By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
City officials hope construction of a new parking lot behind Soldiers Memorial AME Zion Church also will address the water runoff problems that have pestered a couple of North Jackson Street homes for several years.
Salisbury City Council awarded a $118,691 contract Tuesday to Econo International to build the 38-space parking lot, the costs of which are being divided by the city and Rowan County.
The church is providing the land.
The parking lot will provide additional parking during the week for visitors to the Rowan County Justice Center. The city views it as adding more free downtown parking spaces, and the church will have the off-street parking available to it for Sundays and other church activities during the week.
Salisbury City Councilman William “Pete” Kennedy called it a “win-win-win-win” proposition because the county, city, church and North Jackson Street residents will benefit.
A 24-inch drainage pipe on the property has collapsed in several places creating sinkholes. During heavy rains, the vacant lot floods to resemble a small pond, and water runs down the hill and into the back yards of the North Jackson Street homes.
City Civil Engineer Bryan Alston said the parking lot project should address the drainage problems by replacing pipes for the stormwater.
Dan Mikkelson, director of Land Management and Development, said the project is coming in over the original $100,000 budget.
He cited three reasons for the cost overrun: the need for a retaining wall that wasn’t planned, significant amounts of undercut and higher costs in materials from when the original estimates were made.
Seven companies bid on project, and Econo International was the low bidder.