Meet Angela Smith

Angela Smith, Community Development/Main Street Director and Historic Preservation Office was the guest speaker at the January 21st Rotary meeting in Clifton.

Much of Angela’s responsibilities are things that do not actually fall specifically into Public Works or the City Administrator’s realm. She works with a lot of different organizations and facets of local government and the community itself. Angela collaborates with different organizations and businesses to create and strengthen the economic vitality of Clifton but also the spirit of the community, which is essential in order to have a strong economy.

There is a lot of excitement regarding the Main Street program as we move into 2021. There is a great board of directors in place and a planning meeting was held this past Monday. The purpose of the meeting was to create a plan to involve more people in the community and city planning. Both of which are critical to meet the needs of our businesses and families who live here. They also are looking to develop programs that will strengthen the organizational structure of the Main Street program.

One of the silver linings of this past year, despite COVID, has been that since a lot of time has not been focused on large community events, they were able to look at other things that were going on in the community. This included doing community surveys, market analysis, and making a lot of phone calls and emails to find out what our local business and families need to get through these rough times with the pandemic continuing to rear its ugly head. It has also afforded an opportunity to talk about how plans could and should be developed for future outbreaks of this nature.

Plans for FallFest are starting and ideas are being put together in the event that it is not possible to hold one big event due to the pandemic. It has been suggested that possibly various small events be held on different days instead of one big event. This would allow Clifton to still provide entertainment and attract people into the downtown area.

Grants have been received through the General Land Office Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief Fund. These were allocated for damage sustained in 2015 and 2016 flood events. The 2015 grant has been completed, and the City is preparing to finish surfacing a section of road at the project site. The 2016 GLO project is in the construction phase. New water and sewer lines, and drainage are being placed on West 3rd Street, and a new street will be laid over the infrastructure. Manholes are being repaired and replaced in many locations throughout the city. The City of Clifton is also in the procurement and application process for the 2021-2022 Texas Department of Agriculture Community Development Fund; the grant application will address additional water and sewer line replacement.

The local soil in our community is great for raising cattle and growing crops. However, due to shifting, it takes a toll on both local streets and local housing. With the city of Clifton being built on a slope, the streets are affected by flooding, erosion, grass growing, runoff, gravel, etc. There is minimal substructure under many of the streets; it simply isn’t sufficient for today’s traffic and runoff issues continue to contribute to the deterioration. The good news is that the city is continuing to invest in equipment that will make street repair more feasible to do locally, alleviating the need to rely on the county and outside contractors. In addition, Angela and newly hired building inspector Craig Wickman, are in the process of creating a document for Clifton businesses and property owners that provides a clear understanding of the permitting process.

One of the highlights that Angela talked about was that unlike many small towns across Texas, Clifton has seen eight new businesses open in the third quarter of 2020. In addition, there has been a lot of building improvements, modifications and expansions done in the downtown district. Between public and the private sector, over $4 million dollars has been reinvested. Also of note is that revenue from the local sales tax has remained consistent due to community members shopping locally, a trend that hopefully will continue.

Main Street is in the process of working with a software real estate program through the Texas Historical Commission/Texas Main Street to develop a Facebook profile. This will allow a profile page on the website DowntownTX.org. that will provide information to potential buyers that are interested in investing in historic downtowns. It will also lay out what it takes to own and maintain a historic building. It allows Clifton to be more visible as a community for those interested in relocating here. It will also provide incentives that the city has to offer, including tax credits available and preservation ordinances that are in place in downtown Clifton. It protects the property owner’s investment and keeps the historical integrity of the buildings. This site is not live yet, but they are building inventory.

2021 is still an unknown at this point. However, according to Angela’s presentation, listening to the community and business owners is very critical to learning what is really needed in the community.