Community center, transitional home, to rise from former church

Maria Flora, The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.
·2 min read

May 15—The Lebanon Redevelopment Commission last week approved façade grants of $41,454 to refurbish a former Baptist church.

Robert and Tracey Tranum own the former First Baptist Church at 207 E. Washington St. and want to turn it into a community center.

"We envision a community center with things in there that are really going to help the community," Tracey told the RDC. "It's still flowing as far as what's going to be in there, but we want it to be a lot of ministry and a lot of community."

The couple lives in the 400 block of E. Washington Street and run their businesses, 6T Holdings and In God We Trust LLC, plus Brother Sister Check Ministries Inc. from their home.

6T Holdings bought the church property. The Tranums will move business operations and the ministry there and intend to eventually make about five apartments in the church's upper floor to house themselves and others who work in the ministry.

They are renovating the former rectory one door east of the church as a transitional home for women who have completed an addiction recovery program and are ready for the next steps of finding a job and re-establishing themselves, Robert said.

Up to three women can live there, but the Tranums plan to petition the city to allow four, he said. Tracey will act as mentor to the women.

In God We Trust is a transportation company that drives Medicaid patients to and from appointments.

Brother and Sister Check is a "Christian outreach created to enlighten, educate, encourage, and empower men and women who are in recovery," according to the group's Facebook page.

Brother and Sister Check meetings will occur in the community center, Robert said.

Lebanon Planning Department Deputy Director Derek Warren presented their façade request to the RDC.

The main building needs a new roof at a cost of about $82,000. And the building needs tuck pointing and masonry repair at an estimated $23,600.

Of the $41,454 façade grants from the city, $24,753 will go toward the roof work, and $17,766 will be used for masonry repair.

Public art

The RDC also approved a request from The Heart of Lebanon to hang a large piece of aluminum public art on the north side of 126 N. Lebanon St., a building the city recently bought to redevelop.

The art will remain on the building until inclement weather or renovation of the building necessitate it coming down.