Downtown Breckenridge gets a refreshed look

BRECKENRIDGE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) — If you drive through downtown Breckenridge, you may notice some of the businesses have a refreshed look. For the past three years, the Breckenridge Downtown Development Council and Economic Development Council have been pushing to revive the downtown area and keep the town alive.

J.B. Sparks, one of the BDDC chairmen, told KTAB/KRBC that his motivation for a fresh new look comes from a trend in surrounding areas.

“I came here over 11 years ago, and I was appalled at the downtown area, was not appealing.  It wasn’t attractive… There are neighboring rural communities real close to us that are dying, we don’t want to see that happen in our community,” Sparks said.

So far, many local businesses have been fixing the facades of their buildings with the help of a city grant matching 50% of the cost, and businesses have seen positive results. Helen Ezell is one of those business owners, and she said the progress has been steadily coming.

“Four or five years ago, improvement started happening gradually,” Ezell said. “It has been a big asset to the community. We get a lot of feedback from the customers and the local people who are passing through, how much improvement there is, and how nice that looks.”

The project commenced with the renovation of the streets and sidewalks along Walker Street to attract tourists. Currently, a new mural is being prepared for a building’s facade.

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