West Williams project moves Kirchner to former Goodwill site

Aug. 22—DANVILLE — A redevelopment agreement would move Kirchner Building Center and lumber yard to the former Goodwill site at Fairchild and Gilbert streets for the planned West Williams roadway realignment project.

The Danville City Council's Public Services Committee will consider approving the agreement with Charles Kirchner and Son Inc. Kirchner building materials store would move from 508 W. Williams St. to 920 N. Gilbert St.

The committee meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at city hall, 17 W. Main St.

The city is providing the site and other Midtown Tax Increment Financing incentives with the agreement.

City Engineer Sam Cole said Kirchner purchased the former Goodwill site. The city owns 932 N. Gilbert St., north of the site. The city would acquire, clear and transfer 10 more properties to Kirchner within that block. Those properties: 934, 935, 936, 937 and 939 Robinson St. and 926, 928, 932, 936 and 938 N. Gilbert St.

Kirchner would be receiving about $750,000 in TIF incentives under the agreement, Cole said.

A lot of that money will be taken up by the demolitions and conveying of the additional properties to Kirchner, Cole said.

"Several are in very rough shape," Cole said of the structures to be demolished.

What isn't spent on those properties, up to the $750,000, Kirchner can have in other incentives to make modifications to the building and site to suit their needs, such as building extra warehousing on the site, Cole said.

The agreement came about with the city wanting to realign West Williams Street, west of Robinson Street, with more of a curve due to increased traffic from Logan Avenue being closed near Carle at the Riverfront.

Kirchner also was looking for more space and to do some enhancements. The Gilbert and Fairchild streets' location will offer the lumber and home improvements business more visibility and a larger space, city officials say.

Last year, Kirchner manager Terry Duncan said the business had remained busy the last few years with people staying home more due to COVID-19.

Kirchner has lumber, siding and roofing materials, in addition to doors and windows and other products to do everything from additions, new home construction to remodeling decks and fences.

Being in an old building, they don't have much of a display room. Kirchner Building Centers expanded in 1996 with the purchase of the Danville Cash & Carry Lumber Co. in Danville. The corporate office is located in Kansas in Edgar County, where the company was founded in 1906. Kirchner Building Centers has 13 locations in east-central Illinois, southern Indiana and northern Kentucky.

Cole said they hope to close on properties involved with Kirchner's move by the end of 2024, with West Williams Street realignment construction possibly occurring in 2025.

This was the piece of the puzzle that pushed the project back, Cole said.

In other business Tuesday, the committee will consider:

* A $205,000 professional services agreement with Farnsworth Group for Garfield Park improvements design and bidding documents. The city completed a master plan for pool and park improvements. This is a design for the park improvements.

* A new sublease for operations and maintenance of the Public Safety Building between the city, Vermilion County and Danville Public Building Commission. The current three-year sublease expires Oct. 31, 2022. The city's cost: $1.55 million for November 2022 to October 2023, $1.61 million the second year and $1.67 million the third year. The rent doesn't include annual bond payments of about $46,200.

* Purchasing safety training and compliance software for another year from Velocity EHS of Chicago for $24,308.

* Authorizing a budget amendment to fiscal year 2022-2023 in the city's finance and legal department budgets. The finance amendment is for $8,953, the city's portion from found sales tax and hotel motel tax revenue not sent to the city. The $2,500 legal department amendment is for advertising for an assistant corporation counsel.

* Authorizing executive and amendment of downtown operating assistance grant agreement for Danville Mass Transit.