"I'll admit to being critical of the performing arts task force at my blog, East Greensboro Performing Arts Center but after having attended 2 forum meetings on Thursday I've come to the conclusion that it's not the fault of the task force members. Their charge, what they were recruited to do, is to study the feasibility of a downtown PAC and report back to City Council with their findings.
The fact that they have ignored other Greensboro communities as possible locations for a PAC lies entirely on the hands of Mayor Perkins, City Council and the "movers and shakers" who stand to profit from the building of a downtown center. For reasons the rest of us can only speculate, the Mayor and Council made the decision not to consider the rest of Greensboro. The blame for this inept action rests squarely on Council and not the task force.
Even some of the task force members privately agree the questions presented to the participants of Thursday's forum were so written as to push towards a predetermined conclusion. Again, one can only speculate.
It's not new, City Council has ignored and systematically destroyed many Greensboro communities for 50 plus years while pumping up downtown.
Maybe it's time the City Council changed the charge of the task force to consider other Greensboro communities like North East Greensboro? Instead of funneling tax dollars downtown, perhaps we should be spending to build in our neighborhoods. Case in point: When I was a child the Greensboro Natural Science Center was located on a 2 lane road out in the country. Thinking long term, the city invested there, became vested there, and a nice neighborhood with safe streets and nearby shopping sprang up around it. Nobody worried about the businesses located in the neighborhood because there were none. But business owners and developers wasted no time in getting there.And they didn't ask for taxpayer dollars to develop the area.
Isn't it about time the rest of Greensboro shared in what all of us are paying for? Isn't it about time we returned to the long term approach to development?
And did I mention the City already owns the abandoned shopping center on the corner of Phillips and Elwell Avenues?"
Now, no one in power can make the claim they don't know.
Continue to article #90. Who's To Blame?.
