By David Purtell

david.purtell@salisburypost.com

Salisbury City Council Tuesday will hear a presentation regarding plans to help prevent traffic accidents at the intersection of  Jake Alexander Boulevard South and Morlan Park Road.

The plan, put forward by the state Department of Transportation, which maintains Jake Alexander Boulevard, involves installing a directional median where the street meets Morlan Park Road. The median would prevent cars on Morlan Park Road from turning left onto Jake Alexander Boulevard and going straight across the intersection. But cars will still be able to turn left from Jake Alexander Boulevard onto Morlan Park.

The design will not block any existing driveways on Jake Alexander Boulevard, according to a note in council’s agenda packet. The median is expected to reduce traffic on Morlan Park Road, which is mostly used by people cutting through from Jake Alexander Boulevard to Faith Road, according to the note. Neighborhoods line the road between the boulevard and Faith Road

The Department of Transportation would pay the total cost of $400,000 to install the median.

Council meets Tuesday at 4 p.m. at City Hall.

In other business Tuesday, council will:

• Hold a public hearing regarding the Literary Bookpost’s request for a special use permit to allow it to serve alcohol. The bookstore on South Main Street downtown wants to be able to serve beer and wine to its customers.

• Hear a presentation on residential parking permits for downtown. Acc0rding to the plan, people who live downtown would pay an annual fee for a permit that “would allow residents to park for longer than two hours in designated areas with time restricted parking. Under the program, parking would still be available on a first-come-first-served basis, but when spaces are available, a resident who has purchased the permit can park and would not be ticketed if they stay longer than tw0 hours.”

• Hear a presentation on the city’s finances for the third quarter of the fiscal year.

• Hear a presentation from the city’s Tree Board, which works to manage and protect trees on city-owned property. The board wants the city to consider a more proactive tree ordinance than the current one.

• Hear a presentation on updates to the the city’s Historic District Design Guidelines.

• Consider a resolution to establish a policy for opening approved minutes of closed-session meetings to the public.

• Consider modifications to the city’s Fogs, Oils and Grease and Wax Control  program.

Contact Reporter David Purtell at 704-797-4264.