SALISBURY – The City of Salisbury will match part of a Maryland Department of Transportation grant that will complete the design of the city’s Bike Network.

At its meeting on Monday, the Salisbury council unanimously voted to match 20% of the $597,024 state grant.

The city’s department of Infrastructure and Development requested that the city approve the matching funds, totaling $149,256.

The state transportation department awarded the grant to Salisbury last year and it will cover 80% of the costs of designing the city’s remaining 8.9 miles of bicycle lanes.

The city Department of Infrastructure and Development asked that funds no longer needed for the Main Street Master Plan be moved to the Citywide Bikeway Design Project account to pay the matching fund requirement.

The grant will cover the cost of design, traffic studies and associated signal plans. The total project value is $746,280 and any funds not used will be returned to the state transportation department and the city’s reserve fund.

Rick Baldwin, director of the city’s Department of Infrastructure and Development, told council members during the work session earlier this month that not matching the state grant would cost the city millions of dollars in federal funding for constructing bike lanes.

“If we do not provide the local grant match we will be returning the $597,000 to the state and on top of that not having the local match means the federal funding that we got … specifically for the construction of these bike lanes – if you haven't designed them you can't construct them – that’s $5 million worth of federal funding that we'd not be able to use,” Baldwin said at the work session.

Council also authorized the mayor to enter into a contract with the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore to accept grant funds in the amount of $1,500, and to approve a budget amendment to appropriate the funds to the Salisbury-Wicomico Integrated Firstcare Team.

At its Monday meeting, council heard the first reading on a request by the Arts, Business and Culture department for $50,000 to make weather-related repairs to the Salisbury Zoo.

“Over the past several months of below average temperatures and heavy rains, the Salisbury Zoo … has experienced significant equipment and facility failures resulting in an unexpected shortfall in our operating funds,” a staff memo stated. “Due to these emergency repairs, our budget will not be sufficient enough to last through the remainder of (fiscal year 2024).”

The zoo is requesting $40,000 for heating/cooling unit repairs for the sloth, flamingo and owl exhibits and the animal hospital, as well as replacing the roof on the education building. The second reading and vote on the request is set to take place at the council’s Monday, March 11 meeting.