"Please send me the feasibility study funded by the city of Greensboro that projected a possible $6.5 billion in private investment and the creation of 5,349 jobs over the next 20 years from Project Haystack.
Also, please include the numbers that went into the study and their sources."
George Hartzman, Roch Smith Jr, Paul Clark of the Rhino Times, Joe Guarino and Greensboro City Councilman Mike Barber as well as city staff were all recipients of that e-mail.
It was also my understanding at the time that Greensboro, instead of Burlington, was slated to provide water to the project. Apparently I was mistaken.
George Hartzman requested the Project Haystack Study on December 12, two days before I made my request. In the meantime, results of the study were made available to the Triad Business Journal who had published Project Haystack predicts investments of up to $6.5 billion on November 21, 2013. All the while, George, myself and others waited for the results of the study. Why? Because we ask questions like:
"What data was used in this study?
Was the IMPLAN data customized? If so, how? Why?
What assumptions are behind this study? (i.e. What values did you enter into the IMPLAN system, Why those numbers?)
How many assumptions were made for this study? Is this enough information to create a thorough study?
Has anyone done a similar study with different results? If so, what assumptions were behind that study? How do these assumptions differ?"
Questions that can be used to confirm that the study is accurate, questions our local main stream media outlets seem either unable or unwilling to ask. Simple questions the taxpaying and voting public has every right to know.
On Wednesday, January 8, the City of Greensboro presented the City of Burlington with the study in question as reported by the Burlington Times-News in their article Guilford, developers tout Haystack site to Burlington.
On January 11, 2014 the following came to light:
" The result of the investigation is a cease and desist ordered generated by the attorney general’s office to the city of Greensboro giving them thirty days to provide affidavit of compliance. Failure to comply could result in prosecution."
Still Greensboro failed to comply. Could they not see what was coming? Do they think themselves above the law? Is a mad dash going on night and day in an attempt to destroy public records as you read this?
On Saturday, January 12, 2014, one month after having asked the City of Greensboro to provide him with the study, George Hartzman e-mailed the City of Burlington asking for a copy of the study presented to Burlington-- the very same study George, myself and others have been asking to see for a month. On Monday morning, less than 1 business day after George made his request he was e-mailed the Project Haystack, Economic Impact Analysis-- Executive Summary. You can read the Study and George's post by clicking on the link.
It took Burlington less than 1 business day to do what Greensboro couldn't or wouldn't do in 30 days. That, my friends, is why Greensboro is wallowing in hundreds of public information requests-- most of the requests are duplicates. We request again and again for the same information. Requests have turned into word games. Greensboro City Manager, Denice Turner Roth said:
"It has also turned into a system which records frequent requesters who try to use our words or processes against us…"
This is the woman who is taking the job of heading a branch of the United States Government? Give us a break!
And little Burlington comes along to show us how it's done. No wonder little Burlington is landing jobs and corporations when Greensboro can't bribe them to come here. Honest businesses want to locate in honest cities. Do you not think corporations do PIRTs as well? If they have to wait or they get back what they think is a packet full of lies they go find another city like say, Burlington to move to. And seriously, if I were running a major corporation and wanting info on a city my first approach would never be as the president or CEO of said company. That would give away my intentions. I'd present myself as John Q Public or some interested blogger first. Do you really believe your first contacts with Fortune 500 companies will be face to face? Ain't gonna happen. Any one of those annoying PIRTs that come in on a daily basis might be your next economic gold mine in the making.
Of course, corrupt politicans running corrupt cities don't concern themselves with such things, do they Mayor Nancy Baracat Vaughan?
I urge Burlington to ask the questions I asked above and to forward me the answers so that myself and others can make them public. The citizens of Burlington have a right to know. And if the City of Greensboro drags their feet then I urge the City of Burlington to do as former News & Record assistant editor, Lex Alexander advised:
"In my experience, one and only one thing will get the bureaucracy to start coughing up records as they should: the credible threat of a lawsuit. And for that threat to be credible, you really do need to sue occasionally.
For most of my time at the N&R, the paper kept a high-dollar, white-shoe firm on retainer for stuff like this. We seldom had to go so far as to actually sue, but we did a few times, and it put the fear of God into people for a while (except for some sympathetic bureaucrats who actually sympathized with us against their superiors). But you have to be prepared and funded to do it several times a year, every year, because 1) it takes a while for the message to sink in, 2) staff turnover means some agencies have to re-learn the lesson, and 3) if they’re treating a large corporation with expensive legal representation this way, how badly are they treating average citizens?"
Thank you, Burlington. The citizens of Greensboro will remember you as the great migration takes place.
This morning, while writing this post I received the following e-mail from Donnie Turlington, Communications Manager, City of Greensboro:
"George and Billy,
Attached is the Project Haystack feasibility study executive summary. I am awaiting the full study from our economic development staff and should have it later today. Will send to you as soon as I have it.
I’m also re-attaching the contract in case you did not receive yesterday.I suspect it had something to do with this post from yesterday that was e-mailed to staff and Councils in Greensboro and Burlington:
Best,
Donnie"
"Project Haystack Economic Impact Analysis Questions PIRT
The Project Haystack Economic Impact Analysis paid for by the City of Greensboro and withheld for weeks has now been made public by the City of Burlington. Thank you, Burlington for having the courage to do what Greensboro was scared to do."
Please note: I fully understand this delay is not Mr Turlington's fault as he can only fulfill public information requests as quickly as the rest of Greensboro City Staff and City Council chooses to work with him. I would hate to be stuck in his job. If you'd like to see what the City of Greensboro has sent me thus far then e-mail me at RecycleBill@gmail.com and ask for Project Haystack forwards. It will save the City time and money. Later I'll be posting all of it online like the City of Greensboro should have done in the first place.
