By Kimberly Gasuras, Freelance Journalist | FreeWire – Your News, Your Voice
The GE Lighting Plant on South Walnut Street in Bucyrus went dark in the fall of 2022 after the plant closed down, leaving 175 employees without a job.
Recently, some local residents noticed signs that maybe a company had moved into the
vacant building and according to city officials, that is correct, sort of.
“There is a company that is storing solar panels in part of the building,” said Truka.
He said that even though the company did not bring jobs with it, an occupied building is
much better than an empty one.
Truka said City Service Safety Director Tommy Starner is the caretaker of the building
but not in his role with the city.
“I am working a second job as the facility manager,” said Starner.
He oversees the building for the commercial real estate company, Phoenix Investors,
located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“There are no employees. They are just storing the solar panels there,” said Starner of a
German company, Thyssenkrupp Supply Chain Services, which is renting a portion of the
building.
Starner said the building still has about 350,000 square feet available for another
company to utilize.
Makenna Laser, director of the Crawford Partnership for Economic Development, said
that the City of Bucyrus led the effort to bring a new tenant into the former GE building.
“While this business won’t create a significant number of new jobs, the building being
used and maintained is a positive sign,” said Laser.
She said historically, the site has been a challenging property to market because of its
location.
“In that context, having an active tenant, even a warehouse, is a positive outcome. It
ensures the building is occupied and cared for, rather than sitting vacant, and keeps the
property viable for future opportunities,” said Laser.
For more information about the building, contact Truka or Starner at 419-562-6767, ext.
221.
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