Lee News Service Report

SPRINGFIELD | Livingston County now has the option of taking control of the old Illinois State Police headquarters in Pontiac, which sits on the historic Route 66.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich last week approved a measure that gives county board the option of paying $10 for the building and nearby land.

State Sen. Dan Rutherford, the Chenoa Republican who sponsored the plan, said if the county decides buy the gun-shaped building, local people who care about the site will have a chance to determine its future.

The former headquarters is currently owned by the state. But it could be turned into a museum or similar attraction if local groups can raise the money to repair and maintain it.

"It's going to take resources to upgrade this," Rutherford said.

The building went up in 1941 and was recently put on the National Register of Historic Places. The Illinois State Police stopped using it in 2004.

The legislation is House Bill 768, and becomes law immediately because lawmakers already approved.

-- The Lee Springfield Bureau can be reached at (217) 789-0865.