By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
A Decatur building described over four years ago as posing a danger is now an enhancement to a thriving downtown.
The structure at 138 N. Second St., known until recently as the Faurote building, is the new home of the Adams County Economic Development Corp. (ACEDC).
Executive Director Colton Bickel said this week that the ACEDC spent much of June moving into the building “and has been operating out of there since around the end of June.”
ACEDC owns the entire structure, but a small building to the rear is used by the City of Decatur for storage.
The agency had been located in the Adams County Service Complex for years.
Bickel said an open house is scheduled for Wednesday, from 3-6 p.m., affording the public an opportunity to check out the new office.
SAFETY ISSUE: The condition of the building first came to public light at a city council meeting in May of 2021.
At the time, the building was owned by Decatur resident Paul Faurote.
It was not only an eyesore, but a dangerous eyesore which the city condemned.
“I do know we need to do (something) quick … that building is not going to make it through another winter,” city Building/Zoning Superintendent Curt Witte told council a few months later.
Unable to sell the building, Faurote gave it to the city.
Limberlost Construction of Geneva was later hired by the city to secure the structure, which had been considered dangerous to pedestrians.
Late in 2023, the city obtained a state Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) grant of $285,000.
After the ACEDC expressed interest in the building, the city’s grant funds were used to share the cost with the ACEDC to renovate the structure.
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