-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
A Fort Dodge police vehicle blocks First Avenue South near the Warden Plaza Tuesday night after pieces of concrete fell from the building. The concrete tumbled from high up on the south-facing wall of the building, near Ninth Street. The debris landed in the street, but did not hit anything or anyone. The incident happened after 9 p.m. Fort Dodge Public Works Department employees set up road cones to close First Avenue South between Ninth and 10th streets. The long-vacant Warden Plaza at 908 First Ave. S. is owned by KDG LLC, of Columbia, Missouri. The company acquired it from the city government in 2016, after the city used the state abandoned buildings law to seize it. KDG LLC plans to create retail space on the first two floors and apartments on the upper floors.