DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Big things are in the works for a Decatur icon.
The Decatur Area Convention and Visitors Bureau says leaders are gathering bids right now to renovate the inside of the historic Transfer House.
"Right now it's an empty shell with some of the paint peeling, there's no heat, there's no air conditioning. There's some plumbing but it has to be brought back up to code. So we want to turn it into a welcoming place, plus have people be able to comfortably use it for their events when they come downtown," said DACVB Executive Director, Teri Hammel.
Hammel says they're even looking at ways to get kids excited about the Transfer House. She says they'd like to do so through a Christmas tree decoration contest.
"Sometimes I think it's kind of like a forgotten icon," Hammel explained. "So maybe helping to educate our young people to know what it's about and be a part of something, and remembering, 'Hey, I put a Christmas tree in that window, and we had so much fun!'"
At next week's City Council Meeting, leaders will vote on approving a formal agreement between the city and the Decatur Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The city would still own the Transfer House, but the Visitors Bureau would take on managing it.
Hammel encourages residents to stream the meeting online or attend in-person to learn more about the future of this exciting project and partnership.
