Many of our communities have an ongoing battle with abandoned and dilapidated properties.

Houses and businesses left to decay, with no care, become a nuisance, creating health concerns, attracting rodents and other animals, and, often, becoming an issue of safety as they fall apart or become homes for drug use or other activities. These structures negatively impact neighborhoods.

Those communities who are able to set aside funding each year, but as expenses increase, those dollars can only be stretched so far, and, as a result, fewer properties can be addressed.

The city of Weirton, in its own efforts to address these concerns, is reviving a program that previously paid dividends in targeting the spread of blight.

Working with the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center, city officials are working to establish their own “BAD” Buildings program. Standing for Brownfield, Abandoned, and Dilapidated, the BAD Buildings program provides technical assistance, research and other resources to rural communities as a way to target troubled properties.

About a decade ago, the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle brought the program to Hancock and Brooke counties, using it to work with municipal and county governments to raze 12 properties.

Last week, Weirton officials took their first steps in their own endeavors, with representatives of the Brownfield Assistance Center providing initial training on how to assess and inventory such properties.

A registry will allow the city to create a prioritized list of properties, apply for grants, and possibly work with others to tackle such a widespread endeavor.

We all know of BAD buildings in our neighborhood; one that has sat vacant for decades, is falling apart, and creating problems for everyone around. It’s good to see this project return to our area, and hope it will have positive effects on the city’s future.