The City of Greensboro announced on Thursday, July 25 that Cone Health system plans to donate $5 million toward the construction of the Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex – a place where people can come to interact, learn about wellness, study, exercise, check out books, swim, and do a lot more things than anyone could ever do at a traditional “library.”
Interim Greensboro City Manager Chris Wilson said he was very excited about Cone’s help with the project.
“This opportunity to collaborate with Cone Health is an example of the benefits to public-private partnerships,” Wilson said after the announcement, adding that the complex represents a new approach to public services delivery, one that recognizes the need for a complex such as this to be located in the community it serves as well as be easily accessible.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said the Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex “truly is a one-of-a-kind multi-functional space,” and the mayor added that it will offer a vision into the future as to how to improve the city’s effort to meet the needs of the entire Greensboro community through a centralized hub.
According to the July 25 announcement, Cone and Greensboro are dedicated to ensuring this “transformational” project that will “create opportunities for health and wellness equity through a variety of services and educational program opportunities.”
Cone Health CEO Mary Jo Cagle said this is very much needed in this area.
“This contribution towards the city’s capital needs will allow our most vulnerable community members to access health and wellness services like never before,” Cagle said. “Cone Health shares the city’s commitment to healthy communities. Combined with our recently announced investments in health equity, this partnership will create new opportunities for improved health outcomes for those residents of east Greensboro.”
The people that are currently served by the Windsor Recreation Center, Vance Chavis Library and Nocho Park, according to city officials, have seen a critical lack of access to necessary services over the years – and this center is meant to help those in the surrounding area get access to those services.
Greensboro Public Libraries and Greensboro Parks and Recreation wanted, therefore, to create a centralized hub for that community meant to meet the needs of that population and offer the delivery of services in a way that hasn’t been done before.
Rather than being a library – “a place where you simply check out a book” – the new facility will be a community gathering center that offers visitors maker spaces, lounges to write, work or study in, and various spaces geared toward different age groups.
It won’t just have basketball courts and swimming pools; in addition, it will include other sports facilities and an aquatic center with lots of water-based amenities.
The complex will consist of indoor aquatics including a “lazy river, water slide and lap swim, teaching kitchen, gymnasium, walking track, weight room, fitness room, sensory space, dedicated spaces for children, teens, and seniors, and flexible programming rooms and spaces both indoor and outdoor.”
Likewise, the park connected to the complex won’t just offer a traditional playground and a ballpark; it will feature “universal play spaces,” outdoor gym facilities as well as “a place to celebrate the significant history of a community.”
In addition, the 65,000-square-foot complex will encourage living practices that promote health, wellness and social interaction – and it will offer access to both city and county services.
Guilford County departments such as Public Health, Social Services, and the Cooperative Extension will offer services to residents. Eligibility services, including Medicaid, will be offered as well as Food and Nutrition, and Women, Infants, and Children services.
Classes centered on wellness, exercise, health and nutrition will also be offered.
The project will include a full-size covered basketball pavilion, an amphitheater and a “relaxation area.”
The site will also feature multiple community gathering spaces with Bosque seating, picnic tables, bench seating, a shade structure, with lighting throughout.
This new facility should be one of the nicest and most complete in Greensboro once it opens, and it will provide the ability to access a wealth of services through one central hub.
Guilford County government, the City of Greensboro and Cone Health have all been criticized at various times over the year for not providing adequate services to the less affluent sections of Greensboro and Guilford county.
In 2012, Guilford County attempted to address the need for more medical care in east Greensboro by opening the Evans-Blount Medical Clinic at 2031 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. in Greensboro – however, that facility closed in 2022 after a decade of service to the community.
The new 65,000-square-foot Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex, while not a health clinic, will be largely wellness-oriented – a proactive health facility offering residents a place where they can improve their mental and physical health through positive wellness practices.
And, in addition to providing access to social services, the complex will encourage lifelong learning and more social interaction among users.
Scott, do we have an address for this Center?
I believe it will be at the site of the current Windsor Center on Gate City Blvd.
So nice.m I’m glad for the residents. So Councilwoman Thurm, when is the west side…any part of District 5 going to get anything, especially a nice Parks and Rec Center. Ours are all old and in bad need of repair. I guess you think we can all afford gym memberships. We can’t. You’ve been in office for how long? And what have we gotten? Nothing. Glad you support the rest of the citizens, but not your own district. You probably have THE most diverse District of all. Race, incomes, everything. We ALL have needs and we watch the East side get everything. We are all types of people and many many in need of all kinds of things. How about speaking up for us once in a while.
Cone should use that money to improve their ability to treat and serve patients which they desperately need. I speak from experience.
Cone hospital is an excellent hospital. They do a fantastic job treating and caring for their patients. I’m sorry Steve, you must not of had adequate insurance or funds, or already owed the hospital unpaid bills. Maybe it was your know it all attitude, or maybe your wealthy front you always put on. Nevertheless, treat people how you would like to be treated and you might get better results. Stop crying ok?
Hi. Will there be a fee or membership required to enter or participate in the services and activities offered?
I give it a year, maybe two before it starts looking like the place where EMS are reluctant to go.
Pardon my sarcasam. Where did this 5 mil come from? Is it like the govt extorts from us from punitive taxation, and passes a bit of it on to their favorite recipients? Or is it like the obscene charges that Cone levies for $250.00 IVs, or from private practices that they have bought out? Or the padded & predatory Medical bills? If you contest this padding, or refuse to pay them; the implied threat is to your credit score and/or refusing to accept you as a patient? I have seen these padded bills numerous times in my many years, especially now. I.E. $35,000 for a drug that can be purchased for no more than $8,000 from several sources.
