Kmart - down the Woodstock drain

Well, it's empty. The Woodstock Kmart has closed.

Now the question is, what should or could happen to this building? And whatever is to happen, ought to happen pretty quickly while it is still in reasonable inhabitable condition.

To what use could this building be put? Who owns the land and the building? Sears Holdings? Or was the property leased? I'm sure the Woodstock Community Development office knows.

Put on your thinking cap and see if you can come up with some ideas.

How about a business incubator? Remodel the inside into basic office spaces, put in phone wiring and internet wiring, round up some furniture from companies that have gone out of business, and give some entrepreneurs a place to call their business "home." Make the rent reasonable enough that they can afford to "go to work" and still have something left over after they pay the rent.

Another choice? Remodel into dormitory housing for the County's homeless population. Create a corner for jobs training, support, therapy, even child care. Provide some real jobs training, not just the by-the-book or off-the-shelf methods that usually end up in dismal rejection and failure. This could be a County-wide effort.

Move some of the County business offices there. That ought to save some real money.

What about Woodstock Public Works? Didn't they want to a new $10,000,000 building a while back? What about moving Public Works over there?

Any other ideas?