At last night’s meeting the Winston-Salem City Council approved $28 million for capital improvements. Renovations to Bowman Gray Stadium is the big-ticket item, with $9 million going toward upgrades in seating, the race track, the football field and concessions.

The vote was 7-1, with council member Robert Clark casting the lone ‘no’ vote:

Clark said he objected to one of the projects, one involving the spending of $1.75 million to acquire the bankruptcy court building near the Business 40 work corridor.

A group called the Creative Corridors Coalition asked the city to obtain the property, which sits near the place where a bridge is being constructed to take the Strollway over Business 40.

But Clark said he was concerned about the prospect of the building being torn down for a park, which is one of the ideas that Creative Corridors has put forward.

“I cannot in good conscience … buy a building we do not need to tear down,” Clark said.

What interesting is another item is the widening of Meadowlark Drive, which according to the Journal is a $12.3 million project that only has $9 million committed. Perhaps Clark is right here—skip the bankruptcy building/park plan and devote that money to the widening of the road—a core government service.