2026-10-06 - City Council

00:49I would like to ask for a motion to go

00:51into close session.

00:53I move that the city council go into

00:55close session as permitted by North

00:57Carolina General Statute 143-318-11A6

01:04to discuss individual public officers or

01:07employees specifically regarding the

01:09evaluation of a city council employee.

01:14I would ask for a motion to second that.

01:17Seconded by Councilwoman Parker. All in

01:19favor, please say I. That passes

01:22unanimously. We hope to be back in about

01:2430 minutes. Thank you so much.

02:44Welcome to Gate City Insider. I'm

02:46Rosemary Plybin. It is no secret that

02:49Greensboro is booming. Toyota, Boom

02:52Supersonic, Honda Jet, Jet Zero, others

02:55just growing and growing, making

02:56Greensboro their home, bringing new

02:59jobs, and with those new jobs, the need

03:02for more housing. So in 2025, the city

03:05unveiled a plan to address that need.

03:07It's called the road to 10,000. 10,000

03:11new homes by 2030. Joining us today, Ted

03:15Oliver and Chair McCquary, part of the

03:17task force that is leading this

03:19initiative. Hello and welcome.

03:21>> Thank you.

03:21>> So glad to hear about to have you with

03:23us. So first, how did you two hear about

03:25this initiative?

03:28I got an email from the city manager

03:30saying this is what he wanted to start

03:32and would I be interested in serving and

03:34we had just built a new house and I

03:36thought I might have some experience

03:38that I could contribute. So

03:41>> well my experience was I had been a part

03:43of uh the interfaith affordable housing

03:45initiative and also was on the uh board

03:47of adjustment for the city of Greensboro

03:49and had been involved in two other

03:51highly successful programs the

03:52Greensboro aquatic center and the

03:54Tanganger Center for the performing

03:55arts. So I I volunteered to be a part of

03:57this with uh city manager Trey Davis and

04:00uh he accepted and offered me the place

04:04on the task force.

04:06>> Yeah. And so you both have of course

04:07experience that you're bringing from a

04:09background to bring from it. What was it

04:11about this initiative though that you

04:13felt like yeah this is something I need

04:14to be a part of. I this is something we

04:16need to make happen.

04:18>> Well first of all it's Greensboro. It's

04:20home. Okay. And like you said in your

04:24intro, there are so many companies

04:28coming in for economic development that

04:30Greensboro has always been welcoming and

04:33if this is a need then we need to find a

04:36way to help address it so more people

04:38will come and be part of the Greensboro

04:41community.

04:43>> Yeah. What I found I couple years ago I

04:46was I was getting ready to retire but I

04:48found I couple years ago I was I was

04:51getting ready to retire from my

04:52full-time job and I I was looking for

04:53places to volunteer. I already was

04:55volunteering in some but I as I saw um

04:58former mayor Vaughn and also um at a at

05:02one of our Rotary meetings and I asked

05:04her what's the biggest need in

05:05Greensboro now and she said housing. And

05:07then I I saw Brian Han who leads urban

05:10ministry and I asked him the same

05:11question and he said housing. I said,

05:13"Well, it looks like housing is where

05:14the most needed help is needed, so

05:16that's why I volunteered."

05:18>> Yeah. Okay. So, let's talk about um

05:19you've been out it's not not quite a

05:20year really at this task force, and I

05:22know um you initially started really

05:24with trying to get a mission and a

05:26vision, and that was a lot of work. You

05:27want to tell us about that?

05:29>> Yeah,

05:29>> go ahead. You you could start that one.

05:32>> Yeah, we did spend a lot of time on it.

05:34Um, you know, the planning department,

05:36the city already has planning staff that

05:38are that have been doing this and they

05:40have a couple of uh thing documents, the

05:442040 plan, uh, they have a housing

05:46initiative, they have, you know, things

05:48that they've already thought this

05:50through pretty well and it's we

05:51discovered that there's a lot of work

05:53that's gone into this already. But what

05:55I think this really did was and Trey

05:58Davis recognized this is it put a focus

06:00on the need for the housing. it

06:02everybody started talking about that the

06:04road to 10,000 became a common thing

06:06that people said as they talked about

06:08housing. So I think it really put a a

06:11focus on the need for additional housing

06:14because of the the economics things that

06:16are happening in Greensboro.

06:17>> Yeah. And it's important to note not

06:18just one kind of house different people

06:20looking for different things. Right.

06:22>> That's right.

06:23>> And that was a good goodly part of our

06:26discussion in that is people came in and

06:29said oh we're going to do affordable

06:30housing. Well, a the definition of

06:32affordable housing started out very

06:34positive, but unfortunately it's evolved

06:37into inexpensive, cheap housing and that

06:40I don't think the group was looking for

06:42that for Greensboro. And so we spent a

06:46goodly amount of one or two meetings

06:48talking about what kind of housing do we

06:50want? And and you've got the CEO of

06:54Wolfspeed, you've got middle level

06:55managers at the airport, you've got

06:57young graduates. So we recognized that

07:00we needed to have a broad approach to

07:04bringing housing to Greensboro.

07:06>> Yeah. Something kind of for all those

07:08groups. Yeah.

07:08>> Right. And they did say the mission

07:10statement if you read it will say it

07:12deals with all different housing levels,

07:15various levels of affordability.

07:16>> Yeah. I think it is suitable housing.

07:18Yeah. Suitable housing. Yeah.

07:20>> Correct.

07:20>> Yeah. Um, so, so Cheryl, I know that you

07:23have kind of three things that you've

07:24been really focusing on and so I want to

07:26give you a chance to kind of share those

07:27that that you really believe could make

07:29a difference and could move things

07:30along.

07:30>> Well, there are three things. The first

07:32is

07:34the redevelopment commission has 20

07:36pieces of property. And if somebody

07:38wants to buy it, it needs to be approved

07:40by the city council, which is a lengthy

07:42process. And so my suggestion is that

07:45the city council pass a local ordinance

07:48which gives the city manager the

07:50opportunity to sign off on those pieces

07:54of land. That um uh authority goes up to

07:58300,000 for the city manager. And so

08:01that to me makes it quicker because

08:03you're excited. You you want to go. The

08:05second is GTCC has construction programs

08:10for electricity, for plumbing, and so is

08:13there a way that the city could donate

08:16two of those pieces of land to GTCC

08:20so their students have a place to build

08:22some housing with the condition that

08:24they have two houses built in three

08:26years. The third thing is we've been

08:28told that the remaining pieces are not

08:31necessarily buildable. And so I would

08:34ask the city council to consider $10,000

08:38per property to come in and make the

08:41lots um builder ready. So those are the

08:46those are three things that I think

08:47might be able to help move the process

08:50along a little more quickly.

08:53>> If I could build on that, there's a

08:55something called pre-approved plans that

08:57uh is an addition to that. So, if if you

09:00say, "Okay, you want to build a forplex,

09:03here is a pre-approved plan." You don't

09:05have to go through all of the process

09:06that you normally would if you have a

09:08new set of plans. Yeah.

09:09>> They're already approved and and the uh

09:12>> the builder can go ahead and build it

09:14without having to go through five or six

09:16of the other steps. So, they can get it

09:18done faster and less expensive.

09:19>> Yeah. And and you're already seeing some

09:21success with even just this bit of work.

09:22I mean and and keeping there's a tally

09:24you can follow it online but but over a

09:27thousand houses built more than 200 um

09:30in construction or having been built at

09:32this point. So so it's it's working.

09:35What do what do you think what would you

09:37like people to know about the the work

09:39that that not only this task force but

09:41of course it spreads throughout the city

09:42and there there others who are many who

09:44are very involved in making it happen.

09:46What would you like the community to

09:47know about that work and what you're

09:48doing?

09:49Um I think uh it's important to know

09:52that and Sue Schwarz has been very good

09:55about educating us about this is that

09:58>> the average household in Greensboro is

10:00not you know husband wife and three

10:02children.

10:03>> The average household in Greensboro is

10:05less than two people.

10:06>> So there's a lot of single household. So

10:08the so the desire for the the

10:10traditional R3 house, you know, that

10:13means three houses per acre. that is

10:17probably an an a less popular less

10:20needed kind of a zoning restriction. So

10:23So now there are also these terms called

10:25missing middle. So you have, you know,

10:27you have apartments and downtown living

10:29and you have suburban um single family

10:32housing, but the missing middle is kind

10:34of in between the town homes, the

10:37forplexes, that that sort of thing is is

10:39an area that Greensboro wants to

10:41emphasize, the planning department wants

10:43to emphasize. And also she als this was

10:46interesting to me and I didn't know is

10:48that she said Greensboro and Raleigh are

10:51about the same size for square miles but

10:54Greensboro has almost 200,000 fewer

10:57people. So where that really makes a

11:00difference is in the tax revenue that

11:01the city of Greensboro gets from

11:02property tax. So for the same amount of

11:04land Raleigh is getting a lot more

11:06property tax than Greensboro is. So that

11:08the R3 is a u something that has to be

11:12rethought and and it um and I think the

11:14city is rethinking that.

11:17>> How can others get involved? Where do

11:19you see a need I mean already on your

11:21task force that for others to plug in?

11:24>> Well, I think having the city and those

11:27of us on the committee reach out to the

11:30builder community and say, "Hey, we

11:33would like your participation. We need

11:35your participation.

11:37What are the things that you are seeing

11:39that limit your ability to move forward

11:43quickly and let's see if there's a way

11:45we can bring some of those messages back

11:48and see if there's a way that the city

11:51can work on some of that. I know under

11:52Sue Schwarz area they have made great

11:54strides in reducing the amount of time

11:57it takes to get the permits and so let's

12:01see if there are other areas that we

12:03could do that too. Yeah, it was like

12:05you're setting up our next segment that

12:06we're going to talk with right after

12:08after we take a commercial break. But

12:10before we get to that, let me ask you to

12:11look out a bit.

12:12>> Think about 2030. What do you see

12:14happening or what do you hope will

12:16happen?

12:17>> I hope to see uh more infill, a lot more

12:20people living in where it's car

12:22optional, where they can walk to grocery

12:24stores, where they can walk to to work.

12:26Uh, I think that that is what I I really

12:29see is more in Greensboro and I think

12:32that's the way that the population of

12:33Greensboro is evolving too because if

12:36you think about it the if we continue to

12:38build out further and further that makes

12:40more sprawl that that's less

12:42environmentally friendly than a more

12:44dense population inside the city limits

12:47because if you have to go cut down a

12:49bunch of trees and build new roads, new

12:52um water and sewer and all that, uh it

12:55and then people have to drive a lot

12:57more. That's less environmentally

12:58friendly than putting um housing where

13:02the infrastructure already exists. The

13:04roads and the sewers are already there

13:06and people don't have to drive as far.

13:07So that's and the bus lines are already

13:09there. So that that is a an area that I

13:11think would really helps on multiple

13:13multiple levels. Mhm.

13:15>> I think one of the issues that I would

13:17like to see us overcome is within the

13:21existing neighborhoods where there are

13:22these pieces of land, the residents have

13:26made it very clear they're concerned

13:28that some big apartment building is

13:31going to come in right next door to the

13:34home where, you know, mom and dad and

13:36now the kids are growing up. And that is

13:39a tough one to kind of figure out how to

13:42do. And I'm hoping over this period of

13:46time we can find a way that people will

13:50feel more comfortable

13:53with us providing some more infill.

13:56We've not as a committee we've not

13:58talked to the transportation people to

14:01make sure that we've got buses that will

14:04get people to work or to school. And so,

14:07um, we've got a couple more things to

14:09do, but I think we will get there by

14:13then.

14:14>> I love it. I love it. Well, thank you.

14:16Thanks for giving your time to be part

14:17of this. You're volunteers. You're

14:18helping to make it happen for the city

14:19of Greensboro and um and we just can use

14:23more of you, just make doubles of you so

14:25to make it happen. We

14:26>> thank you for highlighting this

14:27important issue.

14:28>> Yes, absolutely. Thank you.

14:30>> Hey, and really keep up with this road

14:32to 10,000 online. You can go to

14:33greensboro-N.gov.

14:35Just search road to 10K. And when we

14:38come back, as Cheryl set up for us,

14:40we're going to talk builders and find

14:41out more about their um thoughts [music]

14:43about the road to 10K.

15:00Welcome back to Gate City Insider. Today

15:02is all about housing, specifically the

15:05road to building 10,000 new homes in

15:08Greensboro by 2030. Well, these two men

15:11know exactly what it takes to make that

15:13happen. Will Erns, president of

15:14Granville Homes, and Bobby Funk,

15:16development director for Mills

15:17Construction. Welcome to you both. Glad

15:19to have you. So, how did you hear about

15:21and um how did you get involved with the

15:23road to 10,000?

15:25>> Yeah, so I I heard about it uh before it

15:27was announced that, you know, some some

15:29initiatives might be coming down the

15:30pipeline. Uh, so I was really excited

15:32that Greensboro was uh taking on this

15:35challenge of addressing the housing

15:36needs. Um, and when when they asked me

15:39to to serve on this committee and I got

15:41that email, I was really excited to to

15:43help shape the direction that that we're

15:45going with my uh experience building

15:48houses.

15:48>> Yeah.

15:49>> So, and and Bobby, your company's in

15:50Raleigh. And so, how did you get

15:52involved?

15:52>> That's right. Um we we first started

15:54looking at the housing needs here in

15:56Greensboro um probably six or seven

15:59years ago originally and saw that there

16:01was even at that time a significant need

16:03for new housing a lot a high ratio of uh

16:07what you could what we consider cost

16:09burden households. People who were

16:10spending a more of their income on

16:12housing relative to the rest of their

16:15their um their income. And we saw that

16:16the need was significant. And um so we

16:19started we started uh five six years ago

16:22started pursuing um bringing some

16:24affordable development to uh to town to

16:26supplement what's already been going

16:28been going on for a long time here.

16:29>> Yeah. So okay. So the big question is

16:31what does it take to really make this

16:33initiative come to fruition? 10,000 new

16:36homes. What what are some of the steps

16:39we need to do to make it happen?

16:41>> Well, it's a it's a one thing at a time

16:43process, right? You can't eat the whole

16:45sandwich in one bite. uh as I like to

16:47say. Um so with with a need that

16:49significant, you have to try to approach

16:51it from a variety of different angles,

16:54whether it be from the affordable space

16:56to the market rate space to the the

16:59workforce space. The need is across the

17:01spectrum of of incomes, uh housing

17:03types, uh locations across the the

17:06community. It's significant. So you need

17:08as many partners as you can uh all

17:10working uh towards the same goal to try

17:12to to build more stock.

17:15Yeah, I would agree with that and um and

17:18it's not a question of you know how it's

17:20how fast.

17:22>> So we we need to increase the ex the

17:25rate of which homes are being built in

17:28Greensboro and and we can do that with a

17:30lot of different ways that we're talking

17:32about and by building different types of

17:35houses across the spectrum. the, you

17:38know, from from single family houses to

17:40apartments and then what we call the

17:42missing middle and the in between, you

17:44know, so that's duplexes, triplexes,

17:46quadplexes, town homes, ADUs,

17:49um, all different housing types to to

17:53address the demand for for all of those

17:55the demographics.

17:56>> Yeah. I want to get your reaction to

17:58some the three things that Cheryl talked

18:00about u having to do with these these

18:02parcels of land that um the city has.

18:04So, any thoughts on kind of those

18:06things?

18:07Uh yeah, I mean any any uh any help the

18:10city can do to to to

18:13get the lots improved before a builder

18:16shows up is is going to help accelerate

18:18that that building process. And then

18:20also, you know, workforce development um

18:23for construction careers, partnering

18:24with GTCC and and and other other

18:28education places that that build that is

18:31only going to create more workers for uh

18:34to to address this need.

18:37Yeah, I mean I know that uh you know

18:39Mills Construction obviously saw an

18:41opportunity just in Greensboro and just

18:42in the need. So let's talk about

18:44specifically around this initiative.

18:46What other opportunities do you see for

18:48builders?

18:49Yeah, when you speak to the idea of the

18:52city getting involved with identifying

18:54parcels for development opportunities,

18:57um we would always advocate for, you

18:59know, communicating early in the process

19:01about what the what the vision might be

19:04even before it's ready for an RF RFP,

19:06potentially just getting some feedback

19:07from folks in development community

19:09saying what do you think this could be

19:11theoretically? Um so that you can have

19:14an open correspondence about things

19:16before uh things kind of get nailed into

19:18place about what the vision uh what what

19:20what the request would be to the

19:22development community uh in earnest.

