[font=Verdana]Old buildings are coming down in [/font][font=Verdana]Scranton[/font][font=Verdana] and the mayor said it's just the start of a larger project in the city.[/font]

[font=Verdana]Mayor Chris Doherty said there are nearly 40 abandoned, condemned buildings in south side alone. Thursday two of them were torn down and there are plans to rehabilitate a few old buildings next to them.[/font]

[font=Verdana]Neighbor Phil Gavern stood and watched the action.[/font]

[font=Verdana]"It's better than leaving it go to heck. Tearing them down will be a big improvement for the neighborhood, a big improvement for the city," Gavern said.[/font]

[font=Verdana]The two homes, plus the old red brick Granito's Market and Restaurant next door, are owned by Ed Pisano and his son.[/font]

[font=Verdana]Pisano said eventually there will be a parking lot where the abandoned buildings once stood. Preliminary plans are to turn Granito's into apartments, maybe even a restaurant.

"I'm a neighborhood guy. This will be a showpiece. When you're leaving and coming to the south side, when you're leaving and going to the city. I like seeing things done that'll help neighborhoods," Pisano said.[/font]

[font=Verdana]The buildings are only the tip of the iceberg, according to city officials. They hope to demolish 13 more condemned buildings in the south side in the next few months.[/font]

[font=Verdana]Mayor Doherty thinks the project is a great way to get the ball rolling by encouraging private investment into the area.[/font]

[font=Verdana]"Our hope is what we said we'd do and what we'll continue to focus on is to bring back home ownership and commercial development and this is the start of it," the mayor said.[/font]