Main Street manager looks to unify downtown

The Main Street program is taking steps to unify the downtown area.

Fallon Burns, Main Street program manager, said the cement planters downtown are slated for a coat of paint in an effort to tone down the industrial feel of the bare cylinders.

The planters will be painted sandstone and planted in three tiers.

Celosia was chosen as the centerpiece of the planters. The celosia will be surrounded by lantana, then verbena spilling over the edges.

Burns said those downtown business owners who have been maintaining their planters may continue to do so or they may surrender the responsibility to the parks department.

"The idea is to get some color and uniformity downtown," Burns said. "The painted planters are a great start and the colorful flowers we chose should brighten things up."

Another step in downtown revitalization is coming soon. Burns plans to send out letter detailing Christmas light replacement.

"We want new, white lights on Main Street from Commerce to Rusk streets and on Kilgore Street from Sabine to South," Burns said. "We are also planning to have swags of colored lights across Main and Kilgore streets."

Burns said the new Christmas lights will no longer be the responsibility of downtown tenants.

"The city is going to meter a separate service and foot the bill for all of the Christmas lights," Burns said.

In other Main Street business Burns and Jeff Howell, city manager, have met with AEP-SWEPCO to discuss burying downtown electric lines. The two also have meetings lined up with Kilgore Cable and Verizon.

Burns said an alternative to burying the cables is re-routing lines down alley ways.

Burns also said she and the Main Street Advisory Board are interested in reorgabizing the Downtown Merchants Association.

According to Burns it is not the Main Street program's place to head up the merchants association, but it is certainly a partnership that would benefit both.

Burns plans to send out letters to downtown businesses and building owners detailing new plans as well as explaining why the Main Street program was formed and promoting benefits of the program in the city as well as design assistance.