A nearly $800,000 overhaul of neighborhoods just north of Clinton will put pavement on three dirt roads and bring much-needed water and sewer services to an area that is in dire need of attention, the most recent community development project being undertaken by the city with the help of grant funds.
After years of projects on Russell Street and Pugh Road, the city is heading over to Eliza Lane and nearby streets as part of another Community Development Block Grant endeavor. A pre-bid meeting was held Thursday for the proposed Eliza Lane project, giving contractors the opportunity to gather information and ask questions about the plan, Clinton-Sampson planning director Mary Rose said.
The city began installing water and sewer lines and renovating homes along Russell Street with $850,000 in CDBG funding in 2008. As that project came to a successful completion in 2010, the city received funding for two more CDBG projects along Pugh Road, adjacent to Russell Street. Those two projects combined to install water and sewer along Pugh Road, renovate four homes and rebuild two more.
While both of those projects ended earlier this year, the work is not finished. Upon the recent completion and closeout of the Pugh Road water and sewer improvements project, Rose said the city was already looking to the next one. With another CDBG grant in hand for $573,000, the city of Clinton plans to improve the neighborhood along Eliza Lane, located off U.S. 701.
The total project is $790,550 and will include new water and sewer lines in the neighborhood, fire hydrants and paving Eliza Lane, Abron Street and Jerome Street, which are all currently dirt roads. The area, located immediately adjacent the city limits, consists of 22 residences that do not have city water or sewer services. The streets, as their dirt status would suggest, are in “extremely bad condition,” city officials said. Some are impassable after a heavy rain.
The CDBG funding award of $572,765 requires a city match of $217,785, which the city split between the 2011-12 budget and the recently approved 2012-13 plan, setting aside $109,000 in each.
“This an excellent community development project and will allow the city to annex the area and grow to the northeast,” said city manager John Connet. “The Eliza Lane CDBG project displays the city’s commitment to improving the quality of life for its citizens.”
The city has received nearly $2 million for all four projects to improve the two neighborhoods. More than 30 households have received improvements in the form of water and sewer upgrades or installation, fire hydrant installation, street paving, home renovations or home construction, and that number is poised to grow.
In all, the Russell Street project totaled $950,000, including $850,000 in grant funding. The project brought 1,860 linear feet of water lines, 1,840 linear feet of sewer lines, six home renovations and two new homes to that area. The Russell Street Phase II and Pugh Road project totaled $536,000, including a $520,000 grant, bringing 1,590 linear feet of water lines, 720 linear feet of sewer lines, four home renovations and two new homes with it.
The newest project encompassing Eliza Lane, Abron Street and Jerome Street will include 2,070 linear feet of water lines, 1,570 linear feet of sewer lines and nearly half a mile of street paving, positively impacting more than 20 homes.
“We’re not on go, ready to start next week. We have some technical details to work out and we’ve got to bid it. Even after we reward the bid, there will be some time before we start the project,” said Rose. While those details — the contractor and timeframe for work among them — are still to be determined, the impact the project will have is already known.
“The project is basically putting water and sewer in and paving streets in an area that is need of improvements,” said Rose. “It’s going to be a great thing for that particular area.”
Mayor Lew Starling said the CDBG program has proven successful in Clinton, and it is hoped such projects will continue.
“We have been able to help improve the quality of life for several neighborhoods in our community,” Starling stated. “We hope to continue receiving CDBG funds so we can continue making Clinton a better place to live.”
Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 121 or via email at sicrime@heartlandpublications.com.
Post a Comment
