No Vacancy at the Colony Motel

The Colony Motel will once again welcome guests in its ten rooms, but those guests will be a traveling ministry group.

Minutemen Ministries is a mobile ministry group that travels around the United States conducting weeklong ministry programs. Minutemen has purchased the Colony Motel, and would like to use the building as a "ministry base" to lodge its teams when they are back in town or are training.

The group has remodeled the interior of the space, and will combine rooms to create larger living areas. One team leader would be a permanent resident at the former hotel, while other team members would stay temporarily.  Falls Baptist Church would also use the building for ministry and lodging purposes as well. On average, members of Minuteman are on the road 25 to 30 weeks out of the year.

Long-term plans also include construction of a garage to house the three pickup trucks, and two vans the group owns. The group plans significant repairs to both the interior and exterior of the building.

According to an application to the village, Minutemen said the development wouldn’t increase traffic, and would improve a property in a less desirable location. The Colony Motel isn’t easily accessed off the highway despite its location visible from Highway 41.

They were seeking an ordinance to amend the land use for the site, and the Village Board approved the request last week.