Rocky Scarfone Holds Milton Kern Hostage

I really don't know what to say. In what can only be described as one of the most colossal screw-ups in the history of the Ineptocracy that has become the current Greensboro City Council in their ever onward attempts to pad the pockets of the wealthy elites, Rocky Scarfone, whose Cone Denim Entertainment Center was subsidized by City Tax Dollars, holds easements that stand in the way of the construction of a City owned parking deck designed as a subsidy for the construction of Milton Kern's Westin Hotel. As reported by John Hammer of the Rhino Times:

First Rocky Scarfone takes taxpayer dollars to build his nightclub, then he holds hostage another privately owned project financed by taxpayer dollars. It's as if these modern day gangsters were holding guns to each others heads to see who can steal the most taxpayer dollars.

Who Got The South Elm Street Redevelopment Money: Part 8

Since beginning my series Who Got The South Elm Street Redevelopment Money: Part 1 on Thursday, March 10, 2016 I've been hoping to get replies from the Mayor, City Council, City Attorney or City Staff that might explain the anomalies I've discovered.

It's been 13 days and nary a word. It's as if none of them knows how to use e-mail, proven not to be the case in Tom Carruthers Learns How To E-mail.

At question is what happened to the $8,171,830.oo budget that was designated for the redevelopment of South Elm Street. You see, all the money was gone before the 1.1 acre Union Square Project was started leaving over 9 empty acres and no money to work with.

In Who Got The South Elm Street Redevelopment Money: Part 4  I pointed out that a total of  $2,375,854.04 had been paid to The Firm At Fisher Park. According to my contacts at The Firm At Fisher Park the vast majority of that money was not used for legal services but was placed into escrow accounts to be held until such time as the City of Greensboro okays its release for the purchase of properties included in the South Elm Redevelopment Project and nothing else.

Now considering that the entire budget set aside to buy the properties commonly called the South Elm Redevelopment Project was only $1.6 Million Dollars that figure leaves some 'splainin' to do.

And today I'm going to explain it as best as I can. If you want something more in depth you'll have to ask the Greensboro City Council and City Staff.

In Who Got The South Elm Street Redevelopment Money: Part 6 I made mention of the fact that the City of Greensboro BEDI Grant Proposal  was funding for Downtown Greensboro Inc. projects. Today I'll tell you what those projects were or at least what they were supposed to be.

In Nancy Vaughan's November 19, 2015 Deposition, the one not available anywhere else, Mayor Vaughan is asked if she knows what a B.E.D.I. Grant and a Section 108 Loan is. Here you can see her answers from pages 43 and 44 of the deposition:

So apparently Mayor Vaughan is clueless. Well just so we don't have to remain clueless in Who Got The South Elm Street Redevelopment Money: Part 4 I introduced the July 16, 2003 City of Greensboro BEDI Grant Proposal as submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development by the City of Greensboro and look what I found on page 23 of 68:

DGI, a master developer? I bet that was news to a lot of people but it's not like it was DGI's cherry. Oh no, look what I found in the same report, page 48 of 68:

So it's true, DGI is Milton Kern's piggy bank. For those not up on who owns what, Milton Kern is one of the "investors" in Elm Street Center.


And just in case you have any doubts that the City of Greensboro used Eric Robert's old mill property with intentions of getting Federal loans and grants. From page 38 of 68:

This was a 5 year plan that was supposed to be completed by Downtown Greensboro Inc. It has now taken 13 years and not 1 acre of 10 acres is completed, the money is spent, the City was supposed to realize a return of $1 Million in property sales, the loans were due 3 years ago and no one is talking-- why?

Could it be because the repayment of the loans had to come from somewhere else in the City budget?

Obviously real estate development as economic development isn't working for Greensboro.

Please continue reading Who Got The South Elm Street Redevelopment Money: Part 9

Lies From The Wyndham Hotel Study: Part 1

I finally got my hands on the long awaited downtown Wyndham Hotel Feasibility Study and know now why the developers and City officials wanted to keep it hid.

From page 1:

"In addition to the work in 2012, we have confirmed that the City of Greensboro has approved two additional significant projects, the $60 million, 3,000 seat, Greensboro Performing Arts Center and the Downtown University Campus site."

As you can clearly see by clicking on Page 1 below, the study was dated December 9, 2013. The Greensboro City Council did not approve the building of the Greensboro Performing Arts Center until Janurary 2014. And plans for the Downtown University Campus site have yet to be approved.

 This is what I told the City today.



Let the City Council resignations begin.

 Please continue reading Lies From The Wyndham Hotel Study: Part 2 

Wyndham Feasibility Study Suddenly Appears But Remains Hidden

If you've been keeping up you know I previously requested a copy of the downtown Wyndham Hotel Feasibility study and was told the City of Greensboro didn't have a copy of the study despite the fact that North Carolina state law requires feasibility studies to be done before incentives can be given and the Greensboro City Council voted to grant $1.975 Million Dollars to the project.

Roch Smith Jr of Greensboro101 sent the following e-mail to Greensboro City Manager, Jim.Westmoreland, Councilman Mike Barber, myself and others today:

"Hello all,

It has come to my attention that the Wyndham Hotel feasibility study, previously requested by and denied to Billy Jones is, in fact, in possession of Andy Scott, who is now further delaying its release because he wants to see if he should distribute it to city council first. This is not a valid reason to withhold a public record.

From the North Carolina Attorney General's Guide to Open Government and Public Records (attached):

"The Public Records Act does not permit an automatic delay by the government in releasing public records, either to allow for approval of disclosure or to notify those identified in public records."

"Agencies may not, however, withhold records based on the agency’s belief that immediate release of the records would not be “prudent or timely.”

