News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The City of Jamestown has received a $125,000 dollar grant to begin improving downtown streets.
Mayor Lyndon Baines said Jamestown hopes to use the funds for an infrastructure study in preparation to replace traffic lights installed in 1983. He also wants to make it easier for people to access downtown businesses.
“I would like to have pedestrian signals, especially at Highway 52 and Main Street,” Baines said. “I think that very important. Our downtown is growing and more businesses are going downtown. I would like to have it safe to walk from the city parking lot to the businesses, so we need pedestrian signals there. That’s one thing I really want to do.”
Baines said a large grant is helpful for smaller communities to make large-scale improvements. T-DOT sent out acceptance letters Wednesday awarding Transportation Planning Grants to three Upper Cumberland communities, including Byrdstown and Gainesboro.
Baines said most of Jamestown’s grant will fund the $100,000 dollar study needed to begin the replacement process.
“We’re wanting to get new red lights put in here in the city,” Baines said. “We need the study to go on with grant. So, we were trying to get money to do that with. That’s our main objective, to try to get a study done, and this helps pay for it.”
The city has a number of different options to how they can proceed. Baines said they will start making those decisions in the next few weeks.
“The state usually sends out recommendations of people they’ve used before for us to consider,” Baines said. “We’ll probably bid it out. I’m not sure if that’s how they do it now. It’s changed since the last time we did this. We may have to bid it out and go from there.”
Baines said the grant is part of a long-term plan to help improve Jamestown for all residents and businesses.
“My biggest goal is to make downtown better,” Baines said. “I feel like with this study, we can show the good and the bad of what we need to change and what we can leave alone. It will benefit all the businesses not just downtown but all over Jamestown because the traffic will be able to flow better.”
