A new public works could be open in Clinton by next spring.

Village CAO Murray Daly said if all permits go through, the 4,000-sq.ft facility in Elliott Park is expected to break ground next month. The new office will be built in a corner of the park and won’t affect the existing ball diamonds or other recreational areas.

“If we get concrete poured by October we should be able to open it in the spring,” Daly said.

The $1.2 million project, in the works for 10 years, is being constructed by Nordstar Construction, based out of the Lower Mainland. About $900,000 is earmarked for the building, with the remaining funds for utilities and to cover unexpected expenses.

Clinton’s public works foreman Karl Hansen said he can’t wait to see shovels in the ground. His current office was built in the 1970s, has a dirt floor and inadequate space for their equipment. which is kept in three different buildings around town. The building will house the village’s fleet of vehicles, its backhoe, dump truck and assorted tools.

“We’re excited to see this happen,” Hansen said. “Now we’re going to be able to store everything in one location so we won’t have to chase things down. Our existing bays are basically two-by-four walls with plywood and we don’t have any heating. It will be nice to have a heated bay where we can do maintenance on our equipment in the wintertime.”

The village has yet to determine what to do with the old public works building. There is talk about demolishing it and turning it into a parking space for the Clinton Memorial Hall, but nothing has been set in stone.

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