Clinton launches infrastructure improvement push
A crew works in downtown Clinton. Clinton City Manager Roger Houck said people should expect periodic road closures. (photo:Ben Pounds )
Clinton City Manager Roger Houck gave updates on many of them at the March City Council meeting, and told The Courier News some additional details about how they’ve been going this April.
Mariner Point
Signalization
The city of Clinton is working to put traffic signals at the intersection of Mariner Point and South Charles G. Seivers Boulevard.
Houck said engineers were still waiting on the approval from the Tennessee Department of Transportation for signalization, but were preparing bid documents.
Splash pad
Houck said in March the concrete for a splash pad near the pool at Jaycee Park did not cure well.
The city had to rip it out and then pour new concrete in the week of April 7. This is not the same as the Lakefront Park splash pad, which will open May 1.
“The one at Lakefront’s not that big,” Houck said, adding the new one near the pool will give more options for Clinton’s children.
Downtown
The city is in the midst of a $9.9 million project to install new water and sewer lines, replace and improve sidewalks, and add landscaping in downtown Clinton. The project uses a combination of state, federal and local funding.
Houck said on the city had started on work regarding water and sewer lines. He said workers had started on a sewer line on Freddy Fagan Way and were going up the back side of that road toward Apple Blossom Café. He said there were problems, but the city had figured there would be.
“These were pipes that were put in a hundred years ago, so we’re digging up stuff that nobody’s seen in a long time,” he said. Issues included sanitary sewer and stormwater sewer pipes running on top of each other, leading to the city having to modify them.
“It’s kind of almost build-as-you-go once you start tearing stuff up,” he said.
He said water line replacement will begin later in April and roads will be closed on and off throughout the time the city works on the project.
“We’re just trying to limit them as much as possible,” he said. Closures will primarily occur on Market Street.
Yarnell Traffic Calming
Work began on installing speed tables on Tuesday, April 8, and continued through Thursday, April 10. Speed tables are longer and flatter than speed bumps, but serve a similar purpose.
“If you’re doing the speed limit, pretty much you don’t even have to slow down to go over them, but if you’re doing more than the speed limit, that’s when it’ll jar you a little bit,” Houck said.
The city sent out a survey card to people who live in the affected neighborhood in December.
An official Facebook post stated 73% of people surveyed supported the speed tables.
Pickleball
tournament
Houck said he was looking forward to hosting a pickleball tournament at Lakefront Park on May 31. He said the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce and some volunteers would work to put the tournament on, and hope to have about 100 teams.
Pickleball court expansion
Regarding the city’s pickleball capacity, Houck said he wanted to let the tennis season be done on May 1 before working on converting more of the city’s courts to pickleball courts. He said it would have to be August or later.
Fire Truck
Houk said the city was donating a fire truck to the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department.