"Agencies are required to furnish copies 'as promptly as possible'”.

Mr. Scott, as custodian of this public records is capable of furnishing a copy now, that would be as promptly as possible -- what the law demands.

Sincerely,
Roch Smith, Jr."

Records Law Guide attachment 

Councilman Barber replied,

"My limited knowledge suggests it needs to be released now or made available for inspection during business hours tomorrow or other reasonable times.  This matter is not an exception under econ. incentives as it has been decided upon by Council.  If I'm incorrect, please cite the statute.
Thanks to everyone trying to improve this process.
Mike Barber
CEO/The First Tee of the Triad
Attorney
408 Hobbs Rd.
Greensboro NC 27403"

My reply:

"Is there any reason why it cannot be e-mailed to me?

Thank you -Billy Jones"

The very fact that almost $2 million Dollars in Grants was voted to be given away without a copy of the study in hand is troubling enough. Every minute of delay adds suspicion. I first requested the study on December 9, 2013. Again on February 4, 2014. Still, despite the fact that there is no legal reason to keep it from me or anyone else I don't have it. On February 18, 2014 I asked the following question in a PIRT request:

 "Please ask your employer to explain how they will know that the feasibility study that is presented to them the second time 'round is the same document that was presented to them the first time if they didn't keep a copy? After all, we are dealing with developers who were previously proven by 3rd party auditors hired by the City of Greensboro to have falsified their 2010 hotel study of which you've already sent me copies of that study and the audit."

I guess my questions are just too tough as I never got a reply.

At 5:33 PM Roch e-mailed the following question:

"Is there any reason why Mr. Scott has not provided the record nor cited the statute which justifies him not doing so as requested by Mr. Barber?"

My reply: A link to this blog post.

 Update: From Donnie Turlington at 7:02PM

"Billy,

I understand the concern you and others have raised regarding this situation. I can assure you there was no deliberate attempt on the City's part to withhold or delay providing the records today, although our effort may have created that perception. In many cases, we send items to City Council on a wide variety of issues to be sure they're in the loop with what the public receives. Normally, that does not cause any delays in providing records to the public as it's a seamless process.

Unfortunately, due to scheduling demands, neither I nor the City Manager were aware of the request to provide the records to City Council or to you and other requestors until this evening. Unfortunately, the files are too large for me to email from my remote location tonight but I will provide to you first thing in the morning via disk and our FTP site.

We'll also take a look at today's delay to be sure our process works better in the future.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Donnie"

My reply:

"Donnie,
Were it a few hours or a day, even a few days I would have no concerns but with everything that has happened and the fact that I have been seeking this document(s) for more than a month I'm sure the City of Greensboro can fully understand why myself and my readers would be suspect. Giving incentives without feasibility studies is against state law. How are we to know the feasibility study is real and that it was one in the same as the study that was presented to Mr Scott previously? After all, Mt Scott did document a history of these same investors falsifying studies. (Yes, I can provide documentation for that as well.)

There simply was no excuse for the City not to have a copy on hand before voting to give away $1.975 Million Dollars. In fact: this is looking very much like a replay of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum boondoggle which is still being documented here: http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2014/02/obamas-new-greensboro-girl-in-trouble.html

Please inform your employers that having spent 40 years in private industry I can safely say these sorts of errors would never be tolerated at any level, why are they being tolerated by the most educated and well trained among us?

Thanks -Billy"

Maybe we'll have a study on Tuesday.

Update 2: Tuesday, March 18, 2014 This morning I received the long awaited Wyndham Feasibility Study. Before I finished reading the first page I e-mailed the following link to everyone involved. "The shit has hit the fan."

Stay tuned for resignations.

3 Public Information Requests Sent Saturday

"PIRT #1 From News 2 Jun 25, 2013

http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=289075

     "The city has been taking about half a cent out of every tax dollar that goes into the general fund. They have been putting that money into an economic development fund. It added up to about $605,000 for 2012-2013. It will add up to $1.2 million for 2013-2014.

    However, all that economic development money is already allocated. WFMY News 2 has put in a request to the city to find out where that money's going."


If all the economic development money for 2014 is already spent, how is it that the City of Greensboro is currently considering more incentives?

And if current incentives being considered are projected into the future then how will we fill the need should an especially attractive incentive package be needed in 2014?


PIRT #2 As pointed out in my article,
Greensboro: Giving Incentives To Tax Deliquents
http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2014/02/greensboro-giving-incentives-to-tax.html

Elm Street Center Llc, which is currently being considered for $1.9 Million Dollars in Incentive Grants currently owes $78,856.58 in delinquent property taxes.

How can the city justify giving incentives to companies with a history of failing to pay their taxes?

PIRT #3 Kaplan and Kern are valuing Elm Street Center Llc at roughly $12 Million Dollars in its current form but as I pointed out in Downtown Wyndham Or Downtown Dump? http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2014/01/downtown-wyndham-or-downtown-dump.html the total appraised values are only about $5 Million Dollars. Has the City taken this $7 Million Dollar discrepancy into account? And if so, how?

In the 2010 Hotel Study commissioned by the City of Greensboro for the previous hotel project Randal Kaplan and Milton Kern http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2014/01/downtown-greensboro-hotel-study.html it was reported that 1. even in the busiest of times, Greensboro hotels are rarely over 70% occupied. and that 2. Greensboro hotel occupancy rates rarely average over 52.4%. The study said:

"The lower-priced, limited-service hotels are performing better than the full-service hotels..."

Please show me where this has since changed.

The study noted that in the past when new Hotels opened rates for all hotels in Greensboro went down as occupancy rates fell.

