By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
CHINA GROVE ó There will be no shelter for a church van in the town parking lot.
At their Tuesday evening meeting, aldermen unanimously rejected a request from St. Mark’s Lutheran Church to put a shelter in the parking lot adjacent to the police department on North Main Street.
The church van has been parked in the police lot for years, but when the church bought a new van, officials wanted to erect a shelter.
Planner Emily Jackson provided the board with site plans for possible shelter locations that would comply with the town’s Unified Development Ordinance.
Aldermen agreed the locations weren’t practical and also might be in the way of a long-discussed expansion of the building housing the police and fire departments.
Board members also expressed concern about setting a precedent. Alderman Allen Welter raised that question at the October meeting, saying if the town were going to allow the church to store a van on its property, he would like to have four spaces.
The board voted 4-0 to deny the request. Alderman Ron Overcash, a member of St. Marks, was excused from voting.
In other matters, the board:
– Agreed to ask the N.C. Department of Transportation to install a traffic signal at the intersection of U.S. 29 and Bostian Street.
Developers of the area around the Stag ‘N Doe restaurant have requested the light.
Aldermen Allen Welter voted against the request, contending the town should concentrate on getting a traffic light on N.C. 152 at the entrance to Carson High School.
The town, county and school system have repeatedly requested a traffic signal at the school, but the state has rejected the requests. State transportation officials say a light is not justified and have said they advised school officials against building the school at the location because of potential traffic problems.
Town Manager Bill Pless said the request for the light at U.S. 29 and Bostian recognizes potential development there.
– Gave final approval to an application for a Community Development Block Grant to pay for extending a waterline to a site for a new business.
Altec, an Alabama-based business which supplies equipment for utility companies, plans a service center at a site east of the Hitachi plant on N.C. 152.
The Rowan County and China Grove have agreed to split the $85,000 required match for the grant.
Pless said approval of the grant application is expected by mid-January.
– Approved a request by Bruce D. Jones for voluntary annexation of his Peyton Crossing subdivision at the intersection of N.C. 152 and Stirewalt Road.
– Rezoned a 1-acre tract on Columbus Street from manufactured home district to mixed residential. The owners, Michael G. and Karen Robson of Old Union Church Road, plan to build a duplex on the property.
– Heard an update from Pless on the plans for a bus and van service connecting Salisbury to Kannapolis and Concord.
The Rowan Express service is now expected to start in early spring, possibly March.
The committee overseeing the project met Monday in China Grove to discuss starting a marketing campaign.