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The City of Bogalusa, Bogalusa Rebirth, and Corporate stakeholders are tackling blight. If you listen you can hear the sweet sound of demolition across Bogalusa, as a local coalition of government, nonprofit and industry join forces to demolish condemned structures in the city.

Mayor Tyrin Truong, with Chairman of Bogalusa Rebirth, R.L. Palmer, Jr., Executive Director Wendy Dupont and the city’s newly appointed Communication Director, Kenya Hart, stand at the site of a persistent eye sore on Virginia Ave. This condemned property and another on Michigan Ave. were demolished this week, and a long list of other structures are in the process of being eradicated.

Mayor Truong and the City’s Office of Community Development has demonstrated a strong commitment to working in partnership to drive this important work. Truong stated “This begins our effort to fight blight that has plagued our city for decades. We would like to thank our partners, especially Bogalusa Rebirth, led by Mrs. Dupont. My administration has allocated additional resources in this year’s budget to meet the urgency of this moment. It’s time to clean up our City.”

Bogalusa Rebirth’s Executive Director stated “We are committed to investing in blighted areas more strategically by targeting underserved neighborhoods. Thanks to our partners at International Paper and Centerpoint Energy who contribute to our Neighborhood Health and Wellness through Blight Remediation fund, we were able to contribute a 50% match to the City for asbestos testing and demolition services. Washington Parish Government contributed to our joint effort by reducing the tipping fees. In a city now well over a hundred years old, it is a struggle to keep pace with the growing number of properties that have fallen into disrepair. These properties create safety hazards and there are many challenges with tearing down these abandoned houses. It takes a team and these collaborations will help us to achieve the goal of eliminating blight in Bogalusa”.

If you are interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to the blight fund, you may mail a check to the 501(c)3 non-profit organization, payable to Bogalusa Rebirth at 305 Ave B, Ste 111, Bogalusa, La.  70427.