By Paige Nash
In honor of their 75th year anniversary, Gibsland Bank and Trust (GBT) Bank’s CEO Tom Martin donated a parcel of property to Main Street Homer as a community green space.
Main Street Homer Board President Jimmy Hand is excited about this new space in downtown Homer.
“We are going to develop this green space and make it available for people to pull over and park. We also plan on installing electric vehicle charging stations at this location, that is something that’s really lacking in Claiborne Parish,” said Hand.
Since GBT donated this parcel of land to Main Street Homer, they are going to call it “The GBT Commons.”
They are working closely with Louisiana Tech’s John Taylor, who will be designing the layout for the green space.
Main Street Homer has partnered with the Shreveport- Bossier Tourism Commission, who has written a grant to receive 11 pieces of art along the Boom or Bust Byway. Two of these art pieces will be featured in Claiborne Parish.
The Boom or Bust Byway is a popular tourism attraction in Northwest Louisiana. It is the ultimate road trip for young explorers, families, retirees and international visitors who are seeking an off-the-beaten-path adventure. This scenic, self-driving tour is a total of 136 miles across four parishes in north Louisiana: Caddo, Bossier, Webster, and Claiborne.
“These art pieces are going to be huge. They will measure 18′ x 12′. One will be in the parking lot at Port Au Prince and the other at the GBT property,” said Hand.
There will be a call to local artists to design submissions that will be considered for these two art pieces.
Hand said, “They will be reflective of the area they are in. Each piece along the Boom or Bust Byway will be different and individual.”
According to Hand, they are about a year out from completion of this project, but the art pieces are set to be displayed before the end of 2023. The piece located in the new “GBT Commons” will feature a QR code that will push visitors to a website or Facebook page to promote Downtown Homer.