Editor’s note: Ask Us is a weekly feature published online Mondays and in print on Tuesdays. We’ll seek to answer your questions about items or trends in Rowan County. Have a question? Email it to askus@salisburypost.com.

SALISBURY — The City of Salisbury has finished the first phase of its Grants Creek greenway extension project, but construction on the second and third phases likely won’t begin for a year.

A reader asked for a status update on efforts to extend the Salisbury Greenway from the Meadowbrook neighborhood to Kelsey Scott Park.

The first phase of the project — completed last year — included the construction of a low-water bridge connection from Catawba College to the existing greenway near Forestdale Drive.

The second phase will extend the greenway from Catawba College to Wiltshire Village behind the Salisbury VA Medical Center. The design for that phase is 90% complete at this time, according to City of Salisbury Engineering Director Wendy Brindle. She said the city will soon start designing the third and final phase, which will finish connecting the greenway to Kelsey Scott Park.

Once design plans are finished for the second phase, the city will wait until the design for the third phase is complete and bid the projects together to be cost efficient. Brindle said she expects it to be at least a year before that point and “all of that is dependent on easement acquisition.”

Most of the new greenway will be a 10-foot wide asphalt trail, matching the existing greenway. Portions of the extended greenway that span wetlands or streams will be boardwalk, Brindle said. The trail will actually go under Statesville Boulevard near the bridge spanning Grants Creek. 

Funding for the greenway extension project comes from the Transportation Alternative Program and Surface Transportation Block Grant Program and was awarded by the Cabarrus-Rowan Metropolitan Planning Organization. Brindle said it’s difficult to predict how inflation will impact the cost of materials needed to finish the remaining two phases, but she doesn’t expect any major hiccups.

“When we applied for the funds, we did have a contingency, so hopefully we’ll be in the budget,” she said.

Brindle said the greenway extension project will enhance recreation and transportation opportunities for Salisbury residents. 

The Salisbury Greenway is part of the Carolina Thread Trail, a regional network of connected greenways, trails and blueways that reaches 15 counties, 2 states and 2.9 million people.

Who is benefiting from the Spencer Jaycees gun raffle?

Some Post readers asked what is happening with a Jaycees gun raffle scheduled for July 4.

The questions centered on if the raffle is raising money for Faith Academy Charter School. Academy Board Chair George Wilhelm said the school has had no contact with the civic club about the raffle and a spokesperson for the Jaycees said the fundraiser has no connection to the school.

The Jaycees member who led organizing the fundraiser and spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity said organizing for the fundraiser began in January and was finalized in February. He said the gun chosen for the raffle, an AR-15-style rifle, was chosen out of a few options based on cost.

The raffle was originally slated to happen at the Faith ball field but has been moved to a private venue. Guns are common raffle prizes for nonprofits in North Carolina. Three Rivers Land Trust, for example, is auctioning two shotguns as part of its 2022 raffle lots.