TDA approves downtown grant for Clarendon

The City of Clarendon has been approved for a Downtown Revitalization grant to improve sidewalks, ramping, and lighting on Kearney Street.

City Administrator David Dockery said the fully executed agreement with the Texas Department of Agriculture was received Monday, with TDA providing $350,000 for the project and the city supplying matching funds of $63,100 for a total project of $413,100.

Dockery said he has been in contact with the grant administrator at the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission and the project engineer, Che Shadle of OJD Engineering, to determine the next steps in the project.

City officials will hold a meeting with affected property owners sometime after February 10 to discuss the process and plans for the project. Dockery said the city will visit with property owners about the project’s required compliance with the American’s with Disabilities Act, safety concerns, and expected disruptions to parking and building access during the project.

City officials have also been notified of final approval for a Community Development Block Grant that will provide $350,000 for a new wastewater lift station in northeast Clarendon. That project, under the direction of Brandt Engineering, requires a $35,600 match from the city.

Dockery said city officials are also taking proposals for street improvements on Seventh Street east of Koogle Street. That area has been plagued by drainage issues for years, and the city intends to put concrete paving there similar to what was installed along the ballparks on Sixth Street.

City officials are also still considering how best to use $480,000 in CARES act (COVID relief) funds. No official determination has been made, but Dockery said the city council is leaning towards putting those funds in to street repairs.