The Street Department is finally getting the new Salt dome installed. The first step is to pour the pad on which it will sit: the process is somewhat complicated because the thickness and base have to be the correct depth, and it has to be covered with asphalt: concrete heats up when salt sits on it which leads to popping and cracking.
Capitol Paving completed the pad for the building last Monday; Street Superintendent TJ Williams said that the Salt Dome itself will be put up in the near future and will be completed by Fabric Building Constructions. Once completed it will do two basic things – remove a safety hazard from the city's structure list (the old salt shed had significant foundation cracking and deterioration issues) and increase the salt storage capacity of the city by at least two-fold. The old salt shed could hold (at absolute maximum) about 320 tons. With double the capacity, the city should be able to get by if there is a shortage in the future. Superintendent Williams recalled that when flooding occurred a few years back, the salt mines also flooded which led to a shortage and made it hard to obtain salt. Capacity increases should help counter situations such as those. The building, once built, will cost about $58,000; the pad cost the city about $52,000.
But the somewhat recently-passed street-tax money is also being spent in other ways benefiting the citizens of Clinton. Several road and ditch projects are planned for this summer. Two mill-and-fill projects, one for Third Street (from Sedalia Street to Green Street) is scheduled, and also a mill-and-fill for Eighth Street (from Bodine to Calvird). Currently, water lines under those roads are being set up (removed and moved) to accommodate the projects. Two ditch projects are also on the calendar: one on Hudson Street (near the park) – the street department will be installing piping and working on the ditches there to stop the erosion of the roadway, which is occurring because of rain/water flow problems. The shoulders of the road there will be more stable after they are done. Also, similarly, the same will be accomplished on Calvird Drive (from about Main Street to Second Street).
Also with street tax money: the street department purchased a paver; it should be here by August. The city will be getting a new loader, too (no hard time frame on that one; production delays are common these days). All told, it looks like Clintonians' tax money is being spent wisely and it looks like more improvements on the horizon.
