The City of Webster City will seek out quotes for the demolition of the former Fuhs Pastry Building, located at 605 Second St. following action taken Monday night by the City Council.
Mayor John Hawkins said he had reached out to Habhab Construction to see what they would charge to bring down the building and clear away the debris. Hawkins said he was quoted $52,500 for the work.
“That’s not filling in the basement or doing anything to the wall,” he added. Previous bids had come in the neighborhood of $350,000.
If a city project comes in under $130,000, Hawkins said the city doesn’t have to go to bid.
“If we could get the rest of it — whether that’s spray foam and metal for the wall that’s still there, I think we should come in under $100,000,” he said.
The city bought the old Fuhs Pastry Shop at 605 Second St. with the intention of demolishing it. It was purchased from Fuhs Pastry Shop LLC, of Webster City, for $1.
The council also bought the vacant lot next to the old bakery at the intersection of Second Street and Willson Avenue for $11,995 from Big Dawg Investments LLC, of Webster City.
Logan Welch, councilman, said the end goal would be to have a good commercial space available for future development.
“There’ll be a large commercial space to hopefully turn into something,” Welch said.
The Mane Attraction is located next door to the former pastry shop.
Hawkins said that once the building comes down, the exposed wall would become the Mane Attraction’s outer wall.
Hawkins said the city shouldn’t leave the exposed wall like the pastry shop wall was left when the building on the corner was taken down.
“We’ll do the right thing,”he said.
The council by consensus directed the city staff to reach out for additional quotes on the demolition, debris removal, with an alternative quote on the filling in of the basement area.
The city staff will bring the quotes back to the council for consideration.
View this article as it originally appeared in the Daily Freeman-Journal.
Last modified: August 18, 2020