SALISBURY — Several groups will present highlights and goals to the Salisbury City Council this week when council members hold their regular meeting on a rescheduled day and time, 3 p.m. Thursday.
Council changed the meeting, usually held the first Tuesday of the month, to avoid conflicting with New Year’s Day. The meeting will be held in City Hall, 217 S. Main St.
The Community Appearance Commission, Greenway Committee, Historic Preservation Commission and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will present highlights and goals.
The Community Appearance Commission also will make a presentation on the 2012 BlockWork neighborhood improvement project.
Also on Thursday’s agenda, City Manager Doug Paris will offer comments, and Mayor Paul Woodson will proclaim Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day for Jan. 21. Council plans to go into closed session concerning an economic development matter.
The council has a short agenda but will reconvene at 5 p.m. Thursday for a special joint meeting with the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education to discuss the proposed downtown school central office.
The council and school board will meet at 110 S. Long St. in East Spencer. Although the school board also invited the Rowan County Board of Commissioners to the joint meeting, commission Chairman Jim Sides said earlier this month he would not call for a special Board of Commissioners meeting to join central office discussions.
In an email to new school board Chairman Richard Miller, Sides said he did not consider City Council to be a stakeholder in the central office project.
The city is donating parking and land and cleaning up environmental contamination at the proposed downtown site for the building.
In other city news:
• The Hefner VA Medical Center will host a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday at 1 p.m. Jan. 18 in the Social Room, Building 6, at 1601 Brenner Ave.
• Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church will host the annual Humanitarian Awards Sunday at 3 p.m. Jan. 20 at 1920 Shirley Ave.
• The Salisbury-Rowan Human Relations Council will host the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast at 7 a.m. Jan. 21 at the Hurley Family YMCA. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. To purchase tickets or for additional information, call 704- 638-5217 or 704-638-2168.
• The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 21, beginning at the corner of Kerr Street and North Main Street and ending at the Salisbury Civic Center, 315 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., activities celebrating King’s birthday will be held from noon to 4:30 p.m.
• The N.C. Main Street Conference will be held in downtown Salisbury Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. For more information or to register, visit www.ncmainstreetcenter.com .

Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.