The City Council on Monday hired a contractor to remove asbestos from the building as a first step toward its demolition.

Once the building is finally leveled, the site at 1305 N. 22nd St. will be sold with the goal of having one or two houses built there.

The council on Monday hired REW Services Corp., of Des Moines, to remove the asbestos at a cost of $239,414.

Last year, the city received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help pay for the project.

-Messenger file photo by Bill Shea
The Fort Dodge City Council on Monday awarded an asbestos removal contract as the first step in demolishing the former Greenleaf Care Center, 1305 N. 22nd St.

“We got within budget, so I’m pleased,” Councilman Dave Flattery said.

Other bidders for the project were EPS Iowa, Urbandale, $273,000; Ecco Midwest, Hastings, Minnesota, $333,333; Earth Services & Abatement LLC, Des Moines, $393,845; and IITI Group, Davenport, $1,548,658.

The Greenleaf Care Center has been vacant since at least 2014. The city took ownership of it in April 2015 under the terms of the state’s abandoned buildings law.

It is a roughly L-shaped building containing 86 rooms. The original part was built in 1935. A one-story addition was built in 1965 and a two-story addition was constructed in 1974.