Livingston’s Main Street Historic District Commission applying for a state downtown improvement grant worth between $50,000 and $500,000.
Historic District Commission Chairman Gene Gantt said the grant is specific to downtown improvement, and the amount of funding is need-based. Gantt said half of the funding must go to exterior building projects, and the other half can be allocated to other areas like parks. Gantt said investing in downtown betters the community.
“If you let it get run down, then that becomes quite a problem if anything becomes an eyesore,” Gantt said. “So it’s always good to invest in projects that are somewhat long term. We like to look at projects on a long term basis as it’s going to be something that affects us for 30, 40, 50 years.”
Gantt said projects that could be done with grant money include the improvement of an alley on the west side of the square, which could be turned into a walking area. Gantt said projects involving the old railroad bed are also on the Commission’s radar.
Equipment upgrades to Central Park and the addition of murals to some building exteriors are potential other projects Gantt said the Commission is looking into. He said any artwork would not be covered by a grant.
“We have three or four buildings in town, the building owners are interested in fixing their buildings up and making them look back to historic times,” Gantt said.
Gantt said if funding is awarded, building owners would be able to apply to have projects done on their building. They would need to provide quotes and project details so the Commission knows what it can afford.
Gantt said there is already a lot of work in the downtown plaza being done, and it is a big need.
“We’ve not done any renovation on the courthouse side of things for many years now,” Gantt said. “And we had a water problem we had to take care of, water getting into the basement. And we wanted to get new sidewalks, things of that nature.”
Gantt said there are still several buildings downtown that need repair, so grant funding will have plenty of use if it is awarded. Gantt said Downtown Livingston is vibrant with its shops and restaurants, so improving it could help tourism and increase foot traffic.
Gantt said this grant has a 25 percent match. The deadline to apply is September 12, and Gantt said the city should know if they received funding by early November.
