The Clayton Town Council heard a staff presentation on proposed pedestrian safety infrastructure near area schools during the Sept. 16 meeting and discussed possible quick wins tied to private development and longer‑term assessments.

Assistant Engineering Director Kenzie Holton summarized the town’s approach: prioritize opportunities that arise from school redevelopment and adjacent private development, use on‑call transportation engineering consultants to assess remaining schools and create a town‑led package of improvements that can be implemented through development agreements or town projects. Holton said the immediate focus includes the Clayton High School redevelopment frontage, sidewalks and two proposed crosswalks, and pedestrian connections tied to the Athletic Club commercial project that is bringing an 8‑foot multiuse path to Pritchard.

Why it matters: Residents and councilmembers repeatedly raised concerns about student pedestrian crossings at Riverwood Elementary and Middle School, carpool stacking, and sections of road with no sidewalks. Council and staff acknowledged jurisdictional limits (many roads are NCDOT routes) and the need to coordinate with school officials, NCDOT and developers.

Staff presentation highlights
- Approach: Combine improvements negotiated through private redevelopment (e.g., Clayton High School project) with town projects and developer contributions.
- Known near‑term focuses: additional sidewalk segments on Robertson/Blanche Ellington/Fayetteville frontage near Clayton High School; two new crosswalks (Walgreens exit and Brook Street) and new sidewalk and multiuse path connections around Riverwood Elementary/Bridal/ Athletic Club Boulevard.
- Implementation mechanism: Use development agreements, frontage improvements required upon site plan approval, and on‑call transportation engineering contracts to do a town‑wide school safety assessment.

Council and public concerns
Councilmembers asked whether the town or NCDOT owned specific streets and reminded staff the town can act more quickly where it owns the roadways. Councilmember Archer and others asked staff to coordinate with the school district before public hearings on related projects; the town attorney advised waiting until the public hearing for legal details. Residents asked about speed humps, but staff noted emergency vehicle needs and truck routes can limit options downtown; one councilmember suggested speed humps are not appropriate on DOT routes. Assistant Engineering Director Holton said staff will complete agreements with the school district and private developers for immediate opportunities, then scope a broader assessment for other schools.

Distinguishing discussion vs. decision
Discussion: Specific crossing locations, stacking at drop‑off/pickup, pedestrian connectivity gaps and jurisdictional limits were discussed.
Direction/assignment: Staff will: (1) finalize agreements with the high‑school redevelopment team and private developer for the Athletic Club frontage improvements; (2) issue a scope for a transportation engineering assessment for the remaining schools; (3) continue coordination with Johnston County Public Schools and NCDOT.
Formal action: No ordinances or funding decisions were made at the meeting. Council called for follow‑up and study.

Quotes
- "Our goal... identify and facilitate pedestrian safety improvements for area schools," Assistant Engineering Director Kenzie Holton said.
- "We're gonna look at them all as a in a complete picture," Holton added when describing the town’s planned assessment of all schools.

Clarifying details
[{"category":"near_term_projects","detail":"Specific improvements tied to Clayton High School and the Athletic Club commercial project","source_speaker":"Kenzie Holton"},{"category":"on_call_contractor","detail":"Town will engage on‑call transportation engineering firms to assess remaining schools","source_speaker":"Kenzie Holton"}]

Proper names
[{"name":"Clayton High School","type":"school"},{"name":"Riverwood Elementary School","type":"school"},{"name":"Riverwood Middle School","type":"school"},{"name":"Pritchard Road","type":"location"},{"name":"Athletic Club Boulevard","type":"location"}]

Provenance
{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"seg-1215.76","local_start":0,"local_end":160,"evidence_excerpt":"Evening, Mayor. Good to meet you all early this afternoon. I'm Kenzie Holton. I'm the new assistant, engineering director... I was asked, by the team to do a quick little presentation on proposed pedestrian safety improvements near schools.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"seg-1840.6649","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"Alright. Any questions or comments? In this case.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

Topics
[{"name":"transportation","justification":"Focuses on pedestrian infrastructure near schools and coordination with DOT and developers","scoring":{"topic_relevance":0.95,"depth_score":0.75,"opinionatedness":0.03,"controversy":0.60,"civic_salience":0.85,"impactfulness":0.70,"geo_relevance":1.00}}]

Ending
Staff said next steps include finalizing agreements tied to redevelopment projects, issuing a scope for a townwide school safety assessment and continuing coordination with Johnston County Public Schools and NCDOT; no funding vote was taken at the meeting.