Please show me where this has changed or where there is sufficient demand to believe it will not be the case/

The study said:

"Members of Elm Street Center, LLC have local food & beverage experience by virtue of the Empire Room catering operation that will become part of the proposed hotel. The City should request income and expense data for this facility in order to assess the reasonableness of the developer’s food & beverage revenue and expense projections."

Has the City done so for the Wyndham Project and if so please provide me with the results.

The study also said:

"The developer’s projection of occupancy at the proposed hotel over thefirst five years is highly  unlikely to be achieved given the recent occupancy levels achieved by the four hotels that will be primary competitors of the proposed hotel."

It is also my understanding that the study for the Wyndham assumed very inflated occupancy rates approaching 100%. Perhaps, considering the history of Mr Kern's and Mr Kaplan's lies, the City of Greensboro would like to explain why you are even considering incentives?

I will be posting these PIRTs to my blog Tuesday morning with or without your answers.

Thanks you -Billy Jones"

Burlington answers Public Information Requests same business day-- why can't Greensboro?

Downtown Wyndham Or Downtown Dump?

A little bird flew by today with the following property reports from 2 pieces of property collectively known as the Empire Room, aka Elm Street Center.

Elm Street Center Property Report  201 S. Elm


Elm Street Center Property Report 207 S Elm


I suspect the bird will be flying past again.

Downtown Greensboro Hotel Study

I recently got my hands on the 2010 Hotel Study commissioned by the City of Greensboro for the previous hotel project Randal Kaplan and Milton Kern had planned to build and were seeking incentives for using the name, Urban Hotel Group. As you will quickly note from the snippets below the figures provided by Kaplan and Kern to then Assistant City Manager, Andrew Scott were in-fact falsified. I have no reason to believe Kaplan and Kern have changed their ways or that there have been any significant upward changes in the Greensboro market since that date.

What is even more interesting is the revelation that even in the busiest of times, Greensboro hotels are rarely over 70% occupied. It would appear Greensboro has more than enough hotel rooms to last us many years into the future. Click on any of the snippets to view them full size.

You see, Kaplan and Kern intend to profit not from the hotel but from renting the hotel parking garage to the City of Greensboro at exorbitant rates. As I wrote in Part 15 of my series, Incentives In Greensboro:

"Here's a better idea, a counter proposal: The City of Greensboro offers to build the entire parking garage and hotel structure and lease it long term to the Wyndham Hotel Group with the hotel group picking up the cost of the interior as is customary in commercial leasing. If Kaplan, Kern and Greg Dillon sign on the dotted line they get their deal. If the hotel is in fact a money maker then that's the best deal going for the Wyndham Hotel Group.

I'm betting Dillon high tails it back to Washington, DC leaving Kaplan and Kern looking like the two bit hustlers we all know them to be."

Update: The entire study is now online thanks to Keith Brown of Triad Watch.

Downtown Greensboro Wyndham Hotel Study A Fake

A few weeks ago, George Hartzman, myself and others requested the study for the proposed downtown Wyndham hotel to be built by Milton Kern, Randal Kaplan and others with the support of an $8 Million Dollar incentive package to be paid for by the City of Greensboro. I said then the study was falsified. I stand by that statement. Note that I made that post on December 7. It is now December 26th.

Previously I pointed out how Wyndham Hotel Group would not be an investor in Kern and Kaplan's taxpayer funded project despite what the News & Record would have you believe with their finely worded articles meant to deceive.

Way back in August I pointed out the water and sewer issues the downtown construction will cause that no one wants to talk about:

"You see, Greensboro isn't New York City with giant sewers big enough for homeless communities to camp in and alligators to breed, nor are we Atlanta with a new wastewater system costing $Billions upon $Billion. Nope, Greensboro is a city whose downtown already has a less than adequate sewer system that dates back almost 100 years. "

But back to the  downtown Wyndham Hotel study.

When we got our hands on the hotel study, Amanda Lehmert of the News & Record, let it be known to George Hartzman, Roch Smith Jr and I that a computer program called the IMPLAN Analysis Tool had been used by the City of Greensboro to provide the results published in the downtown Wyndham Hotel Study and knowing that Kern and Kaplan had faked their 2010 downtown hotel proposal we thought it time to check to see if they were faking their 2013 proposal as well. So on December 9 I sent the following questions to the City of Greensboro:

"What data was used in this study?
Was the IMPLAN data customized? If so, how? Why?
What assumptions are behind this study? (i.e. What values did you enter into the IMPLAN system,   Why those numbers?)
How many assumptions were made for this study? Is this enough information to create a thorough study?
Has anyone done a similar study with different results? If so, what assumptions were behind that study? How do these assumptions differ?"

All those questions are recommended to be asked by the makers of the IMPLAN Analysis Tool. 

Requested December 9th. It's now December 26th at 5:00 AM and to date I have received no answers. One can only assume this latest study, like the first, is a fake.

As further evidence, might I add the contents of an e-mail that Amanda Lemhert, Jeff Gauger, Allen Johnson, Doug Clark, myself and others all received from from George Hartsman on December 11th:

"Some of the assumptions that went into the 29.3 million.

 

I spoke to the fellow who did the "analysis" a few minutes ago.

 

Deer in the headlights conversation.

 

Sounds like he took the expectation of jobs created provided by Kaplan and crew and extrapolated 29.3 million out without any expectation of percentage of occupancy included.

 

The Urban Hotel Group had all the breakdowns of per room per night etc...

 

I would say the "analysis" took less than an hour to complete.

 

crap in, crap out, just like congressional CBO studies.

 

g"

I know the name of the "fellow" who did the study on behalf of the City of Greensboro.

What Are Kaplan And Kern Planning For Downtown Greensboro?

