On Monday, the city of Bogalusa will begin demolishing the first of many blighted properties, as city workers take down the eyesore house at 806 Ave. B.

Everyone is well familiar with some of the unattractive properties that can be found throughout the city. Whether it’s an overgrown lot, or a rickety and dangerous old house, these properties make our city look bad and drive down real estate prices.

There are those who might suggest this demolition is an abuse of the city’s power, but you can be assured that our local government has made every attempt to give the property owners time to get their plots back into compliance. In addition, Mayor Wendy Perrette noted that the demolition is being done with the cooperation of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and other government agencies, so you know that everything is being handled by the book.

As the mayor said, being a public nuisance doesn’t necessarily mean just playing loud music. It can also mean allowing a property to become an eyesore and going several years without paying taxes on it.

Here is hoping that Monday’s demolition is the first of a long list. It will make our city look a lot nicer, and that will be important to allowing it to grow and attract new businesses and residents.