19:25>> Challenges.

19:29>> There's there's lots of challenges. This

19:30is a uh this is a hard business and that

19:33that comes with a lot of risk. Um the I

19:36would say the biggest challenge is

19:37there's not enough buildable lots.

19:40Um, you know, you need you need a

19:41buildable lot to build a house. Um, and

19:45you know, that process is is challenging

19:48and and it's

19:51full of full of speed bumps along the

19:53way. Um, it's a developing land is a

19:55bespoke process. It's it's every piece

19:58of land is different. It requires

20:00different permits. It requires, you

20:02know, a different viewpoint every single

20:04time. So, it's not a rinse and repeat

20:07process. So any place in the process

20:10that can be streamlined improves

20:13everything. Um so the city is actually

20:17you know working on doing improving some

20:19of their parts of the process that they

20:22touch.

20:23>> Are are you finding some of the same

20:24things?

20:25>> Yeah I mean in terms of development re

20:27review of of projects that are in the

20:29pipeline um relative to other

20:31communities we work in in the state we

20:33found that the city of city has been

20:35very great to work with overall. Um the

20:37speed of of turning around proposals are

20:39pretty quick. Reviews are within a

20:42reasonable time frame. Um processes

20:44around zonings uh have a a pretty

20:47logical approach to um consideration and

20:51timelines and submittals and all the all

20:53the pieces associated with it. Um we've

20:55had a pretty positive experience um uh

20:57through that throughout the development

20:59review to permitting to construction to

21:01finishing out of construction and um um

21:04going through lease up on on new

21:06properties

21:06>> in addition to finding buildable lots

21:08because I I hear you on that. Are there

21:09other things that you think that that

21:11could really make a difference to speed

21:14up the rate? I mean you said you you

21:16know how to do it. You know how to do

21:17even if it's a bespoke process and you

21:18got to do it differently for each space.

21:20You you know that's what your business

21:21is. But are there things that could be

21:23put in place either by the city or or

21:25maybe someone else um who's listening or

21:27watching that could, you know, some kind

21:29of innovation that could help speed up

21:31the processes?

21:32>> Um I'll speak to the that development

21:35work that we do um through the

21:37affordable space through the tax credit

21:38program. It is just a long process from

21:42initial ideiation to breaking ground.

21:45the financing um mechanisms that we use,

21:48the reviews that are required through

21:49the sources of capital that we use just

21:51require a lot of time and a lot of

21:53uncertainty until you get to yes. Um so

21:57it it kind of is is inherent with the

22:00sources of capital that we are using to

22:03uh make affordable housing uh a reality

22:06here.

22:06>> Right. Right.

22:07>> And which would be the same for most

22:08other developers who who do this sort of

22:10work.

22:11I would say that the the city is doing a

22:14good job on promoting the the different

22:17types of housing and the infield

22:19developments. Um and and I think I we

22:23probably need to define infill

22:24development. Um and I I would say that

22:27that is a a piece of property in a

22:29community that hasn't been built to its

22:33highest and best use and it's surrounded

22:35by other properties that are already

22:37built to their highest and best use. So

22:39that could be a, you know, a twoacre lot

22:42with one single family house on it

22:44surrounded by several houses that are on

22:47a third of an acre. You could divide

22:49that two acre piece into six lots and

22:52have six houses. Um, or you could have

22:56duplexes there or triplexes. So

22:58encouraging those sort of houses to be

23:02built within the community is is is

23:06what's is one of the things that are

23:07needed.

23:08>> Yeah. and bringing I would say bringing

23:09the community along um with the with

23:12this idea and letting them be part of it

23:14because as I mean I think was mentioned

23:15previously that can sometimes be a hard

23:17sell some of these infill housing like

23:19is what's going to be built right next

23:20to me what's going to come to my

23:22neighborhood and and how can we be on

23:24the same page about working together to

23:26make it the highest and best use not

23:28just for that piece of land but for the

23:30community at large.

23:32>> That's right. Yeah, it's it's it's

23:33definitely a community process and

23:35working with the community is is very

23:37very important. Um so I would encourage

23:40the public to to have communication with

23:43builders and developers um about during

23:46the process.

23:47>> Yeah. Okay. So u more than 2700 homes

23:50completed or under construction as of

23:52right now in this process. The goal to

23:54get to 10,000 by 2030. Uh is it doable

23:58from your perspective?

24:02I I mean I it it is with enough uh

24:05political capital and um and it depends

24:08on on what the market can do. Frankly,

24:10to to some extent, it's it's a it's a

24:12question of how many developers are

24:13willing to to invest in Greensboro and

24:16how and how well the city is is looking

24:20to open open their arms towards new

24:22development. And as Will said, the the

24:24idea of redeveloping any space,

24:27especially in Greensboro, which is built

24:28out quite a bit within the city limits,

24:30uh making changes in existing spaces

24:32which might be viewed as potentially uh

24:36um underutilized to some extent can be

24:39challenging uh with with existing

24:41neighborhoods in place and and the

24:43disturbances that come along with

24:44construction and change that uh that

24:46many communities are not necessarily

24:48used to or excited about. Um, but the

24:50concept of of saying yes in my backyard

24:53is a very real thing that solves a very

24:55real problem um to to deal with the

24:59affordability crisis that we have, not

25:01just here in Greensboro, but across the

25:02whole state and the whole country. Um,

25:04that cost of living and cost of housing

25:06is such an enormous uh issue right now

25:09in particular uh relative to so many

25:11other things going on. Um, we think it's

25:14a it's a it's a priority that we believe

25:16that the city is uh I think believes in

25:20significantly and is worth uh worth

25:22putting the effort towards.

25:24>> I'll keep it short. I absolutely think

25:26we can get there.

25:27>> Okay.

25:27>> We're on the right track.

25:28>> I love it. Okay. So along those lines

25:30then um if people are curious you you

25:33can kind of talking about you know

25:34infill housing and and are there places

25:37that um that people should look to see

25:39where it is it's working and it's making

25:41a difference.

25:43>> Um I would say uh yeah there's se

25:45there's several places around town that

25:47that it works. I have one project that's

25:50across the street from friendly center

25:52that is you know we took bought one

25:54house and then we're putting 23 town

25:56homes on it. Um, so that's a good infill

26:00project. Um,

26:02so yeah,

26:03>> and when you when you work with people,

26:05I mean, so you know, and you know,

26:07that's a very desirable place to live

26:09near Friendly Center. It's a very

26:10popular place. It's walkable. You could

26:12walk to work, you can walk to shopping,

26:14you can walk to entertainment. Um, and

26:16you and you put people in those homes. I

26:19know that's not, you know, you're

26:20building them, so you're not not always

26:22seeing that, but but you hear the

26:24stories, you know. Can you give us some

26:26example of what that's like to know that

26:27you have you have made those connection

26:29points for people and and changed some

26:31lives in that way?

26:32>> Well, I would say that that is, you

26:34know, when somebody chooses to to live

26:36in a location like that, they're they're

26:38investing in their lifestyle and and

26:41they they know they're going to be able

26:42to to walk to things. They're not going

26:44to have to drive their car as much. Um

26:46they're going to be able to to walk to

26:48restaurants and the movie theater. Um,

26:50so that's it's a it's a different

26:53lifestyle than than you that's centered

26:55around a car.

26:57>> And to to see to see to know that you've

27:00changed the community, what does that I

27:01mean, what does it mean to you as a as a

27:02developer, as a builder?

27:04>> Well, I'd say I mean, with our the the

27:06two projects that we uh that we're

27:08working on in Greensboro right now,

27:09Yantville Place and Antifil Place 2. Um,

27:12we we partnered with um Holy Spirit

27:14Episcopal Church, which is one of our

27:16neighbors, which we met during some

27:18initial community outreach. uh before we

27:20started on the first phase of the

27:21project. Um and we found that our our

27:25missions were very aligned with the need

27:27for housing and the desire to build more

27:29housing. And we uh built a great

27:31partnership with uh with the folks at

27:33that church that um that they they got

27:36on board. And so the idea of meeting the

27:39needs of of housing, especially for for

27:41lower income uh households, which

27:44proportionately spend far more on their

27:46on their housing than uh folks at the

27:48higher income range, uh the need was

27:51enormous. And and when I I'll tell you

27:54that when we when we opened the first

27:56phase for for leasing, uh which was 84

27:58units, we had a thousand applicants.

28:00Wow.

28:01>> Within I think the first few days of of

28:03applications. that speaks to just how

28:06enormous the need is that we're talking

28:07about here. Um, and the need has not

28:10gone down that the property leased up

28:12and we believe that the the need is is

28:14still there and still strong for for

28:16more housing of of all of all sorts of

28:18income types.

28:19>> Yeah, it's what it's what we must do

28:21really to to to keep growing and to and

28:24to be the Greensboro that we want to be.

28:25That's for sure. Well, thank you. Thanks

28:27for your your insight. Thank you for all

28:29you're doing to help us grow and to

28:31provide um housing along the way. We

28:34appreciate you. And again, you can keep

28:36up with the road to 10,000 online,

28:38greensboro-nc.gov.

28:40Just search road to 10k. And when we

28:44come back, the home buyers perspective.

28:46[music] Stay with us.

29:0310,000 new homes by 2030. That is the

29:07goal of the road to 10,000. And today

29:09we're exploring that initiative in

29:11detail and the people who will be most

29:13impacted. Von Patrick is a new

29:15homeowner. Hillary Meredith is realtor

29:17in Greensboro. Welcome to you both.

29:19>> So glad to have you here. Von, I wanted

29:21you to start with you. You work for the

29:23city of Greensboro. You work in the

29:24planning department. So, uh, you've

29:26heard about this initiative. I know. Um,

29:29but you didn't really expect to be a new

29:32homeowner.

29:33>> No.

29:34>> Um, so tell us kind of give us your

29:36story.

29:37>> Well, I was renting and I lived in this

29:40house for 12 to 13 years and just like

29:44my landlord had called me and said, "I

29:46want to come out and talk to you." Uh,

29:48and she came out and

29:51she devastated me at the last minute. It

29:53was in March

29:56and she told me, she said, "I'm not

29:59going to rent you the house anymore."

30:01She said, "I want you out by May 1st."

30:06>> And I was devastated. And I said, "Well,

30:09you know, it's hard to find rental

30:11property." She said, "I know that, but

30:14family come first and my niece need a

30:15place to stay." M

30:17>> so from that time on when she left I

30:22started packing then I start packing and

30:26then I start looking for places and it

30:29was so hard because every time you try

30:33to get a rental property they run your

30:35credit so they pull your credit score

30:37down. So I have a friend Sheila Syler

30:40who's a relative in Greensboro uh she

30:43said we going to buy a house. I said,

30:45"I'm too old to buy a house. I can't buy

30:47a house." And she said, "Baby girl,

30:49you're not too old. We gonna get your

30:52house." So, my journey started. She met

30:55with me, told me to write down

30:57everything, everybody I owed. She

30:59blessed me out cuz I owed everybody in

31:01Greensboro. But she told me how to get

31:04my credit and get my credit score up.

31:08And then we started looking for houses.

31:10In a million years, I never did thought

31:12I'd own a house. But today

31:15>> But today I am a homeowner.

31:17>> You're a homeowner. A first time home

31:18owner.

31:19>> First time home owner.

31:20>> Congrat.

31:20>> And I love it.

31:21>> And you love it. Congrat. Is this story

31:23surprising at all to you, Hillary?

31:25>> No. No. I think it's it's very common to

31:27have um people that are forced out of

31:30their current home and having to whether

31:32they rent or for some other reason and

31:35having to kind of pivot very quickly to

31:38to find uh a manageable living

31:40situation. And you know, with with with

31:43rents and prices of everything kind of

31:45going up, if you've been somewhere for

31:4712 years, I'm sure you had a very nice,

31:49reasonable rental rate and to get

31:51something similar probably would have

31:53doubled what what you were paying. So,

31:56um, and I think there's also a lot to be

31:58said about like it doesn't matter what

32:01age you are. There are a lot of people

32:02that can be first-time home buyers in

32:03their 20s, in their 50s, in their 60s.

32:05Like there's there's no age limit on

32:07when you can be a first-time home buyer.

32:09>> Yeah. And and we're talking about home

32:11buying, but I mean really this

32:12initiative is about more homes and so

32:14whether to buy or to rent or to what

32:16whatever it might be. And and you you

32:19got in some ways got very lucky because

32:21you this process happened pretty quickly

32:23for you.

32:23>> Yes, it did. Cuz I had to be out by June

32:251st.

32:26>> Yeah. And some people look years trying

32:28to find the right home. Um and and as a

32:30community, we can't let that happen. We

32:32have to have more homes to make that

32:33happen. So, what are some of the

32:35challenges that you see homeowners uh

32:37home buyers looking for or or anyone

32:39looking to

32:40>> Yeah, I think I think to the point of

32:43like the road to 10,000, I think

32:44inventory is a huge part of it, right?

32:47And we're talking about affordable

32:50housing. We're talking apartments. We're

32:52talking condos, town homes, homes over a

32:55million dollars. Like, in in Greensboro

32:57and Guilford County, we need a lot of

32:59it. Um, we needed there's so much

33:01economic development. there's so many

33:02people coming here and growth here. And

33:05I think also just homes that are

33:08livable. So, a lot of times the people I

33:12feel like kind of if you're under 250 in

33:14your price point, it's it's very hard to

33:16find kind of a really nice ready home.

33:19Like you got to be ready to probably do

33:21a little work. It's going to need some

33:23upgrades. It's going to need some

33:24things. So, there are a lot of programs

33:26out there that help at least in that

33:28price point. But I do think it's just

33:31kind of the inventory and making sure

33:34that the homes are in good shape. Um,

33:37and that you know there aren't any big

33:39major issues in a home. And that can

33:41happen at any price point. And that's

33:43where I think having an agent on your

33:46side that helps you through the process,

33:50bringing their knowledge to the table as

33:52well as helping with the emotional

33:53process of it because it's the biggest

33:55purchase most people ever make, right?

33:57Um, so to kind of guide you through that

34:00process and that's also why like the um

34:03the down payment assistance program with

34:05Greensboro, you have to have an agent if

34:07you're buying a home and utilizing that

34:09program because they understand that you

34:11need that help and guidance to make sure

34:13you're making a good choice and a good

34:14decision.

34:15>> Yeah. I mean, would you have even known

34:16where to look for help without without a

34:18little help?

34:19>> And I wouldn't have known

34:20>> and what you could afford.

34:22>> What I could afford. I didn't even know

34:24the process.

34:24>> Yeah. But she was silent. She would

34:27always say, "Baby girl, we [laughter]

34:29going to get through this." And we did.

34:32And she did. And I had to go through the

34:35North Carolina Housing Finance Agency

34:37out of Raleigh, which was a good program

34:39that I went through. And I tell any and

34:42everybody, "Go for it."

34:43>> Yeah.

34:44>> Yeah.

34:44>> Go for it.

34:45>> Yeah. and the full team that you know

34:47lender I mean there's so many people

34:49that are involved in the process

34:50>> nice and everybody was everybody was so

34:53nice because I had called the lender and

34:55said I'm not doing this I I don't want

34:57to I'll find me someplace to stay I'm

34:59not buying no house

35:00>> yeah it's [clears throat] scary right

35:01>> it was yeah it was scary

35:02>> it was scary

35:03>> I mean it's scary to not know where

35:04you're going to live and then to be

35:06thinking about taking on debt and to and

35:09and taking on the work of a house that

35:11you own a home that you own

35:12>> then one house that I picked And it

35:16wasn't the guy had didn't do me right.

35:20So I lost $1,700 on one house because I

35:24backed out of the process.

35:26>> But my friends all around said, "Don't

35:28worry about it. If you need the $1,700,

35:31I'll give you I'll give it to you." So,

35:33but we kept on going.

35:35>> Yeah. And not everybody has friends on

35:36their side that help them. And so again,

35:38that's why this this team is so

35:40important. Hillary, are are most of the

35:42people I mean like what percentage do

35:43you think are coming in new people from

35:45out of town who are looking for homes

35:46and what are just people kind of moving

35:48and shifting homes in Greensboro?

35:50>> I mean I would say probably maybe like I

35:55don't really know the stats, but if I

35:56had to think about like the clients and

35:59that I have and my team has, I would say

36:02maybe 30 to 40% are people moving here

36:05from other places. And then the rest are

36:07either people that have lived here,

36:09they're moving up, they're downsizing,

36:11they're doing that that kind of thing

36:13and moving around.

