Greensboro Coliseum Wasting $72,000 on Traffic and Congestion Study from Agenda for June 4th 2013 meeting

From the Greensboro City Council meeting for June 4, 2013 there are 2 items that are very interesting to take notice of that are in the report on disbursements from 4-29-13 through 5-13-2013
in a section titled under state federal and other grants is this
5-10-2013
vendor name:
Martin Alexiou Bryson PLLC

description:
Coliseum traffic & parking study

price:
$13,467.39

and

vendor name:
Martin Alexiou Bryson PLLC

description:
Congestion Management Study

price:
$58,838.39  TOTAL = $72,305.78

So as we see from this that the Greensboro City Council is spending $72,000 on 2 studies that you would think with over the years that the staff and personnel at the coliseum would know by now how to get traffic in and out of the coliseum in a timely manner . Let's also remember that over the years someone at NCDOT and coliseum came up with a brilliant idea to spend millions of dollars to add reversible lanes for High Point Road which is now gone but certainly a waste of taxpayer money to boot , below is a picture of what the reversible lanes look like

note this is not high point road but a picture of a reversible lane

You do not need to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars on 2 studies to come up with a idea that should be easily fixed if the Greensboro Coliseum and Matt Brown would implement what they use during the ACC Tournament in a shuttle service from the Four Seasons mall parking lot to help with over flow crowds at coliseum events.

During these budget times and looking at ways to curb spending it would be beneficial if studies like these would not be done and save the taxpayers money .

Matt Brown's Fiefdom AKA Greensboro Coliseum Wants $24 Million Tax Dollars

HAT TIP FOX 8 WGHP

On the agenda for the Greensboro City Council for May 1, 2012 is this:

34. Resolution calling a public hearing concerning a Limited Obligation Bond to finance improvements to the Greensboro War Memorial Coliseum Complex.

(Council District: all) (roll call vote) (Attachment #34 to Councilmembers)

Then we have FOX 8 WGHP who did a report on this today here is that story

  This news comes on top of the news where the downtown folks want a performing arts center which has a price tag close to $60 million dollars , and do not forget the new sparkling Greensboro Aquatic Center which cost more than $18 million dollars. Between all of these projects it is going to cost taxpayers close to $100 million dollars just to keep up with the joneses as they say . That is a hell of a price tag for the citizens of Greensboro to pay and if you want a death wish for the downtown GPAC then approve these coliseum improvements. Here is a comment on facebook from Don Moore which is so true

"It is sheer madness for Greensboro (DMA # 46) to compete with Atanta (#8), New York (#1), Orlando (#19). It like trying to bring the Major League Baseball team to Kernersville all over again"

In the $24 million dollars is $1 million for them to widen the concourse to the Aquatic Center the place hasn't been open a year and they already want to spend over $1 million on probably a design flaw where someone screwed up that design and they also want to relocate restrooms at the aquatic center. Then they want to install not one but now a secondary video scoreboard at the Aquatic Center, then they also want to add decorative tile and stone to the diving well, AM sure it is fine as is and no need for some decorative tile and stone.

Can't wait to see this dog and pony show and to have the cheerleading squad consisting of Zack Matheny and Mayor Perkins leading the cheers for this, I could be wrong on this point but i think that there has been talk about the downtown venues wanting a share of the hotel/motel tax to help out downtown Greensboro and also wanting to use some of that money to help fund a downtown performing arts center. It seems like state law makes the hotel/motel tax be spent at the Greensboro Coliseum and if these projects get approved then you will see that tax money still flow to the Matt Brown Fiefdom called the Greensboro Coliseum for years to come and not a dime of that money be spent in downtown Greensboro where plenty of people visit while in town.  

ACC Hall of Champions in the News and is Costing Greensboro Taxpayers Money

In today's Greensboro News and Record 3-18-2012 behind the pay wall is a article from the front page titled "ACC Showpiece isn't Bringing Fans" .

In this article this is what was written:

"The attraction sold about 7,000 mostly discounted tickets during its first year.

That’s well under the 26,000 visitors that coliseum Director Matt Brown had hoped for when the hall opened last year.

And it’s a fraction of what organizers had projected when they envisioned the hall as a much larger structure. Plans unveiled in 2005 called for a $23 million facility that would bring 170,000 people through the doors annually. Ticket sales at the hall accounted for $18,935, with another $6,000 earned in commissions from special event catering. Private donations brought in $25,000, according to organizers.

The hall was built using $2 million allocated by the state legislature, $300,000 in interest and $186,000 from private investors. No city tax dollars were used in the project. "

The writer Nancy Mclaughlin says that "no Greensboro City tax dollars were used in the project".

Well let's see what is in the current agenda with attachments for the March 20, 2012 Greensboro City Council meeting and under the reports with disbursements is a really nice nugget for the taxpayers of Greensboro.

2-16-2012
FUND NAME: Coliseum Projects Improvement Fund
Check Number:276595
Vendor Name: S&S Building and Development
Description: Hall of Champions Interior Renovation Project
Disbursement Amnount: $11,560

Not even one year into the ACC Hall of Champions and there is already a renovation project going on at the Hall of Champions, this ACC Hall of Champions will go down in history as our local triad edition of Citizens Against Government Waste Porker Award.

Greensboro Performance Arts Center pitch lie number two, three and four?

...on Dec. 1, the city retired all $56.4 million in debt

for coliseum complex improvements, some dating to 1991.

Don "the man" Patterson

GN&R

"In December 2011,
approximately $3.0 million in Coliseum Certificates of Participation
were retired (This included the final maturity on Arena Expansion debt issued in 1991.).

Wasn't it reported to be about $56.4 or $48 million in retired debt?

Citizens Against Government Waste: Greensboro Coliseum Edition

CLICKHERE  to check out page 153 of 159 in the current agenda with attachment for the City of Greensboro, where we have on 10-10-2011 with fund name;

War Memorial Coliseum Complex
check number#296396
Vendor name:  Ovations Food Service
description:Catering Service for Aquatic Center opening
total bill= $10,122.25

Maybe getting this item itemized would get interesting for Matt Brown and his fiefdom.

This will get our local award for Citizens Against Government Waste the Triadwatch edition.

Diving Championship will Bring a Whole $8 Dollars for Greensboro

Press release from the Greensboro Coliseum had this to say:

"The Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates the AT&T National Diving Championships and Junior National and Age Group Championships will generate more than $8 in economic impact."

Wow, a whole $8 will be made from the diving championship. I know Henri Fourrier forgot to put a M  by the 8 to mean million but seeing this is pretty funny. Hopefully there will be a correction on this.