FERRIDAY — A dilapidated downtown warehouse on Greathouse Street may soon be a hub of activity.

Mayor Gene Allen said he is in the preliminary stages of transforming an empty building, across from the former Haney’s Big House, into a convention center.

Allen’s vision to transform the building is part of a larger project to revitalize downtown Ferriday.

Plans to renovate and repurpose several downtown buildings have been discussed for ages, former mayor Glen McGlothin said, but plans are slowly coming to fruition with nearly $1.4 million in priority one funding from the capital outlay fund, Louisiana House Bill 2.

Capital outlay funds are ranked from priority one to five. Priority one funds are available for immediate use, whereas priority five take longer to be awarded. Though the funds are listed in the legislature-approved bill, Gov. Bobby Jindal may later line-item veto certain projects.

“When I was first elected mayor in 1988, I had it on my mind,” McGlothin said. “Very few towns have a vital, thriving downtown. The goal here is to make downtown Ferriday a central focal point.”

Allen has already begun planning the convention center’s features. He said it would include sitting areas, a kitchen and meeting rooms.

Allen said he is talking to an architect to get a quote on the project.

No definite plans have been made for the convention center’s renovation, but Allen said it should be open in the less than six months.

The next downtown transformation may change the former Concordia Hotel into a business incubator, focusing on retail stores and restaurants, Allen said.

“Any time you refurbish a community, you give new life to the city,” he said. “If we are successful, it will increase traffic through downtown and create a hub of activity.”

McGlothin estimated the city has already spent more than $1.5 million in state and local money on the downtown revitalization since the project began.

Previously completed projects include the Rockabilly Plaza and the Arcade Theater. McGlothin estimated that five buildings have been renovated to date.