Clayton Made Significant Progress in 2010

A Message from Mayor Jody McLeod

With the new year just starting, it's a good time to look back at 2010 and talk about how the town fared in one of the harshest economic climates any of us can remember.

To help keep our financial standing strong, we had to cut back last year. We had to reduce town staff, wipe out even small raises and painfully reduce the town budget--again. But we held the line on taxes, kept operations going smoothly and managed to make significant progress on some of our top goals.

Here's a brief look at some of the progress in 2010:

Clayton Community Center: Our marvelous Community Center opened in the spring of 2010, which has led to an explosion of new recreational opportunities. The year has been full of new and better programs and classes from the Parks & Recreation Department. Drop by and you'll see a beehive of activity.

Downtown Plaza: It was a long time coming, but the empty lot at the corner of Lombard and Main Streets was transformed into a downtown "centerpiece," and it looks beautiful. In fact, the entire downtown area is making considerable progress, adding new businesses and new jobs.

More and Better Parks: The upgraded All-Star Park and Pavilion is a sight to see, Phase One construction of the new East Clayton Community Park is in the works and we've started construction of a new Off-Leash Dog Park in East Clayton. Plus, we just bought an 81-acre tract of land for a new park along the Neuse River. We're putting the bond money for parks you approved back in 2008 to good use.

Support for the Arts: We had to cut back on the number of grants to artists, but we hope that we'll be able to do more and more as time goes on. The unveiling of the wonderful mural at the Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library in the summer was a spectacular event that brought in huge crowds and moved us closer to becoming known as an arts community.

Mountains-to-Sea Trail: We made great progress on the portion of the Trail that comes through Clayton and Johnston County in 2010, and we'll be linking with greenways and other trails much sooner than originally expected. The day when we'll be able to walk through the County and state surrounded by the beauty of nature is quickly becoming a reality.

Better Streets and Sidewalks: Phase One of a massive effort to rebuild and resurface streets all over town is complete, with repair and resurfacing of 32 blocks of streets, installation of 7,500-linear-feet of new concrete sidewalks, curb and storm drainage repairs and new traffic-calming features on some streets. All thanks to the bond money for streets you approved in 2008. In addition, the town just got a new federal grant that will help us build new sidewalks on four more streets. The second phase of street repair--which includes streets that also need new water lines, sewer lines or storm drainage--will be tackled in coming years.

Infrastructure Improvements: The town's infrastructure work exploded in 2010, partly due to the storm water and utility improvements accompanying the improvements to town streets, and the huge water system improvements we're working on with Johnston County. The East Clayton industrial area is getting a ton of infrastructure improvements, too, for the new industries building and expanding here.

New Law Enforcement Center: Work began in 2010 on the new Law Enforcement Center that's expected to bring facilities up to the quality level of the town's highly praised police force. The 19,000-sq.ft. brick building will feature lots of glass and high quality metal trim made of zinc. It's energy-efficient design makes extensive use of natural light and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems. A model of the complex is available for viewing at the Clayton Center.

Downtown Historic District: After years of work and planning, the Clayton Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which brings with it tax advantages for downtown buildings.

As you can see, we had quite a lot to be proud of in 2010, and I haven't even mentioned the success of the Farmers Market and the Downtown Concert Series, plus the excellent series of shows and concerts at The Clayton Center--and a dozen more things. But, I'm running out of room.

Even during an economic downturn, we're a growing town that's continuing to earn its ranking as one of the top ten places in the USA to live and raise a family.