FERRIDAY &045; Town officials plan to contact architect Chris Williams early next week to rescale Ferriday’s downtown revitalization project to fit within its $1.3 million budget.

&uot;The original bids (for the project) came in too high, so we’ve got to rebid,&uot; Mayor Gene Allen said Tuesday. Exact figures on those bids weren’t available Tuesday.

Williams, an Alexandria, La.-based architect who has worked three years on the project, said once town officials contact him, &uot;it will probably be a couple of months&uot; until the redesigned plans are complete.

This project &uot;is one of the greatest things that could happen to Ferriday. Š It will bring new life&uot; to downtown, Allen said.

The project will include a new fire station, lighting, tree planting and parking. A town green will be located at the end of Louisiana Avenue just in front of a proposed permanent bandstand. Across from the green will be a pavilion with trees and a grassy area.

A community center, which will be next to the pavilion on First Street, will house a senior citizen center and a business incubator.

Funding for downtown revitalization has come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and state capital outlay funds.

Building an annex of the Delta Music Museum on Louisiana Avenue and refurbishing the nearby Arcade Theater to serve as a performing arts center for the museum will also help revitalize downtown.

But it is being done by a committee with separate funding, not by the city, Allen said.

Judith Bingham of the Delta Music Museum and Downtown Revitalization Committee referred question on the museum’s plans to Warren Ponder, a spokesman for the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office.

That office, whose duties include operating state museums such the Delta Music Museum, allocated $200,000 for the project.

Ponder could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.