triad Project and the week long charrette process.

Tuesday, April 4th 8:00am to 9:00am
Planning Boards Session: This is your opportunity to provide input and help shape the plan. A continental breakfast will be provided.

Tuesday, April 4th 9:00am to 10:00am
Local and State DOT Directors / Representatives Session: This is your opportunity to provide input and help shape the plan.

Wednesday April 5th 6:00 PM
"Hands-On" Public Planning Session: The public best opportunity to provide input and shape the plan for the Heart of the Triad.

Friday April 7th 6:00 PM
Public Presentation of Plan Alternatives: View and respond to the plan alternatives generated from the charrette process.

Location
"The Learning Center," Girl Scout Campus At Magnolia Manor, 1203 Frances Daily Court off W. Market Street, behind Magnolia Manor.

More information concerning the Heart of the Triad project can be found on the internet at http://www.partnc.org/heart_of_the_triad.htm.

"Working Together Works"

A day of contrasts

One gets to see many different aspects of one's community serving in an elected position. Such was the case on Saturday when I participated in activities at two of Greensboro's widely known businesses -- DH Griffin and Replacements, Ltd. Technically, both are in the recycling business (metals versus fine china and glassware), but each obviously deals with very different materials and very different clientele.

I spent the morning in a meeting with representatives from the Southwest Neighborhood Association and employees of DH Griffin (including D.H. Griffin Sr. and former county manager Roger Cotten) discussing the impact the company's massive operations has on the adjacent neighborhoods -- Oaks West, Beechcroft, and Hickory Trace. Noise, unsightly appearance, smoke/air pollution, and activities that shake nearby houses are the most frequent complaints.

Both sides were respectful of each other, their needs, and their concerns -- I was quite pleased at the good communication and better understanding that began in that meeting. Company officials were not aware of some of the neighbors' complaints, and neighborhood residents learned of numerous steps Griffin has already taken to lessen some of their operational impacts. Mr. Griffin noted the facility is in full compliance with local, state and federal regulations and is regularly visited by the EPA and DENR (NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources). Everyone agreed to meet again in April to hear proposed solutions or consider other action steps.

An eye-opening part of this experience was a driving tour (courtesy of Mr. Griffin) of the actual scrap yard and its activity -- I had no idea that place was so huge and the amount of scrap metal there. There are tremendous mountains of various pieces of metal everywhere and huge cranes and trucks working with them.

After that, I received another eye-opening tour (courtesy of the SWNA folks) offering a different view of the facility -- from the backyards of adjacent homes. Despite the presence of a small buffer area with trees and fencing, the scrap yard and the machinery at work were clearly visible and audible from those homes -- not a pretty sight at all.

It is certainly a quandary -- the business was there long before the adjacent property was rezoned and 700+ homes constructed next door to it. Development standards have been toughened significantly since the company first opened in 1959, and a much larger buffer area would be required if the business was being developed today. However, the business is "grandfathered" due to the prior existence and is not required to comply with the new standards.

The good news is that Mr. Griffin offered to do what he feasibly can to alleviate the situation and lessen the negative impacts on the neighborhood. Now that's what I call a good neighbor!

After a quick stop at home for lunch, it was off to Replacements, Ltd. for an open house and reception honoring their 25th anniversary. Recently annexed into the city at their request, this facility is one of the top tourist attractions in Guilford County and provides a valuable service for people looking for specific pieces of china, flatware, and crystal. The showroom is full of beautiful display cases full of china, crystal, vases, collectibles, knick-knacks, etc.

Even more amazing is the immense warehouse area with floor-to-(high)-ceiling shelving packed with every imaginable china pattern, and they are getting ready to expand again. Inventory is maintained on computers, and workers know exactly where to go when customers request a specific item. They are also able to help customers identify their china pattern if they are not sure what it is and can restore broken pieces and polish silver for you. This is a multi-million dollar operation, and most of their orders now come in through the Internet. Not bad for a business that began in an attic as one man's hobby -- congratulations on your great success, Bob Page!

I literally experienced "trash to treasures" in my Saturday travels this week!

