City of Greensboro

August 24, 2009
In This Issue
City Council Action Wrap-Up
Community Meetings on Draft Land Development Ordinance
Get Ready for City-Wide Big Sweep
GPD Forms Youth Advisory Council
Need Homework Help?
 
Did You Know?
 
Lake Brandt   Watershed Park
Due to the recent drop in lake levels and ongoing drought conditions, Lake Brandt Watershed Park is now closed to motor boats. Rowboats, canoes and kayaks will be permitted to launch and the fishing pier will remain open to the public. For more information, contact the Lake Brandt Watershed Park staff at 373-3741.
 
Public Meeting
On Tuesday, August 25, the City will hold a public meeting on a revised draft of the Downtown Greensboro Design and Compatibility Manual at 6 pm in the Greensboro Cultural Center's board room, 200 N. Davie St. The design manual will guide future development in downtown.
 
P&R After-school Programs
With school back in session, now is a great time to check out Parks & Recreation's after-school programs. For a complete listing of programs, visit Parks & Recreation's Web site or call 373-3268.
 
Smithsonian Summer Saturday
The Greensboro Historical Museum will host Smithsonian Summer Saturday on August 29 from 2-6 pm in the park next to the museum at the corner of Summit Avenue and Lindsey Street. The free event will feature musical performances by the Hushpuppies, Apple Chill Cloggers and the Carolina Chocolate Drops. A canned food donation to Urban Ministries is requested in lieu of an admission charge.  
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City Council Action Wrap-Up
Council interviews city manager candidates. 
 
At a special meeting held Tuesday, August 18, City Council met in closed session to hold one-on-one interviews with the top five candidates for the city manager position. Council is still reviewing the candidates and no information has been made public. Council expects to have a new city manager hired by the end of summer.
 
Council also held a regular meeting August 18 where it moved forward with environmental restoration plans for the South Elm Street Redevelopment area. The area was designated a brownfield due to environmental contamination and the City, in conjunction with the Redevelopment Commission of Greensboro, wants to restore it. The cost to restore the area is about $11 million.
 
Council approved allocating $400,000 of the $1 million Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant it received from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008 to the Redevelopment Commission of Greensboro to help restore the area. RLF funds may be used to provide loans to businesses and organizations for environmental clean-up costs. The funds are subject to further approval from the EPA before they will be released.
 
Council also
  • Called a special meeting for Tuesday, August 25, at 3 pm in the Council Chambers of the Melvin Municipal Office Building, 300 W. Washington St. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss awarding the construction contract for the environmental restoration of the South Elm Street Redevelopment area, as well as the city manager search.
  • Approved construction of a new incinerator at the T.Z. Osborne Wastewater Treatment Plant. The current incinerator is old and being held together by patches. Once complete, the new incinerator, which will be built by Crowder Construction Co. at a cost of $20.9 million, will help the plant function more efficiently.

 
To view the entire meeting or past meetings, visit City Council's video archive page.
Community Meetings on Draft LDO
City seeks residents' comments on draft.
 
The City will hold a series of community meetings in September on the draft Land Development Ordnance (LDO). The LDO will serve as the source for standards and regulations related to land-use and development throughout Greensboro.
 
The meetings will be held:
  • September 3 from 6-8 pm at the Melvin Municipal Office Building, City Council Chambers, 300 W. Washington St.
  • September 15 from 6-8 pm at Barber Park, Community Room, 1500 Dan's Rd.
  • September 17 from 4-6 pm at the Natural Science Center, located in the Greensboro Council of Garden Clubs Building, 4301-A Lawndale Ave.
City staff will be on hand at the meetings to provide additional information on the LDO and answer any questions or concerns. Also, comments on the draft are being taken until Wednesday, September 30. Learn more.
Get Ready for City-Wide Big Sweep
The annual event is scheduled for September 19.
 
Community members clean-up a local stream during Big Sweep2008Greensboro Beautiful's annual Big Sweep Waterway Pickup is scheduled for September 19, from 9 am to 12 noon. This event is part of the  2009 North Carolina Big Sweep, the North Carolina component of the International Coastal Cleanup, an event in which volunteers from all 100 counties in the state and 90 countries world-wide come together to clean-up our watersheds.
 
The cleanup is about a month away, so that gives you plenty of time to prepare. Get started by finding a stream, park, roadside, parking lot or an area in your neighborhood or near your school, office or church that needs cleaning up. Then ask your neighbors, friends and family to help. City of Greensboro staff will also be on hand to help clean streets, waterways and neighborhoods throughout Greensboro.
 
Also, the City will provide assistance with equipment and other services to neighborhoods within the city limits. For large cleanup efforts, the City will provide trash trucks for bulk trash, yard waste and scrap tires.
 
For more information, call Gerry Alfano, City Beautiful coordinator, at 336-574-3547.
GPD Forms Youth Advisory Council
Council gives young adults a voice.
 
The Greensboro Police Department (GPD) has partnered with community leaders to form the Youth Advisory Council. The mission of the Youth Advisory Council is to represent and advocate for youth, as well as to encourage youth participation in their respective communities and in City government.
 
Participants in the Youth Advisory Council will learn the importance of civic responsibility and become positive agents of change by representing their peers regarding youth-related issues. They will receive mentoring, informational workshops and hands-on experience that will give them the opportunity to engage in policy creation, solution-driven leadership and community mutual respect.
 
If you're a young adult or know one who is interested in joining the Council, contact GPD's Community Affairs office at 373-2636.
Need Homework Help?

Library offers free online help for students.

Library Homework HelpThe Greensboro Public Library makes getting your child the homework help he or she needs as simple as clicking a mouse. With the Library's free online homework help center, your child can get help with math problems, writing assignments and much more from area teachers. Teachers will be available online everyday from 2-10 pm, offering help on all subjects and grade levels. To participate, all you need is a library card. Get started today!