Downtown Greenway: the right track, or just loopy?
Plans for Greensboro's Downtown Greenway are progressing. The proposed 4.8-mile loop around the center city "will distinguish Greensboro," proponents say. "This project is forward-thinking and unique."
It's expected to cost $26 million, with funds coming from private and public sources. Taxpayer contributions could include $10 million from a possible city transportation bond.
Honestly, although individual members of our Editorial Board enjoy walking and running on greenways, we've been lukewarm about this idea since its inception. We've had concerns about its cost, its rank on the priority list of projects the city needs to get done and whether it can deliver on its promises -- getting more people physically active, drawing communities together and promoting economic development. It will require ongoing maintenance costs and policing for public safety reasons.
All that said, the presentation to the City Council Tuesday by Marsh Prouse of the Greensboro Bicentennial Commission was very impressive. Councilman Robbie Perkins asserted that, in terms of a long-term strategy for city development, the greenway is "the No. 1 thing we can do." And I'll admit, as envisioned it would be very cool.
We're working on an editorial. Help us out. What's your view?
Comments (6)
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Even though I've included my view before, I thought I'd put it here again.
Posted on February 28, 2008 2:07 PM
I haven't seen a public cost/benefit analysis on this.
Does such a thing exist?
Posted on February 28, 2008 4:05 PM
I'm not aware of one, but I don't think cba's are normally done on parks. Essentially, that's what this would be.
Posted on February 28, 2008 4:25 PM
I think that good policy and management practices would require CBAs on all projects that would be defined as discretionary use of public funds in projects like this.
I am particularly interested in what the projected cost per unique user would be for selected periods of time.
Posted on February 28, 2008 4:32 PM
That's scary territory.
When I can, I run on the High Point city greenway and the county's Bicentennial Greenway that winds from High Point City Lake through the Piedmont Environmental Center, along the Deep River, under Wendover Avenue and through Piedmont Centre. Very often, I will encounter fewer than one other person per mile. That's obviously a very high cost per user, even if you include only maintenance/security, let alone construction. On the other hand, I don't know how you'd put a dollar figure on the benefit I derive from it.
Of course, I could run on a treadmill at a fitness center and not cost the public anything.
Posted on February 28, 2008 4:38 PM
"Of course, I could run on a treadmill at a fitness center and not cost the public anything."
That's the direction I was heading.
For projects of this sort, I think it's time to establish value/benefit analysis for the amount of public money spent on projects of this sort. It's something the politicians and bureaucrats need to do to be good stewards of the public money.
It's difficult to envision benefits (intangibles included) being worth the cost here.
Posted on February 28, 2008 7:15 PM