From the Greensboro News & Record Wednesday May 20, 2015, Greensboro council approves engineering study for megasite water and sewer by Richard Barron:
"Greensboro has now committed $2.3 million toward providing water and sewer service to the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite.
The City Council voted 7-2 Tuesday to approve a contract with HDR Engineering for design work and environmental studies to extend city water and sewer lines to the site in the northeastern corner of Randolph County.
Council members Tony Wilkins and Marikay Abuzuaiter voted “no.”
The City Council has not committed to the entire project, which would cost an estimated $22.5 million and include 16.6 miles of water lines, 8 miles of sewer line and a sewer lift station."
Key words: "The City Council has not committed to the entire project,"
But on Friday, July 22, 2016, Richard Barron writes in City of Greensboro moving forward to supply utilities to megasite:
The city plans to start buying easements and rights of way next month for water and sewer routes that will run through southeastern Guilford County to the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite.
City Manager Jim Westmoreland said this week that the city has spent $2.47 million on engineering and design and permitting.
The lines would supply city water and sewer to a future industry that might locate at the 1,450-acre site in northeastern Randolph County.
He said city attorneys will begin buying the property in late August.
Westmoreland expects it will take months to negotiate with individual property owners, and will cost about $2 million — $800,000 for sewer and $1.2 million for water.
The City Council approved the work in 2015."
Key words: "The City Council approved the work in 2015."
Now which statement is true? "The City Council approved the work in 2015." OR "The City Council has not committed to the entire project,"
You see, since 2015 the Greensboro City Council has not publicly discussed the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite or the buying of easements and rights of ways for the project at what was then an estimated cost of $22.5 Million Dollars.
So how is it this money is being spent without City Council approval? Why the lies? Why did Richard Barron write, "The City Council approved the work in 2015." when in fact he previously wrote, "The City Council has not committed to the entire project,"?
How is it that the City can spend up to $22.5 Million Dollars, perhaps more, without City Council approval?
And finally, will Councilman Tony Wilkins and Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter speak out on this after having voted no before?
Update: July 28, 2016: Minutes after originally posting the article above at 9:49 Am on July 27, 2016 I e-mailed Councilman Tony Wilkins and Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter via the City Council e-mail form to ask them to speak up on this issue as both were previously opposed. As of now neither have replied. I also posted the e-mail to the Facebook group, Greater Greensboro Politics:
Later that same day I followed up with an e-mail to City Manager Jim Hightower and City Attorney Thomas Carruthers, also posted to the same thread at Greater Greensboro Politics:
Will Greensboro's "leadership reply now or will they continue to ignore not only me but everyone who reads EzGreensboro.com, Greater Greensboro Politics, Greensboro and Guilford County Politics etc... Real Progress For Greensboro, Black Lives Matter Greensboro and the many other online forums and individual pages where Greensboro's elected leaders and appointed officials are kept tabs on.
You can no longer control the conversation. Eventually you must come clean.
When did the Greensboro City Council vote to approve spending on the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite for anything more than an engineering study and how can Jim Westmoreland justify spending $2 Million Dollars to buy easements without City Council approval?
Thousands of voters are awaiting an answer.
Update 2: Friday, July 29, 2016, 1:15 PM: As it has become apparent the Greensboro City Council has no intention of answering my questions I am submitting the following Public Information Request to the City of Greensboro via their online PIRT system:
"In 2014, Greensboro City Attorney S Mujeeb Shah Khan was discharged from his duties as City Attorney by Mayor Nancy Vaughan and the Greensboro City Council supposedly for issuing a $750,000 check without permission from the City Council.
Proving their own lack of common sense, the City Council passed a resolution banning the cutting of checks without signed contracts in an effort to absolve Shah-Khan of responsibility for having lost $750,000. Councilman Tony Wilkins was quoted as saying:
"I think this is the first time on City Council that I have voted to legislated common sense."
But in the end Shah Khan was fired anyway as all payments above a maximum threshold require PREVIOUS approval from City Council.
This brings us to today's issue: One week ago today the Greensboro News & Record reported referring to City Manager Jim Westmoreland:
"The lines would supply city water and sewer to a future industry that might locate at the 1,450-acre site in northeastern Randolph County.
He said city attorneys will begin buying the property in late August.
Westmoreland expects it will take months to negotiate with individual property owners, and will cost about $2 million — $800,000 for sewer and $1.2 million for water."
Now I'm not great at math but isn't $2 Millon almost 3 times as much as $750,000? And wouldn't $2 Million also be over said spending threshold?
