FERRIDAY — The cash to make Rockabilly Plaza a reality is on hand.

The Town of Ferriday received Thursday a grant of $22,000 from the State of Louisiana to continue its work on what Mayor Glen McGlothin said he hopes will become the town square.

The money will be used to continue renovations to convert the former National Foods building on First Street into an open-air market, which has been dubbed Rockabilly Plaza.

The grant will be used to place large fans to circulate air through the structure, put a roof on it and install bathrooms, McGlothin said.

Previous work to the structure included shoring up old walls, pouring new concrete floors and even using materials from a demolished house to put a ceiling on it.

“We are going to build bathrooms on the back of it,” McGlothin said. “There is still a big concrete slab there, and we are going to build the bathrooms there so we don’t have to have a line of Porta-Johns out back.”

The mayor said the work on the structure would be completed with inmate labor.

“I hope we can start work Tuesday,” he said. “We have the money so all we need to do now is buy the materials.”

McGlothin said he hopes the new work will be done in time for the town-wide back-to-school party that is organized by the Doty Road Church of God. That event will be in mid-August.

When it is completed, the plaza will be available for family reunions, church events and other community happenings, McGlothin said.

Future phases to the project will include adding lighting, a pavilion, picnic tables and landscaping to the area, he said.

“We don’t have any lights on First Street now, so this will not only be for aesthetic purposes, but putting this all up will make it safer,” he said.

Rockabilly Plaza was first opened in May for the Will Haney Soul Survivor’s Festival.