Aldermen discuss next sidewalk, light project

Plans for additional sidewalk improvements in Clarendon’s Central Business District were considered by the city council during its meeting on July 9.

Where Kearney Street improvements have been largely paid for by downtown revitalization grants from the Texas Department of Agriculture, the next work will be largely paid for by a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation and will focus on targeted areas on Sully Street.

The council considered preliminary plans from TxDOT and made suggestions about the placement and number of streetlights in the new project and also recommended moving one section of sidewalk.

The plan would install new sidewalk and two decorative lights in the 100 block of Sully on the west side of the street from the laundromat to the fire department’s driveway. It would also put two lights and new sidewalk on the east side of the 300 block from Third Street south to in front of City Hall, making sure all county-owned buildings are ADA accessible and stopping before the USDA office parking area.

The TxDOT plan would also install new sidewalks on the east side of the 400 block of Sully and in front of the Lions Hall on Fourth Street from Sully Street to the Post Office, tying in pedestrian access from downtown to the Courthouse Square and the parks system.

The original plan from TxDOT showed the Fourth Street sidewalk being through the yard of the Lions Hall, but officials agreed it should run along the curb.

There would also be two lights along the Fourth Street sidewalk and two along the sidewalk in the 400 block of Sully.

The council’s recommendations now go back to TxDOT for final design work, which is expected to be completed later this fall. No date has been announced for bidding the project or for excpected completion of the project.