Second phase of Trenton downtown revitalization underway

TRENTON, Tenn. — The second of three phases of Trenton’s downtown revitalization plan is a work in progress.

Beyond the bell tower of the Gibson County courthouse, there’s a familiar sound ringing through the city of Trenton — the sound of construction.

A crew worked Thursday to give South College Street a facelift, redoing the sidewalks, parking and adding new light poles.

“Everybody’s trying to make their downtown more enticing to come and see, to visit, to spend money,” Trenton Mayor Ricky Jackson said. “And anything we can do to help Trenton, we’re going to try to do.”

This $370,000 project was funded by a grant from the state Department of Transportation. Phase one of this project finished up in 2014, and phase two is expected to be done by the end of March. Once construction is complete on that side of College Street, the crew will cross to the other side, redoing the sidewalks in front of City Hall.

“Oh yeah, I can’t wait for it to be done, but I know it’ll be great when it’s done,” Jimmy Janda of Corner Collectibles said. For this local businessman, the construction is a temporary inconvenience for what he calls a welcome change.

“Fantastic — look at all the improvements that are coming here. It’s great,” Janda said. “I can’t wait for it to happen.”

Although right now it may not look like this work will be finished soon, it is expected to be done just in time for the Teapot Festival.

“This street is the parade route,” Janda said. “I mean, it’s just going to be awesome in a couple of months whenever they have the Teapot Parade. I can’t wait.”

“This project will be finished, and we’ll have another step towards making our downtown look really enticing, so come visit us anytime,” Mayor Jackson said.

Some time next year, phase three will begin, fixing the sidewalks in front of the businesses on the east and west corners of the city’s court square.