The Greensboro Planning Department has released its GSO Implementation Update for the third quarter of 2023.
The implementation updates list highlights of progress the City of Greensboro is making in bringing the goals and visions of GSO2040 to reality.
One of the highlights listed is the Greensboro Transit Agency (GTA) launching the Downtown Hopper Trolley service. This is pilot program to run free diesel buses painted to look like old time trolleys along a fixed route in downtown Greensboro.
Although the project is the result of the Participatory Budgeting program, only $90,000 of the necessary funding for the pilot project came from Participatory Budgeting. The major source of the funding for the buses, which run from Thursday through Sunday, is $1 million in money freed up by the American Rescue Plan funds, which were dumped into the general fund budget.
The Hopper Trolley service started on July 20 and is scheduled to run through Dec. 31. If the project is deemed successful then the City Council will have to find about $2 million a year to keep free downtown bus service running.
The Greensboro City Council was repeatedly cautioned about spending ARP money for ongoing expenses, which is one reason the free downtown bus service was deemed a pilot project.
The implementation update also notes that Chief Sustainability Officer for Greensboro Shree Dorestant, who was hired in June 2022, saw a huge increase in her staff when the 2023-2024 fiscal year budget went into effect on July 1.
If Dorestant was lonely in her first year in office, she shouldn’t be any longer because the new budget added 10 positions to her office.
The four focus areas of the Office of Sustainability and Resilience are energy management, environmental compliance, sustainability planning and education and outreach.
The report also notes that GTA is creating a new public transit plan for Greensboro. The initiative, named GOBORO, is to start with a blank slate, review existing transit demand and need and design a network that meets those needs long term. The plan is scheduled to be completed in March 2024.
Just more wasted tax dollars and a bigger government which is the last thing Greensboro needs. Get ready for increased taxes. If you enjoy this charade, keep on voting the way you do.
Not to worry… By 2030 we’ll be a “15 minute city”.
With all the clean energy BS why are the fake trolleys diesel? Aren’t the regular city buses electric. And why do we need a bus up and down Elm street? Make people walk. Maybe they will lose a few pounds.
The electric busses cost twice as much. Over a million vs around 500,000 for a diesel.
I am all for diesel, gas, whatever.
Walking a few blocks down one single street is free.
Only a few are electric. Most are still diesel. The California Co. that made the electric buses and sold them to the city has gone bankrupt big surprise
Nobody wants to ride your stupid busses.
Go to the station, except for a couple of routes in the morning there are more busses than people riding them.
PART and GTA are blatant waste of money.
Perhaps GTA can use some of their free federal money to pick up leaves. Composting leaves is green. It helps preserve trees which might otherwise be cut down (ceasing to be CO2 sinks, like the pine forests that are not turned into paper, which I do believe qualify for environmental credits) and it reduces the need for fertilizer, whose runoff pollutes waterways, and which itself, adds CO2 and other GHGs to the atmosphere. So, there surely are federal subsidies available to support leaf composting. I suggest we start Composting Leaves Matters (CLM) as an environmental movement. You have probably heard that “…The arc of the universe bends…” But I doubt that you have heard that the arc is actually “All Races Compost.” If you believe in green you already believe in composting. If you do not, you will not be harmed if others compost. So what’s not to like about CLM?
Careful Mr. McClanahan, you are espousing ideas of good common sense and usefulness. You are going to be savaged by their lackeys.
Also be careful advocating the creation of the CLM movement. The Feds have a bunch of unused agents they might loan to the Grand Council in order to infiltrate your proposed organization to look for subversive (by their standards and definitions) activity. But then if you call it an ‘environmental movement’ the consequences may be mitigated.
What do eleven “positions” in the Sustainability Office do?
My guess is eleven more of the overpaid faithful, to be bused to the polls on election day.
What’s the budget for this Office of Sustainability and Resilience?
Multiple choice quiz:
1. Cow Pattie
2. Dipstick
3. S*(t-for-brains
4. Dumb A*s
5. Dilbert
6. Dufus
7. Doo-Dah
8. Effing-idiot
9. Bag-O-Hammers
10. Democrat
Choose wisely, you may never get another chance.
Lol!!! I choose all of the above as perfect descriptions for this city council. Good one Miller!
I agree Jv…all the above
I bow to you and your wit Miller