Tuesday Aug. 30, 1983 --

• The grand opening of the new City Center in Downtown Salisbury has been postponed because of construction delays. Owner and developer Bill Ahtes said the new opening date is Oct. 1 but he will hold a private sneak-preview event this Friday. Located in the old Benjamin’s building, City Center will house a women’s dress shop, children’s clothing store, card and gift shop, music store, pastry shop, women’s accessory store, and a restaurant with cocktail lounge.
• Friends of Coastal Hospice has scheduled its second annual membership party. The event will be held in the home of Robert Lane and Margaret Taylor, who are renovating their Camden Avenue home, the Jackson House. Judy Glenn is Friends of Hospice president; Nancy Reeves is the committee hostess who will prepare food for the big event.
• Salisbury Nursing Home President Dennis Nooner and his Ocean City businessman partner Irv Bainum are shaking up the Salisbury health care scene with their proposal to build at least two free-standing ambulatory surgery centers which would be run separately from Peninsula General Hospital Medical Center, which they said has a monopoly on such services. Nooner and Bainum cited a recent survey sent to the hospital’s 147 doctors with privileges and 48 said they would use such centers because of backups and scheduling problems in PGHMC’s operating suites. Hospital President John B. Stevens said the hospital is about to spend $4.5 million to expand the number of operating rooms and the hospital’s “one-stop approach” remains best for patients.
• Dick Banks and Budget Office Furniture Co. on Northwood Drive celebrated their 10th year in business on Saturday with a huge party. There were hot-air balloon rides, music by the Country Grass Band, outfitted clowns and special presentation of various animals from the Salisbury Zoo.
• Wicomico Junior High School Principal William C. Evans said the East Main Street School will be open today to 7th-graders who will report to the school for the first time next week. He said all tours will begin at the front entrance to the building.
• Stereo Discounters on South Salisbury Boulevard near the college was offering a three-year financing deal on a new Panasonic, cable-ready, 14-day programmable VCR with remote control. The price: $947.
• At least nine of 13 teenagers packed into a car that flipped twice on Valleywood Drive and struck a utility pole were injured. While most of the injured teens were taken to Peninsula General Hospital Medical Center, Station 2 Assistant Fire Chief Norm Conway said at least two teens fled the scene, with one found later, injured and hiding behind a nearby home. One teen was flown to PGHMC by State Police helicopter. All of them are extremely lucky to be alive,” Conway said. “How someone didn’t get killed is beyond me.”
• Salisbury officials have a list of uses for an $800,000 grant that will be coming their way from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city will spend $150,000 to buy and develop land near Parsons and Mitchell roads for a playground a recreational area. The city will spend $212,000 on bulkheading on the Wicomico River near Fitzwater Street. Another $287,500 will be put aside for a massive property purchasing plan on Lake and West Main streets. The city will use the remaining $120,000 to purchase the old G&K Furniture Warehouse. City officials are hoping it could become the home of the Ward Foundation.