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Story Archives: Clayton projects underway


Clayton projects underway
by Joey Martin - posted Thursday, October 15th, 2009 @ 8:59 amE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
Mayor Rydell Turner said this week several projects are underway in Clayton.

The main highway through Clayton is being repaved and Turner said Loomis Street will soon be repaved as well.

A new Concordia Parish Library branch will soon be built, he noted, while he plans to renovate the gymnasium at Concordia Head Start and put in a park on the southside of town.

"People passing by can stop and rest there," he said. "We're working to improve the look.

Clayton recently received $25,000 in grant money for work on its water plant, he said, while Turner applied for a tractor mower for the Town of Clayton as part of a $25,000 L-GAP grant.

Turner called a meeting for September 8 to seek board members comments on type of grant to seek, but only one alderman showed up. The deadline on the grant was Oct. 1, so Turner applied for the tractor so the town would not lose the grant.

"We had to put it in writing, or we would have lost it," Turner said. "I had to make a decision. This town has only one tractor and a lot of grass to cut. This tractor also has a side blade which is a lot more safer for the workers. But we also have the option of purchasing something else. I just had to write something down so we didn't lose it."

Turner said the town is also working on collecting delinquent utility payments.

"This has been going on for 16 years, and it's a slow process," Turner said. "It something we can't do all at once. We are trying to enforce the law, but it is going to take some time. We are letting people know we will be out collecting money for past bills."

Turner, who operates Turner House Painting and Construction, has done a lot of work around Town Hall, building offices, painting, building a desk for town hall meetings and putting in railings.

He has also hired contractors for the bigger jobs, but said he has probably saved the town about $10,000 with the work he has done on his own in the former rundown building that also hosts monthly town meetings.

Turner bought name plates and new chairs for the aldermen and also purchased new chairs for the audience. About 20-25 people attend the meetings each month.

"We want it to look professional," Turner said. "And we got the name plates and changed the meeting room around so people can see who they are talking to when addressing the board."

A new welcome sign has also been built.

"The Clayton Garden Club has really done a good job of cleaning up the town," Turner said. "Those ladies work hard."

Turner went into office in July of 2009.

"Even before I started I was going down to Baton Rouge every other week. studying and taking classes on what I needed to do, talking to lawyers about what I could do and couldn't do and making contacts," Turner said. "We've got government officials stopping by here now who never used to come by."

"People passing by and stop and rest there," he said. "We're working to improve the look.

He said "we've accomplished a lot, but we still have a ways to go. It just takes everybody working together and helping out where they can."
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