Milestone

Today, March 17, marks the one-year anniversary of my entry into the blogosphere. With nearly 23,000 "hits" as of this morning, it has been an interesting journey full of opportunities to share and communicate with my constituents and the rest of the world. I have found blogging to be a valuable tool to share information and receive feedback, and I plan to keep it up.

Much credit goes to those of you who encouraged ("harassed" might be the better word) me to blog, mentored me on how to improve it, and helped me through all sorts of technical difficulties -- JW, Hoggard, Cone, Roch, Sue, The Shu, and Ben, to name a few. Thanks for all your help and support!

Recycling -- where do we go from here?

Councilmember Tom Phillips raised a legitimate question at the March 7 city council meeting: should Greensboro continue to operate its recycling program in the same way it has operated for many years now? As the city prepares to move to a transfer station for our solid waste disposal and as a tax increase looms ahead, should we consider less costly ways to operate our recycling program?

Everyone is certainly familiar with the large brown can into which you place all your reusable materials -- glass, plastics, newspapers and magazines, cardboard, etc. While this method is the most convenient for citizens and supposedly generates the most participation, it is also the most costly -- collecting and sorting the materials costs approximately double the amount per ton it costs to process our solid waste, even after the money earned from the sale of the recycled materials is factored in.

The Environmental Services Department is one of the city departments that will be examined during the budget process, so I will pose the question to you: How important is the city's current recycling program to you? Should we stick with the current process, or would you be willing to accept changes (use small individual containers for each material, return to drop-off sites only instead of residential pick-up, etc., don't do it at all ) in order to reduce the cost? Please share your thoughts with me!

Council budget committees

Sorry for the absence -- this "bug" has really got me down and this evening is the first time I've felt halfway human all week. I'm hoping the worst is over and I can ease back into my normal routine.

As reported about last week's city council meeting, we finally got around to dividing up into committees to do some in-depth examination of city departments in hopes of identifying potential savings in the upcoming budget. Mayor Holliday divided the council into three committees, each of which will review departments making up approximately one third of budget expenditures.

I am on "Committee C" along with Mike Barber and Dianne Bellamy-Small that will be looking at the following departments:

Police

Engineering and Inspections

Environmental Services

Finance and Administrative Services

Legal

Executive

Budget and Evaluation

I know we'll certainly be going in with the hopes of reductions, but I'm already hearing folks like Jay who see a need for some increases or improvements in certain services. This isn't going to be easy, by any stretch of the imagination. So far, our biggest challenge appears to me in setting up a meeting schedule that fits everyone's busy calendar -- so far, we haven't had any luck in identifying an acceptable time. Not a good beginning!

"Top Rounders"

Here's a photo of the "Top Rounders" (celebrity servers) from last Friday's University Day at the Men's ACC Tournament at the Coliseum. Greensboro goes all out when it comes to volunteers and hospitality for big events. You may spot some familiar faces.

Weekly schedule

I don't believe it -- no official meetings whatsoever this week! It's a good thing, because I've picked up an awful head cold and feel absolutely horrible. I made it through the winter without a single sniffle and then fell ill Sunday evening. (Too much ACC basketball???) Oh well, at least I can rest up and take care of myself without neglecting official duties.

City Connections

The latest edition of City Connections tells you how to submit your input into the upcoming bond referendum.

Joey Cheek scholarship

Kudos to Greensboro College on their wonderful move to honor Joey Cheek!

GREENSBORO COLLEGE ESTABLISHES JOEY CHEEK INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Full Four-Year Scholarship Will be Awarded to Student From Darfur Region of Sudan

GREENSBORO, NC (March 13, 2006) – Greensboro College President Craven E. Williams announced today the establishment of the Joey Cheek International Scholarship Fund, a full four-year scholarship to be awarded to a student from the Darfur region of the Sudan. Greensboro College has also committed to raise additional funds to ensure that the scholarship recipient will have all living expenses paid throughout their education period.

In making the announcement, Dr. Williams stated that Greensboro College chose to honor Cheek as a local American hero, but also wanted to focus their initiative on Cheek’s specific passion – helping the people in the Darfur region of Sudan. Cheek donated the financial bonus from both his gold and silver medals - $40,000 - to the Right to Play programs in disadvantaged regions. “Joey’s altruism is so remarkable that we want to honor him and his commitment to helping others. The scholarship will help draw attention to those individuals who have been impacted by the civil war in the Darfur region as well as provide an opportunity for a new life for some of those affected.” Williams noted.

