Some Ironton neighborhoods should soon look a little nicer.

The City of Ironton will get an additional 30 days to tear down some of its dilapidated structures. The city received $35,000 in Fiscal Year 2004 Community Development Block Grant monies in November of last year.

The money was supposed to have been spent by Dec. 31 — the end of next week. David Michael, Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization director of community development, said he has applied for and received a 30-day extension from the Ohio Department of Development.

This extension will give the city a little more time to accomplish the project.

“This helps us by not having such a restrictive schedule for contractors who give us quotes,” Michael said.

Mayor John Elam said red tape is largely to blame for the delay in getting the work done in time.

“There are a lot of clearances that have to be obtained and a lot of environmental issues that could not be addressed in that time frame,” he said. “It just took longer to accomplish than we thought.”

Each parcel of property must undergo an asbestos inspection to determine if any of the cancer-causing material was used in the construction of the buildings. Triad Environmental of Huntington, W.Va., will conduct the asbestos testing.

Two of the 11 properties on the list have already been tested for asbestos.

The Ohio Historic Preservation Society must also determine if any of the structures are of historic significance.

Twelve properties are on the target list to be torn down. Once quotes are received, city officials will be better able to determine if all of the 11, or how many of the 11 the can be demolished with the money available.

The properties are located at 1202 S. Third St., 1208 S. Third St., 407 Mary St., 413 Pleasant St., 1820 S. Fifth St., 510 N. Second St., 318

1/2 Walnut St., 1406 S. Third St., 1914 S. Third St., 1717 S. Fourth St., 520 Maple Ave. and 1819 S. Ninth St.

Michael said he hopes to have quotes for the demolition by Jan 4. Work should commence a few days after that.

The city also has $22,000 from its FY 2005 CDBG monies to spend on removal of dilapidated buildings.