T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY A cleanup crew works to clear debris at the property on the southwest corner of the Main and Center Street intersection on July 14. It is one of the pivotal properties to be razed in the last year and is part of a larger effort to revitalize the downtown after the 2018 tornado and the 2020 derecho.

Four years ago today, an EF-3 tornado ripped through Marshalltown, leaving devastation in its wake. As time goes by, however, the community continues to move closer to recovery and revitalization, and local leaders are pleased with the progress.

The road to recovery has been a rocky one since the tornado was coupled with the 2020 derecho and the COVID-19 pandemic, but Housing and Community Development Director Michelle Spohnheimer said Marshalltown has still come a long way.

“After the tornado, we were told to expect about five years before we could start to feel like things have regained some normalcy, and so we’re not quite at that mark, but we’re definitely making some progress,” Spohnheimer said. “It’s exciting now to see things coming down that needed to come down for a while and to be thinking about the future of what’s going to go back up.”

The city is in the process of demolishing a tornado damaged building located on the corner of South Center Street and West Main Street, and just a couple months ago, they finished the demolition of 102 W. Main St. Spohnheimer feels these changes constitute notable progress points because they are a visible sign for the community that the situation is improving.

“People were reminded constantly. You know, seeing a building that was in distress from the disaster is hard. I know it’s hard for me, I think it was hard for a lot of our community members, and so seeing those things come down, to me, has been very much a point of revival,” she said.

The city is currently in the process of collecting ideas to redevelop the newly refreshed properties by surveying the community to see what they want to have on Main Street and Spohnheimer hoped that by next year there will be some new projects in the works.

Police Chief Mike Tupper is also excited to see the new changes in Marshalltown as normalcy slowly returns, and he commended the hardworking members of the community who have made that progress possible.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been four years in many respects. In some ways, it seems like it’s been longer than that too, but I think we’ve made a lot of progress as a community, and it’s exciting to see some of the changes start to take shape. I know that there’s still a lot of work to do, but the community is working hard each day to push our town in a positive direction,” Tupper said.

Tupper referenced the courthouse project and said he was looking forward to the project being hopefully completed later this year as the structure is such an important part of the Marshalltown community.

Looking back on the day the tornado hit, Tupper said the community’s collaboration and response will always strike a chord with him, and he is certain that Marshalltown will continue to recover at a steady pace.

“Our community always seems to adapt and overcome, and I’m confident that our future is bright because of the people that live here. They will make sure that our community does what is necessary to recover,” Tupper said. “I’m an impatient person. Patience is not a virtue for me, and I think a lot of people struggle with patience and we all want things to be fixed and we want to be fully recovered now. But it takes time, and I think we’re on schedule.”

Aaron Buzbee, who, along with his wife Michele, owns Zeno’s Pizza, the Fiddle and Whistle and Wayward Social, also reflected on the tornado and the effects it had on his businesses and the changes in the community since then. He felt recovery had only just begun for Marshalltown.

“We’re seeing a lot of progress. Everything that’s happening downtown, you know, where we had this turbulent time, out of that comes a lot of opportunity, and I think we have the right leaders in place that can lead us into that next chapter in Marshalltown,” Buzbee said. “I think we still have a long way to go.”

Buzbee’s two Main Street businesses, Zeno’s and the Fiddle and Whistle, suffered extensive damage during the tornado and while Buzbee said they are still feeling those effects to some extent, he felt that some of the progress being made downtown is a direct result of the tornado.

Zeno’s, for example, had its infrastructure improved, and the Buzbees had the kitchen remodeled to be more efficient since it was closed for a period of time. Buzbee said it would have been more convenient if those improvements were “made on their terms,” but the result ended up being the same.

“We tried to make lemonade out of lemons the best we could,” Buzbee said. “We’re coming out of this, and our downtown, we’re going through some pains still, and it’s not as pretty as it once was, but if you fast forward probably three to five years, we’re going to have an amazing downtown that probably wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for this tragedy.”

Marshalltown still has a way to go before it can be considered fully recovered, but the resounding message throughout the community is one of hope and progress. The landmark fifth anniversary is just around the corner, and community leaders are looking forward to what the next year will bring.

——

Contact Susanna Meyer

at 641-753-6611 or

smeyer@timesrepublican.com.