By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
CLEVELAND ó If you haven’t seen Bob and Kay Mason’s yard, Nancy Brown told the town’s Board of Commissioners Monday night, “you need to.”
The Masons were the recipients of this month’s Cleveland Beautification Committee’s Yard of the Month Award, which includes a $100 check and a copy of Evelyn Myer Allison’s book, “Lifestories from Cleveland, North Carolina.”
It doesn’t matter if you look at it from the front, back or sides, Committee Chairwoman Brown said, “it looks good.”
Her husband, Mayor Jim Brown, said town officials appreciate the Masons’ efforts to beautify Cleveland.
“We’re proud and honored to do it,” said Bob Mason, who accepted the award.
Also at Monday night’s meeting was Jim Greene, a newly-appointed member of the Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission. Greene, who lives in western Rowan, will attend his second commission meeting on Wednesday.
He thanked commissioners for contributing to the Economic Development Commission’s budget every year. “We want you to know we appreciate it,” he said. “We are working hard to bring industries to Rowan County.”
Greene said the recent announcements that Freightliner plans to hire back some of its employees laid off earlier in the year and that Duke Energy plans to expand the Buck Steam Station came as good news to the commission. “So maybe we are getting some things moving in Rowan County,” he said.
In other business, town commissioners approved donating $30,000 to the Cleveland Volunteer Fire Department to help cover the salaries of paid personnel. The money was included in the town’s budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, which began on July 1.