36:13>> So with an initiative like this, I mean,

36:15we were going to be building new homes

36:16in Greensboro no matter what, but to

36:18have the city pushing for this, how do

36:21you see that really impacting kind of

36:23the inventory issue? I think with the

36:26with the city behind it and wanting that

36:30to happen, I think it's going to filter

36:31into uh planning and zoning, permitting,

36:35easing that process a little bit. Like

36:37it needs to happen. Like I'm not saying

36:39no zoning, no permitting. That's crazy

36:41because then you have homes that are

36:43built that aren't um up to the standard

36:44they need to be. But I think um you've

36:47got builders that are going to want to

36:48come here because they know that that

36:50that there's a growth mindset um as far

36:52as building and um

36:55what do you get when you mix

36:57archaeology,

36:58STEM programs, hundreds of kids and

37:02thousands and thousands of Legos. You

37:04get the first Lego League North Carolina

37:07State Championship.

37:09>> Countdown. Three, two, one. Legos.

37:14Hinsley, what do you like about Legos?

37:16>> I enjoy I enjoy playing with them

37:18>> and it's really fun. Yeah. [music]

37:20>> Yeah. Savannah, what about you?

37:21>> I like building and that I can do

37:23anything I want with them.

37:25>> Yeah. So, what makes [music] you most

37:27proud when you do Legos?

37:29>> Legos. When I have a goal and I want to

37:32build it that I achieved that goal and

37:35build what it wants.

37:36>> What is Lego competition like, Hinsley?

37:38>> It's pretty fun. kind of nerve-wracking,

37:41but really, I mean, you just got to give

37:42it your all and uh do your best.

37:44>> What's it like working with a team on a

37:47project?

37:48>> It's nice that you're not by yourself

37:49and you have other people to support

37:50you, and it's so many different ideas

37:52that you can combine and make into one

37:54big idea.

37:55>> All right, Savannah, what do you want to

37:57do when you grow up?

37:58>> I want to be a surgeon.

37:59>> Love it. How about you, Hensley?

38:01>> I want to be a professional soccer

38:02player.

38:03>> So, Corey, what is this that's happening

38:05here today?

38:06>> This is a wonderful event. So today you

38:08are at the North Carolina First Lego

38:11League Challenge State Championship

38:13where we have 66 teams from across the

38:16state who qualified to be here through

38:19qualification events that happened

38:21throughout the season.

38:23>> All right. So what did it take? I mean

38:24you said they had to qualify, but like

38:26before they even qualified, what were

38:27these teams doing? What have they been

38:29doing for years and years to actually

38:31end up in a place like this?

38:32>> Every season, First, Inc. first stands

38:35for for inspiration and recognition of

38:38science and technology global

38:41organization. It's a wonderful

38:43organization and what they do is they

38:46come up with a world problem the top 12

38:49or so 10 or 12 world problems that we

38:52have. they decide on one right and then

38:56across the globe they announce what the

38:58theme is according to that problem or

39:00challenge and then it's responsibility

39:02of the kids to come up with00

39:06>> um even though the key word is robotics

39:08right that's attraction they have to do

39:10research for first Lego League challenge

39:12they do community outreach community

39:14engagement and everything is focused on

39:17that one theme like for this year for

39:19instance it's archaeology [music]

39:21and how Can steam or automation and

39:24robotics help improve archaeology?

39:27>> Hello, we're the Darth Rappers and we're

39:29from Kerry, North Carolina.

39:30>> All right, what grades do we have

39:32represented here?

39:33>> We are all in eighth grade and

39:38>> I'm in fifth grade.

39:39>> Fifth grade. Awesome. Okay, so tell me

39:42what brought you here today.

39:44>> Just a passion for STEM and learning new

39:48things.

39:49>> And tell me about the problem you're

39:50trying to solve. We're trying to solve

39:52the problem because archaeologists spend

39:54ages excavating sites and where like the

39:57artifacts and all the buried walls are

39:59just in one singular spark. But in order

40:01to solve this, they need highcost

40:04technology which they can't afford due

40:06to low funding. So our solution is a

40:09lowcost multisspectral camera which will

40:11help them see the unseen so they'll know

40:13where to dig before they even start.

40:15>> Wow. Okay. What do you like about this

40:17project? What do you like about the

40:18first Lego League? Um, we like that it

40:21makes such an impact on archaeologists

40:23because many of the people that we

40:24interviewed said this would really help

40:26them.

40:26>> All right, I'm going to go down the

40:27line. I want you each to tell me what

40:29you hope to do when you grow up. Oh,

40:31we're growing here. We're growing.

40:32That's good. All right. What do you want

40:33to be when you grow up? What do you hope

40:34to do?

40:35>> I hope to be like a marine biologist or

40:38something.

40:38>> I hope to be an engineer,

40:40>> pilot, computer scientist.

40:43>> An engineer and make a big impact on the

40:45world.

40:45>> A lawyer.

40:47>> Engineer. a pediatrician,

40:50>> an aerospace engineer who that works for

40:52NASA.

40:53>> That works for NASA. Wow.

40:55>> The kids grow internally. It's not just

40:59learning the technical aspects of first.

41:03It's learning how to interact with each

41:05other, how to communicate with each

41:07other, how to understand that if they

41:10have a challenge when they're [music]

41:13trying to program their robot, trying to

41:15build their robot, complete their

41:17research, learn from that challenge,

41:19which they do. And then the next time

41:21that challenge appears, they already

41:23know, say, "Wait a minute. I I'm I'm

41:25familiar with this, so we'll take a

41:27different route." And it's so amazing to

41:30see the kids educate themselves and grow

41:33as a person.

41:34>> Nathan, when did you do your first Lego

41:36set?

41:37>> Um, oh gosh, my first Lego set was I was

41:40little. Um, probably around five or six

41:43was I got some one of the little ones,

41:45like tiny pieces.

41:47>> What did you love about it?

41:48>> Just getting to build something that

41:50like I could hold and like create, like

41:52something I could play with that I also

41:54made, and that was just something really

41:55cool to me. what kept you doing it all

41:57the way to high school now.

41:58>> It's just the fun of building something.

42:00It keeps the inner like child and

42:02imagination to me alive.

42:03>> Yeah, there's one thing to build

42:04something, you know, with like in a

42:05holiday set you get or something, but

42:06then to come to competition is a whole

42:08new level. Tell us about that. Um, it is

42:10a whole new level, but it's it's

42:12wonderful just getting to, I guess,

42:15apply like the kids stuff of building

42:18those Legos and like doing things I did

42:20as a kid, but also being able to do that

42:22forward and moving that into a field of

42:24like a future career that I might be

42:26interested in like engineering. That's

42:28very it's a very interesting thing to

42:29me.

42:30>> So, do you want to be an engineer?

42:31>> Yeah. Um, my future hope is to go into

42:35biomedical engineering when I'm older.

42:37But

42:37>> you're going to change the world, right?

42:39>> Yeah. Hopefully.

42:40>> So, the opportunity came to come back to

42:42ENT and come to a tournament because

42:44they said there's this opportunity to

42:46get involved with K through2 education,

42:49steam education. So, I came to a first

42:51Lego League Challenge tournament, saw

42:54the smiles and excitement on the kids'

42:56faces. That's all it took. I said, "What

42:58is this?" Growing up where where I came

43:00from, I did not have in my middle school

43:02or high school, I had none of this.

43:04>> So, what are these kids going to do one

43:06day? What do you think? Where are they

43:07going? Where will you see them one day?

43:09is already innovators. You can tell you

43:12see the growth in them uh from when

43:14they're participating in first Lego

43:17League when they're young to when they

43:18get to even first robotics competition,

43:21first tech challenge when they graduate

43:23high school and they go to college. The

43:25[music] last three years I had people

43:27coming to my office um students and

43:31saying Dr. Bennett. I was like okay who

43:33are you right? and they tell me their

43:36name and I'm like, "Wait a minute, you

43:37was on this team

43:40that that many years ago." And and it's

43:42so exciting that they get involved in

43:44steam and undergraduate degrees and

43:47master degrees and PhD degrees in part

43:49because they was a participant in the

43:52first programs.

43:53>> Get your build on. Find out more about

43:55the First Lego League by searching them

43:58online. First Lego League NC.

44:04Welcome to Strike and Flame, [music]

44:06Greensboro's first candle bar. Come here

44:09for a date night, a girls night, or just

44:12for a little you time and [music] make

44:14your very own scent. Tiffany, what do

44:17you like about candles?

44:20I just love fragrance in general. You

44:23know, [music] the fact that fragrance

44:25creates a memory. So, it's like if you

44:27go somewhere, you know, it kind of hits

44:29you in the face [music] and you're like,

44:31"Oh, I it it can take you back. It's

44:32nostalgic." That's kind of what I love

44:34about fragrances.

44:35>> Yeah, you're so right. Do Do you have

44:37like a [music] favorite scent or

44:38something that like you connect with a

44:40memory of childhood or something?

44:42>> Um I actually think I do. Um it's always

44:46like snicker doodle for me. Um or

44:48anything sweet. It just kind of reminds

44:50me of my [music] grandma being in the

44:51kitchen and making pie and things like

44:53that. So it takes me back.

44:55>> And did you have candles [music] around

44:56the house growing up?

44:57>> Absolutely. We always had a candle. But

44:59our candles then looked a little

45:01different. They were not like in a

45:02vessel. They were just kind of like the

45:04boat of candles, the tall ones that

45:06stood alone. So those were all the

45:07candles that but I don't know, I fell in

45:09love with them. And also [music] like

45:11blowing out a candle and birthdays

45:14>> birthdays and I feel like when I was a

45:16kid, we [music] would always fight over

45:17who got to blow out the candle, right?

45:19>> Yes. Yes. That takes you back.

45:20>> When did you make your first candle?

45:22[music]

45:22>> So I made my first candle in 2014. It

45:25was kind of personal for me. Um I burnt

45:27candles all the time. I always burnt a

45:29Bath and [music] Body Works candle. Um,

45:31and then one day I was changing out a

45:32filter. The filter was extremely dirty.

45:34[music] And that got me to thinking cuz

45:36I'm like, why is this so dirty? I know

45:37that I just moved here not too long ago.

45:39What's going on with this filter?

45:40[music] And um, I did a little research

45:42and regular candles are paraffin.

45:45Paraffin is derived from petroleum. So

45:47essentially, it feels like you're just

45:49breathing in gasoline. And at that time

45:51in 2014, my son was small and I was

45:53health conscious. And [music] I was

45:55like, I love candles. So what how can I

45:58not give this up? So, I started doing a

45:59little research on what type of candles

46:02um what type of candle wax I could find

46:05and I found soy wax and you could not

46:07purchase like soy wax candles in 2014,

46:10but I ended up finding a company that

46:12allowed me to make it. They were like,

46:13[music] "We can sell you the wax, but

46:15you're going to have to make a candle."

46:17So, that's how it started.

46:18>> Wow. Okay. And then how did it turn into

46:20a business? So, it was literally my

46:23hobby. A hobby that turned into a

46:25business. I had no plans on [music]

46:27ever becoming a business owner. I don't

46:29even have a background in business, you

46:31know, that wasn't my dream at the time,

46:32[music] but just my hobby, my love for

46:35candles. My family loved the candles

46:37that I was making. I was really

46:38practicing and everyone loved them. I

46:41would give them out as gifts for the

46:42holidays, birthdays, [music] and

46:44everybody's like, "This is really good.

46:46Like, where did you get this candle?"

46:47And I'm like, "I made it." So

46:49eventually, [music] um, it just kind of

46:51turned into a business around 2018. And

46:53now you help other people do it for fun.

46:55>> I do. I do. I bring this experience to

46:57other people so they can just enjoy it.

46:59And it's not [music] about just candles

47:01or purchasing a candle. It's about

47:02creating an experience.

47:04>> Okay. We're going to create a little

47:04experience. Let's come over here because

47:06you have picked out some of the most

47:07popular scents. And what are they?

47:09>> So we have sage and rosemary which is

47:11going to give you a little bit of

47:12earthiness. [music] And then in the

47:14middle we have amber musk and then we

47:16have lemon on the end. So a little

47:18citrus. The lemon is a neutralizer and

47:20amber mus is just the all-time [music]

47:21favorite. So when you come in, if you

47:23want to create your own candle, you can

47:24pick up to three scents, right?

47:26>> Correct. So we want you at the wall. And

47:28at the wall, you're going to really pick

47:29out nine because we want you to narrow

47:32them down. We're going to help you. We

47:33actually have scent specialists here who

47:35are just going to kind of guide you

47:36through the experience. You're going to

47:37mix and match because things [music]

47:39that you typically would think go

47:40together probably will not. So we want

47:43you to go through your clipboard and

47:45just kind of plan out what it's going to

47:46go.

47:47>> Okay. So we picked these three. And now

47:50what's next? So, what do we do next?

47:51>> All right. So, next you're just going to

47:53line those up inside of your tray and

47:56you're going to start to fill up the

47:57with [music] those three

47:58fragrances. We're just going to start

48:00with my favorite. My favorite is

48:02rosemary. So, I'm just going to fill my

48:03up. Yes. Fill my up

48:06halfway with the rosemary cuz I want

48:08that to be my base.

48:12All right. And then we're going to kind

48:14of come in with the amber musk and the

48:15lemon. All right. Can you smell it? All

48:18right. So, just give that a little mix.

48:22>> Are these oils?

48:23>> Yes, they are fragrance oils. Synthetic

48:25fragrance oils that are phalate free.

48:28So, there are no harmful chemicals in

48:30them. So, we're going to go ahead and

48:32come in with a little amber musk. And

48:34since rosemary is my favorite, I'm just

48:35going to top it off with rosemary. All

48:37right. So, now we're

48:40mix.

48:42>> All right. Love it.

48:43>> What's next? So, next we're going to go

48:46pick out our vessel that we want to

48:47create the candle in. We're over here at

48:49Vessel Valley. Vessel Valley is where

48:51you get to choose what matches your

48:53personality or your home decor. So,

48:56we're just going to go with clear today.

48:57Okay.

48:58>> All right.

49:00So, we're just going to fill up.

49:04>> All right. We have [music] the wax.

49:06>> All right. So, now we're just going to

49:07pour our new mixture into our hot wax.

49:10I'm going to go quickly. Quick little

49:12dump. Right. We're just going to give

49:14this a little stir.

49:18All right. So, now we're going to grab

49:19our vessel and we're just going to start

49:21to do a [music] slow pour into the

49:22vessel. Okay.

49:28And we like to go slow so that we don't

49:30create any air bubbles or sink holes in

49:32the wax. We always want our candles to

49:34burn evenly

49:36straight [music] across so you can get

49:37the most of your wax.

49:43Okay. So, what do we do about the wicks?

49:45So, we have a little gadget that is

49:47going to [music] stand the wicks up for

49:48us. All right. So, now we're just going

49:50to place our wigs through the two outer

49:51holes on here and lock them in.

49:56And we're going to let this cureate for

49:572 hours.

49:59>> And then it's ready to go.

50:00>> Mhm. Yes. You can take it home. We have

50:02a new personalized candle that is a

50:04one-ofa-kind [music] scent that is

50:06created by you.

50:06>> You can even name it, right?

50:07>> You can even name it. Yes, that's the

50:10most fun part. So much fun. Okay. So, do

50:12people come in individually [music] as

50:14parties? Like, what do you do here? We

50:16do it all. Some days you have people who

50:18come in who want to do a self-care day.

50:20They just want to kind of get away and

50:22get out, but then we also have the team

50:24building experiences where companies

50:26want to come in and give back to their

50:28employees. So, it's a team a time for

50:30bonding. Um, it's a good date night. My

50:33favorite part is seeing some of our

50:35customers come in. Like, let's say we'll

50:37have the younger crowd come in and

50:39they'll do it with their friends, but

50:41then two weeks later I'll see that same

50:43person come in, but now it's with their

50:45grandmother. So, it's like it's perfect

50:47for everyone. It's just a good time. All

50:50right. Once you get it home, any tips

50:51for burning the candles?

50:53>> Absolutely. So, we always suggest that

50:56you burn your candles um no longer than

50:584 hours. you know, 4 hour increments.

51:01And after you've burnt this wig, [music]

51:04we all know what that looks like. It's

51:05kind of a burnt and a charred wig. What

51:08you want to do is always trim that

51:09little part down. Trim it down to about

51:11a/4 of an inch before you relight it cuz

51:14that's going to um help with the

51:16longevity of the candle. It keeps the

51:18temperature low and you're going to get

51:19the most out of your investment. Strike

51:22and Flame Candle Bar is in Londell

51:24Shopping Center [music] in Greensboro.

