Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ In the most optimistic projections for Salisbury, N.C. and Rowan County in 2015, little if any headway will take place in Salisbury’s “big 3″ major statistics: Awful FBI violent crime and murder stats, public school performance on the very important composite scores on the State Education’s READY Report, and U.S. Census Bureau’s poverty rate will continue hovering around an extremely high 25%. The big 3 statistics make it exceedingly difficult for Salisbury to attract and keep businesses and to hang onto its middle and upper income population. The erosion of Salisbury’s middle and upper class populations of all races will continue. This erosion will very likely produce negative impact on all “big 3″ statistics.
http://rowanfreepress.com/salisbury-nc-statistics/
Know that Salisbury’s poor performance in the “Big 3″ statistics direly impacts the county, dragging down the county’s Big 3 statistical profile. If there is a downturn in the areas fragile economy, the poverty statistics could be made worse. Know that Salisbury’s crime migrates out into the county.
Toward the late fall of 2015 the latest FBI crime stats for 2014 will appear and they will show a major uptick in violent crime and murder in Salisbury. Much is currently working against Salisbury crime stats due to police understaffing. When police melt away to other better paying law enforcement agencies, their vacancies, if filled, are manned by less experienced police. With the city’s lack of patrol cars prowling the streets, the city’s many gangs, break-in artists, muggers, bank robbers and other “adventure capitalists” are becoming more and more emboldened. As “Big Al” once said in Cicero, Illinois: “Boys its all yours!”
Will the Empire Hotel finally be unloaded in 2015? The flophouse unopened to the public since 1963, still gets once a year “interest” from developers according to the local print newspaper. The Empire Hotel looks to be a solid bet to continue its unimpeded decay. Unless it becomes the subject of a “miracle arson” or it collapses “Hotel Kilby” style, the Big “E” will be with us a bit longer. Is there a bargain basement Sheriff’s sale in its future?
Salisbury’s K-Mart or “K-Mark”, as the areas shoplifters call it, is on the endangered species list as parent company Sears is looking to close a lot of Sears and K-Marts in 2015. It is not looking good for Sears or K-Mart.
More vacancies will appear in Salisbury’s Downtown area especially after a dismal shopping season. Hey here’s a winner: A cute little shop selling chains, padlocks, and “no trespassing signs”. I miss my solitary walks along Main Street. “Gentlemen man your bulldozers!”
Lest we forget Fibrant. Sometime prior to March or April Moody’s bond rating will make good on its April 2014 “Warning”: Fibrant pay back that water and sewer loan for $7.6 million dollars or Salisbury will obtain “junk bond” status. Such a status would unleash a major cascade of negative financial events. Fibrant will continue to flounder badly because it is being pounded into the canvas by TWC, AT&T U-verse, DirecTV, and Dish.
It appears County has a high-probability of winning its appeal of the special-use permit for the West End Plaza for governmental purposes. That will be a win for both the County and Salisbury (the neighborhood outside of “8 block”).
The construction of the new Central Office on 500 North Main may suffer from expensive cost overruns unless the B.O.E. watches this project like a hawk. However, our Downtown merchants, who ardently championed the Central Office on Main Street will no doubt be drinking from a bone dry “oasis” when the “Taj Mahal” finally is finished. Visualize the few admins and staff, who remain during the day at the Central Office, and add in more detail like their economical use of brown bags and microwave ovens. Acknowledge that aside from Richard’s BBQ, Hap’s and the fast-food chain restaurants on East Innes, nobody is going to go eat lunch out much.
Time to look into Federal “desolate cities” grants.
Salisbury’s continued skid is guaranteed unless they start doing things a lot different.
Rowan County with its better schools, lower crime, and easier sell for economic development seems like a first stop on the outbound Salisbury migratory route.
