Talk continues on downtown design
By KATHRYN MARTINEZ news1@kilgorenewsherald.com

Main Street has been a subject discussed in many forums since the program was re-introduced nearly a year and a half ago.

This week the Main Street Design Committee plowed through another list of discussion items and further refined the to-do section of the plan.

Johnny Wade, Charburger owner, scored 95 percent on his application for façade improvement.

Fallon Burns, Main Street manager, said Wade intends to rejuvenate the building that housed Cunningham's Jewelry for 20 years.

The new face of Wade's corner building is slated to include fresh paint, new doors and a canvas awning.

Shelly Potter, an architect who played a part in Kilgore's first downtown re-design discussions kn the 1980s, joined the design committee Monday night to discuss the downtown streetscape.

Sidewalks are a definite point of interest for downtown; not only for safety reasons, but for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance and curb appeal.

Potter said that brick sidewalks would put the plan way over budget, but brick trim and line breaks at lamp posts would add that extra something the design committee is looking for.

Potter also discussed plainwhite concrete as opposed to stamped or colored concrete finishes. According to Potter, stamped concrete is slippery and colored concrete fades and is hard to match, as is evident in front of the Texan Theater.

The design committee agreed the best solution for Kilgore would be plain concrete with a decorative border and line breaks.

As far as lighting goes the design committee has voiced a desire to install light posts with acorn-style globes, similar to the design found at the Texan, which was found to be historically accurate by Kilgore Historical Preservation Foundation (KHPF).

Burns said options for the lamp posts include aluminum or sturdy concrete posts, hanging baskets for greenery and built-in sprinkler systems to water the baskets.

The design committee also discussed kneck-down intersec- tions that would allow for ADA compliance and corner beauty spots, with trees and planters.

One item discussed that is expected to bring some public argument was the city's mini-derricks. Burns said the derricks are in need of maintenance and up keep of the derricks is not a frugal use of city funds.

One idea would move the derricks to a tract of land owned by KHPF, for use as a mini-derrick park.

Backless benches were selected for the streetscape, allowing patrons to sit facing either direction along the new sidewalks.

Downtown signage is still not decided upon. Kilgore does have the ability to make its own signs, but a design has not been produced at this point.

"We don't want to be someone else," Burns said. "we are not Henderson or Longview. We are Kilgore and we want our streetscape to be representative of Kilgore and our history."