51:26You can find them online and make an

51:28appointment by going to strikeflame.com.

51:30[music]

51:31And definitely you're going to want to

51:32follow them on social media at

51:34strikeflame candles.

51:40Greensboro just can't get enough of

51:42Broadway. The First Bank Broadway series

51:44is [music] back for a record fifth

51:46season, bringing with it seven fabulous

51:49shows.

51:52Heat. Heat.

52:05Heat.

52:16[music]

52:22Heat.

52:28Heat.

52:30[music]

52:36Heat.

53:08Heat. Heat.

53:41Adam [music] 5 years First Bank has been

53:43doing this. What makes it just such a

53:46good partnership and something you want

53:47to keep doing?

53:48>> Oh, it's just been such a great

53:49experience for four or five years. It's

53:51hard to believe that it's been that

53:53long, but it's so rewarding to see it

53:55become kind of the fabric of our

53:57community uh here at the First Bank

53:59Broadway Series.

54:00>> Why do you think it is? Why do you think

54:02people keep coming back and this is

54:03something they just yearn for? I mean,

54:05this event, the announcement just gets

54:06bigger and bigger every year,

54:07>> right? It's I I think it's just part of

54:09the community and what people we've

54:11given them a great product and and the

54:13community has proven that they they love

54:15something that's fun that that everybody

54:17around here can get involved in.

54:19>> What is the feeling you get when [music]

54:21you come to a Broadway show in your

54:24hometown?

54:24>> Just a lot of pride. I I am so proud of

54:27our company [music] and our community

54:29for bringing this here to Greensboro. Um

54:31it so I'd say a lot of pride.

54:33>> Ed, do you have a favorite or something

54:34you're [music] looking forward to in

54:36this next season? Uh, I'm probably

54:37looking forward to Buena Vista Social

54:39Club the most. I think it'll be fun.

54:41It's different music and I look forward

54:43to seeing it.

54:44>> Yeah. And and you're a family guy and

54:46what I really like is that there's

54:47something for [music]

54:48different ages in this season to just

54:50about every season. We've had something

54:52for all ages.

54:52>> Yes. I know my kids and my wife will

54:54love coming to several of these shows

54:56and we'll all have a good time together.

54:58>> The Tanganger Center is a cornerstone of

55:00our city and our thriving art scene. It

55:04enriches our quality of life [music] and

55:07is part of what makes people want to

55:09live, work, and play in the city of

55:12Greensboro, North Carolina. [music]

55:14>> Can you believe, mayor, that it has been

55:165 years since we opened the Tanganger

55:19Center and began this Broadway [music]

55:20journey?

55:21>> I am so thrilled because I remember the

55:24day it was supposed to open in 2020, uh,

55:28CO shut us down. So, I am more than

55:31thrilled. We are at the 5-year mark.

55:33>> Can you believe just how popular it

55:36still is? I mean, [music] this is not

55:37something that is kind of going away and

55:39it this it's it's still very shiny and

55:41new.

55:41>> It's all like everything is continuing

55:44to evolve and there's new momentum. And

55:48I [music] mean, you can tell from the

55:49new Broadway shows, it's keeping

55:51everyone's interest. When you come to a

55:54show, what [music] kind of feeling do

55:55you get? because I think it's so much

55:57about the feeling when you sit in the

55:58theater and you turn everything off to

56:01watch a performance [music]

56:02>> and you kind I'm one of these I kind of

56:03look around and see the the generations

56:06that are in the house and I've been so

56:10pleased because you have everyone

56:11[music] from toddlers all the way up to

56:1480 90 year olds. So it kind of to me

56:17brings community together because

56:19everybody's interested in seeing the the

56:22next Broadway show or what's coming

56:23next. And I love the excitement that

56:25builds when we make these big

56:26announcements. What are your thoughts

56:28about next season? And do you have a

56:29particular one that you are so excited

56:31to see?

56:32>> I am. I really want to see all of them.

56:34Number one, I'll say that. But I think

56:37the one that piqued my interest the most

56:40is the one about Bobby Darren.

56:41>> Yeah.

56:42>> Cuz he was a heartthrobber back in the

56:44day. And uh you know, we used to watch

56:46him on the Ed Sullivan show and all of

56:49those things. And I am really really

56:51interested in hearing about his life

56:53story. Yeah. And [music] I mean,

56:54Jonathan Grath playing Mona Broadway.

56:57>> Yes.

56:57>> Yeah. He he's a star for the younger

56:59generation. So, I think that will bring

57:00in folks [music] to see the show just

57:02because of him.

57:03>> That's exactly right. So, you know,

57:04we've got some great hits coming, but

57:07you know, that is the one that piqu my

57:08interest.

57:09>> Yes. So, come downtown, come to a show.

57:11We'll see you there. Right.

57:12>> That's right. [music] Come to the

57:13Tanganger Center. All the shows will be

57:15here. Broadway series subscribers have

57:18the first opportunity to [music] buy

57:19tickets, but you can find out how to

57:21become a subscriber and buy individual

57:23tickets at tangercenter.com.

57:35>> Thank you.

57:40City Council, uh, I would like to ask

57:42for a motion to return to open session.

57:46Moved by Mr. Holston, seconded by Mr.

57:49Marshall. All in favor, please say I.

57:52>> We are back in open session, and I have

57:55a statement I would like to read.

57:59Earlier today, city council met in close

58:02session and discussed the performance of

58:04the city attorney.

58:06Council is pleased with her service to

58:09the city. At her own initiative, the

58:12city attorney has declined a merit

58:15increase for fiscal year 2026 2027.

58:19Council appreciates her leadership and

58:22her commitment to the city. Thank you,

58:24city attorney Laura Cubbage. Thank you.

58:36All right, we are in the Katie Dorset

58:37council chambers and let the re record

58:40I'm so sorry reflect that we do need to

58:45excuse council member uh Allen and Mayor

58:49Pro Tim Roth

58:51>> moved by Mr. Holston. Do I hear a

58:53second? Seconded by councilwoman

58:55Crawford. All in favor please say I.

58:58>> I.

58:59>> Thank you. Let us begin with a moment of

59:01silence please.

59:16>> Thank you. And please stand for the

59:18pledge of allegiance. Council member

59:20Black, would you lead us, please?

59:26>> To the flag of the United States of

59:28America. and to the for it stands one

59:33nation

59:35indivisible with liberty and justice for

59:38all.

59:42Thank you.

59:44Please silence any and all electronic

59:46devices. The city of Greensboro strongly

59:49encourages input from all residents. The

59:52council chambers serve as a welcoming

59:54and safe environment for all. The

59:57council rules of procedure and quorum

59:59are posted on the city website under the

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1:02:55All motions will be moved and seconded

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1:03:02covering items F1 through F44 consists

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1:03:39proceedings, a brief recess is

1:03:41anticipated around 7:30 p.m. We will

1:03:45move on to our ceremonial and

1:03:46presentation items. And we have item E1,

1:03:50resolution declaring the month of

1:03:52October 2026 as domestic violence

1:03:55awareness month. I will be reading this

1:03:58and I know that we have several people

1:04:00from the family justice center. If you

1:04:02would like to come and stand uh behind

1:04:04the p podium that would be great.

1:04:09>> Oops. I don't

1:04:21resolution declaring the month of

1:04:22October 2026 as domestic violence

1:04:25awareness month. Whereas during National

1:04:28Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we

1:04:30reaffirm our dedication to creating a

1:04:33culture of safety and hope in our

1:04:35community where no one suffers the hurt

1:04:38and hardship caused by domestic

1:04:40violence. And we recommmit to doing

1:04:42everything in our power to uphold the

1:04:45basic human right to live free from

1:04:47violence and abuse and recognize our

1:04:50shared responsibility in ending this

1:04:52pervasive problem. Whereas domestic

1:04:55violence impacts women, men, and

1:04:58children of every age, background, and

1:05:01belief, and is rooted in a pattern of

1:05:04power and control. Whereas physical

1:05:06marks and scars are often the most

1:05:08obvious sign of harm, however, the

1:05:11extent of the pain goes much deeper and

1:05:14can impact one's mental, physical, and

1:05:17financial health. Whereas the Guilford

1:05:20County Family Justice Center, FJC, is a

1:05:23beacon of light, coordinating essential

1:05:25services, including advocacy, law

1:05:28enforcement, social, medical, and legal

1:05:31services. whereas older adults are

1:05:34impacted at higher levels. And it is

1:05:37essential that we participate and

1:05:39support innovative collaborations like

1:05:41the FJC's Elder Justice Committee

1:05:44Coordinated Community Response.

1:05:47Whereas vulnerable children are impacted

1:05:49by domestic violence, we provide a safe

1:05:52place for children to grow and heal

1:05:55through the FJC's camping and mentoring

1:05:57program like Camp Hope that has served

1:06:00over 600 children in 10 years.

1:06:04Whereas in a community partnership, the

1:06:06FJC has successfully brought together 17

1:06:10agencies in one place to provide victims

1:06:13with easier access to comprehensive

1:06:16resources. This diverse and unique

1:06:18partnership provides hope and healing to

1:06:21victims of abuse and works diligently to

1:06:25hold offenders accountable.

1:06:28Whereas since the opening of the FJC on

1:06:30June 15, 2015, over 113,000

1:06:35residents have been served in the

1:06:37county. And on average, an individual

1:06:39works with five different organizations

1:06:42when visiting the FJC for the first

1:06:45time.

1:06:46Whereas by working together, getting

1:06:48involved, and through promoting

1:06:49awareness, we can restore hope, stop the

1:06:53violence, and make our community safer

1:06:55for everyone. And now therefore, be it

1:06:58resolved by the city council of the city

1:07:00of Greensboro that it does hereby

1:07:03declare the month of October 2026 as

1:07:06domestic violence awareness month and

1:07:09urges residents to increase their

1:07:11awareness and education of this

1:07:13destructive force, which deeply affects

1:07:16many families in our state and local

1:07:19community every year. And we want

1:07:21everyone to become part of the efforts

1:07:23to stop violence in families. this the

1:07:26sixth day of October 2026. And I would

1:07:29like to make that motion.

1:07:32>> Seconded by Councilwoman Thurm. Council,

1:07:34please vote.

1:08:03And that carries seven to zero. Thank

1:08:05you so much, council. And I will Sonia

1:08:08decide the the director of the family

1:08:11justice center.

1:08:13Thank you, madame mayor and members of

1:08:15city council.

1:08:17On behalf of the Guilford County Family

1:08:19Justice Center, thank you for

1:08:21recognizing October as domestic violence

1:08:24awareness month. Tonight, I brought some

1:08:27of some of the kindest, most dedicated

1:08:30people in the Family Justice Center

1:08:32partnership who work tirelessly every

1:08:36single day to protect survivors. I'm

1:08:40going to call each one of them out

1:08:41because they I mean, they're heroes in

1:08:44our community. Um, tonight we have Ebony

1:08:47Gillard, Jacqueline Smith, Pamela Bright

1:08:50from the Family Justice Center. We have

1:08:52attorney Margaret Dudley with Elon Legal

1:08:54Services. We have attorney Iris Sunshine

1:08:58and attorney Paige Gillard Children's

1:09:00Law Center. Brenda White and Latasha

1:09:03Adams. Uh, they are from our Voices

1:09:05Survivor Driven Committee. We have

1:09:08Melanie Garner and Alex Es Espatia from

1:09:12Kellen Foundation. We have detective

1:09:15detective Margot Mlan, Greensboro Police

1:09:18Department Family Victims Unit, and

1:09:20Charles Hinsley with Monotech Electronic

1:09:22Monitoring.

1:09:26This rec this recognition matters

1:09:28because domestic violence is not simply

1:09:31a crime that happens behind closed

1:09:33doors. Domestic violence is a major

1:09:37public safety issue. It impacts our

1:09:40schools, our workplaces, our health care

1:09:43system, and our criminal justice system.

1:09:47We believe that the health of any

1:09:49community begins with the health and

1:09:52safety of families in our community.

1:09:56When our kids are safe in their homes,

1:09:58they have greater opportunity to thrive.

1:10:01When families are safe, communities are

1:10:04stronger. This is why our work matters

1:10:09and it is the work that belongs to all

1:10:11of our community.

1:10:13I personally and I know we have a lot of

1:10:15uh we have a few new city council

1:10:17members um which we're really excited

1:10:20about, but I personally want to invite

1:10:22the entire Greensboro City Council to

1:10:25tour the Family Justice Center. This way

1:10:28you can see how public safety programs

1:10:32save lives by keeping survivors safe and

1:10:35holding offenders accountable. Domestic

1:10:38violence homicides are up across the

1:10:41nation and that is concerning. But

1:10:44domestic violence homicides are

1:10:46preventable and that's they're

1:10:48preventable when a community comes

1:10:50together and they work to ensure that

1:10:54survivors get what they need. So, I

1:10:57invite you to come and visit us. We'll

1:11:00be happy to talk about plans and what we

1:11:03can do to work together in this

1:11:06community. Thank you for all that you

1:11:08do. Thank you, Madame Mayor, for

1:11:10attending our event last week. We

1:11:12enjoyed having you there and thank you

1:11:14for what you do for our community.

1:11:17[applause]

1:12:11One more.

1:12:17Amen.

1:12:22[applause]

1:12:30Amen.

1:13:03Thank you all. And that's just a great

1:13:05group. I've had the honor of being on

1:13:07their executive committee since day one.

1:13:09and it's been even before it was the the

1:13:12family justice center and it's means a

1:13:15lot to me and my family. So, thank you.

1:13:17Um, now moving on, we have the

1:13:22resolution recognizing the 35th

1:13:25anniversary of the Greensboro Transit

1:13:27Agency, Council Member Black.

1:13:31I believe a few people are here from the

1:13:34GTA as well.

1:13:39This is a resolution recognizing the

1:13:4135th anniversary of the Greensboro

1:13:43Transit Agency. Whereas public

1:13:46transportation has served the Greensboro

1:13:48community since 1925,

1:13:51connecting residents to employment,

1:13:53education, health care, businesses, and

1:13:56other essential services. Whereas on

1:13:59August 20th, 1990, the Greensboro City

1:14:02Council adopted an ordinance formally

1:14:04creating the Greensboro Transit

1:14:06Authority to promote and provide a

1:14:08desirable and efficient public

1:14:11transportation system for the city of

1:14:13Greensboro.

1:14:15Whereas this began an new era of municip

1:14:19municipally supporting public

1:14:21transportation in 1991 and has provided

1:14:2535 years of dedicated service to

1:14:27Greensboro's residents and visitors.

1:14:30Whereas today, the Greensboro Transit

1:14:32Agency operates 16 fixed bus routes

1:14:36seven days a week, maintains more than a

1:14:38thousand bus stops, travels

1:14:40approximately 2.17 million revenue

1:14:44miles, and provides more than two

1:14:47million passenger trips annually.

1:14:50Whereas through Access GSO, the

1:14:52Greensboro Transit Agency provides

1:14:55essential paratransit services for

1:14:57eligible riders with disabilities,

1:15:00supporting independence and helping

1:15:02ensure public transportation remains

1:15:04accessible to all members of the

1:15:06community. Whereas the Greensboro

1:15:08Transit Agency continues to advance

1:15:10sustainable and innovative

1:15:12transportation through battery electric

1:15:14buses, modern transit technology,

1:15:17regional partnerships, and go

1:15:21Greensboro's long range vision for a

1:15:24more connected and car optional city.

1:15:27Whereas reliable public transportation

1:15:30strengthens Greensboro by connecting

1:15:32residents to opportunities, supporting

1:15:34local businesses and employers, and

1:15:37contributing to a more accessible and

1:15:39sustainable community.

1:15:42Whereas the success of the Greensboro

1:15:44Trans Transit Agency has been made

1:15:47possible by the dedication of its

1:15:49operators, maintenance professionals,

1:15:52customer service representatives,

1:15:55administrative employees, advisory

1:15:58commission members, community partners,

1:16:01and generations of writers.

1:16:03And now therefore, it be resolved by the

1:16:06city council of the city of Greensboro

1:16:09that the Greensboro City Council hereby

1:16:11recognizes and celebrates the 35 35th

1:16:15anniversary of the Greensboro Transit

1:16:17Agency and its continued commitment to

1:16:20providing safe, reliable, accessible,

1:16:24and efficient public transportation.

