T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS - The Casey's General Store location at 111 N. Third Ave. was hit hard in the July 19 tornado. Despite the destruction, officials at Casey's intend to rebuild at the location.

The sign that used to show gas prices outside the North Third Avenue Casey’s General Store location is still twisted and stunted, the entire building boarded up after the July 19 tornado swept through.

It may look like a lost cause, but Mike Richardson, Casey’s vice president of marketing and advertising, said the 111 N. Third Ave. site is set for a new beginning.

“I don’t think there’s any question that it will re-open,” he said. “It sounded to me like there’s enough damage there that they’re working on their design … how they’re going to put it back in play.”

Richardson said inspections at the site are ongoing — whether the old building will be resurrected or a new one put in its place has not yet been decided. He said whatever the plan ends up being, the goal is to have it back up and running “as quickly as possible.”

Before any rebuild can take place, Richardson said the company must make sure to keep up to code and complete paperwork properly.

The building had provided gas, food, a place to hit the restroom and more for travelers on North Third Avenue for decades before the tornado tore up the area.

“That particular building, my recollection is that it opened September 30 of 1986,” Richardson said. “I’ve been with (Casey’s) since ’78 and that certainly would’ve been part of that growth spurt we had for a couple years where there were franchised locations … we began later on to go back to all corporate-owned.”

While the North Third Avenue location is currently out of commission, there are four other Casey’s stores up and running throughout Marshalltown. The company is headquartered in Ankeny and the first store was established in 1968, according to the official website.

“It was just a bad deal, but we certainly aren’t going to let a storm knock us out,” Richardson said.

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Contact Adam Sodders at (641) 753-6611 or asodders@timesrepublican.com