The scholarship represents an $80,000 commitment from Greensboro College, with an additional $50,000 for personal and living expenses. Extra funds raised will be set up as a Joey Cheek Endowment Fund to provide support for future African students to attend Greensboro College. The local African Services Coalition and other relief agencies have been invited to assist in identifying candidates for the initial scholarship. Cheek will also be invited to use his contacts to find possible candidates.

This scholarship is not the first time that Greensboro College has assisted individuals from war-torn countries. When six college-ready students from Kosovo needed assistance in 1999, the College took them in and paid all their expenses. All six of the students graduated from the school.

For more information on the Joey Cheek International Scholarship Fund or to assist with this effort, visit http://www.blogger.com/www.gborocollege.edu or call (336) 272-7102 ext. 223.

Scenes from Australia

My husband and I have good friends in Valentine, Australia whom he met through a Texas Intruments computer users' group (long before we became email junkies). We've visited with Joe and Bev Wright "down under" a couple of times, and they have been to Greensboro several times as well. This is a friendship that started strictly because of the computer! Joe recently shared some photos of their latest excursion to Walkabout Creek (made famous in the movie Crocodile Dundee) I thought you might enjoy.

Look at the size of that ant hill! I'll never complain about what we have here again. (That's Joe on the left.)

Here's the McKinlay Library in Walkabout Creek.

Here's the Walkabout Creek Hotel/Pub -- recognize it from the movie?

Maybe someday when busy schedules and the monetary exchange rates improve, we can return to Australia for another visit. In the meantime, thanks for the pictures, Joe!

Tournament Town does it right!

Everyone is probably overloaded with the coverage of the ACC and coliseum, but I absolutely must add my two-cents worth to say "Well done!" The Coliseum and its grounds never looked better, and the city staff and army of volunteers did a fantastic job in serving up heaping helpings of Southern hospitality. Traffic flowed smoothly, the food was fantastic, FanFest and BACCourt entertainment was top notch, and fans were exuberant (at least until their team lost). And by the way, did I mention there was some fantastic basketball played (even if my beloved Wolfpack did make an early exit)? I had feared poor attendance on Sunday with Carolina's absence from the championship game, but the building was packed with very few empty seats visible.

Our seats were not the best in the house (over in the northwest corner of the lower level of the arena), but our view of the court was still excellent. Whenever fans stood and blocked that view, we could still easily follow the action on the video screens on the new Jumbotron. No complaints from me!

During the timeouts while TV viewers were being treated to commercials, the school's pep bands and cheerleaders were performing for the crowd in the Coliseum. Those petite cheerleaders with their amazing tumbling skills are just as athletic as any of those muscular basketball players.

Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils on a hard-fought, well-deserved victory in the championship game that went down to the final heart-stopping seconds. While we were happy to welcome newcomer Boston College to the ACC, that Southern hospitality extended only to a point. I'm glad our "home" team won. (Yes, that's coming from a Wolfpack fan!)

It was a fun weekend, but now it's Monday. Back to the real world! Let's hope the coliseum workers, police officers, and multitude of volunteers have time to rest up and catch their breath before Round 3 (the NCAA regionals) hits on Thursday. Great job, folks!

Getting their stories

I haven't exactly been the easiest person to find this past week, having been either out of town in meetings or camped out at the Greensboro Coliseum at the ACC Tournament. But due to technology and dogged persistence, members of the media managed to catch up with me on both the big stories -- the Project Homestead report and the leaking of the police investigation report. It quickly became a joke with my husband who kept inquiring, "Who's next?"

Taking advantage of the features of my home phone, I had set it to forward all incoming calls to my cell phone. Thus, Doug Clark of the editorial staff of the News & Record, was able to interview me for his editorial on the RMA report as I drove to the Coliseum on Friday morning.

A bit later as my husband and I shared a table at lunch in the VIP dining area with Yvonne Johnson and her husband, reporter Frank Mickens of WFMY News2 phoned and requested an on-camera interview for his story about the Project Homestead report. Noting that the first game was beginning in less than a half hour, I agreed to do so if he could get to me before I entered the arena for the game. He and his cameraman somehow managed to navigate the traffic and get there in time.

