Civic Corner: Board of Aldermen Update… Plus Street Lighting Bond, Street Paving, & Voting Precinct Change
Civic Corner: Board of Aldermen Recap
By Ricki Garrett, PhD, Alderwoman-at-Large
Mayor Fisher began the Board of Aldermen meeting by acknowledging two expressions of appreciation from citizens. The first was for Police Officer Barney, who assisted a resident with a broken mailbox, and the other was in appreciation for the work of Visitor Center Director Marsha Barham for her work in welcoming visitors to Clinton.
Our Department Head report was presented by Parks and Recreation Director Courney Nunn, who said that registrations were currently underway in different sports. She also indicated that training of employees was ongoing, but there were still positions that were unfilled. Director Nunn also mentioned that the resurfacing of the tennis courts is complete, and the lighting of Traceway Park was in its earliest stages.
In one of its first actions, the Board of Aldermen approved a resolution authorizing the engagement of Watkins and Eager, Government Consultants, and Raymond James to assist with a proposed general bond obligation public improvement bond for sale to the Mississippi Development Bank or to obtain a loan from the Mississippi Development Bank. The purpose of this action is to begin the financing of the lighting at Traceway Park and other proposed areas. The Board then approved consideration of proposals and appointment of an energy service company related to the lighting project. It is hoped that the lighting will be in place by the 2025 4th of July celebration.
The Board of Aldermen accepted two donations, one from Sherry Landrum and family in memory of retired Clinton Fire Captain/Paramedic Jim Allen, and one in the amount of $11,400from the Clinton Soccer Association to Verti cut six soccer fields.
The approval to advertise for the 2024 street paving improvements was also granted, and the Board also awarded to R&C Services the Quail Hollow culvert replacement project in the amount of $358,166.
The Board of Aldermen also approved a preliminary engineering report matching funds resolution to be used by the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District for application to Delta Regional Authority for Battery Drive improvements.
Several dimensional variances were approved, one for Casey Stevens at 1505 Southern Trace to develop a subdivision, and one to Margaret Anderson at 1887 Clinton Raymond Road. A site plan was also approved for Roma Italian Restaurant at 803 East Northside Drive and a conditional use for Lakesha Harmon to continue to operate a food truck at 205 Clinton Boulevard. The Board continues to have discussion about their desire to have food trucks located in one place and will have further discussion at the next work session of the Board. Ward 2 Alderman Jim Martin expressed his concern that if the Board continued to allow food trucks in multiple locations that it would hurt the existing brick and mortar restaurants and might discourage new restaurants from moving into Clinton. The Board approved the temporary extension on a six to one vote, with Alderman Martin voting no.
The Board approved a resolution to deal with unkempt property at 201 C Eager Street and approved several employee hires.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Space will be provided in each issue of The Clinton Courier to the Board of Aldermen for a recap of each meeting. Aldermen are asked to volunteer to provide this recap for the Courier.
City moves ahead with bond issue to finance lighting project
By Randy Bell
It’s being called the largest athletic lighting project in Mississippi history, and it will bring a much-needed upgrade to the fields at Traceway Park, something that City leaders have long sought but until recently didn’t have a way to pay for.
“You won’t have any adjustment in the [City] budget, up or down,” says Mayor Phil Fisher, emphasizing that no tax increase will be needed. He says no tax increase is needed because of a financing arrangement in which money the City has set aside to pay off an old bond issue will be repurposed for the LED lights and metal poles at Traceway. The funds will also be used to extend the Clinton Parkway lamp posts down Pinehaven Drive to Arrow Drive.
Fisher says the Traceway lights are the top priority and could become a reality in a year’s time.
“Everything’s going to start moving forward,” he says. “By November, we’ll be ready to go. Then, they’ll bid it. How long it takes is how long it takes. But we’ve got a goal that we think we can pretty easily make of July 4th of next year to have the lights up throughout the park.”
A timeline for the Pinehaven lamp posts is less certain. Fisher says if the Traceway lights are more expensive than expected, the City can hold off on the Pinehaven project until more money is available.
“The original estimate [for Traceway] was between $5 million and $6 million several years ago,” says City Clerk Jimmy Baldree. “The latest estimate is somewhere around $6.5 million.”
At its meeting June 4, the Board of Aldermen adopted a resolution to have the Watkins and Eager law firm serve as the City’s bond counsel and to engage Government Consultants, Inc. as municipal advisor. The Board reaffirmed an earlier decision for Raymond James and Associates, Inc. to underwrite the bonds. It also hired the Path Company as an energy service company to oversee the lighting project.
