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09/05/2023 12:35 PMThe Clinton Town Council will hold a series of workshops focusing on improving Clinton’s downtown, a longtime request of residents.
Over the years, one common refrain from Clinton residents is that they wish the town paid more attention to the downtown area, whether it was through beautification projects or attracting new businesses.
After receiving a presentation on the downtown from Town Planner Abby Piersall earlier this summer, the Town Council scheduled a workshop on Aug. 17 so that the council members and Piersall could further discuss the issue. The council decided to schedule more workshops in the future to continue discussing the downtown. As of press time, a follow-up workshop has not been scheduled. The Town Council next meets on Sept. 6 (after press time) and will likely schedule an additional workshop at that time.
“This initial meeting wasn’t done to make any plan. The purpose was to have Abby come in and give us an overview of the downtown,” Town Council Chairman Chris Aniskovich said.
Rather than make any decisions, Aniskovich said that the meeting was a way for the council to give Piersall feedback on their concerns about the downtown area.
“It was also a way for Abby to give us information and kind of more things to think about so that we can move toward a consensus with more workshops,” he said.
Aniskovich pointed out that the town has had programs aimed at promoting the downtown in the past, such as the façade improvement program, but acknowledged there hasn’t been much of a coordinated effort by the town.
“We’ve kind of been all over the place. We hear what people are talking about, and we want to do our best to promote the downtown and the businesses there,” Aniskovich said.
Proponents of sprucing up the downtown have argued that by making the downtown more attractive, it will offer visitors — and their dollars — a reason to see more of Clinton than just the outlets. Aniskovich echoed that sentiment.
“We want people to realize what we have and that Clinton is a great town to visit and stop by the downtown,” Aniskovich said.