Originally Published in The Lebanon Reporter

A handful of community leaders gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony for two new luxury apartment buildings in downtown Lebanon Friday afternoon, "an exciting day for Iron Men Properties" said Co-Owner Joe Blake.

“I hope this is more than just a groundbreaking for us, but a groundbreaking for downtown Lebanon as well,” he said while standing in the empty lot where Russell & Hitch Funeral Home used to stand. “I hope the significant capital investment we will make here will make people driving by think, ‘There is something going on here, and I want to be part of it.’”

Lafayette-based Iron Men Properties purchased the foreclosed Memory Hall in 2013. And ever since, Blake said they were looking for other ways to be involved in Lebanon. Blake and Co-Owner Mike Sandry approached the Lebanon City Council earlier this year, seeking a 10-year tax abatement for the two apartment buildings. The abatement was approved by a 4-3 vote in February.

See Saturday's Lebanon Reporter for more on this story.