The Town of Thomaston was recently notified that it would receive a grant to help finance improvements to its downtown area.
Thomaston Mayor Jeff Laduron has said the town has a plan for updating sidewalks and lighting within the downtown area and that the grant will help finance the improvements.
The Alabama Department of Transportation informed the mayor in March that the town’s application for a Federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant was approved. The town will receive $192,000 for the sidewalks project. Laduron said the town would pay most of its portion of the grant through in-kind services.
The project will see sidewalks on both sides of the street replaced along Second Avenue from Hwy. 25 to Main Street. The new project calls for new brick pavers and decorative light posts.
Laduron said the town wants to make its downtown area as attractive as possible following recent growth through the opening of Dave’s Market and D&R Restaurant. He added that the sidewalks need to be replaced due to damage and to make them handicapped accessible.
“This is an important project. Parts of the sidewalk are in bad shape and we need to make them handicapped accessible. We need to do this to make our town more attractive, but it also needs to be done for safety,” he said.
Along with the sidewalks, Laduron said town officials and property owners in downtown are working on cleaning efforts.
“We hope with a more attractive downtown that we may see more interest from other businesses,” he said.