T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY U-Haul recently opened a equipment rental office in the former K-Mart store location, 1720 S. Center St.

U-Haul Co. recently opened an office in the former K-Mart location.

Staff are renting a wide variety of trucks, trailers and towing equipment, said Executive Assistant Julie Lloyd of the company’s Des Moines office. Also available is 24-hour equipment drop off.

Storage space rental will be available. Packing materials, propane and propane refills are for sale. The store is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Earlier this year, U-Haul Co. Iowa President Randy Dickson went before the Marshalltown city council and asked their permission to place exterior rental units in the building’s west parking lot for marketing purposes.

“It is tough to operate a business like that without creating impressions on people as they go by,” he said. “I liken it to a car lot. If everything they owned was parked behind the building … it would be rough for them to be successful … Our biggest advertisement is equipment.”

A majority of councilors voted to deny the request. Fourth ward councilor Al Hoop and At-Large Councilor Leon Lamer have voted consistently to allow U-Haul to place exterior units.

At a previous council meeting, Vision Marshalltown President Karn Gregorie said she and Vision Marshalltown supported U-Haul’s effort to invest in Marshalltown, but the organization was opposed to placement of the exterior units. The company has invested in similar facilities in other cities which do not have the exterior units.

Dickson did not return a telephone call before time of press to respond to an inquiry if the company had withdrawn or modified its request. However, U-Haul trailers are parked in the lot.

For more information about the Marshalltown location, call 641-752-9466 or visit https://www.uhaul.com/Locations/Truck-Rentals-near-Marshalltown-IA-50158/793081/.

U-Haul also rents equipment at Godfrey Motors, Inc. 3008 S. Center St. However, the Godfrey Motors location is an independent U-Haul dealer and is not affiliated with the dealership now at the former K-Mart building.

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Contact Mike Donahey at

641-753-6611 or

mdonahey@timesrepublican.com