Folks here in my end of town along with students, faculty and alumni from A&T University are questioning the need to cut a road through A&T University Farm as proposed by Mayor Paveit Perkins and admittedly, strongly supported by T. Dianne Bellamy-Small of the adjoining District 1.
Jim Key is right to question the need and Nancy Vaughan is right to question the price tag but me, as a 54 year resident of East Greensboro I question the why. Why there, why the farm when a much shorter widening of just 1 block of English Street would accomplish the same thing? Yes, I know the widening of that block of English Street will effect a few homeowners but what is not apparent in the Mayor's plan is the effect on hundreds of East Greensboro homeowners should the Mayor's plan be followed through. "How is that?" you ask. The proposed new Greensboro Sportsplex as shown if you click through to the larger view of this map below.
What you will see is a dashed line that runs west of Franklin Blvd, south of Hope Valley Road, just south of McConnell Rd and to the east borders the northernmost part of the A&T University Farm. As a matter of fact, some of the property within that border is part of the A&T University Farm. And many of those homes are almost brand new homes.
Now some are thinking A&T is a land grant university and there's no way even the Mayor and City Council can touch it but there is a plan. You see, I'm being told that some of Perkins' rich developer buddies have bought some cheap land way out in the country somewhere and are proposing a trade. Never mind that most A&T University students still come from real working class families and won't be able to afford to travel from the campus on East Market to a farm 50 or 100 miles away, Robbie, Lance Armstrong, Perkins plans to ride his bicycle where he wants to ride his bicycle.
View Larger Map
So now that we know the "need" for Robbie's new road I think voters all over Greensboro and voters in District 1 should remember these things come November. And Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson, you'd best start getting real vocal real soon and showing the residents of East Greensboro you are still on our side because most of us are beginning to doubt you.
Of course some will wonder how these things get placed on Google Maps? Simple really, City planning departments provide this information to Google and Google adds it. After all, it's not like those lines are actually painted on the ground when the satellites fly over, is it.
Jim Key is right to question the need and Nancy Vaughan is right to question the price tag but me, as a 54 year resident of East Greensboro I question the why. Why there, why the farm when a much shorter widening of just 1 block of English Street would accomplish the same thing? Yes, I know the widening of that block of English Street will effect a few homeowners but what is not apparent in the Mayor's plan is the effect on hundreds of East Greensboro homeowners should the Mayor's plan be followed through. "How is that?" you ask. The proposed new Greensboro Sportsplex as shown if you click through to the larger view of this map below.
What you will see is a dashed line that runs west of Franklin Blvd, south of Hope Valley Road, just south of McConnell Rd and to the east borders the northernmost part of the A&T University Farm. As a matter of fact, some of the property within that border is part of the A&T University Farm. And many of those homes are almost brand new homes.
Now some are thinking A&T is a land grant university and there's no way even the Mayor and City Council can touch it but there is a plan. You see, I'm being told that some of Perkins' rich developer buddies have bought some cheap land way out in the country somewhere and are proposing a trade. Never mind that most A&T University students still come from real working class families and won't be able to afford to travel from the campus on East Market to a farm 50 or 100 miles away, Robbie, Lance Armstrong, Perkins plans to ride his bicycle where he wants to ride his bicycle.
View Larger Map
So now that we know the "need" for Robbie's new road I think voters all over Greensboro and voters in District 1 should remember these things come November. And Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson, you'd best start getting real vocal real soon and showing the residents of East Greensboro you are still on our side because most of us are beginning to doubt you.
Of course some will wonder how these things get placed on Google Maps? Simple really, City planning departments provide this information to Google and Google adds it. After all, it's not like those lines are actually painted on the ground when the satellites fly over, is it.
