Chatam County Megasite Remains Empty

I had a chance encounter and pleasant conversation with Chatham County Sheriff Mike Robinson while picking up the best cheeseburgers you've ever tasted at Johnson's in Siler City on Saturday. With our shop being west of Ramseur, Siler City is as close as anywhere to pick up a burger, and in this case, a 220 VAC outlet to wire in a new machine.

In route we pass by the Chatham-Siler City Advanced Manufacturing Site so I asked Sheriff Robinson if anyone has yet to locate into the site.



His answer. None. Not one company has located there despite claims by the Chatham County Economic Development Commission that,

"Choose CAM for access

The site has direct access to a mile of Norfolk Southern Railway. Its strategic location is less than 50 miles from two international airports and within a five hour drive of four major East Coast port terminals. The site's proximity to Greensboro and Raleigh - including the globally-renowned Research Triangle - puts metro amenities and services close at hand.

Traffic engineers are engaged in the planning and preliminary design for a proposed interchange on four-lane, divided US 421 north of Siler City, as well as a new 1.1 mile connector road from the site to the interchange. On its southern border, the site is adjacent to US 64, a four-lane, divided highway.

Choose CAM for infrastructure

High-capacity utilities offer customer choice power, water, and wastewater to site signed and permitted, fiber available within 90 days of request.

Choose CAM for readiness

This is the top megasite in the southeast, and it's ready for your business.

The State of North Carolina certified the site through its stringent NC Certified Sites program, guaranteeing necessary infrastructure and engineering in place to be construction-ready in a year. McCallum Sweeney Consulting assessed the site through the Duke Energy Site Readiness Program and found it a potential good fit for automotive manufacturing."


Of course, Sheriff Roberson didn't comment on the actions of the Chatham County Economic Development Commission. he simply answered my question and confirmed the megasite remains empty. I'd never put words in the sheriff's mouth as I'm often in his county.

And the worst part? These two, 2,000 acre megasites are only 8 miles apart. Are we going to be able to attract not one, but 2 automobile manufacturers to sites only 8 miles from each other. And are we willing to risk $200 Million or more in State, County, and City tax dollars from throughout the Piedmont Triad that could be put to more pressing needs to compete with a project that is just 8 miles away and already built but still empty?

Competition Increases For Greensboro-Randolph Megasite

The backers of this project plan to spend well over $20 Million Dollars of Greensboro taxpayer dollars and something in-between $120 and $200 Million in State Taxpayer Dollars.

For anyone thinking the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite is a good idea I give you this list from Site Selection Magazine, of available megasites across the USA. Might I also remind you that Site Selection Magazine is also owned by the same South Carolina developer who is currently doing the core drilling and surveying for the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite. They profit even if it fails: http://siteselection.com/issues/2016/jan/upload/1601SuperSitesChart.pdf

News From Randolph County

I got an e-mail today from folks who have connections with Randolph County Government that I thought folks here in Greensboro just might want to read:

"Billy,

Hope you are doing well.  The City water line to Randolph is getting more interesting. We learned on Monday that the line has grown from a 1.5 million gallon per day line to a 5.5 million gallon per day line. The proposed megasite project needs only 1 to 1.5 MGPD. If you hear anything about the plans for the "extra" 4 million gallons per day, let me know.

For context, according to City figures, Greensboro treated and pumped only 34 million gallons two days ago. So, if the 5.5 is true, the City intends to pump over 16% of what its citizens are using down to Randolph County. Could this be true? I thought we lived in a water poor area? Why did we pay for a Randleman Lake if we didn't really need it and were going to turn around and send a large part of that water back to the county it came from?"

My reply:

The Randalman Dam was never needed as evidenced by the work of Greensboro's award winning Water Conservation Director, Mike J Barron, who showed that area water usage dropped significantly between 1995 and 2010 and that actual water usage turned out to be half as much as was predicted. Mr Barron's work can be found at City of Greensboro water fraud: The Randleman Dam Scam

Now doesn't it seem strange to you that the City of Greensboro wants to pump almost 4 times as much water as the Megasite needs?

And doesn't it seem strange that water is going to be pumped over 60 miles to the megasite when it's only roughly 10 miles from the water treatment plant at the dam to the proposed Megasite near Liberty. There is a cost to pumping water you know, and it continues to go up year after year with every increase in the electric bill.

It makes no sense to Randolph County or to the Citizens of Southern Guilford County to be forced to buy Deep River water from the City of Greensboro when the cost would be less in the long run to buy from other communities closer by. Join your neighbors in Randolph County and fight this while you still can.

