T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY The building at 102 W. Main St., which was most recently home to the Ibiza Nightclub, will be demolished on Monday if weather allows.

Lansing Brothers Construction is scheduled to demolish the property at the southwest corner of West Main Street and North First Street on Monday if the weather permits.

The property was a bar under several different owners throughout the years before being heavily damaged by the tornado in 2018, and further damage was suffered during the derecho in 2020. The city took ownership of the property in April 2021 through a court-ordered sale, a process often used by cities when a building has been abandoned for at least six months and is considered a public nuisance or safety hazard, with the intention of demolishing the existing structure.

Michelle Spohnheimer, the director of housing and community development with the city of Marshalltown, said demolishing this building and cleaning up the lot is a significant step in the city’s goals of cleaning up downtown.

“We’ve certainly been waiting for a long time to get to this point since the initial damage from the tornado,” she said. “Getting these properties cleared allows us to rethink about the future and what that vision looks like.”

The city, with assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields program, will be asking for community input on how this corner should be redeveloped once it is cleared. The program helps with market analysis, grants and developer recruitment for projects such as this.

More information is still to come about a visioning event where the community can give its input on the property’s development. Spohnheimer estimates the event will happen sometime this summer.

“We want people to be thinking creatively,” she said. “We want to do something better than a parking lot. We want to refill it with an activity.”

The primary demolition work is expected to take about a day. Afterward, the foundation and debris will be removed before the ground is filled. By early May, the lot will be cleaned and stable.

The estimated cost of demolition and cleanup is about $350,000. Spohnheimer said there is potential for additional expenses depending on what is found during demolition, such as soil issues.

After the lot on the corner of Main and First is finished, the next property expected to be demolished is 10 and 12 W. Main St. on the southwest corner of Main and Center Street. The building shares a wall with Stepping Stones Christian Book at 14 W. Main Street.

“We’ve been working with engineers to make sure of how to protect her building as much as we can anticipate,” Spohnheimer said. “The same is true for 101 W. Main adjacent to the antique store. When you have a connecting wall you have to make sure you do your due diligence.”