**UPDATE** Trying to Preserve Original Town Hall

Only a handful of storefronts remain open on Main Street in the Village of Shawnee.

The rustic buildings paint the picture of a small community in Perry County. Up a small hill into the center of the city, a padlock on a door remains a symbol of a building closed off.

Now, the Shawnee Improvement and Homecoming Committee is trying to get the original town hall, built in 1874, transferred from the village to the non-profit, so the committee can restore the first floor.

“We’re simply looking to put this first floor back into use as a museum,” said Rob Dishon, the committee’s president.

The committee will get that opportunity. During the third reading at village council Monday, council reversed its opinion and agreed to take demolition off the table.

“I’m thrilled,” Dishon said over the phone. “I’m extremely happy.”

Council left the topic on the table for its meeting on September 28. Anyone interested in proposing a plan to save the old town hall must submit a proposal by September 21.

Dishon said the improvement committee will now work to show how it can transform the building. He said the committee is ready to start forming a concrete plan on how to transform the former center of the town’s government into the heart of Shawnee history.