One of the companies mentioned in today's News & Record article, Some people, businesses roll the dice on taxes is Greensboro Hotel Holdings who owes 34,553.10 pending litigation for tax foreclosure.

According to the NC Secretary of State their address is 110 SENECA ROAD GREENSBORO NC 27406  a former Denny's Restaurant apparently now vacant and available for rent.with their corporate headquarters being 901 SE 17TH STREET, STE. 206 FORT LAUDERDALE FL 33316 who is in-fact a loan servicer known as HPC LOAN SERVICER, LLC  of the same address.

But the picture showed a Carolina Country Kitchen there so it's back to the NC Secretary of State where I learned that Carolina Country Kitchen, an alias for THE CARIBBEAN 1830 RESTAURANT & CAFETERIA, INC. that was suspended by the NC Secretary of State in 2006...

But then it hit me, this is also the location of the Knight's Inn, "part of Wyndham Hotel Group" which according to the Knight's Inn website is now a Super 8 Motel. In other words, a Wyndham Hotel Group dump that owes back taxes to the City of Greensboro.
Is this what Kaplan and Kern have planned for $8 Million Dollars in incentives from the City of Greensboro? A downtown Wyndham turned Knight's Inn turned Super 8 Motel and someday turned another Greensboro Inn? Luckily, the citizens of Greensboro only paid to buy the Greensboro Inn on 1 occasion-- when the City of Greensboro seized the property to build the Greensboro Performing Arts Center. 

Kaplan, Kern, Tobee and Randall Ask City For $7, 100,000.oo

Want to build a hotel and parking garage in Greensboro? Ask the City to foot the bill. And people wonder what it takes to get rich these days.

East Market Street Development Corporation: Mac Sims

There are only 2 reasons to keep off-limits personal files in your office at work: One might be that you're trying to hide credit card receipts and bank statements from your wife. The other might be that you're trying to hide credit card receipts and bank statements from the taxpayers. Which is it, Mac?

For those who might not have heard of the East Market Street Development Corporation, it is East Greensboro's version of Downtown Greensboro Incorporated without the BID tax and they've been coming up on my radar a lot lately. They'd like to tell you about all they've accomplished to help the economic development of East Greensboro and the East Market Street Corridor but it appears they spend most of their time and money involved in local politics padding the pockets of the local "community organizers" with their biggest claims to economic development being replacing an old shopping center with a new shopping center and an empty lot where a post office used to stand. Key word: "downtown gentry."

13 acres, most of it under sound roof and behind solid brick walls with loading docks that handled dozens of tractor-trailers a day for many years. I know, I bumped those docks many times when I hauled mail. We had jobs in East Greensboro then, now they tear down the jobs to make room for the downtown gentry. Downtown gentry who never came and probably never will. Had they not been such dumbasses cared about the working class instead of the downtown gentry they could have partnered with NC A&T across the street and converted the old post office to do this:



I'm already building such an operation in my East Greensboro back yard, albeit only 3 such tanks... But instead we got this:


View Larger Map

Already East Greensboro could be exporting food and providing much needed jobs right here in East Greensboro. Instead, we've has an empty lot for 5 years with no potential buyers and no money to build anything. Sure, we could build a new building there to do the same. At a cost of about $60 Million when the old building was just fine. Thank you very much, Mac Sims. Thank you very much, Goldie Wells. Thank you very much, Milton Kern.

You see, like the rest of Greensboro's "leaders" Mac Sims and the rest of the East Market Street Development Corporation really don't give a damn about economic development unless there's something in it for them.

Funny, Greensboro's developers want to develop but they're so behind the times. While in Greensboro, developers talk of building performing arts centers, in Singapore, developers build downtown vertical farms that grow year 'round fresh produce at 1/4 the cost of conventionally grown produce. Imagine building a building that could make you money hand over fist for the rest of your life selling something everyone has to have to live at a cost so low no one else can compete with you while never dealing with problem tenants, RUCO inspections, negotiating payoffs commissions to Mayors who are also your commercial realtor...

Who am I kidding, there's no developers in Greensboro smart enough to figure that out. But don't worry folks, as someone said to me last night, they are all about to have their minsky moment.

As an aside, no fault of DH Griffin as he submitted the low bid for the demolition of the post office and won the contract fair and square. But Mr Griffin himself happened to come by my office back in 2010 and we discussed the post office and other buildings he was tearing town. He informed me that had he known it was for sale, he could have bought the building, torn it down, sold the steel, hauled everything away and turned a profit while being left with an empty lot to sell at some point in the future. As a matter of fact: he does that on a regular basis. The fact that the steel in such an old building is so valuable reinforces the idea that no new building is greener than a sound old building. And it reinforces the fact that Greensboro's developers have long been leading us down the road to ruin.

What The Media And The City Aren't Telling You About The Renaissance Community Co-op Part 8

Here we are at number 8 in a series of articles about the ongoing attempt to steal a community owned grocery store co-op from the hands of the poor working class community trying to build it and give it away, no strings attached, to groups of wealthy powerful developers who bring nothing to the table but more debt to taxpayers and money taken out of a community that is already suffering. I should know as I've lived here for over 50 years. If you'd like to begin with Part 1...

From a city of Greensboro public information request in which I asked how much did the City of Greensboro spend for the rehabilitation of the unit of the Bessemer Shopping Center occupied by the Family Dollar Store.

"Per your public information request on how much did the rehabilitation of the Family Dollar space in the strip mall cost; Family Dollar was required to invest 100K in order to extend their lease.  They provided their construction budget as verification but the City did not do a cost certification.  The City spent approximating 24K to clean up, repair and repaint the façade."