More Megasite Concerns

Why yes, we do post letters to the editor and news from Randolph County that effects Guilford County and Greensboro:

ALL:

Please note that this coming Monday, June 6th, 2016, at 6pm is the Randolph County Commissioners’ meeting for June, 2016.  

The agenda is included below as part of this email; if you can attend, please do so.  Highlighted in red are a couple of items that may be of interest and somewhat summarized below.

1)  West Randleman Business Park item was approved by commissioners to be pursued via a loan of $762,000 in February, 2000.  Randolph County agreed to pay interest costs that was estimated then to be $53,000—$58,000 per year.  I think the Park only contains an emergency response facility.  I also think the offer to purchase the remaining property is in the neighborhood of $400,000ish.  It is assumed that the market value is in the neighborhood of the original price of $762,500, and since the County cannot sell for less than the market value, I think the plan is to "sell @ market value" while giving the buyer incentives to offset the differences from market value ($762K??) versus offered value ($400Kish???).  I think the incentives are centered around the buyer agreeing to provide 50ish jobs over the next 5 years or so.  Not sure of complete accuracy of this paragraph; however, the gist of the paragraph is believed to be correct. 

 

-  Specific verbiage from minutes of February 7, 2000, commissioners’  meeting states: “Bonnie Renfro, President of the EDC, stated that Randolph County has very few industrial sites or facilities available for industries seeking placement here.  Therefore, EDC has purchased an option on a 47.3 acre industrial tract in Randleman that can be marketed, developed, and sold to support quality economic development to benefit Randolph County.  Ms. Renfro said that EDC is seeking a 100% loan of $762,500 through voluntary partnership of local financial institutions who are members of Randolph County Partnership, the private membership of the EDC.  The EDC board  is requesting that the County pay the interest costs associated with the purchase, which should be $53,000—$58,000 per year, depending upon the interest rate.

-  On motion of Frye, seconded by Davis, the Board unanimously agreed to pay interest costs on the loan for the EDC’s purchase of the 47.3-acre tract located at the intersection of Commonwealth Road and Island Ford Road in Randleman.

As I understand one of the suggested items of the recently developed strategic plan for Randolph County is the desire by our economic developers to have multiple ‘site-ready’ sites for economic development.  Apparently this Randleman site, available for the past 16 years, has not been successful in helping fulfill that role.

2)  Reference the "Approve Repayment Agreement with the Department of Commerce-PetPro Resources—Bonnie Renfro”.  I have heard that PetPro may have entered bankruptcy.  You may remember that PetPro received a grant from the State of NC to set up manufacturing in Seagrove (I think utilizing an existing building) during the past couple years or so.  Randolph commissioners approved support for PetPro receiving the grant, and Randolph may have had to put some matching funds into the effort for PETPro to get the State grant??.  Now that PETPro has entered into bankruptcy, I understand that the State of NC wants their grant dollars returned by Randolph County (think this is somewhere around $100,000?).  I don’t think this information was made available to the commissioners when they originally approved support to the PETPro grant.  Regardless, it looks like the people of Randolph County are again being asked to ‘bail out’ County action.   As stated above I am not sure of the complete accuracy of this paragraph; however, the gist of the paragraph is believed to be correct. 

3)  It seems that the above two items certainly have a correlation to the megasite efforts including some of the people supporting/working the megasite efforts.

  

Your attendance and support continues to be important as we continue to address the megasite concern. 

Thanks, and hope to see you Monday night.

Bobby Ferguson

Bobby Ferguson is a resident and farmer in Randolph County and has been a leader in the fight against the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite.

Who are the bigots who haven't asked for their political contributions back from Tony Wilkins?

Randolph County Megasite Real Estate Agent Sam Simpson hasn't yet;

Tony Wilkins' payoff for Sam Simpson's Megasite take

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/03/tony-wilkins-payoff-for-sam-simpsons.html

Meaning Sam Simpson is a bigot as well?

Why else would Sam continue to support political bigotry?

Does Sam Simpson, brother of golf's Web Simpson support HB2?

Is Web Simpson a bigot too?

Do Sam, Web and Tony believe North Carolina employers are better off being able to easily fire women if they get pregnant to keep company health insurance costs down?

Are Sam, Web and Tony for girls who look like guys getting harassed in women's bathrooms?

http://candidatereports.myguilford.com/files/1700_WILKINS_TONY.PDF

Tony Wilkins isn't a 'conservative'

Tony Wilkins is for sale, just like the rest of Greensboro's City Council

If Sam Simpson doesn't ask for his money back, Sam Simpson is just as much of a bigot as Tony Wilkins is.