1:16:27that the Greensboro City Council

1:16:29expresses its sincere appreciation to

1:16:32the employees, partners, and writers

1:16:34whose service and support have

1:16:36contributed to the Greensboro Transit

1:16:38AY's success. Adopted the sixth day of

1:16:42October, 2026.

1:16:44Moved by Council Member Black, I assume.

1:16:47I move.

1:16:48>> Seconded by Mr. Holston. [laughter]

1:16:50All right. Council, please vote.

1:17:12And that is unanimous carry seven to

1:17:14zero. Does someone from GTA want to come

1:17:16and say a few words?

1:17:28Thank you. Um, thank you, Madame Mayor.

1:17:32Thank you, um, to our, uh, transit

1:17:35liaison, Councilwoman Black, and the

1:17:38members of the Greensboro City Council.

1:17:40I am honored to receive this resolution

1:17:43on behalf of the Greensboro Transit

1:17:45Advisory Commission, the Public

1:17:47Transportation Division staff, and the

1:17:50thousands and thousands of riders who

1:17:53depend on the GTA services every day.

1:17:57Um, excitingly, we have seen a

1:18:00renaissance in the public transportation

1:18:02priorities in Greensboro. We've got the

1:18:04Go Greensboro or the Go Burrow, I'm

1:18:07sorry, Go Burrow Long Range Transit

1:18:10Plan, the Crossmax Purple. Um and these

1:18:13are just a couple this is just to name a

1:18:15couple of the things um to show that

1:18:18there is evidence that the need of

1:18:21writers overall employment education

1:18:25health care and business communities

1:18:28once we're all involved in

1:18:29transportation and we are showing these

1:18:32efforts upfront not as an afterthought.

1:18:36We will post this resolution in a place

1:18:39of prominence and let it serve as our

1:18:41daily reminder to keep our community

1:18:44moving strong and to the next level of

1:18:47transit. Please accept this

1:18:49commemorative pen or sorry this

1:18:51commemorative coin and the 35th

1:18:54anniversary items that you all have

1:18:56before you there as a thank you and as a

1:18:59thank you from us for your ongoing

1:19:01support for the GTA. Thank you.

1:19:04>> Thank you. And I believe there's a

1:19:06video.

1:19:08Is there a video that you want to play?

1:19:12In 1991, a bold new era of public

1:19:15mobility arrived in Greensboro. Taking

1:19:18the wheel from Duke Car Company, the

1:19:21newly formed Greensboro Transit

1:19:22Authority marked a fresh commitment to

1:19:25dedicated community first

1:19:27transportation, connecting

1:19:28neighborhoods, workplaces, and people

1:19:31like never before. A tradition that

1:19:34continues today. Congratulations GTA on

1:19:3735 years of keeping our community moving

1:19:41strong.

1:19:43>> In 2026,

1:19:45the city of Greensboro restructured

1:19:48transit operations by integrating the

1:19:50transit department into the broader

1:19:53transportation department as the

1:19:55official transit division, paving the

1:19:58way for smarter, smoother, and more

1:20:00fully integrated transit solutions for

1:20:03our growing city. Congratulations

1:20:07GTA on 35 years of keeping our community

1:20:10moving strong.

1:20:14>> In 1990, GTA marked an inspiring

1:20:17milestone in diversity and progress by

1:20:20appointing my mother as its first black

1:20:23woman as transit administrator, public

1:20:26transportation manager to the newly

1:20:28formed organization. Elizabeth G. Libby

1:20:31James. Groundbreaking leadership helped

1:20:33pave the way for a more visionary

1:20:35transit system. Congratulations DCA on

1:20:3935 years of keeping our community moving

1:20:42strong.

1:20:45Accessibility is about dignity, freedom,

1:20:48and equal access for everyone. In 1992,

1:20:52DTA took a major step forward by

1:20:54introducing its very first buses

1:20:57alongside dedicated SC for specialized

1:21:00service, a lifeline now known as Access

1:21:03DSO. These critical upgrades ensure that

1:21:06every resident could navigate our city

1:21:08independently. Congratulations to CCA on

1:21:1135 years of keeping our community moving

1:21:14strong.

1:21:16Looking ahead to the next generation of

1:21:18mobility,

1:21:20A launched the comprehensive Go Borough

1:21:23long range transit study in 2023.

1:21:27Go Borl creates a clear road map for

1:21:30expanded routes and it's all designed to

1:21:33move Greensboro forward for decades to

1:21:36come. Congratulations GTA on 35 years of

1:21:42keeping our community moving strong.

1:22:36Come on.

1:22:48Thank you.

1:23:11All right. Congratulations for sure. All

1:23:14right. Uh let's move on to the consent

1:23:17agenda. Uh, does council wish to remove

1:23:20any item from the consent agenda due to

1:23:22a conflict of interest or the purpose to

1:23:24vote no? I need to remove one and that

1:23:27would be F29206-771.

1:23:31Resolution to authorize an economic

1:23:33development services contract in the

1:23:36amount of $375,000

1:23:38with the Greensboro Sports Foundation

1:23:41through fiscal year 2829.

1:23:44I am on the board of the Greensboro

1:23:46Sports Foundation and therefore will

1:23:48recuse myself on this vote. Um, so I've

1:23:52pulled F29. Does anyone else wish to

1:23:55pull? Madame Mayor,

1:23:56>> yes. I'd like to pull F22, 23, and 24

1:24:02for the purpose of um increasing

1:24:06transparency

1:24:08on these items. While these items have

1:24:10been through the council subcommittee, I

1:24:14do do think because of the dollar value

1:24:16of these, we should have a presentation

1:24:18on them. Great. Thank you. So, we are

1:24:21going to ask for anyone else

1:24:26uh for to remove items F29,

1:24:30F22, 23, and 24. I'll put those prior to

1:24:3420 uh9.

1:24:37And therefore, I can ask for a motion to

1:24:39adopt the consent agenda as amended.

1:24:43Moved by Mr. Holston, seconded by

1:24:45council member Black. All right,

1:24:47council, please vote. This is on all the

1:24:50other items.

1:25:23And that is unanimous. That carries

1:25:25seven to zero.

1:25:28Okay. on those items. Uh, council member

1:25:30Thurm, do you want presentations

1:25:32individually or is all together?

1:25:36>> Combined is sufficient. Yes, Mr.

1:25:38Borchers.

1:25:41Oh, let me read those first. I'm so

1:25:43sorry. Um,

1:25:46so the public is aware of what they are

1:25:49for.

1:25:54F-22 is item number 2026 739 resolution

1:25:59approving change order number two for

1:26:02construction services for the Mitchell

1:26:04water treatment plant residuals and

1:26:06emerging contaminants improvements

1:26:09project in the amount of 129,887,34

1:26:15with the Huskell company as the Seymar

1:26:18uh that is manager at risk uh

1:26:21construction manager at risk and that

1:26:23has reviewed by the transportation

1:26:25infrastructure committee meeting and

1:26:27F232026-738

1:26:31ordinance in the amount of $127,111,625

1:26:37for the Mitchell Water Treatment Plant

1:26:38Emerging Contaminants Project and also

1:26:42F24 which is 2026-735

1:26:46ordinance in the amount of $2,775,000

1:26:50is7757

1:26:53$79

1:26:54for the Mitchell Water Treatment Plant

1:26:56Emerging Contaminants Improvement

1:26:58Project. Mr. Borchers.

1:27:00>> Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you,

1:27:01Council Member Thurman, and members

1:27:02council for the opportunity to to talk

1:27:05about these items and give more

1:27:06transparency. Uh, by way of

1:27:08introduction, I'm Mike Borchers, the

1:27:10director of water resources. These three

1:27:12items are tied to our overall plan to

1:27:16address the emerging contaminants

1:27:18forever chemicals as many people have

1:27:19heard in the paper that are in our

1:27:22reservoir, our water supply, um,

1:27:24Higgins, Brandt, and Townsen. And so

1:27:26this is a continuation of that process

1:27:29that started way back in 2016 when we

1:27:32initially did sampling and monitoring

1:27:34and we found these forever chemicals

1:27:35these per and poly fllororal alkal

1:27:37substances in our water and we started

1:27:40that whole process of being proactive to

1:27:43address address them. So the great news

1:27:45is is that we are very close to the

1:27:48finish line. So back in with regard to

1:27:51F-22, this is the second change order to

1:27:55an alternative delivery project, a

1:27:58construction manager at risk project to

1:28:00go ahead and build the improvements that

1:28:02we need to remove these contaminants.

1:28:05And council on uh January 20th, 2026

1:28:08approved the first uh change order,

1:28:11guaranteed maximum price of $140

1:28:13million. This is the second part of that

1:28:16to to uh get council to approve the

1:28:19remaining parts of that project to be

1:28:21able to put the infrastructure in place

1:28:23so we can remove these contaminants.

1:28:25That infrastructure is granular

1:28:27activated carbon. I like to uh it's

1:28:30analogous to like your Brida filter, but

1:28:33these are really large basins, concrete

1:28:35basins. They're filled with uh basically

1:28:3715 ft of activated carbon and the water

1:28:40trickles through. And we have shown

1:28:42based on a lot of we get here that that

1:28:44is a very effective technology and we'll

1:28:46remove it to near non-detect. Uh the and

1:28:49the item 23 and 24 are basically the

1:28:52ordinances to set up the budget or the

1:28:54account to where we can pull from to go

1:28:56ahead and do these uh improvements. And

1:28:59and I'd like to share if it's okay um a

1:29:01little bit about the costs as it relates

1:29:03to what uh it entails. Uh it is not uh

1:29:08cheap by any stretch of the imagination

1:29:10to address these chemicals. However, uh

1:29:13if you look at the the benefit that

1:29:16we're going to have for our community

1:29:17from a health standpoint, uh just

1:29:19ultimately overall, um in in my

1:29:22professional opinion, and I think many

1:29:24would agree, it is well worth the cost

1:29:26for us to and on top of that, we're

1:29:28meeting a regulatory requirement to to

1:29:30remove them as well. When you add up the

1:29:32cost, now these are costs specifically

1:29:35tied to looking at Forever Chemicals,

1:29:38evaluating Forever Chemicals, modeling

1:29:42them, looking at bench testing, pilot

1:29:45testing, and then ultimately looking at

1:29:47design, permitting, and construction. So

1:29:49everything related to Forever Chemicals,

1:29:53when you add that up for the Mitchell

1:29:55Water Treatment Plant and Towns and

1:29:56Water Treatment Plant, it's $338

1:29:59million to go ahead and and do that. And

1:30:02as I mentioned, it's certainly it's the

1:30:04right thing to do, but secondly, we're

1:30:06required from a regulatory standpoint to

1:30:08do that. Now to break that up a little

1:30:10bit again only looking at improvements

1:30:12that are addressing Forever Chemicals.

1:30:15Mitchell of that 338 million Mitchell is

1:30:18about 133 million of it. Townsen is

1:30:20about 205 million. And the reason why

1:30:23it's uh Mitchell's a little bit less is

1:30:25because we have other critical

1:30:26improvements we need to do at the plants

1:30:28to be able to make sure the plants run

1:30:30as efficiently as possible. So I just

1:30:33wanted to make uh everyone aware that we

1:30:35are very close. Last thing I'll say is

1:30:37is that with council's blessing and

1:30:39approval, we'll uh continue to move

1:30:42along in construction. Our goal is to

1:30:44have these improvements done by 2029 so

1:30:47that we are in compliance end of 2029.

1:30:49So we're in compliance with the rule and

1:30:52uh we will, like I said, we'll have much

1:30:54much uh cleaner water for our community.

1:30:56Um that certainly will serve us for

1:30:58decades and decades in the future.

1:31:01>> Thank you. Any comments, questions from

1:31:04council?

1:31:06Hearing none, I would entertain a

1:31:07motion.

1:31:09>> Moved by council member

1:31:11>> separate on 22.

1:31:15>> Do I hear a second? Second by council

1:31:16member Black. Council, please vote.

1:31:45And that carries seven to zero.

1:31:47Unanimous. All right. Uh, I need a

1:31:50motion on F23.

1:31:54>> Moved by Council Member Thurm, seconded

1:31:55by Council Member Crawford. Council,

1:31:57please vote.

1:32:25All right. And the last one, F24. Do I

1:32:28hear a motion?

1:32:30>> Moved by Council Member Thurm. Do I hear

1:32:31a second? Second by Council Member

1:32:33Black. Council, please vote.

1:33:26And that carries seven to zero. That is

1:33:28passes unanimous. Uh then we will move

1:33:31to F29 which is the one where I need to

1:33:33recuse myself for being on the board of

1:33:35the sports foundation. Do I hear a

1:33:37motion?

1:33:38>> Moved by Mr. Holston. Do I hear a

1:33:40second?

1:33:41>> Second by council member Thurm. Council,

1:33:43please vote.

1:34:22And that carries six to zero with one

1:34:24recusal. Um, thank you all so very much.

1:34:28And that is all on our consent agenda.

1:34:30Yes, Mr.

1:34:30>> And Madame Mayor, I think that member

1:34:33Thurm is is on to something. It's it's

1:34:35not just in this case though on the on

1:34:38the city manager's office because we do

1:34:40have these committees and I I do think

1:34:41it's very important that and I don't

1:34:44know what that threshold is but whatever

1:34:46that threshold that we come up is um

1:34:49come up with is that uh we should bring

1:34:52these to the presentation if it reaches

1:34:55because that that was a large amount of

1:34:58money

1:34:58>> and folks do wonder what we do just $185

1:35:02million

1:35:03>> and I agree if Mr. city manager. Can you

1:35:05you look at [clears throat] that and see

1:35:06what we can do?

1:35:07>> Yes, madame mayor. And I spoke with

1:35:10council member Thurman about this

1:35:11earlier and thank you um Mr. Holston.

1:35:14This is something that we do need to

1:35:16reflect and make sure we're

1:35:17communicating these large items to to

1:35:19the community. Um we we like the

1:35:22efficiency and the these committees

1:35:24allow council to kind of dig into some

1:35:26of the work. So what we will do is make

1:35:28sure we highlight those uh and and then

1:35:30signal to council so that you can

1:35:32extract them out such as tonight. I

1:35:34think that will give you an opportunity

1:35:35or give us an opportunity uh to reflect

1:35:37to the community when we have these

1:35:39large items. But also too, this one

1:35:41tonight gave an opportunity for the

1:35:43community to see some of the important

1:35:45remediation work that we do to address

1:35:47some of the concerns. Thank you.

1:35:49>> And it's also something that we should

1:35:50catch in committee as council members

1:35:52and simply say that this should not be

1:35:54on the consent agenda. Let's bring it

1:35:55forward.

1:35:56Yes sir.

1:35:58>> Sounds good. Thank you all so very much

1:35:59for the input. I think I I I agree. Um

1:36:02so now we will move on to our public

1:36:05comment period and this is on n on an

1:36:08agenda items. This is an opportunity to

1:36:10hear from anyone wishing to speak and

1:36:12generally this is a time of listening

1:36:14for council. The subject you speak about

1:36:17will be noted and if it requires action

1:36:20or a request, the city clerk or city

1:36:22manager will note as such and provide

1:36:24steps for any required response or after

1:36:28action. Please make sure your contact

1:36:30details are with the city clerk and that

1:36:33will help us facilitate communications.

1:36:36All right, my first speaker is Kim

1:36:38Grimsley Richie. My second speaker will

1:36:41be Janice Washington. And my third uh

1:36:44speaker will be Susan Cross.

1:36:47And you can line up over close to the

1:36:50podium if you wish. You have three

1:36:51minutes for your comments. Each person

1:36:54has three minutes.

1:37:20talking.

1:37:30Can you do the one?

1:37:33Thank you so much.

1:37:36All right.

1:37:40Good evening, madame mayor and city

1:37:42council

1:37:45and members on city council. Uh I'm Kim

1:37:48Grimsley Richie, and I am a downtown

1:37:51property owner, uh a business owner, an

1:37:55advocate, and

1:38:00a mother as well. Uh, tonight I want to

1:38:03focus on one thing, execution. For

1:38:06approximately nine months, I have been

1:38:08working with downtown businesses,

1:38:10property owners, residents, and the DJI

1:38:12board staff, the city staff, GPD, the

1:38:16chamber, and the members of the council

1:38:17on a very specific list of downtown

1:38:20issues. I'm not here tonight to hand in

1:38:23another list. I'm here to ask when we're

1:38:26going to finish the list that we've

1:38:28already made. Too many items are stuck

1:38:30in needs an update in process waiting on

1:38:33a date. A clear example of the city

1:38:36parking lot at McGee and Elm

1:38:39of the sorry a clear example of this is

1:38:41the city parking lot at McGee and Elm.

