Saturday, February 28, 2015

Who on Greensboro's City Council is going to have to recuse themselves on the Megasite?

By our best estimates, 
the PTP have now spent a total of $4,560,000 
on the proposed Greensboro-Liberty Megasite.

Where did the PTP get the money?

We can only speculate.

Alan Fergison

34. ID 15-0199; Resolution Approving the Extension of Water and Sewer Utilities and Authorizing Staff to Proceed with Engineering Design and Permitting Activities for the Greensboro-Randolph Mega Site

WHEREAS, expanding water and sewer facilities outside the corporate limits is
essential to creating and supporting economic growth and development in Greensboro,
Guilford and Randolph County; and

"The Bryan Foundation provided financing 
to the Piedmont Triad Partnership 
to buy options and property for the megasite. 

They have essentially provided short-term financing 
to the PTP to begin acquiring property."

David Allen
February 11 at 10:35pm

WHEREAS, the Greensboro-Randolph Mega Site, located near Liberty in Randolph County has been identified as an ideal location for attracting an auto manufacturing facility to North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, the City of Greensboro recognizes that in order to make the Greensboro Randolph Mega Site as attractive as possible to a potential automobile manufacturer, basic infrastructure, to include water and sewer utility service has to be provided prior to site development;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA:

Section 1 - That City of Greensboro water and sanitary sewer lines may be extended to provide service and connections to the Greensboro-Randolph Mega Site located near Liberty in Randolph County...

Section 2 - That City staff is hereby directed to proceed with engineering design, environmental studies and permitting activities necessary for extending utility services to the Greensboro-Randolph Mega Site.

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February 2, 2015; "Around midnight, the commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of the motion, which requires them to buy the land from the Piedmont Triad Partnership, a regional economic development group, and private owners — the first time public money has gone toward the project.

...The Piedmont Triad Partnership owns or has options on at least 1,200 acres — land the group said is sufficient to recruit a major manufacturer — but it can’t buy the land from private owners all at once.

...That’s why the development group asked the county commissioners for $4.2 million to buy 255 acres either the group controlled or owned.

Who is involved with "the development group"?

I would think Council Members would want to know, 
considering they may have a direct financial interest
with some in "the development group".
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The partnership is working with about $5 million from local foundations to gradually buy about $30 million in land.

Which foundations?

The deal with Randolph County is the first test of the partnership’s strategy to buy or control land, sell it and then reuse the money to buy more.

Keith Debbage, a professor of urban geography at UNCG, said his research shows an auto plant can have a dramatic impact on a community’s economy.

Debbage, who was hired by the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation to do a study, reported that, based on examples of other communities with auto plants, Randolph County’s workforce, poverty rate and industrial economy would improve not only with new jobs at a plant, but with jobs created by businesses related to the car industry."

http://www.news-record.com/business/risky-business-randolph-county-votes-to-buy-megasite-land/article_b0ed2080-ab5c-11e4-a702-c3562fcbf07b.html

As Mike Barber is a direct beneficiary of Bryan Foundation money
via First Tee of the Triad,
through which he pads his income along with Greensboro taxpayer support 
it appears Mike Barber has a conflict of interest
and should not vote on item .
"Megasite supporters could soon form independent authority

The group that’s buying land for the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite may soon form an authority of business people that would have the legal right to grant property to an automobile manufacturing company.

Former Greensboro Mayor Jim Melvin, chairman of a group that is accumulating parcels at a site in northwest Randolph County on the Guilford County line, said Wednesday that they control or own 1,200 acres — enough to qualify it as a megasite.

The group is part of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, a private, nonprofit economic development agency whose members are driving the project.
Who exactly?

The megasite authority would be an independent agency with a board that could provide the land portion of a state incentive package offered to a car maker.

Although the authority would not be a government agency, Melvin said some local government officials might be involved.
What local officials?

...Melvin said the legislature needs to develop a “framework” for incentives that could be ready if a major manufacturer considers the region.

“If you backed away from everybody who opposed something you’d never get anything done,” Melvin said."

http://www.news-record.com/business/megasite-supporters-could-soon-form-independent-authority/article_bdb075be-3399-11e4-92ca-0017a43b2370.html
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Simpson said the partnership’s land company,
NC Megasites LLC, would buy a contract
for the right to inspect the land and to possibly buy it later.

Richard Barron

http://www.journalnow.com/business/business_news/local/partnership-wants-closer-look-at-randolph-county-land-envisioned-as/article_416b7b04-3757-5695-9bfd-fac90f2fce6f.html
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NC MEGASITES, LLC LEGAL

http://www.northcarolinacorps.com/corp/113284.html
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Robert David Joseph
Attorney in Greensboro, NC

David received his undergraduate degree (BA) and law degree (JD) from Wake Forest University.

http://www.lawyers.com/greensboro/north-carolina/robert-david-joseph-168613436-a/

http://sparrowdennis.com/attorney-profile-robert-david-joseph/
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