Governor Lee, Commissioner McWhorter Announce Downtown Improvement Grant Recipients

  • Clinton, Anderson County, receives $70,000
  • 16 grants totaling $1 million
  • Funding supports improvements to building facades and outdoor public spaces

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter announced today the 16 Tennessee Main Street and Tennessee Downtowns communities that are recipients of Downtown Improvement Grants.

“Downtown districts and main streets are central to Tennessee’s economic growth and community development,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “I congratulate each grant recipient for receiving funds to support local revitalization, bolster our economy and increase tourism across the state.”

A total of $1 million in Rural Economic Opportunity funds is being awarded in amounts up to $100,000 per community to improve structures in Tennessee Downtowns and Main Street communities. Grants were awarded to organizations that illustrated the need for improvements and the ability to execute an effective design plan for building facades, wayfinding signage, gateways and streetscapes.

“At TNECD, we strive to provide the communities across our state with the tools and resources needed to ensure economic success,” said Commissioner McWhorter. “Through the latest round of Downtown Improvement Grants, the leaders in these 16 communities are encouraging job and business growth in their commercial districts, and we look forward to seeing the prosperity that will follow these projects.”

Communities receiving Downtown Improvement Grants are:

  • Brownsville, Haywood County, $50,000
  • Cleveland, Bradley County, $20,000
  • Clinton, Anderson County, $70,000
  • Collinwood, Wayne County, $30,000
  • Dresden, Weakley County, $100,000
  • Ducktown, Polk County, $70,000
  • Etowah, McMinn County, $50,000
  • Jackson, Madison County, $70,000
  • Livingston, Overton County, $100,000
  • Ripley, Lauderdale County, $25,000
  • Savannah, Hardin County, $65,000
  • Shelbyville, Bedford County, $100,000
  • Somerville, Fayette County, $100,000
  • South Pittsburg, Marion County, $50,000
  • Waynesboro, Wayne County, $70,000
  • Whiteville, Hardeman County, $30,000

“Congratulations to the 16 communities receiving funding through this round of Downtown Improvement Grants,” said TNECD Assistant Commissioner of Rural Development Brooxie Carlton. “We are excited to see the work that will be done as each city and town invests in facade improvements and other projects to enhance their downtown districts, which are the focal point for so many of Tennessee’s communities.”

To be eligible for a Downtown Improvement Grant, communities had to submit applications and be a designated Tennessee Downtowns or Tennessee Main Street community. To learn more about the Downtown Improvement Grant Program, visit the website here.

About Brad Jones

Brad is the Owner/Operator of BBB TV 12, and has been with the company since August of 1996. Brad is a 1987 graduate of Coalfield High School and a 1995 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Communications. He won the 1995 broadcast production student of the year award. Brad worked at Shop at Home, Inc. a home shopping network that was located in Knoxville, TN from 1993 - 1995 and then at Via TV (RSTV, Inc.) from 1995 - 1996. After some freelance work in Nashville, Brad joined the BBB Communications staff in August of 1996. A short stint at WVLT TV as a news photographer was in 2001, but he continued to work at BBB TV as well. Brad is married to Nicole Jenkins Jones, a 1990 graduate of Oak Ridge High School, who works at Oak Ridge Gastroenterology and Associates in Oak Ridge. They have 3 kids, Trevor Bogard, 27, Chandler 22, and Naomi 13. On December 12, 2013 they welcomed their first grandchild, Carter Ryan Bogard. Brad is also the assistant boys basketball coach at Coalfield High School for the past 11 years. In 2013-14 the Yellow Jackets won their first district title since 1991 and just the 4th in school history.

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