Photo by Kimberly McMillian Work on plaza around the Rhea County Courthouse.

DAYTON, Tenn.-MainStreet Dayton soon will begin the second phase of its courthouse square revitalization project when details are complete, officials said.

Kerry Nabors, chairman of the organization's design committee, said a grant request of $75,000 was approved and MainStreet's grant committee will discuss details of its distribution and requirements next week.

In August, Nabors asked board members to increase second-phase planned spending from the original $60,000 to $75,000 to let merchants "capture something" that the first phase's allotment didn't cover, including awnings and sign improvements.

Earlier this spring, the organization received $100,000 for the program's first phase of exterior-facade renovations.

Nine property owners, with 12 scheduled projects totaling nearly $100,000, chose to participate. They had to pay 20 percent of the renovation's submitted cost but were awarded the remaining 80 percent.

This summer, five downtown lots were repaved, striped and fenced.

At MainStreet Dayton's monthly meeting this week, Nabors said they would install "public parking" signs in the coming weeks.

Officials had said the signs would help signify designated areas for festivals and events that are held throughout the year.

Board member Becky Tucker announced that the "History Within Us" project pictorial books were complete, and that each student who participated and his or her interviewee would receive complimentary copies.

The books include details about economic changes in Graysville and Rhea County, along with the Dayton Coal and Iron Mine, Bryan College and area churches.

In June, participating students interviewed seniors about Dayton or Rhea County history and wrote reports detailing their research. At the Scopes festival in July, each student was videotaped conducting an interview for the project.

Tucker said more copies are available for purchase at $15. For more information about the books, email her at rtucker@ogs.edu.