Hannibal Starts Program Targeting Neighborhood Blight

It's the end for a vacant house 1022 Fulton in Hannibal. It’s also the first step in an ambitious program to replace neighborhood blight with new investment in Hannibal neighborhoods is to be presented to the Hannibal City Council this evening. The Planned Renovation Investment Development Endeavor or PRIDE targets vacant… run down properties. City Manager Jeff LaGarce says the goal is to get rid of blighted properties by either demolishing them or making them available for repair and rehabilityation. LaGarce says banks, contractors and real estate firms are enthusiastic about the program. The overall goal is to reverse the decay process on the South Side and elsewhere around Hannibal. Police Chief Lyndell Davis is an enthusiastic supporter. Davis says the empty houses often attract drug activity and contribute to other crime issues. Hannibal Police identified 53 vacant homes on the South Side this spring, most are badly blighted. Often, they are the scene of drug and criminal activity.