d_Random

I wish it was that easy. The hotel-motel tax is not available until 2011. The city will have to borrow the money AND pay interest until that money becomes available. Due to the crappy economy the city has had to cover $250,000 in payments the hotel-motel tax was supposed to cover, and the projection is the hotel-motel tax fund will come up $140,000 short in the future. Get read to open up your pocketbook Greensboro!

"But Robbie is on our side...". You must be a developer then beyonce245, because Robbie Perkins is the developer's best friend (Remember that Project Homestead debockle?) on the city council.

This isn't a liberal vs conservative argument for me. I'm as liberal as they come, but I know a turkey when I see one and this $20 million hole in the ground is it! And I'm sorry, but this "aquatics center" does not have the major support of the community. Do you think for a minute that if it was voted on again for the missing $8 million it's gonna pass? No way in hell. And Robbie Perkins doesn't think so either.

I agree with you Beany. They did not do this in an honest way. And the way the old council voted on this pool as a parting shot to screw the tax payers was beneath contempt.

Cityboi- Actually I think the citizens were duped into voting for this swim center. If you recall a bond for a swim center FAILED TWICE before being tacked onto the Parks and Recreation bond (which has historically passed). And now we learn that the previous cost projections were way off. What do you think the chances that a swim center bond would have passed (not tacked to Parks and Recreation bond) with a $20 million price tag in a down economy? ZERO chance!!!!!!!!!

I am unhappy with the swim center because I thought the way that it got passed was very underhanded. I the swim center FAILED twice previously to be passed and then it was tacked on to the Parks and Recreations bond (which historically has been viewed favorably by the public). It was a shell game. This swim center will NOT benefit most people of greensboro, only the well-to-do families that have kids on swim teams. Now we learn that the previous price tag for the center is well below the actual price to build the center. And there are no studies provided by anyone that indicate that will recoup the price of this hole in the ground. The whole thing seems rushed and poorly planned.

It will get cleared up, the tax payers will pay the difference!

The Matt Brown shake down continues! Greensboro swim center still needs millions!

I found the information on the Bill Knight web site.

Bottomline: It loses money! Its cumulative operating losses since the early nineties approach $30 million dollars.

IMHO the Coliseum is a money pit. It's never going to be able to compete with larger coliseums in N.C. no matter how much money we pour into it.

HA! There is nothing 'grand' about SEARS. Unless you are shopping for old lady nightgowns, boy's Toughskin pants or Jolaps (aka bobos) shoes.

I didn't know that SEARS owned the building & parking lot. I think that if starmount corp. wants to get rid of them they can. I know that they pushed out the terrace theatre, I believe they owned the building also.

I wonder how long SEARS has before Starmount Corp. terminates their lease? That is a huge piece of real estate right between the new and old section on Friendly center and SEARS has been a ghost town for the last 15 years.