So it only cost the City of Greensboro $24,000 to fix up the facade for the Family Dollar Store but with private developers fixing the facade for the remainder of the shopping center the cost is said to run somewhere close to $3 Million. Folks, this is a tiny shopping center. Yeah, I know there's talk of some things being added but why add anything as long as there are empty shops remaining? And right now, with the exception of one, all the shops are empty.

You see, for the last 14 years the Family Dollar was the only store in the Bessemer Shopping Center that had been bought in a corporate bailout a few years before from wealthy real estate developer, Katherine Stern Weaver of the Weaver Foundation, known for its philanthropy in support of a wealthy art collection while poor children just 5 miles away in East Greensboro do without. That's right, while Katherine Stern Weaver gets tax breaks for her art collection the City of Greensboro saves her business from letting one tiny strip mall go back to the bank.

Ever wondered about the definition of philanthropy. It means "love of humanity" and yet we use it to describe anyone who gets a tax break or forms a non profit. I'm a poet, novelist, writer of short stories and songs. I love art but in the scheme of things adding to the tax burdens of poor families to save your precious art collections because your business went south hardly seems like philanthropy. It seems like greed.

Then there is the question of where the money came from to buy the Bessemer Shopping Center in the first place. Most readers will be surprised to read that Mac Sims of the East Market Street Development Corporation-- yet another Greensboro "non profit" that only recently popped up on my RADAR-- diverted roughly half a million Dollars from a $5 Million Dollar East Greensboro economic development bond previously approved by Greensboro voters whom I'm sure were not voting to bail out wealthy real estate developers with private art collections worth hundreds of $Millions.

Now how does giving money to a wealthy developer aid in the economic development of East Greensboro? Did she will us her art collection so we could sell it off and invest that money in our community? I think everyone reading knows the answer. I think Mac Sims, EMSDC and the Greensboro City Council enguaged in a good old fashioned case of misappropriation of funds.

And just who sits on the Board of Directors of the  East Market Street Development Corporation? Why none other than Uncle Milton Kern and a few more you just might know.

So for those of you who blame all of East Greensboro's problems on those of us who live in East Greensboro: Now you know who the real shop lifters have been all along. The same ones who have had their fingers in every other pie in town.

As I wrote in parts 1-7, other elite developers now want the shopping center but only after the community around the shopping center took it on our own to try and bring it back to life. And only after it looked as if we might become successful. Talk about a slap in the face. We go from being ripped off by a wealthy art collector/real estate developer to trying to be ripped off by a slumlord developer George Carr and our own 20 year district county commissioner and former North Carolina NAACP President turned swindler, Skip Alston.

And did I mention that Mr Alston's partners were foreign investors? Yes, several times, I'm sure.

I also asked the city to tell me who to contact if myself or someone else might be interested in renting the empty shops. You see, until now the City of Greensboro has made no effort to rent any of the empty spaces. No where at the Bessemer Shopping Center can you find contact information or even who owns the property. It's as if the City of Greensboro wanted the property to remain vacant forever or at least long enough to have the excuse that the City could no longer afford to lose money on the property and would be better off the give it away to a wealthy developer.

My guess is the second is closer to the truth.

Continue reading What The Media And The City Aren't Telling You About The Renaissance Community Co-op Part 9

If Greensboro's Leaders Were Really Interested In Economic Development 24

They wouldn't spend our tax dollars and their private contributions on repeating the mistakes of the past. From the Getting Things Done In Greensboro: Our Center City facebook page.

"On Tuesday, April 30 from 5:30 - 7:30pm in the Empire Room (203 South Elm Street)
Action Greensboro will host Rich Flierl, the urban planning consultant who facilitated the 2001 community process that developed Greensboro's Center City Master Plan. What's been accomplished in the last 12 years amazes us all--and yet there are many more opportunities still before us. Please join this community conversation about what's most important in to us in our center city and how we'll make our priorities a reality.

Delicious beverages and tasty appetizers will be provided from 5:30 - 6:00 and the program begins at 6:00pm.

RSVP to Judy Morton at jmorton@actiongreensboro.org"

You see, what this is really all about is keeping the space rented at Milton Kern's Empire Room and thinking of ways to get Greensboro's taxpayers to keep footing the bills for downtown "investors" like Milton Kern. You'll notice the entire focus is on Downtown and not on Greensboro's undeserved neighborhoods.

And while people like Kern and the rest of Greensboro's "leaders" will tell you that Greensboro depends on Downtown they miss one very important point: Downtown depends on the rest of Greensboro far more than they want to admit. They like to tell us to support Downtown but how can Greensboro's working class afford to support Downtown when Greensboro's "leaders" don't give a damn about the fact that they are bleeding us dry?

You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip, Uncle Milton, and like it or not your little ponzi schemes are nearing their end.

See you there along with the rest of Greensboro!
If Greensboro's Leaders Were Really Interested In Economic Development they would read the entire series daily. Then act on it. You see, economic development involves an entire city and not just a few connected and corrupt individuals well known about town for their Downtown cocaine parties. What? You thought it was a secret? Those girls always knew where the best blow can be found and they always talk a mile a minute. Who do you think was driving those Harleys they rode away on? It wasn't Uncle Milton.

Cocaine never was my thing but I must admit I long had a weakness for those skinny little blow head chics. God they were fun, weren't they, Uncle Milton?

Uncle Milton's Myths

 Here we see e-mails from DGI board member, Milton Kern expressing concerns about noise at the Biltmore Hotel but as you can see from the reply by Thomas D Caruthers, Associate General Council for the City of Greensboro, the City is unaware of any problems with noise at the Biltmore Hotel since the closing of the Oyster Bar. Is Milton Kern making up complaints to help out his buddy, Roy Carroll and others as they continue to try and drive Blacks and other minorities from Downtown Greensboro in an attempt to more easily market high end condos and motel rooms to rich white people? Click on either picture to enlarge them.

