A Greenwood contractor is doing what it does best — turning an old, vacant, downtown building into its new headquarters.
The now-vacant building across from Isom Elementary School is getting new life. Local contractor, SCS Construction Services, Inc., wants to refurbish the building, growing its business by up to 50 percent with jobs and space, the company’s controller Dale Burtner said last month. The building at 173 E. Broadway St. formerly housed a carpet cleaning business since the 1970s.
The city council on Monday approved a 10-year, $82,240 tax break for SCS Construction Services on a vote of 7-0. Council members Mike Campbell and Ron Bates abstained due to their longtime relationships with the owner, they said. The city’s redevelopment commission previously approved the abatement.
During the life of it, 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, Burtner said.
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 salary of $280,000.
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. They are the national contractor for Planet Fitness, Burtner 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.
SCS plans to start construction immediately and complete it within 10 weeks.
Although the abatement has already passed the council’s two-vote requirement, the council will conduct a confirmatory public hearing on July 15.
