Community takes action against Project Haystack

A team of private businesses have a plan to convert 800-acres of prison farmland in Guilford County into an advanced manufacturing park. The community is concerned and plans to take action.

The endeavor has been named Project Haystack, and has been in the works for over two years. Its purpose is to increase revenue, to create jobs and to utilize space.

According to an economic feasibility study from the city of Greensboro, the project could generate $6.5 billion in private investments, 11.5 million square feet of developed space and 5,349 jobs over a 20-year span.

Mike Solomon, who is heading up the project for the Timmons Group, selected the plot of land in Guilford County for Project Haystack. “There’s water, power, fiber…the key thing is you’ve got fiber optic cables like no place in the country. You’ve got massive power and a huge amount of water available, which makes it so unique.”

Solomon believes the project has enormous potential, but some residents of Guilford County are asking questions.

            Residents have warrant for the concern surrounding the project. A similar project in Kinston, N.C. titled the North Carolina Global Transpark has not lived up to its expectations. Taxpayers believed over 50,000 jobs were being created, when in reality, there has only been 439 new jobs on the market.

Although the economic impact is predicted to be positive, many citizens of Guilford County believe that they should be aware and have a say in the development of the project.

Anne Hice, a retired teacher, residing in Pleasant Garden, N.C. has dedicated 18 months of her life to fighting for the rights of Guilford County residents. Technically, the land is the citizens’ property; because, the money being used to maintain it comes straight from the pockets of taxpayers.

Hice, who has lived in the area for over 30 years, spends her days managing the family farm. She knows the value of the land firsthand and recognizes the severity of the issue. Hice has taken it upon herself to do something to stop the industrialization.

“We are not in opposition of the project. We’re just trying to come up with an alternative way to preserve the acreage. Once that farmland is gone, it’s never coming back,” says Hice.

Hice, along with other members of the community, has formed an organization entitled Public Lands of Agriculture and Community Enrichment, also known as PLACE. Their main goal, as of now, is to come up with a proposal to enforce farmland preservation to feed the people of the county.

Local farmers have come forward and said they wanted to make use of the land for farmer’s market development. Others believe it worked well as a low-security prison farm, and would like to see public access. The beautiful streams and winding trails are conducive to recreation for Guilford County residents, something Anne Cassebaum values.

Cassebaum is a founding partner of the PLACE organization. She recognizes that no exact plan has been put into motion for Project Haystack, and believes it’s more a fantasy for the industrial industry. “There is no actual plan, there’s a projection. There’s space they want to own and there are things they hope will happen…there is no reality to any of this.”

PLACE held a meeting at Friedens Lutheran Church at 6001 NC 61 in Gibsonville Thursday to gather community attitude towards Haystack. Letters were mailed to 75 local citizens to inform them of the issue at hand and the turn out was more than they expected.

Many came to find out more information, while others had never heard of the proposed project before. Questionnaires were given to focus groups that asked them to consider three questions:

1.     What do you need to know about Project Haystack?

2.     What is your reaction to the proposed project?

3.     What do you want to do about Project Haystack?

PLACE is in the process of combining the information to create an overall idea of what the citizens are looking for as Project Haystack is developed.

Another meeting has been scheduled for February 6 at 7p.m. to start creating the proposal of an alternative plan to present to city officials.

Hice believes, “this is too important of an issue to ignore. I am a firm believer that one person can make a difference, if it’s the right thing to do.”

For more information about PLACE, contact Hice at 336-674-6152.