Downtown Greensboro Inc and Ed Wolverton have decided to weigh in on the GPAC push taking a bit of a different approach which I shall soon rip to shreds. From yesterday's News & Record:
"Downtown is our nerve center
A Dec. 30 News & Record editorial identified issues to address in 2013. Several items focused on downtown, and rightly so. With the ongoing work of Downtown Greensboro Inc. (DGI), city leaders and a wide range of supporters and volunteers, the center city continues to set the pace to transform our community."
Might I point out this was repeatedly accomplished at the expense and destruction of working class Greensboro neighborhoods. Of course, what the hell would Ed know, he wasn't living here then, he just moved here to take mine and your money after bouncing back and forth between Greensboro and Charlotte, Chandler, Arizona, Mississippi and some place in Kansas where he left amid political controversy. Wolverton doesn't care about Greensboro and will jump ship the next time some city waves more money at him.
"Why the focus on downtown? In short, downtown Greensboro is the region’s most important neighborhood. While a few may disagree, the facts are indisputable. The latest figures estimate that downtown attracts 10.8 million visits during a year. Few neighborhoods draw this many people."
There's a play on words here, can you figure out what it is? While Mr Wolverton isn't lying when he refers to 10.8 million visits a year he wants you to think that means 10.8 visitors a year. What it really means is that 10.8 million trips are made to Downtown Greensboro every year by everyone who must travel to downtown for whatever reason. A real snake there, Ed, forked tongue and all.
"More businesses are in downtown than any other commercial center in Guilford County. More people — more than 21,000 — work downtown than in any other district. Property owners downtown pay more property taxes than those at Friendly Center, Four Seasons Town Centre, the Wendover and I-40 area and even various strip centers along Battleground Avenue."
You'll notice Mr Wolverton doesn't include borders for Downtown. I mean, we all know where Friendly Center, Four Seasons Town Centre, the Wendover and I-40 area and even the various strip centers along Battleground Avenue all begin and end but where does Mr Wolverton consider Downtown's borders to be?
"For all of its economic prowess, downtown is also the community’s living room. People from the entire community and all walks of life regularly visit downtown for events, festivals and gatherings. They also come to shop, dine, stroll and enjoy other amenities."
Now Ed, it may well be true that "people from the entire community and all walks of life" visit Downtown but the vast majority of Greensboro's residents only go downtown when they get a summons be it to appear in front of a judge or to be seated on the jury. You know it, I know it and everyone else in Greensboro knows it. And as I told you in my last e-mail to you, as long as you are too stupid to include adequate benches so that my 80 year old mother can site down and rest, she won't be coming downtown. You see, Shit for Brains, like most working class families, Mother is the only one in our family who can afford to shop. The rest of us are struggling just to get by.
"Looking to 2013, the performing arts center remains a critical community issue. Most everyone agrees that War Memorial Auditorium is past its prime and can no longer serve the community. After two failed bond referendums to address this building, DGI worked with the Community Foundation, the city and almost 100 volunteers to craft a new approach."
We knew this was coming. Let's not forget that War Memorial Auditorium was deliberately allowed to fall into disrepair just like the Grimsley Swimming Pool and World War I Memorial Stadium.
"Using national experts and studying other communities, a new plan emerged that for the first time brings private donations to help fund an innovatively designed and right-size facility that can host everything from Broadway shows to comedy performances to graduations. While some details are still being ironed out, we need to pull together as a community to proactively address this glaring deficiency rather than wait for something to happen that will force us to act."
Show us the money! Rabbi Fred Guttman told us in a comment thread at Greensboro & Guilford County Politics that only $15 Million Dollars had been pledged but the figure you and Walker Sanders like to toss about is $20 Million-- who should we believe, a rabbi or two paid hucksters.
"Downtown housing is another key area mentioned in the editorial. DGI’s visionary approach cast a spotlight on this issue six years ago when we put together a privately funded incentive program to help build more homes in downtown. Last year, downtown drew on this momentum to add 275 new residences. This is astonishing growth of almost 20 percent! Investors have already announced plans for more new units in 2013."
Who is we? Is DGI paying incentives to developers? I don't think so. Greensboro taxpayers are paying incentives to developers. Again, downtown grows at the taxpayers' expense and you try and take the credit. Why not give us some credit for working our asses off and paying the taxes you so love to spend.
"The potential university district is another key for growth. By creating a shared district that can bring together our area col-leges and institutions, downtown is uniquely poised to provide a stimulating urban laboratory that will foster collaboration and efficiencies like nowhere else. DGI is working collaboratively with Opportunity Greensboro to make this idea a reality."
Let's talk about the "potential university district." I agree, it's a very good idea. So why in the hell did you and DGI lead the push to turn downtown into an alcohol fueled entertainment district all those years ago when myself and others were warning you of noise issues and the other problems? Were you stupid then and suddenly smarter now? I don't get it. And somehow, I don't think you get it either.
"The editorial also brought up nightclub safety and the noise ordinance. Although many people mistakenly associate these issues with downtown, the facts show otherwise. In 2012, due to the excellent work of the Greensboro Police Department and more involvement from club operators, downtown had no major nightclub safety incidents. Zero. Every major incident of nightclub violence happened in other areas in the city."
That's nice Ed. But you know what. My neighborhood has the same problem downtown has when it comes to violent crime. My neighborhood was once a very dangerous neighborhood but now it's on par with New Irving Park. The problem is: No one in Greensboro believes it. And with Downtown being Greensboro's most dangerous neighborhood of 2011 it just might take a few good decades to change public perception.
"Similarly, the overwhelming majority of noise complaints came from outside the center city. While more must be done for nightclub safety, and the noise ordinance might need a few tweaks, these are community-wide issues."
Again Ed, you were part of the driving force in bringing an alcohol fueled economy to downtown, have you never set foot in a bar before? Did no one get drunk in your Mississippi sorority? Seriously, how could you not know this would happen. And then you goofballs screwed up and got a noise ordinance passed that was louder than what we had before? What kind of drugs are you selling? Out here in the burbs the noise ordnance was working until Roy Carroll, Robbie Perkins and you conspired to screw it all up. Morons, the lot of you.
"Downtown is the economic engine and social center for the community. These big projects, once completed, will do more than help just downtown. They will help the entire region grow and prosper.
When you add in other projects like the South Elm Redevelop-ment Project, the Downtown Greenway and the steady interest of entrepreneurs opening new businesses, our downtown is on the cusp of something truly amazing. DGI is proud to help lead the way.
Ed Wolverton is president of Downtown Greensboro Inc."
If all of that is true then why are you setting your sights so low? Why are you selling our downtown for pennies on the dollar? Why are we talking about a performing arts center with 300,000 visitors a year and a supposed $7 Million Dollar annual economic impact when we could be building a Downtown Greensboro Aquarium with 3 Million VISITORS a year (no word play there) and $70 Million Dollars a year in economic impact?
