Mayor Nancy Vaughan said that the Pomona Park baseball field may be “the perfect place” for the Pallet shelter village to provide housing for homeless people this winter.
Wednesday, Dec. 21, Vaughan had invited councilmembers, City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba, the media and other interested parties to come to the Pomona Park baseball field where the Pallet shelter village is under construction to see the project in person.
Councilmembers Tammi Thurm, Nancy Hoffmann, Hugh Holston, Marikay Abuzuaiter and Zack Matheny were all in attendance.
The Pallet shelters appear to be well built and are mainly aluminum, not plastic as had been reported. It was about 32 degrees, but the electric heaters in the 64-square-foot buildings did a respectable job of keeping the interior warm, even though people were going in and out of the shelters.
The shelters have doors that lock and the city is spending a good bit of money putting in the infrastructure for the shelters that will be used to house a little fewer than 60 homeless people until some unspecified date in March.
Although it was stated that the infield of the ball field, which was built specifically for special needs children, would be fenced off from the Pallet homes; it isn’t entirely fenced off. The portion of the infield near first base is being used as the entrance for the two Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant Pallet shelters. Because those shelters have to meet ADA requirements, they will be one person shelters and the hard surface of the infield is being used to make them wheelchair accessible. The remaining 28 shelters are in the outfield and there will be a walkway to each one. The material for the walkways had not yet been delivered, but it reportedly is up to code.
The electrical lines for the shelters are currently being installed and are being buried. Since all 30 Pallet shelters will have electricity, there is a lot of electrical infrastructure work, most of it is being installed outside the outfield fence.
One of the questions that remained unanswered is why all of this infrastructure is being installed on a field to provide housing for less than 60 people for a period of less than three months.
Director of the Housing and Neighborhood Development Department Michelle Kennedy said that the NC Department of Insurance would only allow the Pallet shelters to be used as temporary housing for a maximum of 180 days.
But according to the current schedule, the Pallet shelters will be moved off the Pomona field in about 90 days to allow the field to go back to its original use as the only baseball field in Greensboro accessible for special needs children.
The first scheduled use of the baseball field by special needs children is in April and Vaughan offered assurances that the Pallet shelters would be removed and the field returned to playing condition well before the season begins.
Waste of taxpayer money … boondoggle!
Only one word to describe this debacle: “IDIOCY”
Yep…SNAFU…hope all the council members get to spend a few nights in the new out houses.
There will be enough homeless or drug/alcohol-addicted to fill more than as many “shelters” are provided. They will be trashed. See: SF.
Build it, and they will come.
Nancy is strutting around like a proud mother hen over her little chicklets. Go ahead and smile and gleam now. Let’s see if she gets her hands dirty with the clean up.
It will be interesting to see the total amount of $$$ spent to purchase and install the “homes,” electric grid and associated items, then take it all down and install it again.
I’m convinced that they could have refurbished the motel, that they supposedly own, for less + have a more permanent solution with a reasonable amount of space for the occupants. I don’t think 2 persons trying to live in 64 sq. ft. is going to work out.
But, what can you expect from folks who know absolutely nothing about anything, other than fleecing us taxpayers.
Thanks to Councilman Matheny for trying to use some common sense; unfortunately, he’s an island in a sea of fools.
I bet the folks that live near the Pomona Ball Field are excited about the homeless being housed near them. I know, set up a Pallet home in front of each of the council members houses and the city managers house and see how they like it. What a bunch of hypocrites the council is, it ok as long as it does not affect them personally. If I lived in that neighborhood, I would be raising hell with my district rep and all of the at large reps plus the mayor. The liberal put these idiots into office. Soon the word will be out, come to Greensboro for the winter, they will furnish you with a Pallet Home that is heated and has electricity… come one come all!
Looks like from the city council district map it is Thurm. She is more concerned with virtue signaling than her constituents.
Greensboro urban ministry and other organizations are much better prepared to “make” ” create” rapid rehousing so they could do much more with the money spent here for a permanent solution. But it looks like Vaughn acres is already built without approval from council. Better to ask forgiveness than permission? Oops, she did it again.
And who funds the Rapid Re-Housing programs? The CITY.
I know stuff too.
Only a liberal politician could find a way to waste tax payer money like this.
Buy her newest book, “How to Piss Away Tax Dollars and Disrespect the Handicapped” by Mandate Mayor Nancy Vaughan. Sure to be a libtard favorite!
Hahaha
What is up with the Greensboro City Council and Planning Zone Committee allowing Spot Zoning to come into Erwin Street a residential neighborhood in District 1? Showing favoritism to certain businesses. The City Ordinances and Guide lines were over looked in so many ways. They are not listening to the residents of Southside Greensboro. Not doing what is right and fair in making decisions and we will certainly remember when they are up for re election.
60 people for 3 months equals 700g. Lolololol. Should have bought an Army tent with a heater ive spent months living in them.
