Livingston one of only six cities in Tennessee receiving more than a half million dollars in state funding to continue investing in improvements and activities across the city’s historic downtown.
Overton County Tourism Director Morgan White said Livingston has benefited from the this repeat funding since 2007, helping transform public spaces around the downtown square.
“That’s the reason why when people visit Livingston,” White said, “And they see, you know, all the utilities underground around the square and the nice sidewalks and the lighting and all the work that’s been done in Central Park and that amazing opportunity with that stage and that outdoor venue. This is what happens when these funds are reinvested back into the communities.”
White said the money comes from Tennessee’s Courthouse Revitalization Act. The state established an area around the square where a percentage of tax revenue is returned to the city for historic downtown revitalization. White said the funding has been extended through 2038.
White said some of the newest allocation has already been committed as matching funds for TDOT multimodal projects. Other potential uses include continued sidewalk work along South Church Street and replacing turf in the Central Park playground area.
White said the money can also support recurring downtown activities such as Christmas in the Country, Falloween, the Live in Livingston concert series and Symphony on the Square. White said it can cover expenses ranging from performers and sound production to other costs associated with those events.
White said officials are also waiting on decisions involving other grant applications before determining how much of the $518,089 will be needed for additional projects.
“I don’t have a timeline for that at this moment because we just received that funding,” White said.
Despite the Courthouse Revitalization Act name, the annual allocation is not restricted to improvements to the Overton County Courthouse. White said the designated tax area provides money for historic revitalization throughout downtown Livingston.
The latest allocation continues a funding stream that the state has extended through 2038.