This old white dude thinks so.

How Is This Non Profit?

Here's the contract between Downtown Greensboro Incorporated and the Budd Group for Downtown's Clean and Green services, something that could have been done by the City of Greensboro at cost, $304,000 but which DGI charges us $323, 500 each year. A mark-up of $19,500. What? You thought Ed Wolverton was actually picking up trash and watering plants? Maybe they'll have him doing that at Central Prison in Raleigh sometime in the future.

And here's DGI's total mark-ups for 2012-2013. A total of $284,000 on top of the actual costs of the services provided by DGI.

And then when we learn that DGI board members like Milton Kern are pocketing public monies. How is DGI even considered a non profit?



I've made it no secret to the Greensboro City Council that I want to help bring an end to these practices by being appointed to the DGI Board of Directors. DGI brought this on themselves. Since their very inception there have been complaints from the public that what they do is shrouded and veiled in secrecy but DGI chose to keep it that way for all these years. There are no accidents and it's looking very much as if this was meant to be.

Had DGI Complied With Open Meetings Laws

We learned yesterday that Downtown Greensboro Incorporated gave long time DGI board member, Milton Kern, $5000.Was that legal? Did it meet the rules under which DGI is bound to operate? Were other downtown businesses better candidates for that same money? Is this in-fact payola? Graft? An attempt to get what they can before the Greensboro City Council ends public funding once and for all?

The truth is: We don't know the answer to any of those questions but because to date, Downtown Greensboro Incorporated has never complied with open meetings laws as is required by law according to Frayda Bluestein, Professor of Public Law and Government at the U.N.C. School of Government:

"Courts around the country have applied transparency requirements to private entities under several theories. Some jurisdictions focus on the fact that the private entity is carrying out a governmental function. Others base decisions on whether the government exercises such control over the private entity that it is should be treated as an agency of the government, rather than as an independent contractor…. The case law in North Carolina focuses on factors demonstrating extensive control, rather than on the exercise of a governmental function."

*DGI carries out several governmental functions from picking up trash to maintaining Downtown.
*Because 90% of DGI's funding is public funding, DGI is defiantly under the control of government even if government has thus far done a poor job of controlling DGI. Councilwoman Nancy Vaughn recently demonstrated how much control City Council is actually capable of exercising over DGI when she forced them to the table.

And might I remind you this is also going to fall hard on several more of Greensboro's most well known "non profits".

You see, had DGI been complying with open meetings laws all along there would be no question as to Milton Kern's honesty but as it stands, an organization filled with the richest people in Greensboro who keep getting richer while the rest of us keep getting poorer and collecting our tax dollars... Well, how can we not be suspicious? Any honest man or woman would want all of these transactions to be public record even if public records were not required simply to remain above suspicion. Would they not?

I mean, seriously folks, we're talking about a $Million Dollars a year of the public's money. And that's not counting the private donations that could have been going into the tax pools to reduce taxes for the rest of us. You see, that's the "private money" they like to talk about. Money that has been sheltered from taxes thus increasing the tax burden on the rest of us. Yes, some of that money is used for good but without open meetings it's really hard to track.

That's why complying with open records laws is one of the things I will work towards if I am appointed a seat on the DGI Board of Directors.

DGI Gives Grant Money To Board Member

Eleven year Downtown Greensboro Incorporated board member, Milton Kern, owner of the Biltmore Greensboro Hotel was given $5,000 to replace windows and carpet and upgrade outside lighting according to the Greensboro News & Record.

Oh what a tangled web we weave.

On Flying Cars And Domed Cities

I remember as a child seeing artists interpretations of future cities covered with domes and people driving around in flying cars. Excitedly, my cousins and I showed these to our grandfather who grumbled something about doing things just because you can not being very smart.

Of course Grandpa was right but as kids we just couldn't see it. A domed city would mean the environment was already ruined to the point that we could no longer live without the dome but the dome would be completely incompatible with the flying cars as it would need to be opened and closed many times per minute to allow for traffic in a city the size of Greensboro. Each time it's opened the toxic air rushes back in. And for those of you who worry about living in the path of the airport: just imagine the average soccer mom, cell phone in hand or drunken Mebane politician piloting her flying car full of screaming kids over your home and tell me you still think flying cars are a good idea.

I mean, seriously, remember when Robme Perkins, Milton Kern, Roy Carroll and the rest of the DGI downtown development crowd thought turning downtown into an alcohol fueled economy was a good idea just because they could. I tried to warn Greensboro then but they told people I was crazy, called me a "naysayer" and dismissed everything myself and others warned them about. Now we have drive-by shootings in downtown Greensboro.

This year, Roy, Robme and Milton attempted to close down those same clubs they lured downtown. Here's some of their e-mails:

"From: Clark, Jim (Legal)

Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 3:19 PM

To: Peterson-Buie, Becky

Subject: Draft Noise Ordinance amendment and Agenda Item

Jo,

Attached is the draft noise ordinance amendment and an agenda item.

Mayor Perkins requested a text amendment regulating amplified noise from entertainment businesses.

The intent is to prevent any amplified noise from emanating outside the building or structure where the

entertainment is happening. This is based on a complaint from Roy Carroll and others living near the

Greene Street Bar due to its roof-top late night events.