During halftime of the game, News & Record reporter Eric Swensen managed to locate me in my seat and get a few comments for his story on the Project Homestead report.

Later that same afternoon, Lorraine Ahearn of the News & Record phoned me in the middle of a game seeking information on the police investigation report. It was so noisy with all the bands, cheering and crowd noise, I'm not sure either of us heard or understood a single word the other said.

So despite the obstacles, the press managed to get their interviews and stories.

Speaking of those two hot issues:

* I support the release of the full report on the Project Homestead investigation. Even if there is not enough evidence to file formal charges against anyone, I believe the city council and the public has a right to see whatever information -- good or bad -- was uncovered.

* I have decidedly mixed feelings about the leak of the RMA report. Now that some of the detailed evidence has been publicly revealed, numerous people have commented they now understand why we councilmembers backed the city manager so strongly when he took certain actions. In that respect, this release has fostered public vindication and made my job a little bit easier.

On the other hand, I can only pray that the release of this confidential information does not undermine the two ongoing investigations and hamper any chance of justice being achieved. There's also the possibility that lawsuits over the violation of state personnel privacy laws being filed against the city, an unneeded expense for taxpayers.

However, the biggest casualty is the potential loss of trust among city council members as well as between city council members and staff. It's fairly certain that a councilmember deliberately broke confidentiality protocol and gave that report to the newspaper. This action leaves me wondering "who did it" and "who can I trust anymore" -- my sense of "team" certainly has been torpedoed. I can imagine the leak puts the city manager in an awkward situation as well -- he has made it a point to keep us councilmembers updated on the investigation. But with the very real potential for additional leaks, I could fully understand how he might be hesitant to do so in the future. That's a real shame!

Weekly schedule

This week's schedule has a little bit of everything on it, both work and play.

I consider today - Monday, March 6 - to be a "catch-up day" with nothing official on the schedule except for attending the 2006 Guilford Women in Power Forum sponsored by Kids Voting and The Junior League at Greensboro College this evening. This event is aimed at inspiring local high school girls to become leaders of the future. MAYBE I'll be able to take care of some accumulated reading and paperwork today.

I have a meeting with some members of the Commission on the Status of Women (think Tom Phillips has them worried?) on Tuesday afternoon, March 7 followed by our regular city council meeting. The meeting agenda includes a resolution honoring Joey Cheek (page 2), several rezoning requests (including reconsideration of the previous defeat of the McAllister House on Fleming Road case, pages 47-54), and adoption of the Urban Development Investment Guidelines (pages 61-78).

Wednesday, March 8 will begin with PART's monthly board meeting. Leon Inman, chairman of the Stokes County Board of Commissioners, will be sworn in as the newest member of our Board of Trustees. We will consider purchase of vehicles to establish transit service for Elon University and to replace worn-out vans in our vanpool program.

I'll be attending the executive committee meeting of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments at 5:30PM this same day.

I'll be in Raleigh on Thursday, March 9 to chair the monthly meeting of the Charter Schools Advisory Committee. The main business for this meeting will be to receive the applications for new charter schools -- that means we committee members are going to be really busy the next couple of weeks thoroughly evaluating those applications to select the best ones for potential new charters.

The rest of my week will be spent over at the Coliseum at the Men's ACC Tournament. The ACC allows city councilmembers the option of purchasing two tickets. They were EXPENSIVE and certainly are not the best seats in the arena (in one of the corners), but at least we're in the building.

You'll find a lot of Greensboro notables working as "Top Rounders" serving food to attendees of the University Day dinner on Friday afternoon as part of our extraordinary ACC hospitality efforts.