Will the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite Be Home To Buick?

Plans are to spend well over $120,000,000 in State bond money to build the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite in order to attract an automaker to North Carolina but everyone keeps asking which automaker will it be as one automaker after the other announces plans to go elsewhere.

One brand that has yet to be mentioned is Buick which is about to launch their new compact SUV, the Envision crossover.

"The Envision fills an empty spot in Buick showrooms, which currently feature just two crossovers: the sub-compact Encore and midsize Enclave. Without a complete roster of crossovers, Buick has not fully capitalized on surging demand for crossovers. By introducing the Envision to U.S. customers, Buick is now jumping into the SUV market with both feet.

The Envision should have little trouble gaining traction. The smaller Encore was Buick’s top seller in 2015, and one of the Envision’s main competitors, Ford’s (F) Lincoln MKC, became the brand’s No. 2 seller in its first full year of sales.

Crossovers are doing so well that the Envision will join Buick’s crossover lineup “largely without taking sales from the other two” SUVs, according to IHS Automotive senior analyst Stephanie Brinley."

But alas, the 2016 Envision crossover is already being produced for sale in the US market made in China.

"Peterson acknowledged that the Envision’s origins may turn away some buyers, yet history is on Buick’s side.

“We’ve seen this in the auto industry going back to cars from Japan and Korea. There’s some initial reaction, but for the most part, people look at whether the brand I’m buying it from has the reputation” in performance, safety and other areas, Peterson said. “I think Buick has that reputation.”

Analysts say importing the Envision is a natural evolution for Buick, the best-selling GM brand in China. Buick already ships the Encore to the U.S. from a plant in South Korea, while the Cascada will be imported from Europe.

“I doubt that it will make much of a difference for consumers,” Brinley said."

How could our economic development experts be so wrong? That is: unless the actual plan is corporate welfare to contractors and developers.

And have you been paying attention to this new state wide bond proposal they're pitching? Seems there's a little known clause in there that allows them to change what the money gets spent for. Wonder why they felt the need to add that?

Show Me The Robots

Here's a video showing the many robots used in the production of the Tesla S. Other modern automobiles are built in much the same way


And from today's Wall Street Journal, Five Trends That Will Shape the Future of the U.S. Economy:

"5. Economists remain puzzled by a yearslong productivity slump and are looking at how new technologies might help spur innovation and productivity growth.

One area of attention is robotics. Their use has accelerated on the factory floor, especially in the automotive sector, which has also raised concerns about whether they will displace—and not just complement—human workers."

Yet Randolph Community College offers zero courses in robotics. 

And Guilford Technical Community College offers zero courses in robotics.

Which leads one to wonder: Are Guilford and Randolph economic planners being forthright when the tell us the purpose of the Guilford-Randolph Megasite is to attract an automaker to the Piedmont Triad?

Who will build, service and repair the robots and where will those persons come from? Certainly not from out existing local work force. After all, that seems to be pretty much the only job available in a modern auto plant and our technical schools are busy training people for minimum wage, entry level jobs in landscape maintenance and restaurant work.

How Auto Sales May Dent Megasite Growth

For those who still think the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite still has a chance in hell of attracting an automaker: Stolen in its entirety from the Wall Street Journal:

"What goes up usually comes down.

Record auto sales in 2015 lent a big boost to overall economic output, but Americans’ appetite for autos and trucks is falling from those highs. That slowdown hurt GDP in the fourth quarter, and it’s set to dent first-quarter output, too.

“That number can’t go up to infinity,” said Steve Blitz, chief economist at ITG Investment Research.

Conditions that superfueled the boom may now be cooling: There had been a lot of old cars on the road, Mr. Blitz said, and cheap financing plus many Americans’ more optimistic view of the economy prompted drivers to replace their vehicles.

In the December quarter, Americans still bought autos and trucks at a healthy pace, noted Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group. But real spending on motor vehicles and parts fell a seasonally adjusted $5.2 billion—wiping 0.58 percentage point off fourth-quarter GDP after adding about a percentage point to output over the first three quarters of the year. Excluding motor vehicle output, the Commerce Department said GDP rose 1.3% in the fourth quarter.

Because of the seasonal factor, it’s not unusual for the category to be weak in the final quarter of the year. But this time it’s more meaningful because of the unseasonably warm winter. Bad weather didn’t keep people from dealers’ lots like it sometimes does. And the decline was steeper than in prior—and colder—fourth quarters.

