The recent announcement by Walker Sanders that the Downtown Greensboro Performing Arts Center will suggest to City Council that a proposed November bond not be placed on the ballot was no surprise to me. I've known since day 1 that Greensboro voters have lost all trust for those downtown entities who lead our city. Nor was I surprised that COPs (Certificates of Participation) as a financing option, were not mentioned in the various articles in the Greensboro News & Record, 99 Blocks and the Triad Business Journal. But rest assured COPs will be brought into the conversation before the final GPAC2012 obituary is written.
But there is another way to bring a PAC to Greensboro.
In the very heart of the Uptown at the intersection of East Wendover and US 29 lies a long abandoned Bell South Telephone Company property. The address is 1026 Tucker St, it's over 2 acres in size and it has less than 1 minute access from US 29, East Wendover Avenue and East Bessemer Avenue. And with an appraised value of just over $200,000 is far less expensive than any Downtown location.
Picking the Uptown over Downtown has several other advantages for PAC supporters. For starters, there are far more voters living in the Uptown than downtown. If the real goal is to serve the most people then an area with more people might be better accepted by voters.
Yes, I know I talked and talked about the little green circle on Phillips Avenue but to those of you who accuse me of being unwilling and unable to accept compromise... You're bigger fools than I am. It's called poker and I know how to play the game.
If the goal is building a healthy local economy then Uptown with its lower income levels would be the perfect place to start. If you want to win voters then you must convince them there's something in it for them. Most Greensboro voters don't see a downtown performing arts center as having anything in it for them.
Jobs? Unemployment in the Uptown is far higher than downtown.
Public safety? According to the Greensboro Police Department there's twice as much crime Downtown than in the Uptown.
Space to build amenities and locations for new business? There is over twice the available space in the center of Uptown Greensboro as is available downtown.
So the question becomes: Is building a Greensboro Performing Arts Center about Greensboro-- all of Greensboro-- or is it just about a few wealthy elite who own property in Downtown Greensboro?
