By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Bids for a major overhaul of a downtown Decatur eyesore are expected to be ready for opening at the September 3 meeting of city council.
It was announced at the July 16 meeting of council that bid specifications were completed and sent out to contractors.
When completed, the work will clean up and put a sparkle on the Faurote building at 138 N. Second St., in the heart of the downtown.
The building will become the office of the Adams County Economic Development Corp. (ACEDC).
The city owns the building and, at its previous meeting, approved and signed a lease agreement with the ACEDC.
The ACEDC will eventually own the two-story building and will lease an unattached portion in the rear to the city, which will use it for much-needed storage.
“This is going to make for a nice building,” Mayor Dan Rickord said. “It is much needed.”
The city obtained a state READI grant of $290,000 to put toward the upgrade of the building and the ACEDC, through its own funds and some private donations, will add somewhere around $600,000 to the project.
The ACEDC office is currently located in the Adams County Service Complex at Third and Jefferson streets.
The condition of the building first came to light some three years ago. It had been deteriorating for years and had become a major safety problem.
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