Byrdstown officials said they hope to use a new $15,000 state grant on aesthetic improvements downtown.
Byrdstown Mayor Sam Gibson said he wants to focus on improvements that make an immediate impact. He said adding flowers and nice benches throughout downtown is an easy way to attract residents to spend time downtown. He said with new businesses moving into town, making downtown Byrdstown an attraction for locals and vacationers is more important than ever.
“It’s good timing, you know, in the spring,” Gibson said. “It’s good timing for us to get some flowers out because, you know, we are a tourist town and Dale Hollow Lake, and we have a lot of people come through here in the summertime. So the quicker that we can get started on this, you know, the bigger impact it’s going to have on the people.”
Gibson said the downtown pavilion will also receive upgrades like new patio lighting. He said the pavilion is heavily used this time of year, so he is excited to see it get a facelift. He said he will attend a meeting in Nashville in May with his Activities Committee and the town’s grant writer to iron out the details.
“Those things, a little bit, in a small rural area like this, make a big impact on the public,” Gibson said. “And it makes them realize, ‘Hey, we can see where the money’s going. We can see that little amount of money. Little things go a long way in a small town.’”
He said he hopes when vacationers spend time in Byrdstown, they see the upgraded appearance of the town and are influenced to return in summers to come. He said while the $15,000 is not much, he hopes this acts as a starter grant and leads to more funding for further downtown beautification projects.
“That’s a starting point for an additional grant down the road that we will immediately be looking into,” Gibson said. “So, we’re going to make this one work and show that this is an impact on Byrdstown and then, hopefully, then we’ll be eligible and able to receive a larger one.”
Gibson said he plans to kick off the beautification efforts in late May immediately following the meeting with the state.
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