By Noelle Edwards
nedwards@salisburypost.com
The planned Salisbury Customer Service Center is about to become reality.
City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday at its regular meeting to award a contract for almost $5.5 million to Shelco Construction Co. of Charlotte to construct the center.
Shelco submitted the lowest bid of five bidders, $5,660,000, and city staff was able to negotiate to come up with a final cost of $5,447,000.
The money fell within the amount the city already allocated for construction of the center.
Karen Alexander, who heads the architectural firm handling the center, said two years ago the same construction would have probably cost about $7 million or more.
The building will be 26,000 square feet. Residents can pay their utility bills there in person. It also will house the city’s Information Technology Department and the headquarters for the new fiber-optic operation.
Alexander said construction will start Monday.
City Council also authorized the mayor to form an agreement with the N.C. Department of Transportation to build phase 2 of the Grants Creek Greenway project.
Councilman William “Pete” Kennedy said the $300,000 price will be paid with stimulus money, not from the city’s budget, under the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Because the project will be funded with stimulus money, it will require extra tracking and reporting as it is completed.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting:
– Mayor Susan Kluttz and City Council members recognized the Rowan County American Legion Baseball Team.
“You’ve put us on the map all over the United States,” Kluttz said.
– Kluttz appointed councilmen Bill Burgin and Mark Lewis to put together a plan for appointing people to the new Salisbury Tourism Development Authority board and to generally field phone calls and questions about the authority.
– City Senior Planner Janet Gapen gave a presentation about the 2008-2009 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report.
She detailed activities in the Jersey City, West End, Park Avenue and East End neighborhoods. No one spoke during the subsequent public hearing.
– Council voted 5-0 to approve an amendment to the Conditional District Overlay for property at 830 Faith Road.
The amendment will allow small retail to occupy one unit in the building and a beauty salon the other.