A $3 million state grant will help to fix up a dilapidated property in the village of Decatur.
Van Buren County Treasurer Trisha Nesbitt tells us the the Van Buren County Land Bank Authority has been awarded the grant by the Michigan State Land Bank Authority as part of a blight elimination program. They’re going to use the funds to rehabilitate the Edgar Bergen Building, formerly the Decatur High School. That property has sat vacant for many years.
“The village has had a number of issues,” Nesbitt said. “It’s been declared a public nuisance. I know the police officers have made many visits there. So, rehabilitating us and getting to work on it, we’ll be taking care of those issues as well, which I think will be a relief to the community.”
The three-story structure was built in 1920. The last high school class to graduate there was in 1963. After that, it was used for elementary students, and later, alternative education. It’s named in honor of famed ventriloquist Edgar Bergen.
Nesbitt says there are proposed uses for the building once the rehab is complete.
“From the village of Decatur, they would like to move their village offices into the building. I believe they’ve also had some interest from senior services to provide some services there or office space. And, of course, we’re always looking to address the housing needs in the community.
The state grant is specifically for this property, and Nesbitt says the Van Buren County Land Bank has previously used state blight elimination grants to fix up properties in South Haven, Bangor, and Lawton.
The Van Buren County Board of Commissioners will need to accept the grant, and then the land bank can begin seeking bids for the building rehab. Nesbitt hopes action can begin at the site within the next six months.
