By Jade Bulecza - bio | email
VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) –The City of Valdosta demolished a house Friday in its designated revitalization area.
A new house will be built in its a place for the homeowner through a community development block grant.
The city is trying to get rid of all substandard housing by 2020.
Out with the old and unsafe. Soon a new home will be built in the same place on Oliver Street for homeowner Delbra Battles.
"It's just so many memories here," said Battles.
She hugs her family and says goodbye to a house she lived in for almost 40 years.
"My daughter got killed but I have 10 children," said Battles.
She raised eight of those children here in this house.Battles is 73 years old.
"I'm so happy I don't know what to do," said Battles.
She'll have a brand new home in upcoming months from the City of Valdosta's community block development grant program.
"It was just sitting on those blocks and it looked like any minute it could fall down," said Battles.
The city told her the house was unsafe to live in.
The homeowner will get a house similar to this one. This is a katrina cottage style home the homeowner who lives here lost his house to a fire and this one was built in the same spot through the same program.
This house gets the city closer to its goal to eliminate substandard housing by 2020.
"I think it's an achievable goal and I think we're working well in that direction but keep in mind it's a moving target and we have to be constantly vigilant," said City of Valdosta Neighborhood Development Coordinator Richard Joyner.
Debra Battles will always keep memories from her old house alive but she's ready to make new ones in a safer environment.
Delbra Battles tells us one of her many grandchildren will live with her.
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