At a Thursday, Oct. 16 work session of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, Commissioner Pat Tillman proved that he really looks through the detailed presentation materials handed to the board when staff gives the board information. This presentation regarded the county’s new $12.3 million master plan for parks and greenways. The commissioners haven’t adopted the plan yet – at the work session they were just being briefed on it.
“On page 15,” Tillman said to a consultant who had helped with the plan, “it says there’s a $2 million treehouse?”
The consultant said that was correct and went into an explanation of how special a treehouse it would be – really encompassing more than one would think compared to, say, a treehouse a dad might build his son in the backyard.
It wasn’t exactly clear what would be so special about this treehouse, but then Tillman had an on target and funny comment.
“You might want to reconsider the verbiage,” he said, which is a really good idea since, on the face of it, $2 million seems like a lot to pay for a treehouse at a park when taxpayers in the county are already none too happy about the way the board has been spending money in recent years.
The meeting ended soon after that, without any clear understanding of what the $2 million treehouse project included.
So, the Rhino Times reached out after the meeting to the county’s Communications Department and asked for more information about that part of the master plan, which was developed after the county collected a lot of public input through surveys and community meetings.
Guilford County Multimedia Communications & PR Manager Eddi Cabrera Blanco provided more information on the treehouse this week in an email after speaking with Guilford County Parks Director Dwight Godwin.
Blanco wrote in an email, “During the public input phase of the master planning process, residents expressed interest in creating unique, nature-based experiences within the park system. From that feedback, the concept of a ‘Tree House’ was suggested as a way to offer an interactive experience beyond a traditional playground.”
The PR manager added: “To represent the potential investment required, the plan’s consultants included a conceptual cost that reflects modern construction standards.”
Blanco pointed out that the Board of Commissioners has not yet signed off on the implementation of the master plan.
The board is likely to address the plan and the treehouse idea when it adopts a 2026-2027 fiscal budget next June.
The email states, “The $2 million amount referenced in the Parks Master Plan for the ‘Tree House’ concept is a preliminary planning estimate, not an approved or budgeted project cost. It was included to illustrate the potential expense of developing a fully accessible, safe, and well-designed nature-based structure, should the county decide to pursue such a project in the future.”
Still, the treehouse is in the plan and there seems to be support among board members to move forward next year with the master plan or some version of it.
The Rhino Times still does not have a clear picture in its mind of what this treehouse would look like or what it would offer, but the guess is that, if it does actually cost $2 million, it will be very, very nice treehouse, and it will look nothing like the one pictured above.
Two million for a *$#%! treehouse and they can’t even maintain the existing greenways. I think the Atlantic & Yadkin bridge by Bur-Mil Parkk is still closed?
I commented on this on the GP&R page on Facebook. I got answers regarding environmental studies, water runoff from hard pavement, structural engineering, drinking water impact, and about 3-4 other things. They claimed starting in early 2026, and finishing mid 2027. 3 1/2 years of a bridge closure, but hey, they’ve spent millions downtown to build the greenway system before this. I just guess they have “differing” priorities.
Thank you County Commissioner Pat Tillman for looking out for the citizens of Guilford County.
The Democrats all to willing to waste taxpayer money and raise our Property Taxes.
nicely said …I can think of another way to put it…..
Thank you, Mr. Tillman! If they want a treehouse let the community college students come build it as a project, with supplies the taxpayers have already paid for, let one of these billion dollar schools bring shop class out and build it. Ask the community you live in to build it with volunteers, teach a kid to use a saw and hammer. Stop depending on the government to do everything and fund everything…
I agree that time and money should be spent on the upkeep of places already in existence..What usually happens is grandiose building plans- look nice for a few years. Then no upkeep is done because they cry no funds. Next comes we have to raise taxes, pass bonds, cost overruns all because no one did routine upkeep and maintenance.
Thank you to Pat Tillman for pointing out and asking questions. Until the citizens of Guilford County and within the municipalities start voting for fiscal conservatism among our elected officials there will be no change in the spending. Our $2,000,000,000 in school bonds is a prime example. The last Republican on the Joint facilities was Pat Tillman and removed when he was elected as commissioner. It is a prime example of waste and uncontrolled design with failed promises led and controlled by Democrats.
Take my money, please.
Do we really need a 2 million dollar tree house in this county?? The problem with our current county government leaders is they have forgotten that government is to provide with our tax money what the citizens need not want.
Think about what your parents taught you about needs and wants. You want a big house, you only need a roof over your head to keep you warm and dry.
If we don’t elect government officials that understand the difference between wants and needs we will become bankrupt and wake up one day laying off massive amounts of people like Rocky Mount just had to do. We can’t continue to raise taxes and spend money as this well is dry!!!
Given the problems with the county already has to confront (homelessness, etc.) why are the taxpayers asked to fork out money for a treehouse and properties not in Guilford count such as Toyota, now a distributions center for Food Lion, etc. and others inside Guilford county (Boom, Amazon, etc.) all designated as “progress” when the consequences can be summed up as more traffic congestion, higher taxes (so many more foreclosures for people that have been paying property taxes for up to 20 years or more), loss of the “green” in Greensboro, and much more- all in the name of “progress”. I mean, Why?
Alston will give the project to one of his favored organizations that take county money and fund his political campaign. We’ll end up with a deer stand seat up a tree about 15 feet from the ground and a sign that says “No Hunting, hazardous to climb tree.”
