Villa Grove business buys property for expansion
VILLA GROVE – Owners of Paul's Machine and Welding of Villa Grove have bought property near their existing location along Illinois 130 for expansion of the business.
The manufacturing-equipment business will be tearing down an abandoned house on the property at 1 McCoy Ave. to make way for future development, according to company president Ed Cler.
By approving a special-use permit, the Villa Grove City Council is supporting the development in hopes of fixing two current problems.
"It gets rid of an eyesore, and we get a nice new building," said Mayor Ron Hunt.
Residents in the neighborhood have been complaining for years about the upkeep of the property.
"It's going to bring tax revenue to the city, and the city is in dire need of tax revenue," Alderman Stan Miller said.
Neighbor Betty Graham and her husband had been helping with the mowing of the property for the last two years.
"We're happy that it's going to be cleaned up," she said.
She said she also respects the contributions of Paul's Machine and Welding to the community as a thriving business and prominent employer.
Cler said the first order of business will be to level the deteriorating house, fill in the basement and make the property safe. He expects that to happen by the end of the year.
New construction may be a few years off, but there will be a permanent building that will provide space for operations performed at the existing facility.
"We would like to add productivity and new employees in the future," Cler said.
According to Cler, Paul's Machine and Welding "helps other manufacturers find solutions to their manufacturing problems."
The company assists clients from the design phase all the way through manufacturing and installation of equipment.
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