What’s more, some indicators suggest the slowdown will continue. The fourth-quarter decline came as the inventories-to-sales ratio was at its highest during the current business cycle, according to Mr. Blitz, potentially signaling a pullback in auto manufacturing as dealers try to clear some inventory.
And there was evidence on Tuesday that vehicle sales were more modest in January. General Motors reported a 0.5% increase in sales last month, while Ford said sales fell 2.8% from a year earlier. That’s after overall auto sales rose 14% in January 2015 from a year earlier as the major dealers posted double-digit increases. Auto makers pointed to fewer selling days last month and heavy snow in the east, and, to be sure, sales were still solid. But “headwinds remain to be fought,” said Kelley Blue Book analyst Jack Nerad.

Spending on motor vehicles is just one chunk of personal consumption, but it’s been a sizable slice that has helped offset weakness in other areas, like trade and capital spending. An upshot, according to Mr. Baumohl, is that spending on big-ticket items often depresses other forms of discretionary spending. For his part, Mr. Baumohl is confident the American consumer will continue to support the economy. “Consumers remain in charge,” he said. He still expects 3% growth this year.

But not everyone is so optimistic. “It is starting to seem that [the first quarter] may not look all that different than the fourth quarter of 2015],” said Richard Moody, chief economist at Regions Financial Corp. “The net result will likely be another quarter of the same 2 to 2.5% we’ve come to know but not necessarily love since the end of the 2007-09 recession.”

Mizuho Securities chief U.S. economist Steven Ricchiuto warns if auto sales no longer outpace overall retail sales, that would have important ramifications for economic growth in the first half of the year. So far, they are “they are weak but not terrible,” he said, underpinning his expectations for a first-quarter growth rate below 2%.

Related reading:
Winter Weather Dings U.S. Auto Sales
U.S. GDP Advances 0.7% in Fourth Quarter
Turmoil in the Oil Patch Is Hitting U.S. GDP Growth
Why the Manufacturing Contraction Might Not Signal a Recession
The U.S. Economy’s Latest Growth Is Looking Increasingly Frail
U.S. Growth May Struggle to Find Support From the Third Quarter’s Strongest Industries "

One needs not be rocket scientist, real estate developer nor economist to know that Greensboro's Guilford County's, Randolph County's ans the State of North Carolina's leaders are planning yet another giveaway to wealthy developers. And the price tag on this one exceeds $200 Million Dollars that could be used to help the poor rather than build empty industrial parks for jobs that will never come.

Still Want To Build That Megasite

Promoters of the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite want you to think that manufacturing automobile parts will solve the Piedmont Triad's economic development woes but for months now new car dealers have been expressing fears of a coming slump in auto sales despite what has been record sales in recent months. Today I give you this article stolen in its entirety from the Wall Street Journal:

Why Auto Stocks Are Sinking After Car Sales’ Record Year

Ford, GM fare even worse than the battered market as investors worry that sales can’t get any better than this

ENLARGE

By

Saumya Vaishampayan in New York and

Jeff Bennett in Detroit

Updated Jan. 12, 2016 6:24 p.m. ET

8 COMMENTS

The past year set a record for sales of cars, but investors are signaling doubts about the companies that make them.
Shares of auto makers such as General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. began sliding late last year. This year, they have fallen even faster than the battered broader market.
Analysts and investors attribute the declines to worries that rising U.S. interest rates could crimp auto finance and to fears that auto sales may have peaked. They also are concerned that the slowdown in China, the world’s largest car market, may be worse than expected. The result has been a setback for an industry that in the U.S. just enjoyed its best year ever.
Shares in GM, the No. 1 U.S. auto maker by sales, have dropped 11% so far this year. Ford’s stock has fallen 8.8%, and shares in AutoNation Inc., the nation’s largest dealership operator, have slumped 20%.

‘If you take away the extra selling days and the incentives, sales were flat in what is a bellwether month.’
—AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson on December sales

The drops stand out against the 5.2% decline for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which posted its worst ever start to a year. They come even after a combination of low gasoline prices, a strengthening labor market and low interest rates propelled U.S. car sales to 17.5 million in 2015, surpassing a peak hit 15 years ago.
“How much higher than 18 million units can we go?” said Brian Hennessey, a portfolio manager at Alpine Funds, which manages $4 billion. “It’s pretty much a peak number.”

