The town of Park Rapids, Minn., is trying to use $300,000 in federal grant money to clean up its image.
The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports the town is applying for a grant from the Department of Employment and Economic Development's Small Cities Development Program, which provides up to $300,000 for commercial and residential property rehab.
"We have a lot of interest," City Administrator Angel Weasner tells the Park Rapids Enterprise.
"By the April 17 deadline, the council will need to set the boundaries of the'slum and blight' area needing the funds and approve the application, and may need to hold a public hearinglikely at the council's next meeting."
The town has been trying to clean up its image since at least 2015, when a newspaper published a photo of a boarded-up house in the middle of the street.
The Star Tribune reported at the time that the house was on the National Register of Historic Places.
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