Humboldt mayor says improvements coming to downtown in 2019

HUMBOLDT, Tenn. — Humboldt Mayor Marvin Sikes held his fourth Mayoral Breakfast and State of the City Address Thursday morning.

“Humboldt’s been here 153 years, and I expect us to be here another 153,” Mayor Sikes said. “I won’t be around, but somebody will and hopefully we’ll leave them a legacy here.”

There were some big highlights in 2018 for the town.

“We’ve got our Tyson project going. The dirt is already starting to get moved,” Mayor Sikes said.

Mayor Sikes says the ground work alone is going to take about five and a half months.

Now in 2019, there are some big plans for downtown Humboldt.

“It’s just that old downtown that everybody likes, and there’s no doubt about it, downtown is the heart of the community,” he said.

Mayor Sikes says he is determined to keep the heart beating.

Two major things Mayor Sikes says the city will be working on in 2019 are paving the roads and creating more parking downtown.

“You’ll start seeing sidewalks and streets tore up, new lighting and trees and stuff of that nature,” Mayor Sikes said.

Mayor Sikes says the town is also in talks with developers for a hotel and more retail space as well.

Mayor Sikes says by the end of 2019 he hopes they’re able to tear down and clean up older buildings in Humboldt to keep the town thriving.