Advertisement

AutoNation Chief Executive Mike Jackson said he believes the fourth quarter of 2015 will mark the start of a plateauing of sales.
“Everybody was talking about how great the month of December was,” Mr. Jackson said on the sidelines of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday. “But if you take away the extra selling days and the incentives, sales were flat in what is a bellwether month.”
The auto industry’s seasonally adjusted annual selling pace fell to 17.3 million in December from 18.2 million in November.
Sentiment in the options market has turned sour in recent days, suggesting that traders don’t see the auto makers’ stocks rebounding any time soon. Trading in options to sell Ford or GM stock on Thursday and Friday sharply outpaced trading in options to buy the shares, according to data provider Trade Alert.
Mr. Jackson is warning auto makers, especially those producing luxury cars, to reduce output or face a pricing war that will hurt the industry overall. His latest remarks echo his warning last Wednesday that a bulging inventory of unsold cars is beginning to erode profit margins.
Those comments fueled investors’ concerns that manufacturers will have to turn to deals or discounts to get customers to buy more cars.

ENLARGE 

Ford Focus vehicles at a lot in May. Photo: Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

“Manufacturers could lose pricing power,” said Peter Stournaras, who manages $16.6 billion as portfolio manager of the BlackRock Large Cap Series Funds.
Mr. Stournaras said he prefers shares of auto-parts makers to auto makers. He figures that low gasoline prices could encourage consumers to drive more, in turn prompting a greater need for replacement parts.
Shares of Delphi Automotive PLC, a U.S. auto-parts supplier, have dropped 13% so far this year.
The auto makers insist the outlook is brighter. “The prospects of our company are not yet fully reflected in our stock price,” said GM President Dan Ammann in a panel at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit on Tuesday.
Ford, expecting to post record 2015 pretax profits, on Tuesday declared a $1 billion supplemental dividend and forecast 2016 profits would be equal to or better than last year’s. “Our performance is allowing us to reward our shareholders,” Ford Chief Executive Mark Fields said in a statement.
Some investors agree, saying the selloff in car makers’ shares has been overdone. Ford traded at 9.1 times the last 12 months of earnings as of Monday’s close, according to FactSet. Its five-year average is 9.5. GM’s price/earnings ratio was 6.3, less than its five-year average of 9.1. AutoNation traded at 11.9 times the past year of earnings versus its five-year average of 18.0.
These investors argue that a monthslong slump in oil prices has fattened consumers’ wallets, and the continued recovery in the labor market has begun to result in slightly higher wages. That, they say, bodes well for continued strength in auto sales.
“All the key metrics that we use to gauge the health of the auto industry are as healthy as they have ever been,” said Amit Kapoor, senior equity analyst at Loomis, Sayles & Co. Mr. Kapoor owns GM shares.
Another reason for optimism, these investors say: Cheap gasoline prices remain a powerful driver for sales of the big cars that are most profitable for car companies.
“The auto makers generally make more money selling big cars, like pickup trucks and SUVs, than they do making sedans,” said Annie Rosen, portfolio manager for Fidelity Select Automotive Portfolio. “When you have low gas prices, like we do today, the average consumer willingness to buy a car that uses more fuel goes up.”
Sales of trucks and sport-utility vehicles helped Ford and GM post record operating profits in North America in the third quarter. Ford is set to report fourth-quarter earnings Jan. 28 and GM is scheduled to post results Feb. 3.

—Gautham Nagesh and Christina Rogers contributed to this article.

Write to Saumya Vaishampayan at saumya.vaishampayan@wsj.com and Jeff Bennett at jeff.bennett@wsj.com

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No Megasite Here

By Paul Meinhart

 

Here is a aerial video of our area, the 2000+ acres which are targeted for total destruction for the proposed Greensboro-Randolph Megasite and Greensboro city expansion project. Ironically enough, this video was made by the proponents of the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite. They are apparently glorifying just how beautiful and irreplaceable this land is. And this area is beautiful and irreplaceable. As you can see from this video, it is full of peoples homes and farms, trees, lakes, ponds, animals, insects, flora and fauna which can NEVER be replaced once bulldozed for a heavy industrial manufacturing facility. God is not making any more land my friends. This is what is at stake here if this "Megasite" comes to pass, total annihilation of this area....Tell Greensboro city leaders NO MEGASITE HERE!! Tell Jim Melvin, Sam Simpson and other land Greensboro based land developers NO MEGASITE HERE!!

 www.nomegasitehere.com

Any More Names Of Car Companies You Want To Toss Around

While the City of Greensboro, City of Asheboro, Randolph County, State of North Carolina and more than likely Guilford County Commissioners still push to spend well over $120 Million Dollars in taxpayer funding to build the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite claiming this will help attract an auto maker to the region Nissan says, Hell no, we're staying in Japan.

Stolen in its entirety from the Asian Review:

"Nissan to make North American SUV at home

TOKYO -- Nissan Motor will use its spare production capacity in Japan, where auto demand is sluggish, to supply to North America while taking advantage of the soft yen.

