City weighs next Parks and Rec projects
By Randy Bell
When Clinton leaders first began making plans to spend money generated by a two per cent restaurant tax, the focus was on building new restrooms at a couple of the city parks. Now, with $2.7 million in tax revenue earmarked for parks and recreation in the 2027 fiscal year budget, there’s a wide range of potential priorities.
“I feel like a few years ago, we knew our immediate needs were restrooms, and that’s what we needed to tackle first,” says Parks and Recreation Director Courtney Nunn. “This go-around, I think we can consider different options. At this point, we’re trying to brainstorm all types of ideas and see how we can best serve the community.”
During a presentation at the October 19 Board of Aldermen work session, Nunn laid out a long list of proposals to protect, preserve and modernize existing facilities, to expand Clinton’s recreational opportunities and to create park features which would help to boost the local economy.
“I think that it’s going to take definitely a few meetings to narrow it down as far as projects go. I do think that there’s a few on the radar that could be immediately approved. And then it’s a matter of, after those, what do we want to do?”
Some Board members voiced support for spending part of the money—maybe a large part– to install artificial turf on some of the athletic fields at Traceway Park.
Ward 3’s Amanda Jones says she’s talked to families whose children play sports at Traceway, and she’s gotten input from leaders of the local baseball, softball and soccer associations.
“They all want turf,” she says. “They’re not saying all fields. They just want a place where, when it’s raining day after day, they can take their teams out and they can practice and these kids won’t get far behind.”
Jones says having a multi-purpose turf field or partially-turfed fields could help to hold down the cost and says the associations are willing to help pay for the turf.
“I think it’s worth us putting some attention into this to keep young families [in Clinton] and to recruit young families that want their kids involved in these sports.”
She points out that having turf fields will make Traceway a more attractive venue.
“We’ll have more tournaments. We’ll have more people who want to host their tournaments there. It just gives us more opportunity, for sure.”
Mayor Will Purdie believes that turf fields would be a popular option in the community.
“That is something that is routinely requested by our citizens, so certainly I think it’s incumbent upon us to give it due consideration.”
Work continues at Traceway to complete the new concession stand at the Softball 4-Plex, a project funded by some of last year’s restaurant tax revenue. And Nunn says that’s it until the Board decides what the new priorities should be.
Besides turf fields, other Parks and Rec projects discussed at the work session include replacing the pavilion at the Kid’s Towne playground, more shaded seating in the parks, a paved walking path at Towne Park and tennis court expansion at Brighton Park, with the possible addition of pickleball courts.