Oh, my bad. It is now Kaiser Permanente, the Fontana, CA MANAGED CARE (HMO) consortium that now owns Cone Health. If you don’t know what an HMO is, you haven’t learned anything over the years. Managed care means that it the Provider who tells your “neetwork” doctors how to practice medicine. It is the HMO who decides what treatment you get, and how much they will cover, not you or your doctor. It is similar to Medicare Advantage programs (which is a Disadvantage) that give over your health care to a Private Insurance Company; such as Cigna or Humana (see your Medicare book). Medicare Advantage is cheaper, until you get sick.
Corporate America, aided by our own governments, is hunting us. We will all be beholding to Big Brother for basic needs. As we will get less and less, pay more and more; BB takes more for itself and the faithful. Ask about the NHS in the UK; or health care in Canada, supposedly financed by huge Provincial sales taxes.
If anyone hasn’t noticed, it is not possible for the U.S govt to pay off, or even down, it’s growing debt – or even service it. Unfortunately, most citizens are not engaged in Civics, and could care less. There is nowhere to hide.
This comment is not political. These things affect all of us.
Well said.
I’ve been lucky only to rarely seek medical help in the US, but I always feel like a helpless victim in a huge sting operation. And I’m the mark.
The UK’s National Health System is worse. They couldn’t care less about the patients (they can’t be sued) and know they have jobs for life.
There has to be a better way.
But it is political. To fix the problems you played out so well, will take either regulations or new services by the government to resolve as clearly the current process has failed the American people.
One side believes regulations are bad and the other side sees them as necessary to keep big busienss from hunting us. It matters. But you are right, most people don’t understand.
Chris, I have never understood why Blacks like regulation, but as a whole, they do. Excessive regulation is a soft form of slavery, a control. I will not debate individual regulations with you. However, your remarks suggest that you have 100% buy-in for regulation. Blacks have a love affair with the federal government and especially with the Democrat party. Why would Blacks put such loyalty into the federal government? All government players are snakes. While loyalty is to be admired, blind loyalty is a fault.
Experience from that area will show that this facility too will fall apart within a few years due to it’s location …it will be overwhelmed with crime … homelessness….and other related things that continue to erupt in that area …next we will hear that millions will be spent on the Randleman Rd mess….why not up or police presences …oh I forgot no one wants to be on the GPD….even with signing bonus ….great strategy Nancy….guess the Cone foundation needs a huge tax deduction…..
Cone Health is a nonprofit. Apparently, Cone Health does make a profit and spends the money rather than putting the money back into its operation. Let’s cancel their nonprofit status.
Cone is a “not for profit “entity, that’s totally different than a non-profit
Will, you are engaging in semantics, which is misleading. Nonprofits and not-for-profit have the same tax benefits, which nonprofits are after. It is so simple to establish a nonprofit, knowing there is little to no oversight. Allegedly, nonprofits pump any revenue back into the nonprofit so that no one person(s) benefits from the nonprofit. There is so much unfairness with nonprofits. Someone must compensate for the lost revenue. The public may have a misunderstanding of nonprofits. They are not warm and fuzzy, and they benefit few people. Before the crafty scheme of tax exemption, nonprofits were viewed as charities. No more. It is all about avoiding taxes. Between accountants, lawyers, and politicians the average taxpaying citizen doesn’t stand a chance. Nonprofits are big business. Where there is big business there is lawful fraud. Is the Woolworth museum a charity, huge retirement homes that charge a fortune to move in a charity, is the NAACP a charity, are the “nonprofit” receivers of Guilford County taxpayer money charities? Nonprofits are so intertwined with the tax code and avoiding taxes that the word nonprofit has become an anathema to many. And many exist for political purposes, which counters the 1954 Johnson Amendment regarding 501(c)(3). However, that was remedied by the nonprofit becoming a 501(c)(4). I am certainly not a tax expert, far from it. But a skunk can be smelled before seeing it.
Might as well change the name of this site to
“Pessimistic Times “
I have questions
How many folks not from East Greensboro have ever visited Chavis Library…nicest librarians in town
I grew up swimming at Windsor Center and still attend a ball game, meeting or wedding there…
that’s what Community Centers are for
The grass at Noco Park is still green…maybe not greener than other areas, but the little league games
are still great.
Never knew that crime in this particular area was ever out of control…more so a safe haven
Looking forward to the update
I am happy that your community is getting a nice, new community center. Now it is up to the community to keep it that way. As I recall, in the past there were problems with vandalism to vehicles and such, and theft from vehicles. Parents in the community should be responsible and take care of their children, which includes monitoring their behavior. This is not a White thing; it is a social thing.
I know that it’s not my community but our community.
As was noted earlier, West side Community Centers are run down and in need of repairs, this happens when Centers are being used over time. I’m not sure that East
side is the only side that should “keep it that way “.
In your recalling crime on the East side, I recall crime happening everywhere.
Bottom line is that people are not as different as some believe they are. Having an open mind helps realize this.
Having a public and private sponsored community center helps one area which in turn helps the Whole area.
Point taken. Crime does happen everywhere. However, it happens disproportionately in certain areas. Why is that? Your comment speaks to “it takes a village” allegedly from African culture. I believe in personal responsibility because a person has no one else to blame for their actions. I suppose we are talking about two different cultures. As far as the length and breadth of the definition of community in the case of the Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex, I feel confident that “community” refers to the area surrounding the complex not the entire city of Greensboro.