Of course, since City PIRT policy explicitly states, "Please be aware that the public records policy does not require the City to do research, analyze data, or answer written questions." I guess you are not allowed to answer said questions so please provide me with the following as a Public Information Request:
The minutes from the Greensboro City Council Meeting in which City Council authorized the purchase of rights of way and/or easements to provide water and sewer services to the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite located in Randolph County, North Carolina.
Thank you
-Billy Jones, Candidate for Mayor of Greensboro, 2017."
City Council can choose to ignore me but by law PIRT requests eventually must be answered.
"Dear Billy,Thank you for your public records request (PIRT 5953) regarding meeting minutes pertaining to water and sewer services for the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite.According to our Legislative department, the resolution approving the extension of Water and Sewer was adopted on March 3, 2015 and the Resolution authorizing the contract with HDR Engineering, Inc. to provide engineering and design was adopted on May 19, 2015. Minutes from the City Council meetings can be found online and a word search used to find a particular item.The City of Greensboro is using its normal procedures on the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite water and sewer extension project. This process includes seeking Council approval/authorization to initiate the project and to develop engineering design and right of way plans and specifications. Once complete, these plans are used by the City to work with individual property owners and businesses to negotiate property acquisition terms to acquire any needed project construction easements or rights of way. Once the acquisition negotiations are complete, Council is provided with the terms and price of the negotiation and asked to authorize staff to proceed with the purchase.I hope this information is of use to you.Sincerely,Katherine Carter, Public Records AdministratorCommunications and Marketing Department - 336-373-3282City of GreensboroPO Box 3136, Greensboro, NC 27402-3136"
Ever heard of the Legislative Department of the City of Greensboro? Perhaps you know them by another name as I'll explain in my reply to Ms Carter:
-Billy Jones, Candidate for Mayor of Greensboro, 2017"I expect the truth... YESTERDAY!This is not an example of open and honest government.You still take me for stupid.So in other words, the Legislative Department is the same Fascist Government body including Mayor Vaughan, the Greensboro City Council, Propaganda Masters and others who are attempting to stonewall me now.And who makes up this anonymous Legislative Department of the City of Greensboro if said department does exist? According to the City of Greensboro website that would be:Again, when did City Council authorize the purchase of easements when in-fact it was explicitly stated in local media reports and at the City Council Meeting that Council was in-fact voting only to fund a $2 Engineering Study?PIRT 5953 can be viewed here: http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/index.aspx?page=3765"From the answer provided to me by Ms Carter:But what I asked for in PIRT 5953 was:
"Once complete, these plans are used by the City to work with individual property owners and businesses to negotiate property acquisition terms to acquire any needed project construction easements or rights of way. Once the acquisition negotiations are complete, Council is provided with the terms and price of the negotiation and asked to authorize staff to proceed with the purchase"
"The minutes from the Greensboro City Council Meeting in which City Council authorized the purchase of rights of way and/or easements to provide water and sewer services to the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite located in Randolph County, North Carolina."
From the Greensboro News & Record Wednesday May 20, 2015, Greensboro council approves engineering study for megasite water and sewer by Richard Barron:
"Greensboro has now committed $2.3 million toward providing water and sewer service to the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite.
The City Council voted 7-2 Tuesday to approve a contract with HDR Engineering for design work and environmental studies to extend city water and sewer lines to the site in the northeastern corner of Randolph County.
Council members Tony Wilkins and Marikay Abuzuaiter voted “no.”The City Council has not committed to the entire project, which would cost an estimated $22.5 million and include 16.6 miles of water lines, 8 miles of sewer line and a sewer lift station."
Key words: "The City Council has not committed to the entire project,"
"The Legislative Department is made up the City's governing body, the City Clerk, Community Relations, and Elections.
Phone: 336-373-2397 Send an e-mail to the Department"
http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/index.aspx?page=762I'll be adding these e-mails to my post here: http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/07/more-megasite-mega-lies.html and referring to it a lot.Thank you
Lies to cover up lies only makes it harder for the liar to remember all the lies. If I were a member of the Greensboro City Council I would be very concerned and very publicly outspoken that my own personal integrity is being brought into question by the actions of City Staff and other members of City Council but as this has now been going on for about a month and not one member of City Council has raised his or her voices I think it is safe to assume they are all fine with what is going on and what is being done in their names.
As always, I save all e-mails and will forward originals to anyone who sends a request to RecycleBill@gmail.com
And folks, here's the part I didn't send back to the City of Greensboro as I await their next lie. Here is the March 3, 2015 Resolution as approved by the Greensboro City Council which tells a completely different story.
You can find this document and all of Mayor Nancy Vaughan's lies by watching the City Council Video here.
