A local contractor wants to restore an old, vacant building downtown, and they’re asking the city for help.
Formerly ServiceMaster by Doran, a carpet cleaning business since the 1970s, the building at 173 E. Broadway Street, across from Isom Elementary School, is now vacant. Local contractor, SCS Construction Services, Inc., wants to refurbish the building, growing its business by up to 50 percent with jobs and space.
The city’s redevelopment commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a 10-year, $82,240 tax break for SCS Construction Services.
During that same time, the business will pay about $113,450 in real and personal property taxes. The company plans to make about $300,000 in improvements to the property — $100,000 to the exterior and $300,000 to the interior. Additional tenants will be sought for the property as well, said Dale Burtner, SCS Construction’s controller.
Those improvements will include landscaping, additional windows and painting. Several areas inside will be gutted, and brand new offices, conference rooms and restrooms will be installed, he said.
The building is about 28,000 square-feet, 12,000 of which is warehouse space.
The expansion will allow SCS Construction Services, a 10-person company, to add up to 5 jobs at a total of $280,000, which means each new person would make an average salary of $56,000, according to city documents.
SCS Construction Services is 15 years old, and has spent most of that time in Greenwood, with offices at 156 S. Park Blvd., in a business park near Interstate 65 and Main Street. They will keep a small office there as well, Burtner said. They are the national contractor for Planet Fitness, he said.
"We have had the face of our operations for the last 10 years in Greenwood, and we would like to continue to stay and Greenwood and support the local community," he said.
This proposal will now go to the city council for final approval. If the council approves the tax break, SCS plans to start construction immediately and complete it within 10 weeks.
"Being a general contractor, we have the resources to do that," Burtner said.
