CHINA GROVE — The town council at its Tuesday night meeting approved the 2021 representatives to the Cabarrus-Rowan Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The Cabarrus-Rowan MPO plans for regional transportation needs including highway, transit, air, bicycle and pedestrian facilities and is responsible for administrating the transportation planning process required under federal law.

The council approved Mayor Charles Seaford as the Transportation Advisory Committee representative to the MPO with council member Brandon Linn as his alternative. Seaford served in the same role last year. Assistant Town Manager Franklin Gover was appointed as the representative to the MPO’s Technical Coordination Committee with China Grove Director of Public Works Director David Ketner as his alternate.

In other meeting business:

• The town council also approved the annexation of Rowan County tax parcels 119-006 and 117-132. Both annexation requests were made by residents living in single-family homes on the properties and were made so that the families can attach to China Grove’s sewer system.

• China Grove council members spoke kindly of beloved China Grove Elementary custodian Carl Wilkerson, who recently died at the age of 85. Wilkerson worked at the school for over three decades.

China Grove Councilman Don Bringle said that Wilkerson was “a fixture in schools” and was “great with kids and great with parents.”

“Hats off to the man,” Bringle said. “He definitely left a mark on a lot of people.”

Councilman Arthur Heggins echoed those remarks and said that “all the kids looked up to him kindly.”

Town Manager Ken Deal said that the town is going to create a resolution to honor Wilkerson that the council will pass during its January meeting.

Deal also alerted the council that the speed limits on Kirk Street, West Thom Street and South Myrtle Avenue have been reduced to 25 miles per hour, per the request of several nearby residents who petitioned the council to slow the speed.