We wanted to share the timeline and history of the Old Fire Station with the patrons of Marshalltown and Marshall County. The Old Fire Station actually has two addresses, the north section at 107 S. First Ave. and the south section at 109 S. First Ave. Just to be clear if you are looking at the Old Fire Station from First Avenue, the north section is the previous four bays the fire trucks and equipment were stored while the south section was the offices. From this vantage point you don’t see the two bays on the south section which open to the west.

On April 13, 2020, the City of Marshalltown approved a lease to Marshall County for use of the south section and the Marshall County Board of Supervisors approved the same lease the next day, for $2,000 per month for the primary election.

On June 6, 2020, the City of Marshalltown held a live auction via Zoom. We were just past the June 2, primary election and were still finalizing the election results. Kathy and Dave Thompson had the winning bid of $172,000.

As we look back on news articles it was noted the purpose the Thompsons had for the facility was unknown. Logically with their business of Thompson True Value just west of the south section their interest in the property made sense. Kathy and Dave also had something else planned. They knew the Marshall County Building and Grounds shop was destroyed in the July 2018 tornado and there was valuable space in the Marshall County Courthouse being used for elections which could be freed up if the north section was converted to a Marshall County facility.

Kathy and Dave began the process of donating 107 S. First Ave. to Marshall County. This was announced at the July 21, 2020 Board of Supervisors meeting and there was an article in the Times-Republican that same day.

This is an excerpt from that Board of Supervisor meeting. “Dave (Thompson) took off his Supervisor hat and is now just a Marshalltown citizen. Dave read a statement from himself and his wife, Kathy (Thompson). Steve (Salasek) said that he is nearly speechless about this phenomenal gift. Nan (Benson) said that this will be of great assistance to the Election Department getting them in the same location. The Elections has been working out of 4 locations and this will provide for much greater efficiency for the Election team and is very thankful for this gift. Lucas (Baedke) said that this facility will provide Building and Grounds a space with double the square footage of his previous location with additional features his department did not previously have. He would like to thank Dave and Kathy for this generous donation.”

Marshall County still had a general election to hold in November. Kathy and Dave rented the north section for two months for $1. This section of the building would in the future be owned by Marshall County after all the legal transfers occurred.

On Jan. 7, the warranty deed for the transfer was officially recorded in the Marshall County Auditor/Recorder’s Office. This makes the transfer of the property at 107 S. First Ave. complete from Kathy and Dave to Marshall County complete.

On March 23, Lucas Baedke, Marshall County Buildings and Grounds director, was informed about some interior construction staging changes which meant 16 members of the Marshall County Attorney’s Office needed to be relocated out of the courthouse. The attorney’s office and Information Technology Office has remained in the courthouse without public access since the tornado. We reached out to Kathy and Dave regarding renting office space for the next three months. They again agreed to a lease for $1 which allows us to insure the space Marshall County is occupying. We are hoping to have the attorney’s office moved out of the courthouse by Friday.

You may wonder why we are sharing all of this information about the Old Fire Station. We wanted to highlight what a generous donation Kathy and Dave have given to Marshall County and its patrons and their continued support. They are renting space to Marshall County for $1 for a three-month period. It is a big task to get the attorneys moved so quickly. We appreciate Kathy and Dave immediately agreeing to assist with our space needs plus the Marshall County Attorney’s Office being flexible with this move. We will have a location for each employee in Kathy and Dave’s property. Please remember to thank both Kathy and Dave for their generous donation and continued support of Marshall County.

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Nan Benson is the Marshall County Auditor/Recorder. Lucas Baedke is the Marshall County Buildings and Grounds Director. Steve Salasek and Bill Patten serve on the Marshall County

Board of Supervisors.