DeRidder, La. - The DeRidder Lions Club received an update on new and ongoing developments in the City of DeRidder on Wednesday compliments of Mayor Ron Roberts. The city is currently being evaluated by a Main Street Resource team who will discuss their conclusions on how to make DeRidder's Main Street Program, a downtown revitalization effort, as successful as possible at a meeting being held at the library on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. The public is invited to to attend. Many new developments are underway for DeRidder's historic downtown area, including the recent opening of Cecil's restaurant, and new projects taking place in several downtown buildings. A new park is in the works in the downtown area thanks to DeRidder's Grace Church. Three parking lots have been newly paved in the downtown area, and many cosmetic improvements have been put in place, including the additions of antique light posts, new awnings and paint jobs, among many other improvements. Exciting new possibilities for the recently renovated old First Street school, listed on the National Register of historic places, have presented themselves, including classes to be taught by Louisiana Technical School'a Lamar Salter campus, with hopes to eventually have classes from four local schools, including Upper Iowa University, Sowella Techinical College and McNeese State University, being taught under one roof of the "Beauregard Education Center." The DeRidder by-pass project is moving along, having a feasibility study required by DOTD paid for and a required environmental study in the works, funded in part by former Senator James David Cain. A federal highway bill coming up next year should determine where the project goes from here, and city representatives hope to hear something final next year. Roberts reported that the City of DeRidder is thriving on the financial front, having very little debt and a strong economy, and that his only concern about meeting the city budget through local sales tax is the decrease in automobile sales in the city.