Civic Corner: Board of Aldermen Recap
By Ricki Garrett, PhD, Alderwoman at Large
For this week’s Board of Aldermen meeting, I participated by telephone from Washington, D.C., where I was attending the Fall Leadership Meeting of Sister Cities International. Despite losing the connection a few times, City Clerk Russell Wall and some of my fellow aldermen were able to keep me in the meeting.
Prior to approving the Consent Agenda, the Board welcomed a group of Boy Scouts from the city, and Mayor Fisher took a few questions from them. Following a report from Fire Chief Jeff Blackledge, the Board moved into the regular meeting agenda.
One item of significance was the approval of a Text Amendment to the City of Clinton Zoning Ordinance pertaining to commercial vehicles in residential and commercial areas. This change was instituted as a result of numerous tractor trailer rigs parking in shopping centers and other locations around the city. As a result of this change, inappropriate vehicles will have to move or be fined.
The Board of Aldermen also were presented with two requests for dimensional variances and conditional use for two projects, both of which were for the construction of storage facilities.
The first request by developer Bruce Kirkland was to construct a climate-controlled storage facility on the Clinton Parkway, located partially behind the St. Dominic’s clinic. After intense discussion on the appropriateness of the facility on the Parkway, questions about the exterior appearance, and other discussion, Alderman Chip Wilbanks made a motion to table the request until the Board could more fully examine the project. The motion was seconded, and the Board voted unanimously to table the request.
The second request by Storage Max was to construct a large, two-story storage facility on Northside Drive. Board members expressed concern about both the size of the facility and its location, which would have been visible on all sides. A motion was made and seconded to deny the request, and the Board voted unanimously to deny it.
The Board of Aldermen also approved the hiring of a grant writer for the City of Clinton, Deanna Dillard, and the hiring of a federal lobbyist, former Congressman, Gregg Harper. The grant writer will work with the Mayor and Board to locate funding for various projects, and Congressman Harper will lobby Congress, in particular for funding for the large water/sewer project that the City of Clinton will need by the year 2030.
Because of a significant price increase in changing the 2021 Street Paving Improvement Project to include the striping of some streets, the Board of Aldermen voted to add an additional street for paving, rather than doing the striping that had been their intent.
The Board, as always, welcomes the opinion of the citizens of Clinton on issues of importance to them and to the City.
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.
