The University of North Carolina (UNC) wants state taxpayers to build a new road to make big-spending basketball boosters happy. The two-lane road would link a local access road directly to the booster’s parking lot and reduce exit times for members of the “Big Ram” booster club.

The deputy mayor of Chapel Hill, the Chair of the University’s Faculty, and the local paper all think this is a ridiculous idea.

According to Chapel Hill News, “This episode would actually be amusing if it weren’t such an outrageous abuse of public funds. What we’re talking about is the expenditure of $1.2 million in taxpayer money so that members of the Rams Club – who can afford $40,000 for ‘Big Ram’ status that includes parking privileges – can get into and out of their parking spaces more quickly.”

UNC Faculty Chair Jane Brown, in a letter to the University’s Board of Trustees, criticized the road project stating, “I understand the need to be nice to those who are nice to us, but this is reprehensible behavior.”

Somehow the road has been pushed to the top of the state department of transportation's highway building plan, and construction may begin this year – even though the project is not on any local government or regional priority list and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization was not consulted in the process.

“$1.2 million would go a long way toward building much needed sidewalks and bikeways for the children of North Carolina taxpayers to get to the campus safely,” said Joyce Brown, deputy mayor of Chapel Hill.

For further information contact Joyce Brown, Chapel Hill deputy mayor, at (919) 929-7781.

Road Lobby Hits Road Block

House Transportation Committee Chair Bud Shuster (R-PA) had enough votes last week to increase the budget resolution’s highway spending levels. Then House leaders stepped in. They threatened to deny Schuster highway funds earmarked for his own state if he retaliated against fiscally responsible members who opposed the overall highway spending increase. Score one for Gingrich.