1:38:44Paid parking began in January 2026.

1:38:48The McGee lot is deteriorated and has

1:38:51been repeatedly patched. I was told

1:38:53those patches were preparation for

1:38:55resurfacing and pave paging paving would

1:38:58happen after the Davy Street project. On

1:39:01August 10th, the management confirmed

1:39:03this to Councilwoman April Parker. I

1:39:06have repeatedly I repeatedly uh I have

1:39:10asked repeatedly for a confirmed paving

1:39:12date. I'm still waiting. This is not

1:39:14complicated redevelopment projects. It's

1:39:17a parking lot. The city expects private

1:39:20property owners and business owners to

1:39:21comply with ordinances and properly

1:39:24maintain their property, and it should.

1:39:27Many of us have vested interests in

1:39:29thousands and even millions into these

1:39:31properties. It's reasonable to expect

1:39:33the city to meet the same standard on

1:39:35city- owned property. We have also spent

1:39:38months discussing confusing and

1:39:39inconsistent parking signage. If someone

1:39:42comes downtown to each shop, and attend

1:39:44an event, they should immediately

1:39:46understand what does the parking When do

1:39:48I have to pay and when is it free?

1:39:51There should not be three signs out of

1:39:54one post creating confusion about

1:39:55something that should be simple. These

1:39:58may sound like small things, but small

1:39:59things when they pile up turn into big

1:40:02problems. Cleanliness, parking, signage,

1:40:04sidewalks, public safety, basic

1:40:06maintenance. These are daily signals

1:40:08that define how people experience

1:40:10downtown and whether they come back. It

1:40:13is also about competing and maintaining

1:40:16completing and maintaining what we

1:40:18already have. After nine months, I don't

1:40:20think it's unreasonable for downtown

1:40:22stakeholders to know three things. Who

1:40:24owns the project? What is the completion

1:40:26data? And if it isn't moving forward,

1:40:30what's preventing it from moving

1:40:31forward? We have been meeting. We have

1:40:33been in meetings. We've built

1:40:35spreadsheets. We've sent emails. We've

1:40:37provided photographs. We've offered

1:40:38solutions. What we need now is follow

1:40:41through. I don't need another I have two

1:40:43more sentences. If you don't mind,

1:40:45>> you can quickly

1:40:46>> Okay, sure. Um, what we need is follow

1:40:48through. I don't need another

1:40:49spreadsheet says needs update. I don't

1:40:51need another meeting where where we're

1:40:54asked to put our concerns on sticky

1:40:56notes. I want to start checking things

1:40:58off on the list. Downtown Greensboro is

1:41:00Greensboro has tremendous potential. The

1:41:02businesses, the property owners, the

1:41:03residents who are there every day are

1:41:05investing their time, money, and energy

1:41:07into it. We need the city to match the

1:41:09commitment with three things.

1:41:10Accountability, timelines, and

1:41:12execution.

1:41:13>> Thank you.

1:41:14>> Thank you. Um I have Janice Washington.

1:41:19And if any of you have watched uh the

1:41:21professional women's basketball team in

1:41:24Greensboro, North Carolina, this is

1:41:25Coach Washington.

1:41:30>> How are you doing? It's great great

1:41:31season.

1:41:32>> Thank you so much. Uh thank you uh

1:41:35madame mayor and the entire city

1:41:38council. Uh my name is uh coach Janice

1:41:41Washington. I am the general manager and

1:41:44head coach for our new professional

1:41:46women's basketball team here in the city

1:41:48of Greensboro, the Greensboro group. It

1:41:51is my honor today to present to you guys

1:41:55a frame jersey

1:41:58for [applause]

1:42:02display here in the Melbourne Municipal

1:42:05Building. And I want to say that the

1:42:08number 26 represents not just our

1:42:12inaugural season of 2026, but of the

1:42:16growth of this league in women's

1:42:18basketball. We have just announced

1:42:20within the upshot league our seventh

1:42:22team this morning and another to follow

1:42:25up in the New England area. So Tampa was

1:42:27announced we will have eight teams next

1:42:29year and we're looking forward to

1:42:31continued growth within our Greensboro

1:42:34community to help empower young girls

1:42:37and women in sport, women leaders and

1:42:40sports fans in general. So it's my honor

1:42:43to uh present this jersey to you guys

1:42:46and thank you so much for your support.

1:42:49Thank you. I'll come down in just a

1:42:50moment. Yes, they deserve a hand.

1:42:53[applause]

1:42:56But I do want to say that everybody

1:42:59needs to spread the word about this

1:43:00team. I went to several games and I I

1:43:03cannot tell you how exciting they were.

1:43:07And to watch these ladies play their

1:43:09hearts out. I mean, it was it was

1:43:12extraordinary. It really really was. So,

1:43:14please next year get your tickets ready

1:43:16because uh I want to see everybody

1:43:18there.

1:43:19>> Yes. And I would like to add just for

1:43:21those people wondering, the Upshot

1:43:23League this year had a total of six

1:43:25players that went on to sign contracts

1:43:27with the WNBA. Two from the city of

1:43:30Greensboro.

1:43:52You're good. You're good.

1:44:11that wall.

1:44:43Thank you, Susan Crotz. Uh, followed by

1:44:47Ashley Rag. Is that how you say your

1:44:50name? I'm sorry. Uh, and then John

1:44:53Eagleton.

1:45:00I need to get it.

1:45:04>> Susan Kz, District 4. Good evening.

1:45:07Thank you for conducting the SE

1:45:08September 24th data center ordinance

1:45:10work session with the NC Department of

1:45:12Environmental Quality. In the meeting,

1:45:14some council members said that the

1:45:16information presented was a lot. And the

1:45:18mayor said, quote, "We need to get this

1:45:20done as concisely and as quickly as

1:45:22possible." End quote. We should not

1:45:24prioritize speed over thoroughess.

1:45:26Developing a resilient data center

1:45:28ordinance is complex. Rushing it risks

1:45:30the financial and fiscal health of our

1:45:32community. Health risks and legal costs

1:45:34incurred from industrial pollution

1:45:36outweigh potential economic development

1:45:38benefits. On September 15th, council

1:45:41approved a $700,000 legal taxpayer

1:45:43funded contract with Ashboro and

1:45:46Burlington to fight NCDEQ's discharge

1:45:48limits for 14 dioxane. Under the Clean

1:45:51Water Act, municipalities are obligated

1:45:53to use their pre-treatment authority to

1:45:55hold industries accountable. Greensboro

1:45:57already requires the pre-treatment.

1:45:58Ashboro does not. According to DEEQ

1:46:01court records regarding the lawsuit,

1:46:02quote, the only one of the three

1:46:04municipalities potentially affected by

1:46:06the permit limit is the entity subject

1:46:09to the permit Ashro. End quote. Ashgrow

1:46:11is polluting the drinking water of

1:46:13thousands of people in downstream

1:46:15communities. Taxpayer fees for water and

1:46:18utilities are rising dramatically along

1:46:19with property tax and basic costs of

1:46:21living. According to a 2024 Greensboro

1:46:24Water Resources presentation to the NC

1:46:27Chamber, Greensboro water rates are

1:46:29projected to increase by 50% over 5

1:46:31years with 29% of those fees to address

1:46:34pollution. Council member Thurm advised

1:46:36on September 15th that the city has

1:46:38spent hundreds of millions of dollars on

1:46:41water treatment for pollution. We must

1:46:43protect our community members health and

1:46:45financial well-being ensuring by

1:46:47ensuring ordinance minimizes ordinance

1:46:50minimizes toxic pollution in places. The

1:46:52financial burden of pollution on the

1:46:54polluting industries and utilities.

1:46:56Rising taxes and water fees combined

1:46:58with Duke Energy's rising power rates to

1:47:00fund new power for data center expansion

1:47:02will harshly impact some residents. I

1:47:04ask council to take the following

1:47:06actions. Extend the data center

1:47:07moratorium to 32 months to allow for a

1:47:10thorough protective ordinance

1:47:11development process. Require rigorous

1:47:13baseline assessments of water, air,

1:47:15light, and noise pollution risks before

1:47:17any project approval. Require data

1:47:19center related polluters to mitigate and

1:47:21clean up all of the types of pollution

1:47:23they generate at the source point with

1:47:25penalties of shutdown and charge the

1:47:27polluters tax rates with the cost for

1:47:29the city to monitor and enforce

1:47:31requirements. Retain the Southern

1:47:33Environmental Law Center as a data

1:47:34consultant to navigate the complex legal

1:47:37and environmental liabilities involved.

1:47:39Save taxpayer funds and withdraw from

1:47:41the Ashboro 14 dioxane lawsuit. Stop

1:47:44supporting the release of downstream

1:47:46pollution of toxic chemicals. Thank you.

1:47:50Thank you.

1:47:54All right, Mr. John Eagleton, followed

1:47:56by Ashley Rog followed by Malik Huff.

1:48:07Hi, my name is John Eaggleton. I moved

1:48:09to Greensboro in 1997 and three things

1:48:12were happening in this state. Textiles,

1:48:15tobacco, and furniture were all headed

1:48:17south, literally.

1:48:20But the city council at that time

1:48:21decided to step up. They worked with the

1:48:24state and the federal

1:48:27officials to uh implement our federal

1:48:29highway plan, which what that's done

1:48:32today has made Greensboro just a great

1:48:35place to live. When I moved here in 97,

1:48:38it used to take me 15 minutes to get to

1:48:39my office in Kfax. Today, 30 years

1:48:42later, it still takes 15 minutes to get

1:48:44to that office.

1:48:46So, that's just one of the great things

1:48:47about Greensboro.

1:48:50However, we have a major problem in that

1:48:53We have these great universities here

1:48:55and when we graduate all these students

1:48:57the first thing they do is leave. None

1:48:59of them stay. So when my daughter

1:49:02graduated UNCC I was driving her up to

1:49:04her new home in DC and we had a long

1:49:06conversation about why this happened.

1:49:09And really the long and short of it is

1:49:11there's just nothing to do for 20somes

1:49:13here. It's a great place to raise a

1:49:16family but for kids it's just there's

1:49:19nothing happening. Nothing to them.

1:49:22And so they go to the big cities to seek

1:49:25their fortune. It's unfortunate for us.

1:49:28But long and short of it is what I

1:49:30wanted to propose that we have a block

1:49:33party at Lavau Park and that we uh do

1:49:37things like this to attract more people

1:49:39to keep people here to make Greensboro a

1:49:42more fun place to live. Thank you very

1:49:45much.

1:49:45>> Thank you. Yes. All right, Malik.

1:49:53Okay.

1:50:01Hey, city council. So, I'm back this

1:50:04time, but this time I'm on another case

1:50:07and CC, this is going to be in your

1:50:10district area. I'm coming from your

1:50:12district area. So um it's Claremont area

1:50:17and it's been a lot of issues going on

1:50:20in Claremont area. My peoples have sent

1:50:23photos which is on your screens for over

1:50:27there is the fighting that's been going

1:50:29on on the buses and my friend's daughter

1:50:33has been involved in fights over there.

1:50:37So, we're trying to figure out a way to

1:50:40make changes over there. And we just

1:50:44want you to know that it's a video

1:50:45behind it, too. But we just want to show

1:50:48a lot of the different points of views

1:50:51and we just want to make changes from

1:50:52it. And we just want to make sure that

1:50:54they be saved and we just want y'all to

1:50:57see it. And it's going to be a point in

1:50:59this video that's coming up right behind

1:51:01it. how we need to we need to figure out

1:51:04a structural way to change this because

1:51:06this is what's going on over there in my

1:51:09um people's area.

1:51:42So

1:51:44that's why I want to

1:51:47for safety for people that live over

1:51:50that area. It's a lot of safety issues.

1:51:53And that's why I want to bring these

1:51:54photos, the pictures, all this because

1:51:57of that area. And my people that got me

1:51:59involved because I'm an advocate for the

1:52:02for neighborhoods, advocate for

1:52:03homeless, advocate for people that's

1:52:06being homeless. And we just want to put

1:52:09a voice out there and see if we can get

1:52:11a look more closer in depth look into

1:52:13this and try to help out this so that

1:52:16way we can get this situation because

1:52:19they're trying to come back and attack

1:52:20her daughter and we just want to get a

1:52:23closer eye on this so that way we can

1:52:25have a situation be handled. She

1:52:27couldn't be here tonight so she had me

1:52:29to come in place for her tonight to be

1:52:31an advocate.

1:52:33>> Right. Right. No, I appreciate that. And

1:52:35it also needs to be brought to the

1:52:37attention of the the school board and

1:52:39the Guilford County Commissioners.

1:52:41That's a school bus and school property.

1:52:43But yes, um we will also look at it.

1:52:47Yes. Yes. And they've already got

1:52:51>> I assume they already called the police.

1:52:53>> We already have.

1:52:56>> But we also have been in with the

1:52:58resource officer in the neighborhood. We

1:53:00also been in with the school resource

1:53:02officer and everything. We coo with the

1:53:06principal too. So yes,

1:53:09>> that's unacceptable that

1:53:11>> and I want to bring this up because this

1:53:13was coming outside of Beauty and the

1:53:14Streets business,

1:53:15>> right?

1:53:16>> But I had to still bring this part of my

1:53:18business.

1:53:19>> So this was brought up and that's why I

1:53:21emailed it in earlier today so that way

1:53:23I could get all this in because we're

1:53:26tired.

1:53:27>> Great. Thank you so much, Malik. Thank

1:53:29you.

1:53:31>> All right. I have uh Angie Williams and

1:53:34then Danny Giles and then Cheryl.

1:53:44>> Good evening. Uh my name is Angie

1:53:46Williams and I work with a company

1:53:47called Operation Excel. We're a

1:53:49nonprofit, a community- based nonprofit

1:53:51serving kindergarten through 8th grade

1:53:53students here in Guilford County. Um for

1:53:56nearly 20 uh 20 years we have worked to

1:53:59uh close the opportunity gaps by

1:54:01creating a welcoming trusted spaces uh

1:54:04where our children can receive academic

1:54:06support, build confidence and strengthen

1:54:08social emotional resilience and connect

1:54:10with caring adults who believe in their

1:54:13potential.

1:54:15What began as a dropout prevention

1:54:17initiative has grown into a

1:54:19comprehensive network of pre-programming

1:54:21including after school tutoring, steam

1:54:24and STEM and academic enrichment, summer

1:54:27learning, mentorships, community

1:54:29engagement, and family support services.

1:54:31Because families play a vital uh role in

1:54:34our student success, Operation Excel has

1:54:37provided uh parent empowerment,

1:54:39advocacy, literacy, and family

1:54:42engagement opportunities.

1:54:44More than 500 We have served more than

1:54:46500 students each year that come from

1:54:48low in lowincome neighborhoods and they

1:54:52face barriers that can affect academic

1:54:55achievement, high school graduation, and

1:54:57college access. By offering high quality

1:55:00programing no cost to families. We help

1:55:03to ensure that a child's financial

1:55:05circumstances do not determine their

1:55:08educational future. Last year, we

1:55:11provided more than 165,000 hours of

1:55:15direct uh instruction, mentoring, and

1:55:17enrichment. 88% of our students who

1:55:21needed additional support demonstrated

1:55:24academic improvement.

1:55:26We are now reaching the end of a $30,000

1:55:30matching gift uh grant that we have been

1:55:33received. We're within $12,000 of that

1:55:35goal. Uh every dollar contributed

1:55:38currently will double the impact for our

1:55:41local students and families. This is an

1:55:43investment in sustaining free tutoring,

1:55:46STEM access, summer learning,

1:55:48mentorship, and summer engagement

1:55:50programs while expanding access to

1:55:53caring relationships and educational

1:55:55resources that our children need to

1:55:57survive to survive and thrive in the

1:55:59area. Together, we can close these

1:56:03opportunity gaps, strengthen families,

1:56:05and invest in a brighter future for

1:56:07Greensboro's young people. This this

1:56:10kind of program is what the county, the

1:56:14city, and the communities need to invest

1:56:17in to help bridge the gap for what

1:56:20public schools can do and what public uh

1:56:24nonprofits support the work that we do.

1:56:27Thank you very much for all that you do

1:56:28for the city and for the county itself.

1:56:31Thank you.

1:56:32>> Thank you. All right, Danny and then

1:56:35Cheryl and then uh Philip Marsh.

