By Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
Speed limits in the Forest Glen subdivision off N.C. 150 will be lowered from 35 mph to 25 mph.
Salisbury City Council approved the change Tuesday after a recommendation from Traffic Engineer Wendy Brindle.
In Forest Glen, the change affects Ashton, Brighton and Coventry lanes; East and West Glenview, Ferncliff and Forest Glen drives; and Wyndham Way.
Forest Glen residents petitioned for the change.
Council also approved a lowering of the speed limit from 35 mph to 30 mph on South Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue between Ryan Street and Vance Avenue.
Rufty-Holmes Senior Center had asked that the speed limit in that section be lowered to 25 mph.
City staff recommended the 30 mph speed limit instead because it is consistent with the Highway Capacity Manual and, based on speeds on the street now, would not impose an artificially low limit.
“This is very much needed,” Councilman William “Pete” Kennedy said of reducing the speed limit.
He noted that senior citizens are crossing the street toward the center regularly and that senior pedestrian crossings will increase even more when the Parks and Recreation Department installs walking trails at the Salisbury Sports Complex.
Kennedy asked that the Police Department strictly enforce the 30 mph speed limit once it’s in place.
In other action, the council approved the operation of a temporary carnival March 24-30 in the parking lot of Salisbury Mall.
The carnival will include 12 to 14 family rides, five to eight games of chance and one or two food concessions. Proceeds from the carnival go to support local and national DARE programs.
DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
The carnival application came from KevaWorks Inc. The carnival will take up about 150 parking spaces and will be located at the Big Lots and Goody’s end of the mall.
Times for the carnival are 5-10 p.m. weekdays and noon to 11 p.m. weekends.
Carnivals or circuses are permitted in this particular zoning district (Highway Business) for up to 21 days..
In other business, the council:
– Approved a municipal maintenance agreement with the N.C. Department of Transportation for the city’s computerized traffic signal system. The new agreement means the state will pay Salisbury between $92,323 and $150,000 a year to maintain the traffic signals.
The previous amount was $44,000 a year.
General statutes require the DOT’s Division of Highways to maintain the state highway system. But within cities, the statutes also allow the Division of Highways to delegate actual maintenance to cities qualified to do the work.
– Approved in a first reading a total Community Development Department budget of $483,295 for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.
Public service agencies or programs receiving monies from those funds will include Rowan Helping Ministries, $22,500; Family Crisis Council, $14,000; Rowan Community Care Clinic, $10,000; Salisbury Youth Employment, $6,500; and Community Youth Garden, $1,500.
Other funds go toward the purchase, rehabilitation and resale of homes, owner-occupied rehabilitations and emergency rehabilitations, $183,268; program administration, $73,000; and debt service on a loan for the Park Avenue Community Center, $54,271.
An additional $118,255 is allocated for new construction and home ownership assistance.
Revenues for the community development program come from a Community Development Block Grant, the federal HOME program and program income.
– Received 2008-2009 budget requests from several community organizations including the N.C. Transportation Museum, $7,500; Horizons Unlimited, $42,342; Communities in Schools, $15,000; and Rufty-Holmes Senior Center, $58,000.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263 or mwineka@salisburypost.com.