The requested text amendment was a blanket prohibition on any amplified noise, I think from 11 pm to

7 am. Please review this as soon as possible today – Mike Speedling has requested this be sent over

to him and Betsey no later than 5 pm today so it can go on the next CC agenda. I’m not 100% sure

it’s worded right…this was something of a quick-draw for me, since I just found out about 3 ½ hours

ago. I tried to turn it over as fast as possible so you could look at it beforehand. I’m reluctant to send

it out until I hear from you.

Please advise. Thanks!

Jim

James A. "Jim" Clark

Police Attorney

From: Robbie Perkins [mailto:RPerkins@naipt.com]

Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 03:46 PM

To: Turner Roth, Denise; Speedling, Michael

Cc: Ed (Downtown Greensboro Inc); Zack Matheny

<ZMatheny@bellpartnersinc.com>

Subject: Outdoor Amplification in CBD

This has become a constant source of complaints over the last

few

weeks after Greene Street opened it's rooftop tent. Is it possible

to

put a 12:00 limit on the outdoor amplification? Defining

reasonable and

using noise meters seems to be difficult to enforce. Is this

something

that can be addressed through existing ordinances or do we need

Council

action at our January 17th meeting?

Sent from my iPad

From: Roy Carroll [mailto:rcarroll@thecarrollcompanies.com]

Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 12:33 AM

To: James, Brian L.

Cc: tly5352@hotmail.com <tly5352@hotmail.com>; aleonard@thecarrollcompanies.com

<aleonard@thecarrollcompanies.com>; Perkins, Robbie; Speedling, Michael

Subject: Greene Street Noise

After getting the responding officers to my unit, it is my understanding that Lt. Holder and the

responding officers are going to cite the Greene Street Club. This was only after I had to prove that

you could not carry on a normal conversation over the noise. I do not think that Center Pointe and

other downtown residents should have to make 2 calls into 911, have 2 conversations with a GPD

Lt. and have 3 officers visit their home at 12:15 in the morning before the noise ordinance is finally

enforced.

I suggest that we meet as soon as possible to again discuss the enforcement of the Greensboro

Noise Ordinance.

Roy E. Carroll II

The Carroll Companies.com

P.O. Box 9846

Greensboro, NC 27429-0846

336.274.8531 x 111

rcarrollcompanies.com

From: Theresa [mailto:tly5352@hotmail.com]

Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 10:38 AM

To: Roy Carroll <rcarroll@thecarrollcompanies.com>; James, Brian L.

Cc: Perkins, Robbie; ZMatheny@bellpartnersinc.com <ZMatheny@bellpartnersinc.com>;

mionard@thecarrollcompanies.com <mionard@thecarrollcompanies.com>

Subject: Re: Greene Street Noise

Roy - and others, I would like to mention I am troubled by this also, as I believe I can verify this

timeline. There was a slight decrease in the sound after 11:45 or so, and I am guessing that may be

around the time when the officers issued the warning. Approximately 15 minutes later, we hear not

only the music turned back up, but the outdoor crowd is yelling and singing loud enough for us to hear

it. At this point, we called 911 and were told officers were already there looking into the problem. I

cannot tell you the number of times I texted the club's manager, Grady Green, over the past year

asking him to turn the music down, to which he always replies, "Yes, ma'am" - only to have the music

either not decreased whatsoever, or have it back up 10 minutes later. It is just not appropriate for

someone to operate what is essentially a full outdoor disco with amplified sound 4 nights a week until

2:30 am with residents nearby trying to get some sleep - and I know 220 West Market Street residents

are undergoing the same problem with this. This is going on 2 years. They have had enough

warnings.

Also - On Sunday nights, we routinely have to withstand sound levels even louder than last night's

level - until 2:30 am when they finally turn the music off. I have a number of recent videos of both the

music as well as the sound meter readings, time-stamped by my iPhone, which I will forward if

needed.

Thanks for your attention on this, Theresa Yon

From: Roy Carroll

Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 12:07 AM

To: Brian.James@greensboro-nc.gov

Cc: RPerkins@naipt.com ; ZMatheny@bellpartnersinc.com ; michael.speedling@greensboro-nc.gov ;

tly5352@hotmail.com ; aleonard@thecarrollcompanies.com

Subject: Greene Street Noise

Captain James

I’m very troubled that I just received a call from Lt. Holder with the GPD who responded to the

noise coming from the Greene Street Club. Officer Lt. Holder informed me that the Greene Street

Club received, yet again, another warning from the GPD. When are the warnings coming to turn

into fines as we discussed the week before last. This is not acceptable when my decimal meter is

reading 75 to 80 decimals.

Lt. Holder also informed me that the responding officers did not have decimal readers with them,

furthermore the decimals meters the GPD has are not calibrated.

The noise was turned down, but now has been turned back up. I’m calling 911 again.

Please call me tomorrow.

Roy E. Carroll II

The Carroll Companies.com

P.O. Box 9846

Greensboro, NC 27429-0846

336.274.8531 x 111

rcarrollcompanies.com

From: Cranford, Joel T.

To: Barnes, Shon F

Subject: FW: Noise at greene st

Date: Monday, December 12, 2011 12:11:33 PM

-----Original Message-----

From: James, Brian L.

Sent: Monday, December 12, 2011 9:29 AM

To: Cranford, Joel T.; Sigmon, Renae

Subject: FW: Noise at greene st

-----Original Message-----

From: Hollis, Art H.

Sent: Monday, December 12, 2011 2:22 AM

To: James, Brian L.

Subject: Noise at greene st

We charged grady tonight for a noise ordinance violation. Roy carroll placed the call.

From: James, Brian L.

Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2011 10:00 AM

To: Armstrong, James E.; Bitner, Michael C; Hollis, Art H.; Atkins, Jay M.; Cranford, Joel T.

