RALEIGH — State funding for projects that would benefit Rowan County are waiting discussion from members of the North Carolina Senate and House of Representatives, according to Rep. Harry Warren.

Warren represents Rowan County and filed House Bill 59, also known as “Funds for Projects in Rowan County,” in February to appropriate almost $25 million for projects for Salisbury, Spencer, East Spencer and Catawba College.

He explained that legislators will be forming a conference committee made up of members from the Senate and House Appropriations Committees to discuss each such bill that has been filed.

“The main appropriations chairs from each chamber will form a conference committee and they’ll hash out the details (and) it will be probably take a couple weeks or so and then that’s when the House is going to put their members’ appropriation requests into the conference report, so I won’t even know what’s been approved until we see the conference report,” Warren said.

All of this will be taking place after the Senate budget announces the planned budget for the year, which has a target date of the third week of May.

The projects that could receive state funding are:

• $2.8 million for public safety, police and fire equipment for Salisbury.
• $14.5 million for a new municipal complex for East Spencer’s administrative, police and fire departments.
• $4.8 million to complete the proposed urban greenway that will connect Spencer’s downtown area to the Yadkin River Park, which is currently under construction. 
• $2 million for Catawba College to make Newman Park ADA accessible and allow the college to host additional sporting events and tournaments at the park.