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Downtown Trinity Gets Facelift
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 6:13 PM CDT
 
TRINITY, TX (KTRE) - From picking-up the streets to adding a few new businesses, the City of Trinity located about 52 miles southwest of Lufkin has revitalized its downtown. The renovations are renewing hope for the future.

The sidewalks of downtown Trinity are swept off and tidied up. "Our main vision right now is to complete this entire sidewalk project," said Phil Patchett, city manager.

"The buildings and the lights everything looks better, cleaner, it's cleaner, oh gosh a lot cleaner!" said Frances Thorton, resident.

Patchett said a grant enabled the city to clean up downtown. Since the change, he said sales have zoomed. "For the first time in history we're over a million dollars in sales tax revenue this past year which tells me that people are staying in Trinity and not going elsewhere to shop and several other things."

An economic boost that's also helping history come alive for the next generation. "We were hired to try to get the old back into the building," said Raphael Loma with Loma Masonry.  

As Julia McMichael, business woman, pores over the finishing touches on her buildings, she said this project is close to her heart. "Every once in a while you'll have some little child that will walk up to you when you're tired and you don't want to do this anymore and you're not appreciated and he'll come up to you and say are you going to make my town pretty again? and I say oh yes."

Five years from now, Patchett envisions the renovations complete. "This is just the beginning," he said.

The renovations are bringing back the downtown feeling lifelong residents remember.


Link to KTRE story: KTRE