By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The village will seek a grant to help monitor zombie properties and prevent at-risk properties from zombifying.

Zombie properties are those that are foreclosed and owned by a bank and fall into disrepair, but legal foreclosure loopholes prevent local code officials from taking action against the lenders.

Mayor Tim Currier hopes if they get it, the money will pay for managing current zombie properties. That may include creating a database to track them, and increasing hours for a code clerk who now works part-time.

He also hopes to use some of the grant to prevent properties from going into foreclosure. That could mean helping people better manage their money or find support programs for people with trouble paying.

Currier said village officials are still writing the grant request and will submit it Friday.