| Did You Know? |
|
Even though winter is halfway over, extreme
cold, freezing rain and snowy conditions can occur
at any time during the winter season. Take steps
now to prepare for winter weather including
winterizing your home, checking on antifreeze
levels in your vehicle and developing an emergency
plan for your family. Get more tips from Greensboro
Ready. Learn how to do more to the
exterior of your home with less money, time and
space by attending Parks & Recreation's
class "Landscaping that Makes Sense." The
class will be held Tuesday, February 10, at 6:30
pm at the Arboretum Education Building, 401
Ashland Dr. It's free and open to the public. Call
375-5876 for more information. Join
the Greensboro Big Band for "Sweet Sounds" on
Sunday, February 15, from 6pm to 8 pm at the
Oriental Shrine Club, 5010 High Point Rd.
Admission to the concert is free, but dinner will
be available for a fee. All proceeds from the
dinner and donations collected will benefit the
Shrine Children's Hospital.
Library Director Sandy Neerman will offer an
overview of the progress on the renovations and
additions to the Benjamin Branch Library on
Wednesday, February 18 at 6:30 pm. The meeting
will be held at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Family
Branch at 1420 Price Park Rd. For more
information, visit the Greensboro Public Library's
Web
site. |
 | | |
| City
Council Action Wrap-Up |
|
Downtown development gets green light.
At its meeting on Tuesday, February 3,
Greensboro's City Council approved LindBrook
Development Services' request to build a
five-story building in downtown's central business
district. Included in that approval
was a $100,000 forgivable loan requested
by LindBrook for the purchase of a portion of
a city-owned parking lot. LindBrook plans to lease
11 parking spots in the lot and wants to use the
rest for outdoor dining.
Council
passed the request 5-3 with Mayor Yvonne Johnson,
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small and Mary Rakestraw casting
the opposing votes. Goldie Wells was
absent. The approval came amidst opposition
from other downtown businesses who said downtown
can't afford to lose any parking spaces. The
businesses also said it wasn't fair for the City
to give LindBrook a portion of a parking lot, as
well as City money when they weren't offered the
same opportunities.
Council listened
to the businesses' concerns and ultimately decided
that the parking issue could be resolved and that
the pros of the development outweighed the
cons.
LindBrook plans to start
construction of the $3.6 million building at 324
S. Elm St. on May 1. Construction should be
complete within a year.
At the
meeting, Council also:
-
Scheduled a Council Briefing for Monday,
February 9, at 5pm to complete review of the
2009 Legislative Program, including the items
related to the police department.
-
Sought to determine why community
leaders were recorded by the Greensboro Police
Department. Council was first informed of the
recordings by Police Chief Tim Bellamy in 2006
after allegations were made that the department
was targeting its own black officers for
investigation, but it was never explained why
community leaders were recorded. Council wanted
to know why the recordings took place and if
they can be released publicly. The issue was
brought up by local blogger Ben Holder.
- Noted that a rezoning request for a new
self-storage facility on Fleming Road was
withdrawn by the developer.
- Approved water and sewer improvements in
several areas across the city including
Montcastle Drive, Holden Road and Covered Wagon
Road.
To view the entire meeting or past meetings,
visit City Council's video archive
page.
|
| Celebrating
Black History Month |
City holds several
events
thoughout February.
The City will hold several events to honor
the achievements and contributions of
African-Americans during Black History Month. A
few of the events are as follows:
- N.C. A&T will sponsor the screening of
the film "American Red and Black: Stories of
Afro-Native Identity," on Thursday, February 12,
at 7 pm. The screening will be held at Hemphill
Branch Library, 2301 West Vandalia Rd. For more
information, call 373-2925.
- Learn how African American Inventors
continue to impact our daily lives and create
your own scrapbook of favorite inventions by
attending "African American Inventors and You."
The free event will be held Wednesday, February
25, from 3:30 pm to 5 pm at the McGirt-Horton
Branch Library, 2509 Phillips Ave. For more
information, call 373-5810.
- Join the Greensboro Historical Museum's Kids
Club and Bright Star Children's Theatre for the
play "Heroes of the Underground Railroad," on
Saturday, February 28, at 10:30 am and 2 pm at
the Greensboro Historical Museum, 130 Summit
Ave. Tickets to each show are $5 per person. For
more information, call 373-2043.
Visit the City's calendar for more
events.
|
| Army Reserve
Learns from the City |
|
![Army Reserve Visits Solid Waste]()
The 422nd Civil Affairs group of the
Greensboro Army Reserve recently toured the City's
solid waste management disposal facilities to
learn about managing waste. When the group returns
to Iraq, it will manage solid waste issues
there. |
| City Replacing
Street/Traffic Signs in Annexed
Neighborhoods |
| Signage replacement program improves
safety.
The City has begun replacing street and
traffic control signs in annexed neighborhoods,
specifically the Cardinal/River Hill area, as a
way to improve safety. The Greensboro Department
of Transportation (GDOT) began looking into the
matter in 2007, when it determined that many of
the signs in these areas are old and no longer in
compliance with State and Federal traffic sign
requirements and could create safety
hazards.
To help pay for the
replacement of the signs, GDOT applied for a grant
from the National Association of County Engineers,
an organization that helps communities improve the
safety properties of traffic signs. The department
was awarded a grant of approximately $27,000 for
the purchase of material to make the signs. The
cost of a typical new street sign fabrication and
installation is $70. By using the grant, the cost
of upgrading the signs was decreased by 35
percent. Also to further reduce the cost of the
upgrades, crews are instructed to reuse signage
posts if they're in the proper location and in
good
condition.
|
| Greensboro's
'Cold Cases' |
GPD seeks to solve
unsolved cases.
The Greensboro Police Department continues to
try to solve old cases, called "cold cases." Each
month on its Web page, different unsolved cases are featured.
If you have information on any unsolved case, call
Crime Stoppers at 373-1000. Crime Stoppers will
pay a cash reward for information leading to an
arrest and conviction of the person(s)
responsible. All calls to Crime Stoppers are
confidential. No names are used and no calls are
taped or
traced. |
| Time Left to
Scrap Old Analog TV |
|
Dispose of old TVs at the City's HHW
Collection Center.
The day to ditch your old analog televisions
has been pushed back four months to June 12. On
that day, all television broadcast stations in the
U.S. must complete the transition from analog to
digital broadcasting. What does this mean for you?
It means if your televisions are analog and use an
antenna - as in rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna -
you will no longer be able to pick up local
broadcast stations. Your options are to:
- Subscribe to cable to receive an all-digital
broadcast signal
- Purchase a digital-to-analog converter box
for your analog television if it has a built-in
digital tuner
- Purchase a new television
If you need to discard your old televisions,
please do so properly by bringing them to the
City's Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection
Center at 2750 Patterson St. You can also dispose
of old electronics and corrosive, reactive,
flammable and toxic materials such as antifreeze,
batteries and paints.
The HHW
Collection Center is open Wednesday through
Friday, 10 am to 6 pm, and on Saturday from 8 am
to 2 pm. For more information call the HHW hotline
at 373-2196 or visit its Web
site. | |
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