RFP Staff
♦ Over the past week it was brought to our attention that the block currently owned by the Maxwell Chambers Trust, bounded by West Fisher, South Church, West Innes and South Jackson Streets, is about to be purchased by a consortium of Salisbury “Who’s Who” nonprofits. In a move reminiscent of the 2007 Empire Hotel “purchase”, a local charitable family organization will be seeking a 3-year option on the city block and will fire off a fund-raising campaign engaging at least two tax-funded nonprofits: Downtown Salisbury, Inc. and the Rowan-Salisbury Tourism Development Authority. They allegedly have designs on the Maxwell Chambers Trust block for a downtown “green-space” with parking, perhaps to compliment “traffic calmed” Innes Street.
Some interested nonprofit partnerships suggest the concept would be most useful without the burden of maintaining the former “First Bank” building. That site could feature an amphitheater with parking. Other stakeholders have a brought splash of ideas and desire to keep the former bank building perhaps asking the county to “lease” it for the Public Library’s genealogy archives.
Still others believe this downtown block should provide badly-needed parking space for a vibrant business district which could benefit the Empire Hotel as a centerpiece of the Downtown Master Plan. Maybe they could move the Empire Hotel to where the Bank was? Such engineering feats are not impossible. Nothing is impossible in the fabulous “City of Make Believe”!
Should we call it “Needle Park”?
With so many competing ideas for the soon-to-be optioned city block–only a short jaunt to the Square, look for Salisbury City Council to announce their Planning Department would be willing to host a series of planning “Charettes”. That would work wonders in taking our weary voters’ minds off the municipal elections this fall. Does this diversion do ANYTHING to help the 25% poverty rate? Does it do anything to improve the education of our public school children? Does it help bring extra security lighting to the crime-weary “West End”? And does it make any effort to include the diverse populations of Salisbury? And how about all those leaving the “City of Make Believe” for more prosperous and less bullet riddled places elsewhere? Our working class is saying “Tatums”.
Looking forward to the upcoming announcement! No doubt an incumbent city council person will insert themselves at the center of this ‘surprise’ announcement. They need something for voters to take their minds off the “disturbing demographics” of a city in rapid decline. They can “will” success to happen in the “City of Make Believe”. They can turn out the lights on all those “negative” people.
