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Clinton council approves moving forward with Phase 4 of downtown revitalization
Summary
Council voted unanimously to proceed with preliminary engineering and grant pursuit for Phase 4 of downtown work, estimated at $1.9 million and including undergrounding power lines and City Market improvements.
The Clinton City Council voted unanimously to proceed with Phase 4 of the downtown revitalization project, moving the plan into preliminary engineering and pursuing additional grant funding.
City staff told the council the Phase 4 concept covers Lisbon Street from Main Street to the City Market, would place power lines underground, improve pedestrian facilities and add a stage and green-space improvements at the City Market. "We have received a grant of $250,000 from the Department of Commerce," a city staff member said, noting that the Commerce grant must be spent by the end of 2026.
The staff member said the city also discussed a potential U.S. Department of Agriculture grant with USDA this week, and that the USDA program could provide up to $250,000 with a Feb. 28 application deadline. "They saw no concerns with the loan aspect of borrowing money for the Phase 4 project, which we've borrowed funds from USDA for the past 3 projects," the staff member said. The council heard that the estimated total cost for Phase 4 is $1,900,000.
Council members were told the next formal steps are to run a request for qualifications for engineering services, per the Department of Commerce grant requirements, select a firm and proceed into preliminary engineering. Staff also noted interim financing would be required; the city would provide interim funds and replace them with a USDA loan after closing, mirroring the financing used on earlier phases. The staff member said the city recently paid off one prior phase and was not asking the council for new appropriations at this meeting but asked that the council consider replacing an existing debt service payment with debt service for the new project if needed.
Councilman Jefferson B. Strickland moved to continue with the process; the motion was seconded by Mr. Robles and passed unanimously.
Council members asked for continued updates as staff pursues the USDA opportunity and prepares the RFQ for engineering. The planning and finance steps discussed at the meeting will determine whether the city proceeds to loan closing and the timing of construction.