     The Japanese carmaker's Fukuoka Prefecture facility will build about 100,000 Qashqai sport utility vehicles a year starting in spring 2017, with the vehicles to be shipped to the U.S. and Canada. This model has not been sold in the U.S. before. The Qashqai is currently produced in the U.K. and sells about 300,000 units a year, mainly in Europe.

     To help insulate itself from currency fluctuations, Nissan has been changing design methods and taking other steps so that vehicles of the same category can be made flexibly in different parts of the world. In line with this effort, Nissan will build the Rogue SUV for the North American market at the Fukuoka plant from around next spring, with annual volume seen coming to 100,000 units.

     These two steps will push up Nissan's domestic output to around 1.1 million, above the 1 million mark the company considers as necessary to maintain development operations and employment in Japan.

     Last fiscal year, Nissan's Japanese production came to just 870,000, falling below 1 million for the first time since the 1960s, when exports by Japanese automakers shifted into high gear. Increased local production in emerging markets and lackluster demand in Japan due to the April 2014 sales tax hike were the major factors.

     Meanwhile, demand has been strong in the U.S. New-auto sales there rose to the highest in eight years last year, with Nissan's production and sales climbing to record levels in fiscal 2014. The momentum is not being lost in the fiscal year that began in April, and local supply capacity is tight. Nissan thus decided to capitalize on its excess Japanese capacity.

     Other major automakers such as Toyota Motor and Honda Motor are also shifting production back to Japan in light of the weak yen.

     The trend is seen creating a tailwind for parts suppliers and other related businesses in Japan. The expected impact is significant given a car contains about 30,000 components.
(Nikkei)"

So what's next, will our elected leaders start making up names of car companies that don't yet exist just to keep the lie going? Here's what Greensboro lawyer and Randolph County resident Alan Ferguson had to say:

"August 11, 2015

Hello Everyone.

Below my brief note here, I have quoted for you at length an article from August 13, 2015 from Japan's Nikkei Asian Review.  As you will see, it concerns Nissan Motors and its apparent decision taken to add capacity at home, and not in the US--anywhere in the US.  At the end of the article you will also see a reference to Honda and Toyota doing the same, shifting production BACK to Japan.

This article is so important that I have taken the liberty of high-lighting the most important facts it reports.  And I guarantee you that this report has been read at the very highest levels of the folk who have been pushing this megasite proposal.

No one likes to see industrial activity leaving the US, but the implications for the Greensboro-Liberty Megasite project are clear.  There are now no car makers of which I am aware who have been mentioned as possible beneficiaries of the GRM being cobbled together by the County and the PTP.  None.  Hyundai-Kia seems happy in Alabama.  Mercedes is in SC.  Volvo is going to SC.  LandRover is going to Slovenia in southern Europe.  Honda and Toyota and Nissan were the last companies mentioned as possibilities, and now each seems to have disappeared.

The article also demonstrates that increase demand for autos in the US does NOT automatically translate into a desire by multinational mega-companies to construct manufacturing plants in the US.  I know this is contrary to everything the salesmen pushing this project have been emphasizing, but facts are facts and here are a few more.

So, where do we go now?  Well, my thought is that we continue to remind Randolph County citizens that their government has been throwing money into a project that has few prospects for success.  That's the only way to stop the spending on this project at the $10,000,000 County government seems determined to throw into it.

I thought you would want to know these things.

I hope to see you all on the 25th at our regular meeting."

And remember folks: here in Greensboro we need to unseat any Greensboro City Council member who won't immediately commit to blocking Greensboro's $22 Million Dollar share of this project extending water and sewer to the site and running up your water and sewer bills even more.

No Vote and Eminent Domain On The Greensboro-Randolph Megasite

A letter from Alan Ferguson

 

"As you probably know, the Randolph County Board of County Commissioners voted 3-2 Monday night to spend $5.8 million Randolph County dollars to buy an additional 169 acres for its proposed megasite. Where will the County get this money?  The stated sources were "savings" from the budgets of various county departments and the county's reserve, rainy day fund (ordinarily held for emergencies).

Commissioners Arnold Lanier, Phil Kemp, and Darrell Frye voted in favor of the additional purchase.  Commissioner Lanier went out of his way to critique our arguments against the site and our motives for making those arguments.

Commissioners David Allen and Stan Haywood voted against the expenditure.

Many of you  also have received notices that the City of Greensboro is now interested in placing water and sewer lines across your property.  Last night, I attended the regular meeting of the Greensboro City Council and complained about the process, again.  The mayor asked the city water department employees there to meet with me outside and give me a better map of their proposal.  A copy of that map is attached.