Boston College: Matt Olin, M.D. -- Greensboro Orthopedics; Mike Reynolds -- CVB Board and Courtyard Marriott

Clemson: Kim Strable -- Greensboro College Athletic Director; Tom Hall -- Sports Council and Windsor Investments

Duke: Tim Rice -- President, Moses Cone Hospital/Coliseum Commission; J.D. Lawson, M.D. CVTS; Jim Galyon -- Coliseum Commission; Allen Purser -- President, Chamber of Commerce; Paul Gibson -- Guilford County Commissioner; Donald Moore -- Greensboro Grasshoppers and Sports Council

Florida State: Kay Hagan -- NC State Senator; Chip Hagan -- Sports Council

Georgia Tech: Sandra Anderson -- City Council; Eric Chilton -- WFMY News 2

Maryland: Martha Kaley -- Sports Council and Friends; Charlotte Costner -- Coliseum Commission; Richard Beard -- Tournament Host Committee; Kathleen Patterson -- Chamber of Commerce

Miami: Herb Goins -- Sports Council and Guilford County Schools; Steve Showfety -- Sports Council and Koury Corporation

NC State: Sandy Carmany -- City Council; Maggie Jeffus -- NC State House of Representatives; Bob Morgan -- Assistant City Manager; Henri Fourrier -- President, Convention Bureau and Sports Council

UNC: Keith Holliday -- Mayor; Dick Grubar -- Chairman, Greensboro Sports Commission; Diane Bellamy-Small -- City Council; Rosemary Plybon -- WFMY News 2; Len White -- Sports Council Board; Worth Holleman -- Coliseum Commission

UVA: Jim Kaley, D.D.S.; Blair Goodman -- Sports Council and Plybon & Assoc.; Sandy Vernon -- Chamber of Commerce

Virginia Tech: Stahle Vincent -- Coliseum Commission; Debbie White -- Chamber of Commerce; Ann McGee -- Guilford County; Hunter Galloway -- Sports Council; Cindy Farmer -- WGHP Fox 8

Wake Forest: Dave Olin, M.D.; Ron Mack -- Koury Corporation; Murphy Townsend, M.D.

FLOATERS: Tom Jordan -- Tournament Host Committee; Kevin Green -- Chairman, Coliseum Commission; Marc Bush -- Greensboro Sports Commission; Harrison Turner, M.D. -- Chairman-Tournament Host Committee

(For the record, my husband and I attended the Women's ACC finals yesterday and cheered for Carolina, one of the few times you'll find us Wolfpack fans doing something unusual like that!)

PART park-and-ride lot dedication

PART dedicated Davidson County's first park-and-ride lot this morning at the intersection of West Cooksey Street and Highway 109, just south of the Business 85 intersection.

Davidson County Commissioners Don Truell and Fred Sink and Thomasville Mayor Joe Bennett and Councilmembers Marie Culbreth and Raleigh York were present along with city and county staff and PART officials (including myself). It was a chilly, windy morning and we all shivered and hurried through the ceremony. It must be fate -- when we dedicated the PART hub at I-40 and Highway 68 a couple of years ago, it was also a frosty and blustery day.

This park-and-ride lot can be now be used by commuters for carpooling and vanpooling. Once the Davidson County Commissioners decide to provide their share of matching funds, PART will be able to provide Express Bus Service to this site (and to the one nearly complete in Lexington near their airport).

Have you noticed the new PART buses? We currently contract with American Charters who supply the familiar white buses and vans manufactured and licensed in Florida to provide our bus service. However, as funding has become available, PART has begun purchasing its own vans and buses manufactured and licensed here in North Carolina. We selected black as the color scheme for these new vehicles.

Today's Coliseum activity

Most of today's War Memorial Commission meeting focused on preparations for the upcoming basketball tournaments. Business items included a review of the January 31 financial statement (net income is running $419,000+ ahead of budget projections) and passage of a resolution urging the city council to pursue improvements to War Memorial Auditorium.

Coliseum Director Matt Brown noted that ticket sales for the Women's ACC Tournament are on a record place. Current sales have broken the NATIONAL record for ticket sales to a women's basketball tournament (approaching a half million dollars in sales) with only 769 tickets left as of noon today for Sunday's championship game. This week's tournament at OUR coliseum will be the LARGEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT EVER! Wow!

Here are a few photos I took during our tour of the entire facility today.

Matt Brown shows off the newest concession stand constructed by in-house crews. It will offer barbecue to hungry patrons.

Balloon sculptures are being placed throughout the Special Events Center to create a festive atmosphere.

