Downtown upgrades get thumbs up. Becker honored for service
Retiring Chief S. Vaughn Becker shakes hands with Clinton Mayor Scott Burton, who honored him with a resolution at the Monday, Oct. 28, Clinton City Council meeting. (photo:Ben Pounds )
Adams Contracting LLC was selected as the contractor, with a bid of $9.47 million. However, City Manager Roger Houck said the contract is pending final state approval since the project depends on state funding.
The city’s share of the funding, approximately $1.12 million, will be covered in part by Tennessee Department of Transportation and federal American Rescue Plan funds, Houck said.
Additionally, the Clinton Utilities Board will help fund repairs to water and sewer lines located under the sidewalks and roads included in the project.
Phases one and two of the project will begin on Market Street and continue past its intersection with Cullom.
Improvements will then extend “from Market Street to Broad Street and Broad Street to the parking lot at Family Physicians,” Houck said. These phases will also cover part of Commerce Street.
Phase Three, initially planned to improve Main Street from Broad Street to the new bridge, is likely to be delayed, with some of its funds reallocated to phases one and two due to budget constraints.
“Phase three is going to be several years down the road,” Houck told The Courier News.
The timeline for the improvements remains uncertain due to potential delays caused by Hurricane Helene assistance efforts. However, Houck hopes to begin construction next year, with the first two phases expected to take about one year to complete.
The pedestrian improvement project is funded in part by TDOT’s Transportation Alternative Program, which supports the development of pedestrian infrastructure. Houck noted that the water and sewer systems are 90 to 100 years old, making CUB’s planned line replacements timely.
Retiring Chief Honored
At the meeting, Mayor Scott Burton honored retiring Police Chief S. Vaughn Becker with a proclamation recognizing his service. Becker, who has served as chief from February 2019 until this year, achieved a case closure rate of 56.4%, compared to the state average of 38.2%.
“I appreciate being able to work for a man who put his city’s and his employees’ best interests first,” said Jason Stokes, who served under Becker at the Clinton Police Department.
Board of Zoning Appeals
The City Council also unanimously approved allowing the Board of Zoning Appeals to serve as the Board of Code Appeals.
Purchasing Limit Change
In other business, the council unanimously passed a final reading of an ordinance updating the city’s purchasing regulations to align with state law, raising the limit on sealed bids to $50,000.