The Normal Town Council approved $606,000 to renovate the former Sprague's Super Service fuel station along Route 66. Former Illinois State University professor and Route 66 Scholar Terri Ryburn, who is selling the building to the town, said she'll be happy to see this property develop.
"I'm so excited that, finally, this building is going to be done as I envisioned it ten years ago," she said.
The project is slated to begin this summer, and Ryburn will keep her residence and a gift shop at the location. Council member Scott Preston voted against the purchase, and he said that, although he supports what Ryburn is trying to do with the property, other methods such as grants could be used to reach her goals.
"There are ways that we can support Ms. Ryburn, the initiative that she started, get the benefit and the objective that we are trying to get without taking entire ownership of the property," he said.
Council Members also took the final step in getting a new headquarters built for the fire department by approving the final $6.1 million required for the construction. The headquarters project is expected to begin in July, with an estimated completion as soon as spring 2017.
The council also approved an agreement allowing MetroNet to rent a piece of property to build an electronic equipment hut for the fiber optic network that is planned for Bloomington. The company has not approached Normal to provide service to the town.