CLEMSON — As a number of new projects in the city of Clemson are either under way or nearing the start of construction, several longstanding projects have been completed.

City officials reported Monday night that the East Clemson Wastewater Collection system was completed in March with a surplus of $120,139 in the construction account. At the recommendation of staff, Clemson City Council authorized that $60,000 be transferred to the Wastewater Impact Fee Account and $60,000 to the Wastewater Utility Fund — the original sources of the project funding.

The excess funds came as a result of the project being completed at a lower cost than originally budgeted and higher investment earnings than budgeted.

The East Clemson project consisted of a DHEC-approved alternative to route the East Clemson Sewer Main Extension line from 18 Mile Creek north to Heatherwood Lagoon. That option, which posed the least cost to city residents, also provided other benefits that included avoiding long-term construction costs with the city’s wastewater treatment plant, avoiding the use of a lift-pump station, which lowers future liability of sewer overflows caused by pump station malfunction, loss of electricity or other mechanical problems; avoiding long term maintenance and annual operating costs of a lift station; lower cost of treatment than the Pickens County treatment cost; allows one service provider versus one collection, one treatment and one billing and customer service provider; and provides the least amount of customer and land disruption versus the pump station/force main option that would have required additional capacity line upgrades south of U.S. Highway 123 and west of Issaqueena Trail

City Council also accepted staff’s recommendation to authorize the financial closeout of the Tiger Boulevard sidewalk, lighting, drainage and streetscape capital construction account. Council voted to transfer $23,754 from the Hospitality Tax fund to the construction fund to cover the costs of brackets and Christmas decorations charged to the construction account. Approximately $50,582 must be transferred to the construction account from the Tax Increment Finance Fund, with the actual amount to be determined at the year-end closing in June.

Work was initiated at Lake Hartwell on the eastbound side of Tiger Boulevard and continued to Guthrie’s facing the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce. Construction then moved across the street and headed down the westbound lane to Lake Hartwell.

The work later picked back up on the eastbound lane at the Ramada Inn and concluded at the Highway 93 Bridge. Projects Manager Andy Blondeau said trees, shrubs and flowers have been planted on Tiger Boulevard.

City officials said additional work was required at several locations on the project due to unforeseen construction situations that were not identified on the construction plans and additional work at the U.S. Highway 76/123 intersection for pedestrian activated traffic light improvements that were not within the scope of the original project. The project was originally budgeted at $1,750,000 but some of the cost overrun was covered by higher than budgeted investment earnings during construction.

City Administrator Rick Cotton said the Pickens C Fund Committee covered the $84,000 commitment from Pickens County that was not honored during the previous six months.

Council also authorized the financial closeout of the U.S. Highway 123/133 connector engineering capital construction account and transfer from the Tax Increment Finance fund. Although virtually all of the engineering design and plan development costs for the Norfolk Southern Railroad bridge improvement and expansion of the Tiger Boulevard/College Avenue intersection were funded through a $574,000 SCDOT grant, Blondeau recommended that $10,000 be transferred from TIF to cover costs of additional engineering evaluations that were requested by the city to relocate a gravity sewer line.

A public information meeting on final plans for the project will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. June 25 at the Clemson Depot meeting room.