Construction is well underway on a new, 12,000-square-foot maintenance building at Bader and Sons, 106 N. Occidental Highway, Tecumseh, Mich..

Kevin King, manager of the John Deere dealership, said the new building will become the farm equipment repair shop for the business.

"We have outgrown our current one and have been doing some of our set-up work outside which isn’t always easy depending on the weather," King said. "Space has been an issue here for the last couple of years, but with the recent purchase of the old Foodland property we can display equipment on both properties now, freeing up the room to build the shop."

After the site plan was approved by the Tecumseh Planning Commission in September, work began and King is hopeful it can be completed in time for the company’s John Deere Day in mid-February.

Brad Raymond, Tecumseh development department director, said the work involved restoning the display area at Occidental Highway and West Chicago Boulevard. A retention pond is now located behind the former Foodland store near the south entrance to Tecumseh High School.

Raymond said Bader and Sons may renovate the Foodland building for future use. Work on a preliminary site plan has begun.

Raymond said if the renovation is too expensive, the company may just bulldoze the building and put up a new one. He said Bader officials have found problems with the former grocery store’s roof and some other aspects of the building.

King said the new shop will be for repairing farm equipment, and the old shop will be for repairing lawn and garden equipment and setting up equipment.

"With the size of farm equipment getting larger and larger, it makes it harder to work on lawn equipment, set up equipment and repair farm equipment out of one building," King said. "With the completion of this shop, hopefully we will be able to employ a few more technicians as well as set-up people."