The new Medical Arts Center building is finally completed and has an orthodontist as its first tenant.

The building, adjacent to Fayette County Community Hospital, started out as the APEX building. But after the construction company went into bankruptcy, the construction stopped.

Fayetteville contractors All-Cad Enterprises Inc. sought over $1 million in punitive damages plus $500,000 in design and construction costs against the Apex Group and the Highway 54 Fayette Medical Limited Liability Corporation for what All-Cad maintained was “tortious repudiation of the design contract.”

Sakas said an agreement to settle the lawsuit was reached last December and was put into court order form in February.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the project as part of $131 million in loan guarantees to help start or expand 48 rural businesses in 24 states and create or save approximately 2,290 rural jobs.

USDA spokesman E.J. Stapler said the loan program originally was $74.5 million for fiscal 1998, but extra money was found and the Fayette project was added on. The loan program is for rural areas of high unemployment, but Tammy Bruce in the agency's rural development office said at the time the loan was approved, Fayette's unemployment rate matched that of the state as a whole, and thus the project qualified.

After the matter was settled, the building was reborn as the Medical Arts Center and now has its first tenant.

Walter Krauth, manager of Bullard Property Management Co., said that Dr. Charles Lindsey, DMD, MSD has moved into a 2,300 sq.ft. suite in the building.

Lindsay has practiced orthodontics for 14 years, the last three in College Park.

Krauth added he is also in serious negotiations with four more prospective tenants for the 30,000 sq.ft. building.

The Medical Arts Center is owned by All-cad Enterprises Inc., which is owned by David Akers. Design Management Group Inc. is responsible for construction and design of the facility.

Rebecca Ames, president of Design Management Group, described the Medical Arts Center as “a beautiful red brick building with cream stucco arches.”

Information about leasing space in the Medical Arts Center can be obtained by calling Krauth at 770-471-4669.

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