Three companies pledge $1 million to Downtown Greenway : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

GREENSBORO — Lincoln Financial Foundation, Lorillard Tobacco Co. and VF Corp. have announced pledges totaling $1 million toward the Downtown Greenway project.

Lincoln Financial pledged $500,000; Lorillard and VF each pledged $250,000.

The announcement was made Monday at the offices of Action Greensboro, the nonprofit economic development group managing the Downtown Greenway project.

The Downtown Greenway is a $26 million, four-mile recreational loop that, over the next five to eight years, will circle the city's core.

Of the $26 million needed, nearly $15.5 million has been raised from public and private sources. The campaign now needs about $9.5 million in public funds and $1 million in private funds to meet its goal.

So far, only one part of the Downtown Greenway is complete: an 1,800-foot section between Lee and South Eugene streets.

Construction is now under way on the second section, a quarter-mile stretch from West Lee Street north to Spring Garden Street, parallel to Freeman Mill Road and Edgeworth Street.

Contact Dawn DeCwikiel-Kane at 373-5204 or dawn.kane@news-record.com

citywatcher

December 12, 2011 - 4:21 pm EST

Now. How about a Gateway University Research Park "satellite" campus along the greenway. Maybe something like this. Do you think our leaders will have the vision to take on something like this for our downtown?

Just an idea for what the people running G.U.R.P. could do in the future for expansion. Never to early to start planning ahead. After all RTP was over 30 years in the making.

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee394/cityviewgreensboro/gurp1-1.jpg

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee394/cityviewgreensboro/gurp2.jpg

newtogso

Merry Christmas Greensboro! This is absolutely fantastic news and shows a tremendous amount of commitment to the well-being of our community by VF, LFG and Lorillard. I hope this spurs other large local companies (FedEx, HondaJet, Volvo...) to follow suit. Now I can only hope that the new city council makes negotiations on moving Chandler Concrete one of their priorities so that the last remaining obstacle (other than funding) to the completion of the entire Downtown Greenway will be removed.

GSOIG

December 13, 2011 - 1:45 am EST

Chandler Concrete has nothing to do with the Downtown Greenway. Chandler is blocking completion of the A&Y Greenway.

December 13, 2011 - 10:09 am EST

Actually it does, because it is the only user of the tracks between its facility and what will be the 4th phase of the Downtown Greenway alongside the creek between W. Smith St and Freeman Mill. They can't build that section until Chandler Concrete relocates and abandons use of that section. You are right that they also block the connection between the A&Y and the Downtown Greenway.

rooster8786

December 12, 2011 - 4:24 pm EST

"The Downtown Greenway is a $26 million, four-mile recreational loop..." That is $6.5 MILLION per mile. Is the damn thing paved in gold???

terrier2003

December 12, 2011 - 4:45 pm EST

at 1659.00 an ounce, I think Sterling is more the idea.

But I agree. What in the world costs that much?

CarolinaBorn

December 12, 2011 - 5:23 pm EST

Given the current tax rate on cigarettes, Lorillard's donation was most likely taxed around 50%. They probably had to donate 2x the money, inflating the figures.

(yes, I am being sarcastic)

December 13, 2011 - 2:44 am EST

It's paved in tax dollars, six+ times the tax dollars it would have cost for the City to build a real Downtown Greenway. This Downtown Greenway is a private corporation using public funding and resources to build what they want. The private donations will help cover the overrun, and you will never know how much it really cost in City resources. They hide the financials in the private corporation and nobody at the City will talk, and nobody is asking.

December 13, 2011 - 10:13 am EST

Again, you misunderstand the project. It is a public-private venture between a non-profit corporation and the City of Greensboro which actually saves taxpayer dollars. The City of Raleigh has constructed its entire system using taxpayer dollars. Would you have preferred that approach? If you can't find the financial information, you haven't tried very hard. And it really is too bad that this investment of public and private money is standing in the way of the construction of those new apartments downtown (sarcasm, for you folks who don't get it.)

December 13, 2011 - 10:55 am EST

No, I do not misunderstand the project. I do not try to mask the truth about what the project is, as you do. The nonprofit is a private corporation, nonprofit does not mean it doesn’t have its own private agenda.
Maybe you could explain how this could possibly save taxpayer dollars? I know I have the facts on the cost correct. The City could have built this for less than the 7 million bond. How does spending more tax money save money?
Where is this easy to find information on how much Downtown Greenway has collected and spent on this project? How much staff time and resources have been spent? Was the $40K cash spent by the City to try and get a federal grant (failure) from the bond money or did Downtown Greenway pay for that with private money? You would think it would be on their website for all to see. The vague financial information on their website seems to change with the tide.

December 13, 2011 - 2:10 pm EST

Oh, my lord, you are lazy. Walk into Action Greensboro and ask. How many nonprofits do you know post their financial information on their websites? That doesn't make them non-transparent. Walk into GDOT and ask Adam Fischer for a breakdown of the costs. It costs what it costs precisley because it is an urban greenway with lots of complexity...this isn't a trail out in the country.

December 13, 2011 - 3:09 pm EST

Obviously, you haven't tried that!
What was your answer on how the partnership saves tax dollars?
You obviously don't know what it cost the City to build greenway in the city. That lack of knowledge is what lets the Downtown Greenway spend exorbitant amounts to fund their project.

December 13, 2011 - 3:17 pm EST

I know more than you think I do which is why I'm not going to do your work for you. You are criticizing without any information on the project which you just acknowledged. And I already told you how a partnership saves tax dollars, but I'll make it easier for you. The project costs 26 million. The whole amount can come from taxpayers, OR half can come from the private sector. Therefore the private sector is saving the City 13 million dollars AND they are raising ALL of the money for the long-term management of the Greenway.

December 13, 2011 - 5:16 pm EST

I didn't say I don't have the knowledge, I already know the answers.
That's brilliant math. You only slightly missed the point about saving. Spending 20 million more than needed is not going to save money. That equals 20 miles of greenway we will not have.

pixelpusher

December 12, 2011 - 4:53 pm EST

Will some company, any company, PLEASE donate money to pave the ROADS in this town?

I purchased a bicycle over the summer and experienced the Greenway for the first time. It's phenomenal, but our roads look like a patchwork quilt.

Priorities???

I'd be OK with a small sign every 1/2 mile that said..."This road paved by [Insert Company Name Here]"

capricorn7nc

December 12, 2011 - 6:41 pm EST

See Republicans, corporations have money to give. Now go ahead and raise their taxes. The contributions are already going to be taxed at 50%, so either way you are getting money in the end. If their tax rate was higher, we would have already had money for road improvements and for the greenway provided by the government. We wouldn't need them to give it willingly, or take forever to decide to give the money to help their taxes. They would have CERTAINTY that the money was going to be used towards projects they would have given money to anyways.

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