YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - It's a first of it's kind partnership that's tearing down blight in the city of Youngstown.

The 910th Air Lift Wing at the Air Force Reserve Station in Vienna is teaming up with the city to demolish hazardous houses on the south side.

You could say it's a military operation. The bulk of the work is being done by reservists from the 910th Civil Engineer Squadron.

"This gives us a great opportunity to actually work in the community, get hands on training and real world experience," said Master Sgt. Brian Phillips of the Civil Engineer Squadron.

Neighbors say the first vacant house being demolished on Thursday was being used by vagrants, and it's right next to a student drop off zone for Taft School.

"We had fears that maybe a child could get dragged into an empty house or get harmed, so it was important that this one came down," neighbor Bob Gray said.

The project partnership calls for twelve deteriorating houses to be demolished, and Seventh Ward Councilman John Swierz says it will have positive impact on the Taft School area.

"They said this was an unsustainable neighborhood and they weren't going to be doing a lot here, but now they've come back and we are doing a lot," Swierz said.

So instead of having a derelict and hazardous house on the block neighborhood groups can take the lot and turn it into a community garden or green space.

The reservists are on military orders assigning them to the project, so there is no labor cost to the city.