The city of Campbell and The Mahoning County Landbank partnered to demolish three vacant houses in effort to reduce neighborhood blight and revamp the  community.

Starting at 8 a.m. on Monday crews bulldozed two houses on Penhale Avenue and one on Reed Avenue. 

Bryan Tedesco, mayor of Campbell, said the vacant houses attracted colonies of cats, and he feared for children's safety as broken glass, rubble and detritus occupied the properties. 

"Nobody was taking care of [them], siding was coming off it. I was worried about school kids going in, playing, catching them on fire. And cats. We had a lot of problems with cats," Tedesco said.

The project has been on the city's demolition list for more than five years. Endowments from the federal government and a $200,000 grant from Campbell City Council helped fund the project. 

Beth Donofrio, resident of Penhale Avenue for 31 years, says she is thrilled about the removal of dilapidated houses on her street.

"We are thrilled. We are so excited to see this finally happening. [The] city's getting cleaned up," Donofrio said. 

According to Mayor Tedesco, a total of 180 homes will be demolished by Spring 2023.