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Their Fredricksburg riverfront plan on that same page looks pretty cool. But, as I recall, there is much more elevation change around the river there than around the Tar River, which makes the Tar River more of a challenge.
The thing I'm most interested in for the Town Common and believe would have the greatest impact is a high-quality amphitheater with built-in seating. In the original master plan it was located in the northeast corner of the TC. Since the city council decided to develop the TC in stages and I believe they had a second design firm to design the TC in stages, it is unclear how or where the amphitheater fits. Not that I was in love with the original master plan, but I did like the location for the amphitheater. Will the playground impact the placement of the amphitheater? I can understand developing the TC in stages, but I can't understand designing it in stages. That makes no sense to me.
Looks like a nice playground, by the way.
I am pretty sure the Council approved moving forward with paying for the rest of the design when they approved the park design (maybe in April?).
I do like the idea of gradual development...the Town Common is really big. Once this park is built, then you have the river uses, the Evans Gateway and the Sycamore Hill spot....which all three can be combined and some grants can be utilized (historical/CAMA). That's your groundwork for your amphitheater.
Then you have to fundraise and seek sponsors for the Amphitheater as well as commit public funds. Wilmington just approved a park bond going on the Nov ballot to pay for their new waterfront park, which will include a stage and concerts over 5K.
A big thing to consider at TC is building above Hurricane Floyd water level...so IMO a bunch of dirt has to be brought in and get a quality stage built up. With that needed elevation, and the sloping hillside leading up to the stage, would make it a great venue.
I am pretty sure the Council approved moving forward with paying for the rest of the design when they approved the park design (maybe in April?).
I do like the idea of gradual development...the Town Common is really big. Once this park is built, then you have the river uses, the Evans Gateway and the Sycamore Hill spot....which all three can be combined and some grants can be utilized (historical/CAMA). That's your groundwork for your amphitheater.
Then you have to fundraise and seek sponsors for the Amphitheater as well as commit public funds. Wilmington just approved a park bond going on the Nov ballot to pay for their new waterfront park, which will include a stage and concerts over 5K.
A big thing to consider at TC is building above Hurricane Floyd water level...so IMO a bunch of dirt has to be brought in and get a quality stage built up. With that needed elevation, and the sloping hillside leading up to the stage, would make it a great venue.
I wish there was a memorial for Hurricane Floyd. With the memorial being the same height as the flood water.
Many trees were removed/cleared from the unused lot on the south side of Firetower next to Arby's. They're always an issue whenever high winds/storms come through, so I wonder if it is just preventative. However, the space between Firetower and Old Firetower looks pretty ideal for development. Anyone have any insight on possible plans there?
Many trees were removed/cleared from the unused lot on the south side of Firetower next to Arby's. They're always an issue whenever high winds/storms come through, so I wonder if it is just preventative. However, the space between Firetower and Old Firetower looks pretty ideal for development. Anyone have any insight on possible plans there?
Lidl, a small European grocer very similar to Aldi, has plans to build a store next to Arby's.
From the DR, the fuel tanks from the Imperial Site have been removed.
Quote:
City officials said cleanup crews are “over the hump” in environmental remediation efforts at the former Imperial Tobacco Processing Plant on Atlantic Avenue, a site that has become the center of redevelopment efforts in the west Greenville and downtown districts.
Tom Wisemiller, project coordinator with Greenville’s Office of Economic Development, said crews from Raleigh-based environmental contracting firm HEPACO on Monday removed two underground fuel tanks that were used at the plant when it was in operation. HEPACO crews began pumping liquid from the 38,000 gallon fuel tanks earlier this month, Wisemiller said.
“The project is moving in the right direction,” Wisemiller said. “The removal of the fuel tanks was the biggest part.”
As the tanks were being removed on Monday, Wisemiller said crews discovered a third unexpected artifact buried near the fuel tanks. Wisemiller said the object most likely was used for temporary fuel storage when the plant was in operation.
“You run into things like this in these types of projects,” Wisemiller said. “You never know what you will find when you start digging around one of these older sites.”
Wisemiller said the HEPACO crews are expected to remove the third object sometime this week.
“The contractors were under budget on this project,” he said. “So there still is money in the budget to cover the cost of removing what they found.”
Wisemiller said the on-site remediation should be complete in August. Environmental testing then can be conducted to make the property an EPA-certified brownfields site.
“The crews still have to remove any residual liquids that were under the tanks and fill in the holes from where the tanks were removed,” Wisemiller said. “There still is some work to be done, but they definitely are over the hump with the environmental remediation.”
The plant, built in the early 1900s and in use until 1978, mostly was destroyed by a fire in April 2008. As a result, the property was cited for multiple code violations. The owner of the property claimed financial hardship as the reason for failure to clean up the site.
In 2012, the city applied for a $400,000 brownfields cleanup grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to remediate the site. To qualify for the EPA grant, Greenville had to own the 6.08-acre property. The owner entered an agreement in which Greenville purchased the property for $1 and retained ownership until the cleanup was completed.
Under the 2012 agreement with the property’s owner, the city has the option to purchase the property at $1.04 million after the cleanup is complete. That purchase is included in the city’s 2016-17 fiscal year budget, which was approved by the Greenville City Council on June 16 and took effect on July 1.
City staff has identified a number of potential uses for the property after it is purchased, including:
• Listing the property for sale on the open market;
• Using a portion of the property to market the city’s virtual building program;
• Using a portion of the property to build a structured parking deck similar to the one in downtown Greenville;
• Entering into a public/private partnership with developers to build a three- to four-story mixed-use project.
“After the remediation work is complete, there still is a lot of work that must be done before the site is shovel-ready,” Wisemiller said. “We just have to take it one step at a time.”
Looks like the gas station on the corner of Arlington and Firetower across from Sheetz is under contract. Does anyone know who purchased it or if they will tear down the existing building?
Looks like the gas station on the corner of Arlington and Firetower across from Sheetz is under contract. Does anyone know who purchased it or if they will tear down the existing building?
Both candidates for governor are now backing ECU’s goal to join the Big 12, a power five conference that announced it was looking to add teams. Governor Pat McCrory and Attorney General Roy Cooper both released statements endorsing the idea Wednesday.
This comes less than 24 hours after WNCT interview Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas, who called on state leaders to endorse the idea.
The move would put ECU in the national spotlight, and lead to football match ups in Greenville with the likes of Texas and Oklahoma.
“East Carolina University is positioned both institutionally and athletically to be a successful and and valuable member of the Big 12 Conference,” Gov. McCrory said. “Our state has a rich tradition of public universities with both excellent academic prowess and deep commitments to intercollegiate athletics. East Carolina University follow in that rich tradition and is prepared to strengthen that legacy.”
Cooper also praised what the university has done for the state, and how much it could add to a power five conference.
“Academically, ECU is an institution of higher education with nationally recognized undergraduate, graduate, and medical programs. It is a critical component of the crown jewel of North Carolina, the University of North Carolina higher education system,” Cooper said. “In addition, ECU Pirate Athletics is a source of pride for fans across North Carolina. I am confident ECU would make for an excellent member Institution for the Big 12.”
East Carolina University joining the Big 12 would be a huge step forward with its athletic teams.
Last edited by Carolina Knight; 07-28-2016 at 09:07 AM..
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