Bond FAQs
Questions related to project selection
Q: How were the proposed bond projects selected?
A: o The transportation projects were selected based on a prioritized list of streets that need improvements. Park improvements were selected because they have been consistently listed as the top three priority recreation projects by citizen advisory groups. They are also a priority because they provide trail heads and connect the greenways across Gastonia and the County. Both City and County citizen surveys listed walking/biking trails as the number one recreational need.
Q: If approved, how soon would we see the benefits of the improvements? How long will the projects take to complete?
A: If the bonds are approved, work will start immediately. First visible improvements will be the sidewalk and resurfacing projects. Work on the parks will also begin immediately. Work on the road widening projects will begin shortly after voter approval and they would be completed over three years.
Q: Some roads on the project list are state roads; so why doesn’t the state pay to improve them? Will using bond funding to improve these roads compromise or decrease future state transportation dollars allocated to the City for these projects or other road projects?
A: Waiting for State funding of road projects would not meet the growing transportation or economic development needs that Gastonia is facing. In today’s economic environment, it is uncertain when the state will be able to provide its portion of the funding required to widen and improve the state-maintained roads on the project list. Improving these roads now will provide better, safer access for the thousands of Gastonia citizens who use them daily. Also, utilizing bond funds to widen and improve these roads now will not compromise or decrease any state transportation dollars allocated for these or other road projects that the City may receive in the future.
Q: Why isn’t (xyz street, sidewalk, park, etc.) being improved?
A: The projects were selected based on greatest need. Street projects were selected that would have the greatest impact in the community. The park projects were selected based on priorities established by citizen advisory groups and outlined in the Master Park Plan developed by members of the community on the City’s Recreation Advisory Committee. All of the projects were selected to have the greatest impact on the citizens of Gastonia.
Q: Can the location of the proposed improvements change once the bond is approved?
A: Legally, the possibility exists that the projects could change, however, City Council approved the projects already designated.
Q: Why Rankin Lake?
A: o This project would restore full open access to the 80-acre lake and allow citizens to utilize the park as it was once intended with family- and youth-oriented programs and water recreation activities. It will allow Rankin Lake Park to realize its full potential as a valuable natural resource and prepare the Park to serve as a connector along the greenway system and the Carolina Thread Trail. This project will make Rankin Lake Park the gem of the community’s park system.
