A downtown building in Jefferson that’s been closed since 2015 will have new life in it.
Jefferson resident Nikki Uebel recently purchased the former Hy-Vee Drugtown building at the corner of Lincoln Way and Wilson Avenue, along with the former Jefferson Matters: Main Street building to the west. She made the announcement at a Greene County Development Corporation meeting on Tuesday.
Uebel says there’s several plans for the two buildings, with the highest priority being to sublease the north section of the building to Midwest Behavioral Health and will develop the south section later. She notes that the former Jefferson Matters building will be used as office space and they will continue leasing the two upper story apartments with the current residents, while also making improvements there.
Megan Ball is a substance abuse counselor and is a partial business owner. She explained that there will be a detox residential facility in Scranton, an outpatient program at the Jefferson location and the final phase is to seek out sober living options. Ball talked about what she hopes to accomplish with her new business to Jefferson.
“What we hope to bring is not only substance abuse counseling and treatment, but resources for these folks to get further education, and/or employment, and re-enter their communities.”
Uebel disspells a myth that this business will turn into a half-way house program.
“It’s people who seek out treatment for themselves or seek out counseling for themselves. It’s not court-ordered, it’s not like the half-way house, it’s not like the fear of people going in and then destroying it.It really is honest, good people needing resources and there’s not a lot around here. I personally am really excited to be a part of this project.”
Prior to the building being vacant, it was a Hy-Vee Drugtown but when the new Hy-Vee was completed, those services moved to the new location. Uebel said construction is going on now on the interior and they are looking at some grant possibilities for the exterior in the near future.