Bonds that were issued to pay for previous projects, including construction of Clinton’s Public Works building and improvements to Traceway and Brighton parks and the local water system, will be retired in 2026, and money will be available for the new bond issue. But, rather than waiting two years, the City can start the process now and reap the benefits sooner.
“By the time we’re ready to make our first payment [on the new bond issue], that note [on the old bond issue] will have been paid off, and we’ll keep going with it,” the mayor says.
Annual street paving project out for bids
By Randy Bell
A dozen streets deemed to be among the worst in Clinton will be resurfaced this summer. The City has set aside $1.5 million for the work, and the Board of Aldermen voted June 4 to advertise for bids.
The process used to identify which of Clinton’s 190 miles of streets to put on the list was the same as the City has followed in the past.
“One person from [Public Works] will ride and rate the streets,” says Consulting City Engineer Bill Owen. “That way, it’s as consistent as consistent can be.” He says the focus is on the condition of the pavement, while traffic counts and location are not among the criteria considered. “The streets are selected from worst to first,” Owen says.
More than a decade ago, the City decided to rate the streets citywide, rather than dividing the paving money equally among the six wards.
“The Board chose not to split it up and give each ward a certain amount,” Owen recalls. “And that’s the [position] they’ve held in the twelve to thirteen years that I’ve been doing it.”
The list includes four streets in both Ward 2 and Ward 6, two in Ward 3 and one each in Wards 4 and 5. No streets in Ward 1 are on the list.
A few streets in the City are in worse condition than the ones being paved, but Hobby Farms Road and Pinehurst Drive need full reconstruction, not just resurfacing. The same goes for Quail Hollow Drive, which is getting a new culvert crossing that conflicts with this year’s paving program. A section of Madison Street wasn’t included, because it has a concrete surface, not asphalt. And the City left a section of Mt. Salus Road off the list, because it’s a dead-end street that doesn’t serve any residences.
For citizens disappointed that their street won’t be resurfaced this year, Mayor Phil Fisher offers this comment: “The only consolation I tell people is that if your street’s not on the list, there are other people [with streets] worse than you.”
Most of the selected streets have curbs and gutters, which means much of the old pavement will have to be removed through milling before the fresh asphalt is put down, adding to the cost of the project.
The bids will be opened in early July, and, with the Board’s approval of a contractor, the work should get underway a few weeks later.
“So, hopefully, we’ll get started around the middle of August,” Owen says. It should take a couple of months to pave the streets, weather permitting.
Clinton voting precinct to change location – again
By Randy Bell
The Pinehaven voting precinct in Clinton has bounced around among several locations in recent years, and yet another change is being made. Voters will no longer cast their ballots at the fire station.
“It was for years and years at Federation Towers,” says Hinds County Election Commissioner Dr. Bobbie Graves. “Of course, we outgrew Federation Towers, so it went to Sumner Hill [Junior High School]. With school going on, COVID, just a lot of reasons, we were able to understand why Sumner Hill decided that they no longer wanted to be a voting precinct. So, at that time, [former] Supervisor David Archie made an arrangement with the fire station for it to be a voting precinct.”
But Station 4 on Pinehaven Road will no longer serve in that capacity. Fire Chief Jeff Blackledge says there wasn’t a lot of parking space for voters, especially at shift change when firefighters are coming and going. And the chief says having the polling place in the station’s day room displaced firefighters who normally relax there between calls.
“That doesn’t work well if the guys have been up all night,” Blackledge says.
“We’ve only been there for a few elections,” Graves points out. “Everybody’s on the same page that it would be conducive for the Pinehaven precinct to find a new location.”
Graves says there’s a tentative agreement on where to relocate the precinct, but she doesn’t want to announce it until the Board of Aldermen officially approves it at its June 18 meeting.
“We’ve checked on the logistics already,” she says. “It is still in the precinct, so it’s a good location.”
The change will be effective in November.
“We’re trying to have everything ready for the general election,” Graves says.
Once the new precinct gets final approval, the Election Commission will undertake a public education campaign.
According to Graves, “Notices will start going out immediately in the mail to all voters that vote at Pinehaven precinct. We will be putting it in the media, it will be on radio and possibly on TV. I just do not want any problems with anything for the general election. And certainly don’t say you don’t know where to go vote.”
