Missing Pool Hints at Hotel Expansion

First it was the north building of America's Best Inns in Marion that bit the dust to make way for Jim Zeller's Country Inn & Suites back in 2008. Now five years later, the Best Inns pool has literally gone to dust as crews rode their roller back and forth today over the former aquatic amenity.

Zeller actually bought the land, the 60' by 175' tract, back in May for $15 a square foot, which seems to be going rate for commercial property along Halfway Road.

While no official announcement has been made it's believed the move is part of a larger expansion plan which should result in an additional hotel for Marion utilizing at least some of the vacant Drury Inn property off of Morgan Avenue.

UPDATE: [8/24/13] For now the expansion seems to be limited to another nine extended-stay rooms on the north side of the Country Inn & Suites. The new 60' feet of ground leveled off this past week will be parking.

As of Thursday, no building permits had been filed yet with the city.