1:56:41Good evening. I come before this council

1:56:43tonight not to plead a specific issue,

1:56:46but to offer my thoughts on what I'm

1:56:47hearing from the people that I encounter

1:56:48within the city. Admittedly, I spend a

1:56:51lot of time with community organizers

1:56:52and activists were lovely people to have

1:56:54at a party. I swear, but I hear the same

1:56:57concerns repeatedly and often spoken as

1:57:00of as concerns that transcend just those

1:57:02in that category. This council has made

1:57:05a lot of noise about being diverse,

1:57:06progressive, and unified in a goal for a

1:57:08better Greensboro. All these things are

1:57:10admirable in the abstract, but the

1:57:12concern is council appears to be

1:57:14prioritizing perceived unity over

1:57:16results. Over one year ago today, most

1:57:19of the council members who are sitting

1:57:20here appeared at a town hall uh

1:57:23organized by CMRA

1:57:26um promising a number of things around

1:57:28immigration. A lot of passionate things

1:57:30were said and people lo left energized

1:57:33and and fulfilled and and really went

1:57:35out to feeling like they had the

1:57:38councils had their best interest at

1:57:39heart.

1:57:41Um, as of now, have any of the three

1:57:44things that pretty much everybody here,

1:57:47a few, but the majority of council

1:57:50promised to have happen actually

1:57:52happened? Has there been, is Greensboro

1:57:55been a Fourth Amendment city? Has there

1:57:58been a public hearing about the process

1:58:00for potentially moving towards that

1:58:03status? I feel like I maybe I missed it,

1:58:06but I feel like I would have heard if

1:58:07any of this stuff had happened.

1:58:10In place of merely listing more

1:58:12examples, I will instead convey a

1:58:15feeling. The people are looking for

1:58:16strong leadership. This means that

1:58:18taking big swings. Even if your attorney

1:58:21tells you that it will likely fail in

1:58:22court, do it anyway.

1:58:26[clears throat] Make the judiciary

1:58:27strike you down. Make Raleigh expend

1:58:29political capital to fight you. That's

1:58:31what it means to lead. We at the DSA had

1:58:35our general meeting in August protested

1:58:37by the Proud Boys. The Socialist Party

1:58:39of NC was protested by neo-Nazis two

1:58:41weeks ago here in Greensboro at Deep

1:58:44Roots.

1:58:46Um, we still remain here to put our

1:58:49safety and security on the line to try

1:58:50and make the city better place. It seems

1:58:53to me that the least the C city council

1:58:55could do is risk trying and failing to

1:58:58show that they are doing the same. I

1:59:00think you all know many of the things I

1:59:02would ask for. Ban detention facilities

1:59:04in the city, ban data centers from the

1:59:07facility, make it so the city's policy

1:59:09is to refuse to cooperate with ICE. So

1:59:11it gets struck down in court. In the

1:59:13meantime, the people of the city remains

1:59:15safe. What isn't the inaction on so many

1:59:18issues protecting? Exactly. If it's just

1:59:21your jobs, then please with kindness

1:59:24consider that we need people who are

1:59:26willing to take that risk in the name of

1:59:28doing what's right. Thank you. Thank

1:59:31you. All right. Uh Cheryl McCyver and

1:59:35then Philip Marsh.

1:59:43Y'all not cold. Y'all not cold. Okay.

1:59:46I'm cold anyway.

1:59:48Yeah. I thought I'd make y'all smile

1:59:50just for a little bit. But Cheryl

1:59:52MacGyver um 404 was my council drive. Um

1:59:56first let me say thank you to the city

1:59:58departments for joining the Southeast

2:00:00Greensboro Coalition for Love Your

2:00:02Block. Uh community relations, we

2:00:05appreciate you. Fire department, Station

2:00:0761, woohoo. GPD district 2, woohoo. And

2:00:11the Greensboro Cole Department who is

2:00:13our friend. So thank you guys so much.

2:00:16It was a successful event and we

2:00:18appreciate um the everyone showing up.

2:00:22Um we've been talking about water so

2:00:24I'll just mention that for a minute. I

2:00:27would like um more updates on u Pont

2:00:30Regional Authority. Um we on our side of

2:00:33town get water from that organization.

2:00:36We don't get it from Townson. We don't

2:00:38get it from Mitchell. We would like to

2:00:40know what's going on there. Our Greece

2:00:43world does have 51% ownership. I think

2:00:46that's the right number. We would like

2:00:48to hear more about how our drinking

2:00:50water um is going to be impacted and

2:00:54better uh for the future and where we're

2:00:56spending money there. Please. Um lastly,

2:01:02I'm having some trouble understanding

2:01:04some zoning issues. I don't think that I

2:01:07have received a clear answer, which is

2:01:09why I'm here bringing this up um very

2:01:12publicly in front of all of you here at

2:01:14council.

2:01:16If I buy a property that is zoned with

2:01:19specific conditions and I who bought the

2:01:23property do not want to uh encompass

2:01:28those conditions in my build, what is

2:01:31the process to get those removed?

2:01:35Is the process talking to a zoning? Is

2:01:39the process talking to a director? Is

2:01:42the process to build and submit plans uh

2:01:46trying to circumvent those conditions. I

2:01:49believe the process is they have to go

2:01:51back to get get it reszoned. If the

2:01:54conditions are part of the land, part of

2:01:56the zoning, I believe that's what's has

2:01:58to happen. Um if I'm wrong, please let

2:02:01me know. But if I'm correct, please

2:02:03reiterate this process to your

2:02:06department heads. Um I have for a couple

2:02:09of months been going around and around

2:02:11about specific conditions on a on a

2:02:14property. They're not coming back to

2:02:16resoning. They have not come back to

2:02:18resoning and I feel like they're doing

2:02:20everything they can to circumvent that.

2:02:23Um I have talked with Councilwoman

2:02:25Black. I'll let her communicate with you

2:02:27guys and we'll bring it up here, but I'm

2:02:30having some heartburn about the process.

2:02:33>> Thank you all.

2:02:34>> Thank you, Mr. City Manager. You'll look

2:02:37into that, please.

2:02:38>> Yes, ma'am. Also, Miss McCra did raise a

2:02:42really good point that we've been having

2:02:43some discussions about. So, please

2:02:45expect that we'll have updates related

2:02:48to our relationship with Pedmont

2:02:50Tragional Water on both our water as

2:02:54well to address the concerns, but then

2:02:56also uh our wastewater discussions that

2:03:00we've been having too for future

2:03:01discussions. Thank you.

2:03:03>> Great. Thank you. All right. Uh Mr.

2:03:06Philip Marsh

2:03:09and then Dr. Elma Harris.

2:03:17>> Is Mr. Dixon on Zoom yet? Okay.

2:03:20>> All right. Um, thank you. Um, so

2:03:25naturally, we're here talking about

2:03:26public safety again and again and again

2:03:30and again. Um, since I've probably last

2:03:34been here. Uh on September the 9th,

2:03:38there was an attempted rape at the um

2:03:40Dinko. Uh during Folk Festival, there

2:03:44was a fight on the Friday night in front

2:03:47of the IRS. Uh Saturday night there was

2:03:50a stabbing and as the newspaper labeled

2:03:53it an attempted murder. Um this is just

2:03:57ridiculous. Last weekend we had another

2:04:00stabbing and an attempted murder. Um it

2:04:04seems that um Andrea has failed at her

2:04:07job. Um if we look at how she handled or

2:04:13the debacle, which is the East

2:04:14Washington Street closure, a lot of

2:04:17these problems are because of her. Um

2:04:20additionally, how she handled the the

2:04:22Elm Street closure was similar to how

2:04:25she handled the East Washington Street

2:04:27closure. I mean, it's just ridiculous.

2:04:29We do not feel that we have adequately

2:04:32prepared for Jiho, which is ANT's

2:04:36homecoming. Um, a lot of this falls on

2:04:39the shoulders of Andrea. Um, she has

2:04:41just not gotten it done. There's been

2:04:43multiple issues with public safety that

2:04:46fall under her purview. She never speaks

2:04:49to anyone. She does not know how to

2:04:52appropriately lead in these situations.

2:04:55I emailed the city attorney maybe a

2:04:58month ago about a public safety plan for

2:05:01that area. We have not gotten it yet.

2:05:04And since then, we've almost had murders

2:05:06in the area. Uh that just is not

2:05:08acceptable. People do not feel safe

2:05:11coming down by the depot for these exact

2:05:13reasons. And it just is ridiculous. And

2:05:16it prevents people from utilizing that

2:05:18corridor in a fashion that everyone

2:05:21should be able to do. And um again, I

2:05:23mean, I just do not find this acceptable

2:05:26in a city that should be run

2:05:28professionally and we have to start with

2:05:31Andrea and looking at her competency

2:05:33level. Um if you cannot deploy assets

2:05:36correctly so that crime can be

2:05:38prevented. I mean if we have a whole

2:05:42team of public safety at every

2:05:44intersection on Elm Street every night

2:05:47on the weekends and we can't have one

2:05:50where people are being stabbed and

2:05:51almost murdered. That's ridiculous. I

2:05:54mean, it's a simple thing. I mean, and

2:05:57again, I just do not understand it. Um,

2:06:00but we're going to understand it because

2:06:02as these attorneys get involved, um,

2:06:05city staff was in the IRC during the

2:06:07night of the folk festival. Um, and was

2:06:10not responsive and did not have the

2:06:12appropriate security. That is

2:06:14ridiculous. We have students in that

2:06:16area. They cannot enjoy the area because

2:06:19the city prevents the citizens from

2:06:22utilizing the public That's ridiculous.

2:06:25>> Thank you.

2:06:27>> All right, Dr. Haristen.

2:06:34>> Good evening. Um, Madame Mayor and City

2:06:36Council. Um, I'm Dr. Elma Haristen and I

2:06:39represent a portion of East Greensboro

2:06:43as a part of HUS District 59. Uh the

2:06:46other areas that I represent are Brown

2:06:48Summit, Pleasant Garden, James Town,

2:06:51Fedsville, uh South High Point,

2:06:53Mlanesville, Wit, Gibsonville, and a few

2:06:55in between. Um I will listen, I will

2:06:58lead, and I will deliver results without

2:07:02leaving any community behind. I will be

2:07:05a peopleoriented, resultsdriven

2:07:08individual that will bring that vision

2:07:11to Raleigh. and I will always put people

2:07:15first. My promise for 1859 uh and

2:07:18Greensboro and with East Greensboro

2:07:21specifically would be uh healthy

2:07:23families and and strong public schools.

2:07:26Um good paying jobs and responsible uh

2:07:30growth. I believe economic development

2:07:33should improve the quality of life for

2:07:35all uh of folks who call Greensboro

2:07:38home. uh we must grow with a purpose and

2:07:42of course as I said we must not leave

2:07:44any community behind. There are a couple

2:07:47of amendments that I want to place some

2:07:49perspective around hopefully if I have a

2:07:50moment. um this income tax reduction um

2:07:54the income tax reduction can provide

2:07:57meaningful tax relief particularly for

2:07:59high wage earners but I'm concerned that

2:08:02this does not give the fairness that is

2:08:06required for low to moderate income

2:08:09workers as well. I want to see the

2:08:11earned income tax credit come back where

2:08:13we can allow all families to have a a

2:08:16part in uh tax relief. The other is the

2:08:20property tax amendment. Uh this proposed

2:08:22property tax amendment rise raises some

2:08:25even greater concerns. According to the

2:08:28North Carolina Housing Coalition, the

2:08:30only the the estimated savings for

2:08:33homeowners is about $7 per week and 30

2:08:37and $84 a year. You know, that is not

2:08:40substantial long-term tax relief and

2:08:43it's going to be taking $935 million

2:08:46away from essential services. We might

2:08:49ask, who benefits? The people who

2:08:50benefit are those people who are large

2:08:54uh property owners um uh uh that are

2:08:57corporations and things of that nature.

2:09:00Uh what we also want to consider is that

2:09:03amendment is not telling us how, when,

2:09:06and to what extent that it is going to a

2:09:08They're asking for people to vote for

2:09:10pie in the sky and not providing

2:09:13substantial property tax relief. One

2:09:16approach would be to expand the uh uh

2:09:18homestead exemption which will give

2:09:20long-term perpetual tax relief. What I

2:09:23am proposing, we need to sit down. We

2:09:25need to look at what diversified

2:09:28uh uh revenue streams look like because

2:09:30we can come together and provide the

2:09:33needs of the people as it relates to the

2:09:35state of North Carolina as well as

2:09:37keeping those burdens at a minimum.

2:09:39>> Thank you. Thank you. All right. Um is

2:09:43Mr. Dixon on on Zoom? No, that is my

2:09:47last speaker for today. Um just want to

2:09:50make sure that everyone who signed up

2:09:52before six has spoken and

2:09:57that is all. So now we will go into

2:10:00council comments.

2:10:02All right. Um who would like to be

2:10:04first? I'll let you decide

2:10:07and then I'll pick Mr. Marshall.

2:10:11No.

2:10:12Council

2:10:14Mr. Holston.

2:10:26>> I think I'm good for right now.

2:10:28>> Okay.

2:10:28>> Yeah.

2:10:30>> All right. Council member Black.

2:10:31>> Wait a minute. I'm sorry. You see there?

2:10:33I I knew that would happen.

2:10:36>> No, it's just um

2:10:38>> I was having coffee earlier this week

2:10:40and I did bump into uh someone who I

2:10:43thought I saw in the audience earlier,

2:10:46Mary Louise Bmpton. She's an attorney uh

2:10:49with Ukal Davis and she's writing a

2:10:54book, you know, Greensboro is a is a

2:10:57community of history and she's writing a

2:10:59book on uh on the 1979 massacres. Uh but

2:11:04not on the massacres themselves, but on

2:11:06the um the court cases following the

2:11:09court cases that occurred since then. We

2:11:12had a wonderful conversation. I thought

2:11:14I saw her earlier and uh I'm looking

2:11:16forward to the when it comes up. Thank

2:11:18you, Madame Mayor.

2:11:19>> Thank you, Council Member Black.

2:11:26Um, I want to start by uplifting the

2:11:29Love Your Block event that the Southeast

2:11:31Greensboro Coalition had this weekend.

2:11:33It was successful and to also thank

2:11:35April Britain, uh, Gary Canipino and

2:11:39Catrina Smalls for their work behind

2:11:41that. Um, we had a good turnout even

2:11:44though the clouds ran, but we

2:11:46appreciated those clouds being inside uh

2:11:49and instead of being out in the heat.

2:11:51So, I I I want to thank you for the work

2:11:53behind that. Look forward to um

2:11:56continued love your blocks and the

2:11:57success around that uh initiative. Um I

2:12:01also want to uh just kind of reiterate

2:12:04to Mr. city manager that we would like

2:12:07to have uh some concise feedback on the

2:12:11process of reszonings

2:12:14and um

2:12:17what is expected of our planning and

2:12:19zoning department. And so I know that I

2:12:22have shared some sentiments with you,

2:12:25but I'd also like to put that on public

2:12:27record that we need to uh address this

2:12:30uh now more than later. And then I would

2:12:33like to also uplift um Mike Boyer, thank

2:12:36you for your work around water. I know

2:12:38that um the confidence that you build in

2:12:41us in ensuring that we uh have clean

2:12:44drinking water is greatly appreciated,

2:12:46but I do want to have some more

2:12:49information about uh the Pedmont

2:12:51Regional um because that's where water's

2:12:53coming from on another end. So while

2:12:55we're working and being vigilant about

2:12:57clean water, we want to make sure that

2:12:58it is an access for all residents. So,

2:13:01if we could get that, but I also want to

2:13:04think a little bit deeper. Um, I've had

2:13:06some conversations and there is a um a

2:13:10buzz that is happening on a state level

2:13:12around PIS and soil and I would rather

2:13:15us have a conversation on the front end

2:13:17of that than the back end of that and

2:13:19having to react the way that we are with

2:13:22putting infrastructure in to address our

2:13:24water. So, I know that that this is a

2:13:27infancy stage, but I would like to start

2:13:30um in those conversations with our solid

2:13:32waste department so that five years from

2:13:35now we won't be scrambling to try to

2:13:38figure out what we're going to do to

2:13:40address POS overall.

