Lufkin celebrates new downtown renovations

LUFKIN, Texas ( KETK ) – The City of Lufkin completed renovations to the city's downtown and celebrated the accomplishment on Thursday.

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The project to revitalize downtown Lufkin was originally approved in 2021 with construction starting in April of this year.

"We had over 1000 respondents tell us they wanted a downtown with more walkability and more areas for playtime and for the vendors to be able to put their merchandise out and enjoy weather like today," said Bob Samford, Lufkin Economic Development director. "It's been a really long journey, it's been over — it's been three years but we are here, we didn't give up."

At the celebration on Thursday morning, local business owners and community leaders came together for coffee and cheers.

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Becker Art Studio owners Adell Becker and her husband said the ribbon cutting was extra special because their business has been on this street since 2007.

"We've been waiting a long time, what we had before was stair-stepped walkways and we had huge rails on the sides," Becker said. "You couldn't even walk two people at a time."

The now-finished project features leveled sidewalks, several streetlamps and a completed roadway. Becker said that even though she had to close her shop doors for 6 months it was worth the new renovations.

"It's just the first step in a long journey of making Lufkin greater than what it is," Samford said.