SALISBURY, Md. - Salisbury's plan for a sprawling outdoor space in the heart of downtown is still in the construction phase, longer than anticipated.
When ground was broken on 'Unity Square' back in June, the City said it anticipated an opening in time for the Christmas tree, Menorah and Kinara lighting, which happened Saturday night, not at Unity Square.
Instead, the project remains an active construction site, as crews work to finish the project that will include a splash pad, outdoor seating and serve as home to a number of events including the holiday lighting display, Third Friday and the Maryland Folk Festival.
A city website said construction was slated to wrap up in October.
Rebecca Shockley lives downtown and says the construction has been a bit of an inconvenience but she's looking forward to the end product.
"If we're traveling by car to get to the library it is a little unfortunate that I have to load my child, usually into a stroller to get across the street," she said.
Mike Dunn of the Greater Salisbury Committee says positive additions like this one simply take time.
"Over the weekend when I saw the lighting of the Christmas tree in front of the parking garage there did seem to be a good crowd and my brain went think of how good this will be next year when all of this is at Unity Square," he said.
Before taking office, the City's new Mayor Randy Taylor said his biggest concern was the displacement of parking for downtown residents and businesses.
The Mayor's Office did not provide us with an on camera interview for this story. But Mayor Taylor tells WBOC the new timetable looks like a March completion for Unity Square.
Mike Daly at Mogan's Oyster House says Unity Square has caused parking concerns for customers, but Daly is hopeful the project will draw new people to his business.
"The biggest thing is the parking but we've personally done a lot to raise awareness of the parking structure," he said.