Remember the 10 man arctic tent and the hum of that Yukon stove making that tent so warm we stripped down to our skivvies…IN SUB-ZERO WEATHER WITH 2 FEET OF SNOW OUTSIDE!
Hello…get the hint their Princess Nancy?
The DEMOCRATS in office don’t want to do the only thing that will actually fix the housing problem. Sure wish they would stop wasting time and resources on pallet shelters and start building, owning, and operating mixed income housing throughout the city. They could just keep the price of rent affordable and actually make Greensboro affordable for working people so we’d have fewer people living on our streets. But really they’d rather just waste time and OUR tax dollars on these pallet homes. Such a disgrace.
This will never work until more of us realize that government is not the solution, government is the problem. Eliminate income (payroll) taxes & institute Neal Boortz’ Fair Tax. More people would gladly give more money to private entities that actually cared about helping those they serve, and those dollars would go way further without all the bureaucracy, special interests, lobbyists, politicians, government staff & attorneys in the way. Hmmmm. Come to think of it, that goes for most things. If you agree, you’re more of a Libertarian than you thought, eh? Don’t be afraid to reject the two party duopoly. Freedom worth fighting for.
All you kind, generous, compassionate RT readers will be able to recreate the glory years of your ancestors by donning the sheets of Southern purity, mounting your steeds of righteous indignation with sabres sharpened by your religious fervor, ride against this horde of capitalism’s failures to drive the heathen class of approbates from hence.
I swear, most of you cheapskates would hunt and eat the homeless if you could, forgetting that but luck and grace, their go we all. Largest group of unhappy dying whiners in the world, you’ll realize on your deathbed your love of money won’t mean a thing in hell.
As always, you’ve missed the entire point!
Most of us are all for helping the poor, the homeless, the elderly, the disabled, & the infirmed. Much more of our money would go to these causes & have much more impact if the poorly ran government would stay out of it. This is the simplest Libertarian principle of all.
Yup
Wow what a rant seems like someone crapped in tunas coco puffs I don’t really have a lot of money but I’ve got a great horse a very sharp saber and a favorite pastime is hunting liberal socialist
If donning sheets, mounting steeds, & toting sabres is what it takes to oust the libtards & return our country to some form of decency, then sign me up!
Hand ups are great! Handouts and Democrat politicians are not. If poverty and racism were eliminated, the Dems wouldn’t have a political party anymore. They’ve fostered it all my 60+ years
Mandate Mayor approved nonsense and largesse…..but at least Performance Arts Palace attendees won’t have to see the results of failed liberal policies in the Mandate Mayors downtown beer chugging district. Final expenses will be multi millions of dollars. For 28 folks for 90 days. ……unlocking public restrooms 24 hours a day or coliseum areas would have been low or free steps towards being at least humane.
“Build it and they will come” all we will do is invite more homeless to Greensboro. And they will be trashed in 90 days
All this for less than 90 days. What happens in March? Sorry folks you got to go. Jail cells are bigger than 64 square feet. I am sure 2 homeless people will get along great in this shack. How much will it cost to clean them in March? What will they do with these shacks then, store them in a warehouse somewhere? Mayor & Council how about working with all the resources in Greensboro to solve the problem, not just put a band aid on it. This is not going to end well. In March it will be interesting to see how many Police calls are made to that area, fighting, drinking, drug use, littering, thefts, just to name a few.
City Council has plans for the pallet shacks beyond March 2023. City Council, city manager and Tanger have no intentions of allowing the homeless who are currently housed in the shacks back into downtown Greensboro. As understood, the pallet shacks have AC. Why would AC be needed in shacks that are to be used only in winter months? City Council, city manager and Tanger have discussed and made a plan for the shacks and the homeless beyond March 2023. The rest of us will have to wait and see what that plan is. The pallet shacks are not just about housing the homeless for the winter; out of sight, out of mind.
Free Bus passed ! What will the City Council offer next?
I would like to know why the democrats in office didn’t use the old jail to house for these people it should have everything they need just take out the locks. But instead they plan to demolish it. The main problem is this will not solve the problem of homeless people it will only mask it. As I see it if affordable housing is the problem no one is going to invest in rental property if the taxs are so high you can’t make a profit the last increase was outrageous and uncalled for if you don’t believe me just look at today’s rental cost
I think the pallet homes are a genius idea. Greensboros tax rate is justifiable and ideal for todays economic times.
Joe Biden?
What do you really expect from the MARXISTS that bought the Hebrew Academy, bailed out the ChiComms and the schools owners to house illegal aliens here at your expense?
I agree, this is a wingnut idea. Unfortunately, this same idea is going on in many different cities in the U.S. The only thing I can think of is that these politicians are not up to their jobs, or it’s intentionally being done to keep undesirable people hidden away out in left field, literally. Incompetent politicians are no surprise, so there’s no sense in getting mad at that. But, can some of these readers that are commenting not able to read? The article clearly states that these little bitty homes will be mandated to be one person shelters, yet over and over I see comments about 2 people will be in them???