| Did You Know? |
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City of Greensboro
offices will be closed Thursday, November 27, and
Friday, November 28, in observance of
Thanksgiving. Here's a complete list of affected
services. Spread a little holiday
cheer to families in need by participating in the
Greensboro Youth Council's "Santa's Workshop" toy
drive. The toy drive is going on now and will run
through December 8. You can donate new or gently
used toys at any city recreation center. Or, if
you prefer, you can make a cash donation at any
Sun Trust bank or at the GYC office, 501
Yanceyville St. Get more information here. Parks and
Recreation's Singing Senior Ambassadors will hold
their annual Holiday Concert, Thursday, December
18, at 10 am and 7:30 pm at St. John's United
Methodist Church, 1304 Merritt Dr. The concerts
are free and open to the public. Attendees are
asked to bring nonperishable food donations to
benefit the Greensboro Urban Ministry. For more
information, call 375-2237. The City
was recently honored with two national marketing
awards for its "Conserve Water Now" campaign. The
campaign, which encouraged water conservation
during the exceptional drought of 2007 and early
2008, was recognized by the City-County
Communications and Marketing
Association. The National Association
of Town Watch has once again selected Greensboro
as a National Award Winner for the City's
participation in the 25th annual National Night
Out (NNO). The Police Department has served as the
area's organizer of NNO activities since the
inception of the program in 1984. The City was
also honored by the association as a National
Award Winner last year. Two Parks and
Recreation programs, "Living the Wild Life" and
"Growing the Green Way," were featured at the
National League of Cities' Congress of Cities
Conference. The programs, which are part of Parks
and Recreation's environmental education series,
were recognized during the City Showcase, an
exhibition of successful and creative programs
from cities and towns across the
country. |
 | | |
| City Council
Action Wrap-Up |
Council
approves purchase of two properties on High Point
Road.
At City Council's November 18 meeting,
members voted to approve the purchase of the
Canada Dry and Coliseum Inn properties on High
Point Road. The vote allows the City to buy
the Canada Dry building for $3.2 million and the
Coliseum Inn for $2.1 million.
The City was interested in purchasing the
properties as a way to revitalize the area. Once
it owns the properties, the City plans to demolish
the Coliseum Inn, which has been the site of
numerous nuisance incidences, and possibly expand
the Greensboro Coliseum Complex onto the Canada
Dry property.
In other business,
City Council approved a $255,000 economic
incentive package for ConvaTec, a medical device
manufacturer. ConvaTec plans to expand its
Greensboro plant and add 30 new
jobs.
Council also voted to approve
an amendment to the City's rental unit certificate
of occupancy statute. City inspectors are now
required to perform interior inspections on 2
percent of rental properties annually. Under the
amendment, tenants can also be fined for
violations. The amendment will allow the City to
focus its resources to solve issues with the
area's worst rental
properties. |
| City Grants
Parking Ticket Amnesty |
Late
fees will be dropped if you pay old tickets in
December.
The City is giving parking violators a
free pass on paying any late fees. The Parking
Ticket Amnesty program, which Council approved on
November 18, allows drivers to pay all outstanding
parking tickets minus the burden of the late fee
if they pay between December 1 and December
31. ![]() Most
tickets start at $5, but a $25 fee is added if the
ticket isn't paid within 45 days. Multiply that by
numerous tickets and violators could have a hefty
fee to pay. Beginning
January 1, the Greensboro Police Department will
start towing cars that have at least three tickets
more than 90 days overdue. Drivers won't be able
to collect their cars until the fees are
paid. For more information on the
Parking Ticket Amnesty program, call
373-2496. |
| Kick Your
Leaves to the Curb |
It's
not too late to participate in the Loose Leaf
Collection Program.
The City's annual Loose Leaf Collection
Program is underway. Rake your leaves to the curb
by December 8, and they will be picked up by
January 16.
It's easy to
participate, all you have to do is:
- Rake leaves to the edge of your yard behind
the curb - not in the street.
- Remove sticks, rocks and other debris which
can damage the City's equipment.
- Do not park vehicles on, in front of or near
your leaves.
The Loose Leaf Collection Program helps
keep leaves from blocking storm drains and
prevents decaying leaves from polluting our lakes
and streams. The collected leaves are made into
compost to fertilize City gardens and landscaped
areas. Residents may purchase the compost at the
White Street Landfill, 2503 White Street. Call
373-2489 for more information.
The
loose leaf collection schedule may change due
to inclement weather. The program is not offered
to residents who live on private streets.
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| Get in the
Holiday Spirit with Festival of
Lights |
Annual
celebration promises fun for all ages.
![Festival of Lights Carolers]() Kick off your holiday
season with the Festival of Lights, on Friday,
December 5, from 5:45-9 pm in downtown Greensboro.
The event will feature a musical stroll along Elm
Street showcasing more than 20 different
performance groups, a "Winter Wonderland" in
Hamburger Square Park, a reading of classic
holiday stories by Greensboro Public Library's
staff, and a special visit from Santa. Shops, art
galleries, antique stores and restaurants will be
decorated in their holiday best and open late for
the event. Also, the United Arts
Council and Downtown Greensboro Inc. will host a
cider tent at the corner of South Elm and Lewis
streets and are planning a horse and carriage ride
that will tour through the arts district in Old
Greensborough. For more information about
the Festival of Lights, visit http://www.festivaloflightsgso.org/
or call (336)
274-4595. | |
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