Downtown Sherman lighting project underway around Courthouse Square

Crews in downtown Sherman have begun replacing the lighting around Courthouse Square, the start of a project the city says has been years in the planning, according to a statement from the City of Sherman. The city says the replacement will continue over the next few months.

The project reached the Sherman City Council on July 6, 2026. At that meeting, members considered Resolution No. 7655, an item that, as listed, would authorize an agreement with Hawk Builders for what the city identifies as the City of Sherman Downtown Lighting project, according to the council's meeting file.

The city's agenda packet sets the Hawk Builders agreement at a not-to-exceed amount of $844,600, a ceiling on what the city would pay under the contract. That same record identifies the funding as Sherman's fiscal year 2025-2026 capital improvement budget, money the city sets aside for capital projects.

Project documents place the work at 100 W. Houston Street. According to those records, the job involves tearing out sections of existing sidewalk and either rehabilitating or removing light poles and their power connections. The documents also allow for demolishing the bases beneath affected poles where needed, while calling for parking signs in the work area to be kept in place.

Construction documents spell out the submittals the contractor must provide, a list that runs to light poles, lighting fixtures, lighting equipment, speaker equipment, digital banner equipment and Wi-Fi equipment, according to those records.

Sherman has weighed downtown lighting in earlier rounds of capital planning. A city record from 2007 listed Downtown Light Pole Repainting among the items approved for pursuit through an amendment to the city's Tax Increment Financing District No. 2 plan.

Public spending on downtown improvements is not confined to Sherman. In nearby Denison, the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget lists a project labeled D3 Phase 1 whose stated construction purposes include sidewalks, landscaping and streetscaping, lighting, drainage, utility relocations and parking facilities. That entry appears in Denison's own budget and is separate from the Sherman project.