 However, it is much more unusual for them to welcome a
familiar face into a new place, but that is what they did yesterday.
A nice crowd gathered in Mount Pulaski on Friday afternoon to
celebrate with Deron Powell the opening of his new State Farm office
building.
Located at 114 E. Cooke St., on the south side of the Mount
Pulaski square, Powell's new building sits where just six short
months ago, his original office was located.
In October of 2011, the back one-third of Powell's old office
building literally collapsed, with several staff members and
Powell's daughter inside.
Powell has vivid memories of the day. He was headed back to Mount
Pulaski from Lincoln in the mid- to late afternoon when he received
a call that the building had fallen in.
When he arrived in Mount Pulaski, he was shaken by the knowledge
that the area that had fallen was his own office, plus the all staff
restroom area.
During a conversation shortly afterward, Powell noted the fact no
one was hurt in the disaster. But he couldn't help but also note
that had anyone been in the restroom or even in his office, they
might have been killed or at least seriously injured. It was a
blessing to him that the people he cared about were safe and sound.
But it was also a great loss for Powell. Like many people in
Logan County, he has a deep love and respect for the historic
buildings in the county, and his was one of them.
Soon after the collapse, he sadly said he had all the original
abstracts for the building. He knew its history from the day it was
built in 1836 to the day it fell.
Friday afternoon as Powell spoke at the ribbon-cut for his new
building, he couldn't help but become emotional as he recognized all
the good that has come from this.
He noted Bill and Jean Cavestani, who immediately offered him
temporary office space in one of their buildings on South Lafayette.
He thanked State Farm, which made quick work of getting new
computers for the office so customers could continue to be served.
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He thanked the community, his customers and his church for their
support as he and his staff made do in the temporary quarters.
As Powell was preparing to cut the ribbon, he called to Mount
Pulaski Mayor Jim Fuhrer to be included in the photo op, saying:
"You were right here when it fell."
Powell said he was thankful for Fuhrer and the Mount Pulaski town
council for working so quickly to get the property condemned, along
with two adjacent properties, so Powell could immediately start
working on erecting a new structure.
He also acknowledged his wife, Kristi, for her support and help
through what was a difficult time for him and his business.
Before he cut the ribbon, others also spoke about the day. Mike
Maniscalco of the Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership,
Geoff Ladd of the Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau, Fuhrer and Andi
Hake of the chamber of commerce all congratulated Powell on his new
building.
In addition, their comments included gratitude that Powell
had chosen to make his new home at the site of his old one. In small
communities, keeping the downtown area alive is a sometimes
difficult job, and Powell was commended for choosing to stay on the
square in Mount Pulaski.
[By NILA SMITH] |
