SpringfieldNewsSun.com

URBANA — Renovations to the Douglas Inn finally will move forward, after months of waiting for a tax credit approval to begin the project.

"For us, it's a pretty big sigh of relief," said Jon Umstead, a member of Miami-Scioto Development, which purchased the Douglas. "We've been in a bit of a state of limbo waiting for that approval."

If the developers had begun the project without the go-ahead from the Ohio Department of Development, the $3.5-million renovation project would have been ineligible for the $794,250 tax credit it received from the state.

The Douglas Inn is one of 11 historic preservation projects in the state that received the tax break through the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program.

During the waiting phase, developers did only minimal work that were considered protective maintenance to keep the building from further deterioration, Umstead said.

With the credit approved, the developers can move forward with project to meet city stabilization requirements, including roof repairs, gutter replacement, new stucco on the outside and renovations to the internal infrastructure of the Douglas Inn, Umstead said.

Larger parts of the renovations might have to be put on hold for warmer, springtime weather, but Miami-Scioto has companies lined up to start working on what they can as soon as possible.

"I think the community is ready to see progress," Umstead said.

After a community battle about whether to save the building, Miami-Scioto — also consisting of John Doss and Pat Thackery — purchased the Douglas from the Champaign County Community Improvement Corporation in late June for $80,000, which the CIC will finance for a year.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0226 or nmorales@coxohio.com.