Introduction
Grace DuBois Comer and Arcelia Smith are retired elderly members of the greater Greater Greensboro community. Comer is 82 and has lived in Greensboro for over 24 years, Smith is 97 and has lived in the community for over 40 years. The two are best friends and practically do everything together when given the chance. Comer is outgoing and bubbly, while Smith is more honest yet reserved. On the day of this interview, Comer celebrated her 82nd birthday and kicked off the day by coming to learn more about the current events happening in her local community.
What is the best thing about your community?
The two women enjoy their community for the peaceful atmosphere and lack of teenagers. They also like how friendly and easy-going their neighbors are. This combination of tranquility and warm connections with others has made their neighborhood an ideal place to live and enjoy daily retired life.
"I also like my neighbors, they're very nice." - Grace Comer
Fun and Activities
Comer and Smith enjoy shopping. They claim this brings them the most joy as elderly residents. The two enjoy shopping at the Friendly Center, where they can explore a variety of stores and browse through an assortment of merchandise. Shopping together has become a frequent outing between the two, not only for finding new deals but strengthening their relationship as friends.
"We like to shop..haha..we old." - Grace Comer
Change-Makers
Comer and Smith credit the city council for being Change-Makers in their community. Simultaneously, they believe this group can come up with some "weird stuff" such as the "Yard Waste and Loose Leaf" collection initiative. They agreed that simple initiatives like that are not worth it, because huge leaf piles end up in the middle of the street. This makes it difficult for elderly residents like themselves to maneuver throughout the neighborhoods.
As of Nov. 1st Leaf season began and the City is accepting up to 15 items (a combination of paper yard waste bags and bundles of sticks) per household per week in addition to leaves in the 95-gallon cart. This implementation will save the city over $13 million over the next five years according to greensboro-nc.gov.
Events and Developments
The new Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex hosted their groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 23rd from 11a.m. to 1p.m. This was located at the Windsor Recreation Center at 1601 E. Gate City Blvd. The new Complex combines all the features of a public library, park, and recreation center into one. Part of the reason for the new development was to provide more space. The Vance Chavis Library is no longer a place to simply borrow books. Now, it hosts community meetings and other amenities for visitors. This includes writer's lounges, maker spaces, and specialty spaces for different age demographics. The Complex will assist in providing more locations for these events to occur. Comer and Smith fear this addition will no longer be a community center and place for the "People" in higher positions to congregate instead.
Leadership Experience
N/A
Future Outlook and What more is needed:
Comer and Smith stated that their community needs to be patrolled more often. The two women live in Precinct G70 and Congressional District 5. They feel safe in their neighborhood but outside of those boundaries, not so much. Their answer was also influenced by another community member at the meeting who complained about drag races happening late at night outside her Greensboro home. More law enforcement presence in these areas could prevent these inconveniences.