"Move the A&T farm to county prison farm
Many of the rest of us would like to have the Guilford County prison farm “stay green” (“County prison farm should stay green,” Dec. 11).
A suggestion for keeping a portion of it green: Move the cattle grazing and cattle feed-growing operation now carried on at the close-in N.C. A&T farm to a portion of the prison farm. This would make available the 2.7 acres of the A&T farm reportedly needed for the much-needed Florida Street extension to McConnell Road.
Lest the cry go up that the prison farm is far away from the A&T campus, this operation would be visited much less frequently by A&T students than the present A&T farm. It could be operated by a resident caretaker and visited by A&T students when pertinent research is being conducted.
The 2.7 acres of the A&T farm that reportedly would be taken by the Florida Street extension is too valuable and strategically located to be used for cattle grazing and feed growing."
I replied:
"Well for starters, we don't need the Florida Street extension. What we need is to 4 lane 2 blocks of South English Street thereby eliminating any need to extend Florida Street and saving the taxpayers $Millions. Secondly, the A&T farm is part of a land grant that was set aside to only be used as the A&T farm. Third, the students at A&T will have to drive 20 miles 1 way between classes to get to the farm. Then they'll have to drive 20 miles back. That's 40 miles of unnecessary driving for what is already the most economically disadvantaged students in Greensboro."
Also:
"Also, the County has already taken the old Greensboro Auto Parts property and other properties in a direct line 1/2 mile to the east of the proposed Florida Street Extension in order to build a thoroughfare that connects East Wendover to the Interstate. How many roads do we need?"
You see, that road is part of the economics incentives package Guilford County promised Kmart to build their distribution center just off of East Wendover several years back.
Today the News & Record printed a "clarification" penned by Harry Clapp:
"Not the whole farm
The choice of the heading: “Move the A&T farm to county prison farm” to my letter (Dec. 14) was most unfortunate. Anyone reading just the heading and not the letter could be unduly concerned. I suggested just moving the grazing and feed-growing operations to this more distant, but less frequently visited location."
But in neither of Harry Clapp's LTEs did he make mention of the fact that his east Greensboro grading and hauling company is in-fact the largest minority owned grading and hauling contractor in all of Guilford County and will most certainly get all or some of the grading and hauling contracts in the building of the Florida Street Extension-- the reason Harry Clapp is suggesting moving A&T's grazing and feed-growing operations to the Guilford County Prison Farm.
Well here's a better idea, Mr Clapp, why don't we just ask A&T to start a second grazing and feed-growing operation at the Guilford County Prison Farm and leave you out of the loop altogether? After all, with Guilford County building the K-mart connector 1/2 mile to the east of the A&T Farm and the 4 lane of 2 blocks of South English Street there will be no need for a Florida Street Extension but we'll always need more food.
And just so you know, Mr Clapp, an African-American himself, is well aware of the Kmart connector because his business is located directly next door to where the connector will be built. But knowing this he would subject African-American students at NC A&T University to 40 mile round trips between classes for his own personal gain. I learned long ago, Mr Clapp, whatever you do to screw my black neighbors you do to screw this redneck ol' white boy. I live in east Greensboro too.
PS. While he might not remember, Mr Clapp and I have met on numerous occasions over the years.
