By Tom Davis
Correspondent
DAYTON, Tenn. – The City Council approved a $245,000 plan this week for work from MainStreet Dayton to continue its nine-year development plan downtown.
MainStreet spokesman Kerry Nabors said the money would be used to begin a grant program for property owners to revitalize their buildings’ exteriors, improve public parking signage and fencing, repair parking lots and replace aging trees along streets.
In the past year, MainStreet installed a plaza entrance to the Rhea County Courthouse, completed the replacement of street lights and poles, “streetscaped” three intersections, installed new benches and trash receptacles around the courthouse and installed sidewalks serving new restrooms behind Centennial Park, Nabors said.
Money for the work came through a state program that redirects sales tax revenues from the downtown district to improvement projects, he said.
City Councilman Billy Graham on Monday congratulated MainStreet on its accomplishments, but he asked Nabors to look into complaints that vehicles have hit the courthouse plaza entrance.
Nabors said the entryway was built under terms of a Department of Transportation permit, because Market Street is a state highway, and the edge is removed from the traffic lane. But he said the organization would address the matter to see if the plaza might be better marked.
In other matters, Mayor Bob Vincent asked Councilman Gary Louallen to work with Dennis Tumlin to determine local interest in securing a fishing tournament produced by the Professional Anglers Association for 2012.
Tumlin said he had been impressed by Professional Anglers personnel and the way they run tournaments. In presenting his request for council consideration, he said the tournament would cost local sponsors $25,000, but studies in other communities that hosted similar events have shown a boost to economies of nearly $400,000.
Tom Davis is based in Dayton. E-mail him at tsdavis@volstate.net