Many people have been raising questions about the construction being done near the fields. What are they doing there? When will the project be finished? According to the Clinton town manager, Karl Kilduff, the project started in 2019, after heavy rains caused flooding in numerous areas around Clinton.

The flooding in 2019 caused the bridge to collapse but was shortly after fixed. There was still potential to flood in the future since the river was completely connected to Morgan School property. So, they decided to build a dam to separate the river from the Morgan School, allowing for less water flow.

Mr. Killduffl shared that the Town sought funding from FEMA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to reduce the amount of local funds needed to make the flood repairs. The construction of this dam has taken more than two years, but as of today, the project is almost complete. According to Mr. Killduffl, the project should be completed by

the end of November. Right now, they are working on the landscaping surrounding the area. There are multiple newly planted trees in the area that should grow nicely for the coming years.

Mr. Killduf says that there have been many challenges during the building process. The Covid-19 Pandemic was probably the biggest challenge due to Federal and State agencies slowing down the permitting process, making it more difficult for the town to have the construction approved. A number of recent heavy rains have also complicated the schedule, as raised water levels temporarily suspended work.

According to school principal, Keri Hagness, the bridge collapse greatly impacted Morgan at first, as they had to remap the crisis plans such as fire drills. Eventually, the bridge was fixed, allowing Morgan to revert to the existing crisis plan. The completion of the rest of the construction will benefit Morgan by preventing another bridge collapse or flooding in severe weather.