Cc: Sigmon, Renae

Subject: Noise Complaints from Greene St. Bar

Importance: High

We received another complaint from the Greene St. Bar this past Sunday night sparked by the

activity on the Roof Top Bar. This was called in by a Center Pointe resident. If this occurs, please

make the appropriate charges for violation of the City’s noise ordinance, if they are not in

compliance.

If you receive a call, accommodations have been made for us to travel to one of the upper floors, if

necessary, to hear the noise first hand. If you or your officers needs to go to one of the upper

floors, contact the security person at the front lobby of Center Pointe and they will escort you up.

There is someone there 24 hours a day. Please also list the complainant as a witness on the

citation. Please relay this information to your squads. If you have any questions, please contact

me.

Brian L. James, Captain

Police Department - Central Patrol Divison

City of Greensboro

Phone: 336-433-7380; Fax: 336-373-7709

2602 S. Elm-Eugene St. Greensboro, N.C. 27406

www.greensboro-nc.gov

From: "Zack Matheny" <zackmatheny@gmail.com>

To: "Robbie Efird" <efirdr@nesi.net>

Cc: <nfk@crlaw.com>, "Turner, Denise" <denise.turner@greensboronc.

gov>

Subject: Noise Ordinance

Date: Mon, Feb 13, 2012 5:44 pm

Robbie, I sent you an email earlier today on this matter.

Is there a compromise you are willing to come to?

Please, respond to this email or call my cell at 686-1336.

I will take a no-response or no-phone call that are you unwilling to

discuss this matter and therefore are not wiling to come to an agreeable

solution.

I hope this is not the case and I will hear from you in some fashion.

Zack Matheny

On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 11:40 AM, Robbie Efird <efirdr@nesi.net> wrote:

Zack,

I just found out yesterday that the council has added a noise ordinance

amendment proposal to tonight’s agenda. Unfortunately, I am traveling

on business and will not be able to attend and speak.

I am very concerned as our roof-top club is a significant portion of our

sales, and employees many people. In 2005 our architects worked

closely with the City Planning department to construct the multiple-level

outside venue. The project was always documented as an outdoor

entertainment club. In an effort to re-vitalize downtown, the city had

relaxed its enforcement of any existing noise curfews. We have had

very few noise complaints over the last 5 years. After each complaint,

we immediately responded.

Starting in November 2011, the GPD has been called more than 20

times (this provided by the Police Department). After visiting Roy

Carrol’s personal residence, and not hearing noise, the GPD did not

write a citation.

We currently have reduced the noise to levels that are not even heard

on the street outside the club.

After reviewing the language in the proposal, this will immediately have

a major impact on our business and the employees. I would ask that a

meeting should be considered for all affected parties, before an

ordinance as significant as this is activated. I have spoken with Ed

Wolverton with DGI about our major concerns, and the overall impact it

will have on the City of Greensboro. Young professionals that the city

is competing for appreciate and support a vibrant downtown. Thanks

for consideration,

Robbie Efird

President

Greene Street Entertainment, Inc.

From: Miller, Ken

Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 9:38 AM

To: Clark, Jim (Legal); Speedling, Michael

Subject: Noise Ordinance

Jim/Mike,

A few more questions/edits. I still don’t understand the dates/times. It seems that on Friday, clubs

will have to tone back between 10pm and midnight.

Ken Miller

Chief of Police

City of Greensboro"

You see, they did things just because they could and when things went wrong they expected others to pay the price just because they could but doing something just because you can is immature and never reason enough. That is, unless you're still a child.

Now Robme continues his childish ways by calling all who don't let him have his way, Trolls. I don't know about you but I think we're beginning to establish a pattern.

Death By Food Truck

I am saddened to report this morning that Greensboro's food truck trial got off to a bad start when Milton J Kern, who was once heard to say that food trucks would operate in downtown Greensboro over his dead body, was hit by a food truck near Commerce Place early this morning. Witnesses were unable to explain why Mr Kern jumped into the street in front of the oncoming taco truck. Greensboro Mayor Robbie Perkins was quoted as saying, "There goes our downtown geriatric center! How am I going to be able to look out over my fiefdom when I get old? What other developer would be dumb enough to build something like a geriatric center in downtown Greensboro? Quick, somebody get me Roy on the phone!"

A Greensboro Police Department spokesperson expressed concern that Mr Kern might have confused the way food trucks operate and was attempting to wave it down. Police warn, that unlike ice cream trucks, food trucks drive at much higher speeds and serve food only from fixed positions.

Kern, who was best known for spending other people's fortunes on wild nightlife and extravagant downtown parties with female guests young enough to be his great granddaughters, has long served on the board of Downtown Greensboro Incorporated where he used his position to swindle lesser connected downtown business owners out of everything they owned.

In 2007, while running a faux campaign for Mayor of Greensboro, Kern denied the existence of Greensboro's gang and crime issues until News & Record reporter, Joe Killian proved him wrong. Some say Kern was simply protecting his own sources.

On his days off Milton was said to secretly enjoy torturing homeless people and devising failed economic plans in the hopes of getting bail outs from the City of Greensboro. His jealousy of developer Roy Carroll's close relationship with Mayor Robbie Perkins was well known in downtown circles.

Kern is survived by... Well, who knows how many little Miltons are running around out there with no idea who their daddy is? It's not like Kern ever remembered.

In lieu of flowers, the "family" is requesting you throw bricks pried from the walls of the Empire Room.

Milton Kern On His Death Bed?

From the man who said food trucks would be allowed in downtown Greensboro over his dead body:

"It was quite successful and the organizers did a great job. Why not do it every week. Tasting Room and Blind Tiger loved it..." -Milton S Kern on Yes Weekly Editor, Brian Clarey's Facebook wall.