How true you are
Just like the jail contractors. 2 years late and a few million dollars over what Samet had bid because skip is a racist
Nailed it!!
The Rhino Times still does not have a clear picture in its mind of what this treehouse would look like or what it would offer, but the guess is that, if it does actually cost $2 million, it will be a very, very nice treehouse, and it will look nothing like the one pictured above.
With this gang of thieves, the $2 million treehouse will look exactly like the picture above.
A nature based structure concept…for 2m of your tax dollars…maybe. Wish list are great and you’ve got more tax dollars coming in 2026. Pray tell and advise the other outstanding examples of potential spending.
I guess when you use a $10,000 hammer and $1.00 nails along with $5,000 lumber, it can mount up. Might I suggest at the next “retreat” the Commissioners plan they figure out how their grandparents built that treehouse they played in for a few bucks using some scrap lumber, bent nails, left over rope, and a broken hammer as a way to build teamwork.
Thank you Pat Tillman. Once again, for the umpth time, dems who control Guilford County and the school boar, have gone out of their way to find yet another way to WASTE TAXPAYER MONEY. Don’t forget that ole skippy still wants to raise sales taxes…for the children. What a crock.
Michael Logan mentioned the 2 BILLION school bonds. Actually, the true cost of the bonds will be $3.4BILLION including interest. Once approved bonds must be spent within 10 years and then repaid within 20 years after the money is spent. That means Guilford County taxpayers will be paying more than $102 MILLION EACH AND EVERY YEAR FOR THE NEXT 30+ YEARS JUST TO PAY BACK THE BONDS. So a child born TODAY will be paying off those bonds when they are 30+ years old and have a family of their own. What a great gift voters gave to their kids and grandkids. Voters were lied to by the democrat controlled county and school board who illegally worked together to get the bonds approve4d. A Wake County democrat judge even agreed but said it was okay with him because the bond referendum passed. Who says that crime doesn’t pay.
Don’t forget the 2026 property reappraisal that will INCREASE YOUR TAXES BY AS MUCH AS 47% as reported by numerous media outlets including the Rhino Times on August 10th, September 17th and October 20th.
If you EVER want to be free from the lunatic tax, spend and tax some more liberal democrats, in EVERY ELECTION FOR EVERY OFFICE, YOU MUST THROW THE democrat BUMS OUT AND ELECT CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS.
Surely this must be a joke, intended for only those that caught it in the fine print. (Thank you Pat Tillman and Scott Yost.)
My guess is that this is part of Skippy’s scheme and somehow it will tie into the 10,000 homes in ten years. $2,000,000 will build more than one home, just not in a tree.
I’m sure that this “tree house” will be ADA compliant or has that not been considered. I’ll bet once it is the price will be 4 million
Considering the counties history lately of cost over runs (Sheriffs Office) 2 million may not be enough.
Can the County afford the $200 million lawsuit when a kid falls out of the $2 million tree house and is hurt? Just curious.
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The parasites love pissing away your Pounds and Pennies (and Dollars & Dimes).
Hey, it’s not their money…
Someone is totally out of Parks and Rec ideas. A treehouse in Guilford County will not work. The treehouse idea is not the usual treehouse paradigm but would be, and most likely will be, a modern or futuristic idea of a treehouse built on the ground surrounded by trees. Forget the idea. Our property taxes are too high, and property owners cannot afford to pay $2 million+ for a treehouse of any kind. Treehouses are built in froufrou places. Guilford County is not froufrou. A stupid idea. And Commissioners liked the idea? Please!
Where is Chris?
Maybe they can call Pete Nelson from the “Treehouse Masters” on the Animal Planet.
A $2,000,000 tree house, built and owned by Guilford County? I give it a month, and it’ll be smelling like urine, just like the downtown parking garages.
It absolutely will. You are correct. Some homeless people are going to go in there and take it over and nobody will be able to enjoy it. That’s one of the number one things that will go wrong. Greensboro has turned into one of the nastiest and most disgusting cities on the face of the earth. Everywhere you look you’ve got people begging on every street corner. Trash is all over the roads. The roads themselves are in hazardous conditions anymore. Greensboro has turned into a ghetto pit City. Building a 2 million dollar tree house is the most ridiculous and asinine thing I’ve ever heard of. It is absolutely not fair that we don’t get to dictate where our tax money goes. Skip away with your money Alston will somehow find a way to pocket a good portion of that money, just wait and see. Or either he’s going to fund it out to his so-called real estate company and end up charging double the amount of money. I am so sick of our County commissioners doing trash with our tax money. There has to be a way to make this stop. How they keep getting voted in is beyond my comprehensive level. There’s got to be a way we can make them step down and put new people in their places who genuinely care about Guilford County.
Dave, thank you for your instructional masterclass in Wants vs Needs!
The geniuses that put a 2 million dollar treehouse into the budget should RESIGN. Clearly you have no interest in spending taxpayers money wisely. In guilford County we have many significant issues that need to be addressed including water quality. Road repaving food medical and housing shortages. Better you build the tree house in your yard and I will give you the hammer and nails
Please redirect that money to the unhoused community!
This is an example of having too much money.
I’ll sell the city 19 acres with a log home for half!! I’ll even cut some trails for free! This is insane!