In other City Council business Tuesday:
• City Planner Lynn Raker announced that the city and Rowan Arts Council have won a $25,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to design an outdoor “cultural centerpiece,” which will include the Salisbury-Rowan Farmers Market.
The farmers market is temporarily located in the former Wrenn House parking lot.
The new cultural center, which will include performing arts space, is planned for the parking lot in the 200 block of North Lee Street, where police cars currently park. The city would come up with a new police parking lot and has been talking to downtown property owners, Raker said.
The NEA awarded 59 grants from 254 applications.
Raker said she wants input from the public, downtown businesses and property owners during the design process.
A partnership including the Tourism Development Authority, Lee Street Theatre, Rowan Investment and Wells Fargo already has raised $250,000 to build the new facility.
• City Council approved a $114,312 contract with Ramsay, Burgin, Smith Architects Inc. for architectural services for the proposed school central office at 329 S. Main St.
The city won’t award a construction contract unless the state approves the city’s request to borrow $7.37 million for the project. The city submitted an application Monday to the Local Government Commission.
If the state rejects the project, the city would not have to pay Burgin’s entire contract but would owe him for some work that he’s already done, such as vetting contractors, Assistant City Manager John Sofley said.
• City Council agreed to allow public street festivals and special events throughout the city, not just in the downtown.
• City Council set a public hearing for Aug. 20 to receive public comment on proposed revisions to the city’s sewer-use ordinance.
Changes include updating definitions, reducing prohibited discharges to 23 types, reducing the sampling requirements for industrial customers and clarifying how appeals are handles, among other changes. No new fees are being proposed.