TxCDBG Testimonial: Kilgore’s Strategic Grant Wins Fast-Track Downtown Improvements

City of Kilgore • June 2, 2025

The City of Kilgore recently secured two Community Development Block Grants (TxCDBG) in the same round—thanks to strategic timing, guidance from local consultants, and support from the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG). One of these grants is helping fast-track long-needed sidewalk improvements in the city’s entertainment district, part of an ongoing downtown revitalization effort.


“We were primed to get the maximum amount of points,” said Clay Evers, Kilgore’s Public Works Director. “It made sense to apply for downtown revitalization funding to complete sidewalk improvements along the rest of the corridor, which otherwise would have taken years if the city had to fund it alone.”


The area near the historic post office and the newly renovated Texan Theater has seen increased activity, and this grant helps the city keep pace. Previous streetscape improvements had brought upgrades close to Main Street, and this new funding allows that work to continue—connecting key areas of Kilgore’s growing downtown.


At the time of the grant application, this project wasn’t even listed in the city’s near-term plans.


“It wasn’t on the five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). In fact, it wasn’t even on the ten-year CIP,” said Evers. “This project was so far down the list that without this opportunity, we wouldn’t have touched it for a very long time.”


The grant was made possible, in part, by insight from ETCOG and other grant administrators who informed the city that it was likely to score well in the 2022 application cycle. That foresight made all the difference.


“The good thing is that ETCOG, along with other partners, generally has a good sense of how your project will score,” Evers noted. “Their guidance helps us pursue opportunities that are truly within reach.”


He expressed gratitude for the collaboration and funding that will help transform downtown Kilgore even faster than expected.


“We’re grateful to our local partners and the Texas Department of Agriculture for considering our project and deciding it was worth funding,” said Evers. “This is a great boon to our entertainment district—and it’s going to put us five to ten years ahead of where we would’ve been.”


Questions for ETCOG?
Contact our Economic Development Manager,
Lisa Smith.

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