The "water-sewer informational meeting" is June 18 at 5:30 at Providence Grove High School.  The City told me last night that they would have plentiful staff there to answer any questions.  NERPO will also be there to answer questions.

The City Attorney also informed me yesterday of what he believed to be the City's eminent domain authority to enter onto our properties.  

As I have said before, it is the infrastructure where eminent domain will come upon us.  It didn't even take a day for that to happen, and here it is.  Attached is the statute the City sent to me under which authority they will condemn our properties for water and sewer lines.

I encourage everyone to spread this news to anyone affected by these lines, particularly to folks in Guilford County.  It will soon be too late unless sufficient numbers of us rise to oppose these proposed "condemnations".

More later.

Alan E. Ferguson

President, Northeast Randolph Property Owners"

 

Attachments:

GS-40 A

GreensboroRandolphMegaSite 11x17

 

Might I remind you that while Alan and others in Randolph County work to fight this project the City of Greensboro is planning on spending over $22 Million Dollars on the project located in another county, miles away from where the jobs are needed most-- in Greensboro.

Randolph County Megasite Con Update

"Randolph County to add more land to megasite to attract auto manufacturer

Randolph County is taking steps to buy a second batch of properties in the proposed Greensboro-Randolph Megasite that regional leaders hope will attract an automobile manufacturer.

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 

Mike Barber had a conflict of interest

and should not have voted on Jim Melvin's Megasite project.

...The county commissioners will hold a public hearing on June 1 to consider their second purchase, which will likely be similar to the earlier deal, according to Darrell Frye, board chairman.

No mention by the News and Record

of a certified ready to go site about 10 miles away 

from the Randolph site

that would cost Greensboro taxpayers nothing.

...The county is working with the nonprofit Greensboro-Randolph Megasite Foundation, which owns or has options to purchase more than 1,300 acres in what officials hope will be part of an 1,800-acre site.

Greensboro City Manager Jim Westmoreland

colluding with Sam Simpson and Bonnie Renfro

on Nancy Vaughan's Megasite talking points

Randolph County has agreed to spend up to $10 million to buy a portion of the site to show it is serious about owning a stake in the project, Frye said.

...The project’s scope has always been planned for multiple owners, not just Randolph.

Who are the potential multiple owners?

Public utilities and other groups will likely buy portions of the site.

What other "groups"?

If the Randolph commissioners approve a purchase on June 1, they would probably have 90 days or more to raise the money and complete the transactions as they did for the most recent purchase, Frye explained.

Richard M. Barron

Why would John Hammer write "Mayor Nancy Vaughan had said 

that Melvin didn’t have any personal investment in the area

that it was all Bryan Foundation money.",

if the News & Record's Richard Barron

reported the opposite?

Melvin said funding, for now, 
is coming by way of the Bryan Foundation and private monies.

Richard Barron

What does "private monies" mean?

Jim Melvin led a Piedmont Triad Partnership committee, 

who's former CEO is under investigation 

for financial irregularities

which previously managed efforts to secure land for the site

and was working to raise funds for additional land acquisitions.

Said former PTP CEO

was going to go into the development business with Sam Simpson

the broker for the Randolph properties

and perhaps properties along the route 

the water and sewer will take down through Guilford County.

"May 1, 2015; Commissioners to hear megasite updates

Randolph County commissioners will get an update on land purchases for the proposed industrial megasite near Liberty during Monday’s regular meeting.

The board has also been asked to appoint a member to the newly formed Greensboro-Randolph Megasite Foundation board.

"Sam" Simpson Commercial

1401 Sunset Drive, Suite B Greensboro, NC 27408

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Mayor - Nancy Vaughan

902 Sunset Dr., Greensboro, NC 27408

...The request was made by Jim Melvin, Bryan Foundation president, the organization that has helped to fund the proposed industrial megasite project from Greensboro.

Is Robert E. Long, Jr. involved,

as he owns Greensboro's Granville Capital, Inc.,

and serves on the national First Tee Board of Directors

along with the Wyndam's Mark Brazil,

who may also be involved

in angling to get $22.5 million from the City of Greensboro

for water and sewer down 421, which they can profit from 

which Mike Barber, who's in Jim Melvin's pocket

already voted for an RFP for?

The foundation was formed Feb. 11.

The board will consist of five members — three appointed by the Bryan Foundation, one appointed by the Greensboro City Council and one appointed by the Randolph County commissioners.