2:13:43Um

2:13:44in the comments that uh Mr. Marsh made

2:13:48about the downtown safety I do believe

2:13:51that one let me just say that JO and the

2:13:55work that has been done around JIO has

2:13:57been stellar. I have been to several

2:13:59meetings uh that included ACM Herald as

2:14:03well as other departments and um there

2:14:06is nothing about the preparation for

2:14:08JIHO that has not been um with the

2:14:13expectation that not only do we want

2:14:15safety but that we want to lift up the

2:14:18the 100th anniversary in the best way we

2:14:20can as a city. So I don't want the

2:14:24perception to be that we have not been

2:14:26at tables that we have not having this

2:14:28discussion. I think we're probably on

2:14:30two or three months in at this point uh

2:14:33preparing for this greatest homecoming

2:14:36on earth. So, I I want to make sure that

2:14:39we uh have an understanding with our

2:14:42public that this work is happening. It

2:14:45has been happening and uh everyone is

2:14:47looking forward to this event being the

2:14:49best that it can be. But I will say that

2:14:52um the the downtown safety should

2:14:55include all of downtown. and if we could

2:14:57look at the area around the IRC and the

2:15:00depot and try to think about how we can

2:15:03include that in our plan that we are

2:15:05with the bars and the other areas. I do

2:15:08know that there's some differences in um

2:15:11some of the the contributors in that

2:15:15area, but I do uh hear the um the sense

2:15:19of urgency around wanting to not be left

2:15:21out. And coming from a district that

2:15:23sometime has been historically left out,

2:15:26I know that how that feels. And so I

2:15:28want to acknowledge that uh when we talk

2:15:31about downtown safety, we should be

2:15:33talking about all of downtown. And

2:15:35although that conversation may look

2:15:37different as opposed to talking about

2:15:39bars or um Elm Street, we still need to

2:15:43consider that downtown, our depot is a

2:15:45part of that and how we can start to

2:15:48address our downtown as a whole. So um

2:15:51CM Harold, I think you do a great job

2:15:54and um I have worked with you in several

2:15:56initiatives and I know that um with this

2:15:59ask that you will confident I feel

2:16:02confident that you will look into it and

2:16:03that we will be able to address it. So,

2:16:05thank you.

2:16:07>> All right. Uh Councilwoman Crawford.

2:16:12>> Well, I'm glad that Councilwoman Black

2:16:14covered the uh depot and the IRC since

2:16:16we um and not we since uh that closed um

2:16:22the bridge area has been uh even more

2:16:26diverse. So um I do want to change gears

2:16:31a little bit uh with some of the safety

2:16:36nets being yanked out of families um in

2:16:39our city. Uh I wanted to uplift the fact

2:16:42that anyone that's uh seeing their city

2:16:46property taxes increased um that we are

2:16:50now with the city's lowincome uh home

2:16:53homeowner assistance program and that uh

2:16:56next Monday from 10 until 400 pm at the

2:17:00Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch

2:17:04Library. Uh if you have any questions or

2:17:07you want support in filling out an

2:17:09application for this program, you can

2:17:12get that there. Uh also the application

2:17:15online can be accessed for people who

2:17:18need more than just English. Um so it's

2:17:20got dozens of language including

2:17:22languages like Arabic or Camar. Uh and I

2:17:26just want to make sure um that folks

2:17:28know your deadline for applying to get

2:17:31some help uh with your increase uh in

2:17:34taxes will end. The deadline is October

2:17:36the 31st. Um, and if you need any in

2:17:40instructions for what you should bring

2:17:41or what you should do outside of uh that

2:17:44library, it is under property taxes on

2:17:47the housing and neighborhood development

2:17:49uh site. And then something that we've

2:17:52been looking forward to over in Brian

2:17:54Park is um the new pickle ball courts

2:17:58will be opened uh this Saturday from 10

2:18:02until noon. Uh so I hope that folks will

2:18:05be able to join us. Um, pickle ball uh

2:18:08sounds like this really um upper class

2:18:12sport, but really it's just like tennis,

2:18:14but it's easier on the knees. It's

2:18:16easier for seniors or people who have uh

2:18:19some kind of physical disability. Tried

2:18:22it. It was easier, much easier on the

2:18:24knees. So, um I hope to see you guys

2:18:27there this Saturday. That's it for me.

2:18:30>> Thank you, Council Member Parker.

2:18:33Um, I just wanted to let everybody know

2:18:36that um, it's time to vote again. Uh, my

2:18:39colleagues worked really hard to get

2:18:41into their seats and next week on

2:18:42October 15th, early voting starts. Um,

2:18:46we don't want to miss these midterms. U,

2:18:48I do want to say that uh, this council

2:18:51has advanced some several bonds. So,

2:18:53Bingham Park is on the ballot. Uh, this

2:18:56gives us the opportunity to vote our

2:18:58values. um permanent supportive housing

2:19:02is going to propel us into future of

2:19:06taking care of Greensboro. Um we're

2:19:09talking about roofs and fire stations

2:19:11and so uh I really hope that the city

2:19:14can come out and support the ways in

2:19:15which we plan on taking care of each

2:19:17other in our community. So October 15th

2:19:19is when we start. Um and uh so you have

2:19:23two weeks and you can vote uh register

2:19:25to vote anywhere during that time.

2:19:30All right. Thank you, Council Member

2:19:32Thurm.

2:19:36>> Thank you. I just um first of all, I'd

2:19:39like to thank Assistant City Manager

2:19:41Andrea Harold for your efforts. I know

2:19:44you have worked quite hard on dealing

2:19:48with community safety in many areas.

2:19:52um and

2:19:56you have a job that is never ending and

2:20:00so thank you for all that you do. I have

2:20:03confidence that um in your abilities and

2:20:07ongoing efforts. Um I wanted to point

2:20:10out to um everybody that we have a new

2:20:13store that opened in District 5. Um it's

2:20:16Rural King. Um, it's on Farmington Place

2:20:22in Greensboro off of Westgate City

2:20:24Boulevard. Um, it is a tractor supply on

2:20:29multiple levels of steroids. Um, it's a

2:20:33it's a fun store. It's an interesting

2:20:35store. Um, but it is new to our

2:20:38community and just encourage people to

2:20:41go out and support that store.

2:20:44I would almost say that if they don't

2:20:46have it, you don't need it. Um, they

2:20:49have a little bit of everything. So,

2:20:51take some time, go out there, enjoy it.

2:20:53Um, I already did a little bit of

2:20:56Christmas shopping out there for my

2:20:58great grandson. So, they have the cutest

2:21:01children's car heart and Wrangler

2:21:03clothes that you'll find anywhere. Um,

2:21:07but that was just a little pitch for

2:21:09district five. Excuse me. Um, I'd like

2:21:12to echo the the what Councilwoman Parker

2:21:15said. Please, voting starts on the 15th.

2:21:20Early voting starts. Um, please get out

2:21:24and vote. We've seen how um how

2:21:28imperative voting is. And this year, as

2:21:31every year, we say this election is the

2:21:34most important election. Um, but it is a

2:21:37critical year for everybody to come out

2:21:39to vote and I would encourage you to do

2:21:42so. Thank you.

2:21:44>> All right. and the rural king. I have

2:21:47trouble saying that word, so help me out

2:21:49here. But, uh, you know, it it's a big

2:21:52store, so take some time to go through

2:21:54it. It's very, uh, chamber did a great

2:21:57job on the ribbon cutting, and, um, it

2:21:59was just really nice to be there. Um,

2:22:02the office of the mayor does

2:22:04proclamations all the time for people

2:22:06who have special things like birthdays

2:22:08or uh, funerals or uh, any kind of

2:22:12remembrance for someone. Today I was

2:22:14approached by a uh special family and if

2:22:18I can get through this I'll read it.

2:22:28Whereas Noah Cobalt, a student at

2:22:31Gateway Education Center, has touched

2:22:33the lives of his family, educators,

2:22:36classmates, caregivers, and the

2:22:38Greensboro community through his

2:22:40courage, perseverance, and

2:22:41determination. And whereas throughout

2:22:44his educational journey, Noah has

2:22:46demonstrated extraordinary strength

2:22:49while overcoming significant challenges,

2:22:52reminding all of us that achievement is

2:22:54measured by both the milestones reached

2:22:57and the determination shown along the

2:22:59way. And whereas Noah's family,

2:23:02teachers, caregivers, and school

2:23:04community are surrounding him with love

2:23:07and encouragement, witness seeing

2:23:09firsthand the dignity and spirit with

2:23:11which he has approached life's

2:23:14challenges. And whereas Noah's

2:23:16educational accomplishments represent a

2:23:19meaningful milestone deserving of

2:23:21recognition and celebration by all who

2:23:24have supported him. [clears throat] And

2:23:26whereas Noah's family and school

2:23:29community had planned a graduation

2:23:31celebration to honor his accomplishments

2:23:34and ensure that he experiences the love,

2:23:37recognition, and appreciation he so

2:23:39richly deserves. And whereas the city of

2:23:42Greensboro recognizes the dignity,

2:23:45worth, and contributions of every young

2:23:47person and celebrates students whose

2:23:50journeys demonstrate extraordinary

2:23:52perseverance. And whereas Noah's

2:23:55remarkable journey reminds us all of the

2:23:58profound impact one life can have on a

2:24:01family, a school, and an entire

2:24:03community. Now, therefore, I, Mary Kaye,

2:24:07mayor of the city of Greensboro, do

2:24:09hereby proclaim October 6, 2026 as Noah

2:24:12Cobalt Day. And this is in Greensboro.

2:24:15And I urge all residents to join me in

2:24:18honoring Noah's courage, strength, and

2:24:21educational accomplishments. and in

2:24:23recognizing his family, educators,

2:24:26caregivers, and the Gateway Education

2:24:29Center community for their unwavering

2:24:31love and support. In witness whereof, I

2:24:34have here to set my hand and cause the

2:24:37seal of the city of Greensboro to be

2:24:39affixed this sixth day of October,

2:24:432026.

2:24:47Happy graduation, Noah. We're all

2:24:49rooting for you. Thank you so much.

2:25:03All right. Um, matters to be discussed

2:25:06by the mayor and members of council. If

2:25:07there's anything else you would like to

2:25:08say, uh, are there any board and

2:25:11commission appointments for October 6,

2:25:132026?

2:25:15No. No. All right. Uh we have no public

2:25:18hearing items and we have no general

2:25:22business items. So uh matters to be

2:25:25presented by the city manager.

2:25:27>> Uh just very briefly I want to remind

2:25:29everyone uh in public viewing we had a a

2:25:32really robust press conference uh led by

2:25:36held on our police department. Uh but

2:25:37the focus is really to remind uh folks

2:25:40as we approach uh North Carolina Ant

2:25:43State University's 100th homecoming

2:25:46which will be a huge event for our city

2:25:48that there's a significant amount of

2:25:49planning that has gone into the event

2:25:51and it's be well beyond just GPD. Uh you

2:25:55if you were able to view the press

2:25:57conference, there were folks represented

2:26:00both uh from our sheriff's office, uh

2:26:02Guilford County's Emergency Management,

2:26:04uh North Carolina Anti-State University

2:26:06Police, uh a number of of different

2:26:09entities there. Uh but I left there, I

2:26:12knew a lot, but I I got even more just

2:26:14feeling the energy, uh but also feeling

2:26:17the intentionality from the different

2:26:18leaders of the organizations. uh and

2:26:21they really emphasize that this is about

2:26:23making sure uh that we're not targeting

2:26:26anyone coming to the event but just to

2:26:28make sure people are safe. Uh I really

2:26:30like some of the touch points. Again, I

2:26:32think uh some of you have mentioned them

2:26:33to me. Uh that there'll be things like

2:26:35QR codes. There's some intentionality to

2:26:38make sure that traffic patterns uh

2:26:40although it will be challenging. I

2:26:42acknowledge that upfront. Uh but there

2:26:44are a few details that they were

2:26:45highlighting such as uh some of the Uber

2:26:48lift or different opportunities for

2:26:50people to have transportation. I I was

2:26:52also able to see some of the videos that

2:26:54our folks from GPD pushed out to make

2:26:56sure people knew where to park, how to

2:26:58park safe, uh other other locations. Uh

2:27:02and we're we're really excited. There's

2:27:03some some other um amendments that we're

2:27:06doing to different traffic or

2:27:08construction patterns uh to make people

2:27:10that make sure that people are able to

2:27:13traverse areas uh that are highly

2:27:15trafficked uh as easy as possible.

2:27:17Again, I know it will be a lot of people

2:27:20um and it won't be perfect. Uh however,

2:27:23I I'm really excited about uh the

2:27:25efforts that all of our folks have done.

2:27:26All of you have acknowledged assistant

2:27:28city manager Haron and her her efforts

2:27:31to guide some of our public safety folks

2:27:32and they've all been involved uh to make

2:27:35sure that people are here and safe. And

2:27:37I know many people will have family

2:27:39here. I will have family here. Uh, and

2:27:42I'm looking forward to a great weekend,

2:27:44a great week really, uh, and a great

2:27:46weekend and an opportunity for people to

2:27:48enjoy uh, what is a definitive part of

2:27:51Greensboro's history. So, thank you,

2:27:53council, and thank you for your

2:27:54leadership and guidance and support.

2:27:56>> Thank you. Yes, Council Member Thurman

2:27:59has a question.

2:28:01City Manager. Um

2:28:04I've heard some reports and perhaps uh

2:28:08Assistant City Manager Herrell can

2:28:10respond to this as well. Um I've had

2:28:14residents in District 5 complain about

2:28:16the fact that all the police in

2:28:19Greensboro are going to be associated

2:28:22with homecoming and that nobody will be

2:28:25patrolling other areas. And can you just

2:28:28speak to that so that we can clarify so

2:28:30residents know what to expect and um

2:28:34>> we'll we'll tag team that one. I'm going

2:28:37she's going to talk about the current

2:28:39but I can say from personal experience I

2:28:41spent 23 years in that organization. Uh

2:28:43it will be well covered. I was a

2:28:45supervisor. I was a patrol officer and a

2:28:48number of other things. So every area

2:28:49will be covered for the city. But can

2:28:51you give some direct things that we're

2:28:52doing this year?

2:28:54>> Sure. So we have a number of operational

2:28:56plans associated with downtown or Aggies

2:28:58on elm or the game or the parade. We

2:29:00also every captain at the district level

2:29:02has an operational plan for their

2:29:03district because they know their

2:29:05district better than anybody else. They

2:29:06will be very well staffed, just as well

2:29:08staffed as the rest of the city. So we

2:29:09will absolutely be present throughout

2:29:11the city. Thank you. I know there's some

2:29:14particular concerns in District 5

2:29:16surrounding um Halloween and

2:29:18trick-or-treating and mischief makers.

2:29:21Um, and so

2:29:24I just want to make sure.

2:29:25>> Yes, absolutely. And that was something

2:29:26that the police chief addressed a little

2:29:27bit yesterday around people wearing

2:29:29masks and how is that going to affect um

2:29:31people's ability to sort of enjoy

2:29:33Halloween? And he gave a great answer.

2:29:34If people are doing what they're

2:29:35supposed to be doing, celebrate

2:29:36Halloween. But if you're not, then we're

2:29:38going to address that behavior

2:29:39regardless of whether you have a

2:29:40costume.

2:29:42>> Madame Mayor, yes. I just wanted to uh

2:29:45insert that I don't know what kind of

2:29:48authority we may have, but can we at

2:29:50least let the railroad know that Jiho is

2:29:52coming? Uh because what they're doing

2:29:55now is a cluster. So I can't imagine ma

2:29:59matching that up with uh JO and JHo

2:30:02starts on Monday. Just for

2:30:05clarification.

2:30:05>> Thank you very much, Council Member

2:30:07Black. We we've been engaging with them

2:30:09regularly and we'll and and I know you

2:30:11you're aware and we sent something out

2:30:12the other day. We'll keep our website

2:30:14updated as it relates to when the

2:30:16completions are happening. Um but we

2:30:19will engage them to make sure they're

2:30:21aware. Thank you.

2:30:23>> All right. Thank you, madame city

2:30:25attorney. Anything for this evening?

2:30:28>> Um yes. I just wanted to say to the city

2:30:30council to thank you today for your

2:30:32confidence in my leadership of the legal

2:30:34department. And this is going to sound

2:30:37cliche, but it's not. Is really coming

2:30:40from the heart. It is truly my pleasure

2:30:41to serve you. So, thank you.

2:30:43>> Thank you. We appreciate you.

2:30:46>> All right. I would entertain a motion to

2:30:48adjourn by Mr. Holston and seconded by

2:30:51Council Member Black. All in favor? We

2:30:53will adjourn.

2:30:58[music]

2:31:06>> [music]

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