By Shavonne Potts
Salisbury Post
ROCKWELL ó The Board of Aldermen approved $40,000 toward the cost of installing a traffic signal on West Main Street at the new intersection of Sunset Field Drive and the entrance to Food Lion.
The decision came at the board’s Monday meeting following a presentation from Jeff Watson of Chen Development. Watson said the N.C. Department of Transportation has approved installing the signal. The signal will have four lights and should help slow down speeders, as well as cut down on the number of accidents in the area, he said.
The money will be taken from the town’s fund balance. Alderman Terry Beaver said if one person’s life can be saved by installing the signal, then it’s worth every penny of the town’s contribution.
Watson spoke to the board at its April meeting to request a variance from building setback requirements for the Food Lion parking lot off West Main. The request is for a 4,150-square-foot commercial building to be built on an outparcel.
The board also:
– Received an update from Norman Ribelin, owner of Ribelin Land Surveying in Salisbury, who was contracted to survey the town’s boundaries. The board learned last year that its boundaries had not been defined since the town was chartered in the late 1800s.
Ribelin explained that he used the 1 square mile outlined in the town’s charter to start the survey. He said not all the boundaries match the county’s tax maps.
Ribelin said the starting point for the original survey was not clearly stated in the charter. According to the charter, the starting point is “near” the corner of C. Holshouser’s store.
The board will have to study the maps and discuss what to do next in more detail. The survey will come in handy if the town decides to annex.
– Discussed a proposed 2008 festival to be held on Mother’s Day. Alderman Terry Beaver presented the proposal from the Downtown Revitalization Committee. Right now, the preliminary site for the festival would be between Citizens South Bank at West Main Street and Cross Street.
– Approved hiring an architect to redesign the front of town hall. The board has talked about the facade of the municipal building not really having a prominent presence in the downtown area. The chief complaint was that someone passing by couldn’t pinpoint town hall until already past the building.
The Revitalization Committee would like to use $800 to hire the architect.
– Made no decision on awarding a contract for paving and guttering of Shinn Street. The projected cost of the construction is $67,152.70 plus $5,850 to patch areas around town.
The board wanted to give Public Works Director Tim Linker time to explore bids Received by the town to make sure they’re compatible.
– Authorized Police Chief Hugh Bost to advertise for a new police officer to fill the position of officer Mike File, who resigned. File was hired in October.Contact Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253 or spotts@salisburypost.com.