Council earmarks $3.4M for projects
Clinton City Council has approved more than $3 million for upgrades and projects around the city.
The council designated $3.4 million from the city’s unassigned fund balance for capital projects at its Sept. 28 meeting.
City Manager Roger Houck told The Courier News the projects include funding to finish the downtown streetscape project, renovations to the Clinton Community Center and South Clinton Community Center, Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades at the Clinton Public Library, downtown drainage improvements, police vehicles, and body and in-car cameras for the Clinton Police Department.
The Clinton Community Center will undergo renovations to its indoor pool, while the South Clinton Community Center will receive repairs to its gym floor and new entrance doors.
Houck said the community center and library renovations would take place in spring 2027
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Streets and
traffic signals
Separate from the $3.4 million allocation, City Council approved $300,000 from the unassigned fund balance for street resurfacing.
However, Houck said the city did not have an immediate paving plan for using those funds because of high petroleum prices affecting asphalt costs.
The council also approved $22,093 for traffic signal maintenance. Houck said the money would be used to maintain existing signals, not add new ones.
Council members also designated $50,000 for upgrades to the city’s computer servers.
The council approved these spending measures unanimously in a single vote, along with the $3.4 million allocation. Council member Brian Hatmaker was absent.
Traffic studies
During the same Sept. 28 meeting, Houck said a study showed traffic at North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard and Hillvale Road increased by 6,300 vehicles per day from 2020 to 2025, or nearly 2.3 million additional vehicles per year.
At Clinch Avenue and Main Street, traffic increased by about 4,200 vehicles per day.
“Our big problem is we’ve got a lot more traffic,” Houck said.
He said the city had asked the engineering firm Cannon & Cannon to conduct a new traffic study and examine possible improvements.
Houck said the city was still awaiting results of a separate traffic study regarding safety in the North Hicks Street and Clinton Elementary School area.