Who would be stupid or corrupted enough

to give Jim Melvin's Bryan Foundation 

a majority of the votes on a board set up by Melvin 

to take from Greensboro and Randolph County taxpayers?

The foundation’s purpose is to continue assembling a tract of land in Randolph County, through the acquisition of properties by entering into options and contracts to purchase properties, to attract advanced manufacturers to a megasite of 1,300 acres or more.

Compare Sam Simpson 

and Zack Matheny's current exploits 

to; 12/31/13; "Robbie Perkin's 9,000 acres, 

Project Haystack, "Incentives" and the Rhino Times"

According to the foundation bylaws, the foundation will also promote the construction of water-sewer lines to the project; seek funding from a variety of sources to buy land; and develop the property and market it.

No mention of Triad First Capital.

Piedmont's Triad Partnership's Triad First Capital 

has disappeared; Jim Melvin, Sam Simpson, David Powell etc...

...The Bryan Foundation bylaws allow it to only provide funding to nonprofit organizations. The creation of the megasite foundation will allow the Bryan Foundation to continue providing land acquisition funding for this project.

It appears that the mayor of Greensboro

misled Greensboro's City Council

as to who was funding the land purchases

before the vote on utilities for the site.

It appears that Greensboro's City Council 

was not in possession of who's "private monies" 

are involved in the Randolph project before the vote.

The creation of the foundation does not impact properties purchased by Randolph County, according to officials. The 12 parcels consisting of approximately 255.13 acres will remain owned by and under the control of Randolph County.

During Monday’s meeting, County Attorney Ben Morgan is also expected to give an update on the megasite land purchases.

http://courier-tribune.com/news/local/commissioners-hear-megasite-updates#sthash.u5d7y1LV.dpuf

Randolph County now owns 255.13 of about 1,350 acres

with more that needs purchased.

Sam Simpson made bank last time.

If 255 acres is worth about $4.2 million, 

there are another 1,095 acres PTP controls.

255 is about 19% of 1,350.

If the 255 acres was about $4.2 million,

each acre went for about $16,471 a piece.

1,095 x $16,471 = $18,035,745 more

for what the PTP currently controls

and more for what isn't under contract.

Commissioners schedule three public hearings

The hearings will be held on Monday, June 1.

...discussion of the purchase of additional property for the megasite public hearing is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

http://courier-tribune.com/news/local/commissioners-schedule-three-public-hearings#sthash.lBCqfkiE.dpuf
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Ex-PTP CEO David Powell 
cooperating with economic group on financial questions
without any investigation by Randolph County executives
or elected officials

Comments have been disabled.


http://www.news-record.com/business/ex-ceo-cooperating-with-economic-group-on-financial-questions/article_5c4279c2-e473-11e4-9e2d-0fe7c9b10bce.html
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Who would be stupid enough to spend $22.5 million to get water and sewer to a Megasite, about 10 miles away from another that already has it?

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/02/who-would-be-stupid-enough-to-spend-225.html

WTF Jim Melvin, Jon Bell, Mark Brazil, Kevin Carter, Pat Danahey, Don Flow, Kelly King, Nido Qubein, Tim Rice, Kelly Stanhope and Robert Long?

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/01/wtf-jim-melvin.html

"Melvin said [Megasite] funding, for now, is coming by way of the Bryan Foundation and private monies."

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/03/melvin-said-megasite-funding-for-now-is.html

Conflict of Interest Watch; "Next stage of megasite effort will be 'a different conversation'

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/03/conflict-of-interest-watch-next-stage.html

Zack Matheny and Mike Barber need to recuse themselves from the Megasite Water and Sewer vote

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/03/zack-matheny-and-mike-barber-need-to.html

Inappropriate Lobbying; "Making Connections Around The Table with Ed Kitchen & Jim Westmoreland"

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/04/inappropriate-lobbying-making.html

Minutes from the "Public Hearing and Consideration of Purchase of Real Estate in Conjunction with the proposed Greensboro-Liberty Mega Site"

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/03/minutes-from-public-hearing-and.html

Randolph County As A Developer

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/04/randolph-county-as-developer.html

How To Stop The Greensboro-Randolph Megasite Dead In Its Tracks And Stop Greensboro's Annexation of the 421 Corridor

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-stop-greensboro-randolph.html

Alan Ferguson On Last Night's Greensboro City Council Meeting

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/03/alan-ferguson-on-last-nights-greensboro.html

Greensboro "Found" $2.2 Million To Give To Rich Developers

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/02/greensboro-found-22-million-to-give-to.html

Randolph County Approves Greensboro-Randolph Megasite

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/02/randolph-county-approves-greensboro.html