Dear Editor,
At their July meeting, the Greene County Board of Commissioners agreed to build a new administrative office near the Department of Driver Services to relocate the existing tax assessors, zoning, and county tax commissioner’s offices. During their discussion, Commissioners Deering, Lindsay, and Smith requested a special meeting to discuss and address the needed improvements to the existing courthouse. That meeting will occur July 29 at 8 a.m. at the county administration building.
Over the past few years, multiple studies have proposed numerous improvements to the existing courthouse and downtown Greensboro to make both more functional for Greene County residents. As the Foundation for Preservation of Greene County Courthouse and Its Functions stated in our recent letter to the editor, the existing courthouse's continued operation is vital to downtown Greensboro's economic well-being.
A study by the Carl Vinson Institute at UGA suggested how investments in downtown Greensboro, the courthouse, the courthouse grounds, and adjacent properties could encourage future growth in downtown Greensboro. Additionally, an architectural firm recently sent a letter to our county manager listing several detailed maintenance and facility upgrades needed to make our courthouse more functional.
Almost 2,000 citizens have signed the petition to keep our beautiful historic courthouse operating downtown. It is prudent that our commissioners consider, analyze, and approve the necessary investments to keep our courthouse in operation.
We encourage all interested Greene County residents to attend the Greene BOC special meeting on July 29. If you can’t attend, we encourage you to contact your commissioners and voice your support for making our beautiful courthouse the first-class historic courthouse we all deserve and can be proud of.
Foundation for Preservation of Greene County Courthouse and its Functions, Inc. Terry Lawler Board member