Going from a bare concrete pad to a fully enclosed building in just two days last week, the new Clinton Taco Bell restaurant is on track to open by early October, says the developer. The old store was demolished in June to make way for an entirely new building encompassing all of the newest Taco Bell store features, said Michael Border, chief development officer of the Birmingham-based Tacala Companies LLC. That company also owns the Taco Bell next to Interstate 75, Exit 122, in Clinton. “We just framed that Friday and Saturday,” Border said Monday of the new building at 1114 N. Charles G. Seivers Blvd, across from ORNL Federal Credit Union. “We’ve got a crew of framers that can frame a building in 10 hours.
Read MoreFor those who want to learn about Clinton’s history while exercising their legs, the group Historic Downtown Clinton has put together a “historic walking tour” to highlight some significant sites. The tour includes such landmarks as Academy Hill, City of Clinton Field, Town Springs, the Anderson County Courthouse, Clinton City Hall, Clinton Middle School, the Norfolk Southern Depot, Green McAdoo School, Terrapin Hill, Eagle Bend and Market Street. A plaque has been erected at each site to describe its historical significance. “This is Phase 1 of our walking tour, as funds for this project were provided by the Hollingsworth Foundation,” said Katherine Birkbeck, program director for Historic Downtown Clinton, which is an adjunct to the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce.
Read MoreNorris plans to make an offer to the City Council’s top candidate for the city manager position on Wednesday (Aug. 10), following a special council meeting at 5 p.m. The offer will go to Joshua W. Ray, a North Carolina native who until recently had been city manager in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Councilmembers informally agreed Monday night to terms of the contract they plan to offer Ray, which includes a base salary of $108,000 a year plus benefits, and a moving allowance of $7,500. That offer will be in a contract that the council is sending to its lawyer for review, and which is expected to be approved during the council meeting today (Aug. 10). Getting Ray to take the position is not a sure thing, however. He told the council during his interview last week that he has a third interview this Thursday for a city manager job in North Carolina, and that he expects to find out next Monday whether he will be offered that position. Ray was terminated by the Shelbyville City Council earlier this year after taking the job there in 2021. He has held city manager positions in four different states over the past 15 years, including Tennessee, North Carolina, Texas and New Mexico.
Read MoreThe new Anderson County Animal Care Advisory Committee had a productive organizational meeting on Monday evening, Aug. 2. About 15 people including committee members and interested animal lovers were in attendance. “This whole body is about helping the mayor,” Jay Yeager, law director for the county, informed the group. He told them they were an advisory committee whose purpose was to make recommendations to Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, who is responsible for the operation of the animal shelter. It was announced Monday the mayor will soon be announcing a new director, and the mayor and the new director will be present at the next committee meeting. Yeager informed the committee that they have four ex-officio (non-voting) members. They are the mayor, the law director, the county veterinarian and the animal shelter director. The committee discussed the resolution that was recently approved by the County Commission setting up the committee and describing operating conditions for the animal shelter.
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