The Fort Dodge City Council approved the demolition of the Greenleaf Care Center, 1305 N. 22nd St. Monday.

The council awarded the demolition contract to Mid-Iowa Site Services, of Fort Dodge, in the amount of $130,246.19. The engineer’s estimate for the project is $251,979.

The city has owned the building since 2015. While the city’s original plan was to find a new use for the building, it was later determined that the structure should be demolished. The city applied for and received Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding to remove all of the asbestos-containing materials from the site prior to demolition.

Once demolished, the city plans to offer some of the land to adjacent property owners and redevelop the remaining land into new housing.

The council also approved submitting an application to the EPA’s Brownfields Cleanup grant for $4 million for removing asbestos-containing materials at the vacant Warden Plaza, 908 First Ave. S. An environmental assessment is currently underway at the Warden Plaza and should be completed in the next few months. The council hopes remediating the asbestos contamination in the building will make the redevelopment more attractive to potential developers.

A contract for $205,000 was awarded to Doyle Construction for the demolition of the Hayloft, located at 710 Central Ave.

The building was to get some exterior improvements through a recent downtown facade improvement project funded largely by a $500,000 state grant. But when work commenced on the building, some serious structural problems were discovered and it was recommended for demolition.

The grant money will pay for the demolition.

The council also unanimously approved a resolution to assess nuisance complaints for the period of June through July 2024. This includes 42 properties with a majority of complaints focused on removal and disposal of miscellaneous items as well as tall grass and weeds. The total invoiced is $15,402.03.

Also during Monday’s meeting, Councilman Dave Flattery commended Fort Dodge Police Chief Dennis Quinn and department officers for their quick response and apprehension of a bank robbery suspect last Friday. The robbery occurred at Availa Bank, where Flattery is the Fort Dodge market president.

The council’s Nov. 11 meeting was also rescheduled to Nov. 18 due to the Veterans Day holiday.