ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY) -- Abbeville has been awarded the Community Achievement Award for outstanding improvement in community development at the 88th Annual Louisiana Municipal Association Conference.

The award recognizes the Downtown Street Improvement Project, which transformed Abbeville's historic downtown into a safer, more accessible and vibrant area for residents and visitors.

"It's a great honor for Abbeville to receive this award," said Councilman Brady Broussard Jr. "Recognition like this puts a positive spotlight on our city and shows that we're moving in the right direction. What’s even more impressive is that we were selected over several other outstanding municipalities that speak to the hard work envisioned behind the project."

Key upgrades in the Downtown Street Improvement Project include traffic-calming measures, enhanced pedestrian walkways, a new brick plaza in front of the historic courthouse and custom crosswalks that reflect Abbeville's cultural identity.

Dyllin Parbs, an employee at Tito's La Casa, noted the changes around the downtown area.

"The improvements that I see are just beautifying the whole downtown Abbeville kind of made it a little safer with repainting the lines and everything, letting people know where they're supposed to go instead of just guessing if they're not from here," said Parbs.

Charlene Beckett, the mainstreet director, mentioned that tourists often rave about the beauty and uniqueness of downtown Abbeville compared to other small towns, appreciating the charm and thoughtful improvements.

The Downtown Street Improvement Project has not only enhanced the aesthetics of Abbeville but also fostered a sense of community pride and attracted tourists to the area.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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