Clean up day set to continue revitalization effort in VP

As the revitalization efforts of downtown Ville Platte progress, a meeting was held Thursday at Cafe Evangeline to discuss the first clean up day set for Saturday, February 16, from 8:30 a.m. to about noon with the 4-H junior leaders.
Spearheading the efforts is Evangeline Parish Chamber of Commerce Director Renee Brown. As she explained, “We are looking at building our teams for that day.”
She continued, “We’re looking to focus on our sidewalks. We’re asking people if they wouldn’t mind bringing out their weedeaters and extension cords. We can talk to the business owners to see if we can have access to electricity and water for that day so we can weedeat some areas that may need a little more attention.”
On top of weedeaters, Brown is asking volunteers to bring garden gloves, trash bags, pressure washers, Windex, and paper towels.
The volunteers will go down LaSalle Street from the Y-Not Stop to around the McArthur Street or Gator’s area and then down Main Street between the same points.
“Because of our school board office,” Brown said, “we’re going to also take a team around Ville Platte High to the school board office and get that road cleaned up and come back.”
Brown, during the meeting, said the group of volunteers has permission to paint the Sylvan Lavergne building on Main Street on that date.
“The building is close to the visitor center where we have a lot of tourists stopping in to pick up brochures and information,” said Brown. “When they’re at that red light, the building really stands out. So, we thought that would be a good little spot at least in the middle of town to start and then working our way out.”
The main purpose of the day, according to Brown, is to use it as a model for other such days in Ville Platte as well for other communities in the parish. “When we start making improvements,” Brown expressed, “it is going to have a beautiful effect, and new businesses are going to come. There is going to be some growth that comes with it, and everybody in our parish deserves that opportunity.”