Now that the eye-sore SuperValu building in Winnebago has been torn down, the clock is ticking to fill the vacant lot on Main Street.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Scott Robertson jokingly told the council he’s been asked when the city will start planting corn or squash on the lot.
Angie Stier, the city’s economic development specialist, in the past has said that a current business owner in the city has shown interest in the site.
Stier was instrumental in obtaining a loan from the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to raze the structure.
“If the space receives plans for development within the next three years, then up to half of the loan value will be forgiven,” she says.
The loan, which is expected to be less than $109,900, and $30,000 provided by the county will help pay the demolition costs.
“This is a working project, we are not certain of the loan payments value at this time,” she says.
Weerts Company Inc. of Winnebago was paid $99,000 to do the work and the residents owe the company “a big thank you,” says Robertson.
“(Bob) Weerts held his price for a year, that doesn’t happen very often,” he says. “They did it for Winnebago and they did a great job.”