By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
When Salisbury issued more than $30 million in long-term debt in November to pay for the startup of a new fiber optic cable utility, it included $2 million-plus for other capital projects.
Salisbury City Council approved Tuesday taking $2,158,587 in bond proceeds and interest and allocating the funds toward numerous upgrades of city facilities, parking lots and tennis courts at City Park.
More than $1 million of the funds will go toward improvements of public parking lots, including the one behind City Hall off South Main Street and the one behind Bernhardt Hardware off North Main Street.
Several other allocations will go toward updating fire stations. The upgrades include roofing and replacement windows at some locations and $250,000 worth of renovations to Station No. 3 on West Innes Street.
The city also is setting aside $120,000 toward the replacement of an antenna on the city-owned “Al’s Knob” near Granite Quarry.
The new tennis courts at City Park are costing $225,000.
A new roof at the Civic Center will cost $84,700.
Elevators at both City Hall and the former City Hall at 132 N. Main St. have to be updated or replaced with what’s left over.
The various capital projects were originally part of the city’s 2008-2009 general fund budget. The council removed the appropriations from the general fund budget with an amendment Tuesday and established a separate capital project fund.
In another matter, the council approved $1 million toward two projects for Salisbury-Rowan Utilities.
Utilities Director Jim Behmer said Salisbury-Rowan Utilities had a revenue surplus from the 2007-2008 fiscal year to pay for the projects.
The council approved $600,000 toward a wastewater treatment plant chlorination/dechlorination project required by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
It also approved $400,000 toward a waterline relocation necessary for the widening of U.S. 70 between Cleveland and the Rowan-Iredell county line.
A portion of the Salisbury-Statesville water connection, established for emergency supply situations, is in conflict with the pending road project, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.
In other business, the council:
– Accepted a $12,667 offer from Piedmont Natural Gas to purchase four easements. Piedmont Natural Gas needs to run an additional transmission line to Duke Energy’s Buck Steam Plant site in anticipation of the plant’s expansion.
The new line parallels an existing gas line that has been in place for several decades across four city-owned parcels. Piedmont Natural Gas is purchasing 20-foot easements next to its existing 50-foot easements in the vicinity of the Grants Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.
– Agreed to allow Cohen Roofing and Metal to use public parking spaces while it installs a new roof at 120 S. Main St. (the Sidewalk Deli). Spaces in front of 116, 120 and 122 S. Main St. are needed for the placement of a Dumpster, materials and a crane while the work takes place.
Pedestrians will still be able to use the sidewalk in this area. The buildings in question are owned by the Salisbury Post.
Traffic Engineer Wendy Brindle said the work will last a maximum of two weeks.- Agreed to send recommendations related to electronic message signs on college campuses to the Technical Review Committee and Planning Board.
Bill Burgin and Mark Lewis were part of a council committee considering requests from local colleges for the signs, which are not permitted in the current ordinance.
The council committee recommends that the signs be restricted to Institutional Campus zoning, that one sign be allowed per school, that the size be a maximum of 60 square feet, that the height be a maximum of 10 feet, with up to 50 percent of the sign’s space devoted to electronic text.
The electronic message would be allowed to change only once every five minutes.