EVANGELINE PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- Ville Platte has received state funding to use in the demolition and cleanup efforts of the city's adjudicated properties.

Ville Platte Mayor Ryan LeDay Williams said the city was able to secure half a million dollars in grant funding from the state.

"With this particular grant, whoever owns the property, if they want to get it cleaned up, or the house or whatever, this will qualify for that," Williams said.

In the days since securing the funds, Williams said the city has been working hard to demolish the properties, which will be the first steps in the city's revitalization progress.

Williams, who is also getting in the tractors to assist in the demolition himself, said the grant not only gives the city ability to address immediate concerns with blight and overgrown canals but gives the city a chance to look forward to the future.

"My goal is to have something not only to clean up the blight, but to have something come behind the blight, because we have a lot of different development projects going on and we want that to continue so we can increase the economic development," Williams said.

With that goal in mind, Williams said tackling the blighted properties can lead to long term positive change that benefits individuals and the community as a whole.

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