Note the colorful (that's an understatement!) new carpet recently installed in the Special Events Center to replace the 15+ year worn-out old one. It really livens up the whole place.

Commission members Worth Holleman and Tim Rice watch preparations for FanFest inside the Pavilion.

The lobby of the auditorium is being transformed into the VIP hospitality area.

You wouldn't recognize the auditorium itself -- a giant platform has been constructed over the top of the seats to create a space that will seat 250. Creative lighting and other decor have transformed this area into a classy dining area.

The FORMER designated smoking area (the Coliseum is smoke-free as of today!) has been scrubbed and upgraded for use as the ACC hospitality lounge during the tournaments.

The Clemson girls team practices beneath the newly-installed Jumbotron scoreboard. It's gigantic!

I'm really impressed by the amount of time, energy and effort that have been expended by Coliseum staff and community volunteers led by Dr. Harrison Turner to show off Greensboro and our fine hospitality. Greensboro is indeed Tournament Town!

Responding to the Pulpit Forum

I normally respond to constituents through the same means they use to contact me --

* if they email me, I'll email them back;

* if they telephone me, I'll return their call;

* if they send me a letter, I'll write them back.

However, I'm not quite sure of the appropriate method for responding to "communication by press conference" that the Pulpit Forum has used twice in the matter of the investigation into the Greensboro Police Department. (I have not yet received any direct communication from this organization on this subject, but did manage to get hold of a copy of their press release.) A small snippet of my reaction was aired in this evening's WXII12's news report, and I guess this blog is the best way to share more of my response.

Before I do that, I would kindly advise anyone that a press conference is not the best way to have meaningful communication with one's elected officials for a number of reasons.

* First of all, one is assuming that the elected official will even see the TV report when it airs or have a chance to read it in the newspaper the next day. Due to busy schedules and numerous meetings, I DON'T see the TV news more often than I DO see it, and when I do, it's usually the 11PM edition. There are many days that I don't get to read my newspaper until very late in the day.

* Second, it should come as no surprise to our media friends that we elected officials are often leery about the accuracy of news reports. This is due to personal experiences with misquotes, misinterpretations, out-of-context statements, and/or a reporter's slants and biases. So even if we do happen to see or read the news reports, we don't necessarily trust the reliability of those reports.

* Third, even when the news report is 100% accurate, the 30-minute press conference is reduced to a 20-second sound bite here or a two-sentence quote there selected by a reporter, not by the presenter. What the reporter chooses to report is not necessarily the message the presenter is trying to get across. (Exactly one of the reasons I blog!)

Bottom line, if one wants elected officials to take one's concerns seriously, one should communicate the message directly to those officials. Enough said on that!

No matter in what manner I received the concerns of the Pulpit Forum, my response is the same and can be summed up in two words -- Patience, please!

Why? There are two ongoing investigations(GPD and the FBI) into various aspects of this matter. This situation is under intense public scrutiny, and both investigations must be thorough and fair to protect the rights of all involved. Despite allegations leveled in today's press conference, there were NO FINDINGS OF CRIMINAL WRONGDOING in the RMA report, only administrative and departmental policy violations. The investigators must be given sufficient time to sift through evidence and conduct follow-ups to determine if there are potential criminal violations. To release evidence and incomplete information at this time could jeopardize the integrity of the investigations and the ability to definitively identify any wrongdoings as well as expose the city (i. e., taxpayers) to lawsuits from a variety of groups and individuals.

Second, the state personnel privacy law is still in force and the city must adhere to it. Even when the investigations are complete and final actions are taken, it is highly unlikely that every minute detail or shred of evidence can be publicly released. I believe that every city councilmember remains committed to releasing as much information we legally can AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.

Lastly, the points made about the disparate disciplinary treatment of black and white officers in similar situations is old news. That fact was acknowledged (without specific details) in my January 15 post and the city manager's January 24th statement, among others. Those incidents remain under investigation.

All involved in the investigation and resolution of this sad situation --- the city manager and his staff, the city attorney, the city council, Chief Tim Bellamy -- are strongly committed to uncovering the truth, dealing forthrightly with the issues, and doing the right things to correct them and restore the integrity of a great police department. It's just going to take some more time.

PATIENCE, PLEASE!