My latest City of Greensboro Public Information Request concerning the proposed megasites in northeast Randolph County and eastern Guilford County.
I have in my possession a letter signed by former Greensboro Mayor Robbie Perkins, dated December 18, 2012 that states that the estimated costs of providing water and sewer to the Liberty Project will be paid by the City of Greensboro at $19, 586,033. I'm sure there's a copy of it in some file downtown somewhere.
I have also seen the construction plans which call for water and sewer lines to be constructed from Greensboro to the Liberty site, a return line to the Randalman Dam and a roughly 5 mile long spur line leading northeast from Liberty towards Snow Camp. Roughly I estimate the total distance to be about forty miles even though the City of Greensboro has claimed that only a 20 mile span from the Randalman Dam to the Liberty site is needed.
The City of Burlington has said it will cost $14.5 Million Dollars to run 5 miles of water line only to the Project Haystack site.
Assuming published media reports from the City of Greensboro are true and the plans I have seen are a figment of my imagination the cost to the City of Greensboro to provide water and sewer to the Liberty Project estimated at $19, 586,033 comes to $979,301.65 per mile for water and sewer.
Assuming published media reports from the City of Burlington are true the cost to the City of Burlington for water alone comes to $2,900,000 per mile. Almost 3 times the City of Greensboro's estimates per mile for water only when Greensboro is providing both water and sewer. Last I checked you can't run water and sewer in the same pipe, can you?
Burlington: water only: $2,900,000 per mile
Greensboro: water and sewer $979,301.65 per mile
Allow me to remind you: there is no wastewater treatment plant at the Randalman Dam. Greensboro's only active wastewater treatment plant is located in Mcleansville, east, northeast of Greensboro.
How can Greensboro dig almost 40 miles of ditches and install almost 40 miles of pipes at a lower cost than Burlington can install 5 miles of pipe? Because despite the fact that the estimate for the Liberty project is higher that appears to be what Greensboro is pitching. $979,301.65 per mile for water and sewer vs $2,900,000 per mile for water alone.
Somebody's got some 'splanin' to do!
And that's assuming the map isn't a figment of my imagination. If I really did see the map, and I believe I did, then Greensboro's cost per miles is an astronomically low $489,650.82 per mile to install roughly 40 miles of water and sewer lines. I seriously doubt $489 thousand will buy the pipe let alone dig the hole.
Burlington: water only: $2,900,000 per mile
Greensboro: water and sewer: $489,000 per mile roughly
Are you beginning to get the picture? If you deny the existence of the map I will produce it.
And about that spur? What is the reason for the spur? Is that to secretly provide water and sewer services to yet another developer as was done for Roy Carroll in the past? Who benefits from a water and sewer spur in the far reaches of southeastern Guilford County where there is currently nothing but farms? Why has this part of the plan not been made public?
More questions:
Greensboro has been requested to provide sewer to Project Homestead. By whom? Name the person or persons and their affiliations.
What happens if Burlington fails to buy into Project Haystack? Will Greensboro pick up the tab?
I was told in a follow up to PIRT #3105 that the Project Haystack Study cost $53,000. Wasn't the study done by city staff? Who was paid for the study?
This is not how economic development is carried out. It's time for a change.
This Public Information Request has been posted online. My readers expect a response yesterday.
