March 28, 2024

Demo begins at former county care facility

Nearly 150 years after the Jasper County Care Facility was built, demolition began Monday with the first wall coming down.

Lanphier Excavating began dismantling the facility following a pre-construction meeting between the contractor, engineer Shive-Hattery and county officials. When finished, all that will be left standing is the water tower; the youth shelter is also on the demo list.

Mike Lanphier, owner of the Reasnor-based company, estimated the project will take two months to complete.

“I’m just glad that we are finally here, that it is finally getting done,” Jasper County Supervisor Dennis Stevenson said.

Once the county’s home for those physically or mentally impaired, orphaned or the elderly, the facility went through multiple expansions and renovations before closing in 1998.

Following its closing, the three-story building sat vacant as the county decided its future. Stevenson, who has been in office since 2008, said talks of demolishing the structures started before he was even elected.

Progress began to take shape in recent years when the board hired engineering firm Shive-Hattery of Des Moines to begin work assessing the structures and formulating a bid packet. An asbestos abatement took place at the end of 2015 and the county put the project out for bid for contractors in March.

Lanphier was selected with a bid of $297,500, more than $110,000 less than the next submission on March 23.

When completed, Lanphier will have removed the youth shelter, an underground tank, site paving and replaced top soil along with the care facility.

Future plans for the site have not yet been determined by the county.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at
641-792-3121 ext. 6534
or jpierson@newtondailynews.com