CLINTON, Iowa — More than six months after a Clinton building collapsed, City officials confirmed to News 8 that cleanup is underway.
The building first collapsed on Aug. 11, 2023. The three-story brick building located at 1006-1008 South 4th St. was built in 1900 and was part of the Seaman Building complex. The building was a mixed-use property with a commercial storefront on the lower level and apartments on the upper stories.
On Thursday, March 28, crews began cleaning up and hauling away rubble from the collapse site. According to Clinton Community Development Director Tammy Johnson, the debris had been left where it fell and covered with a tarp in an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency due to concerns the building had asbestos inside of it. Johnson also said that the City plans to demolish a neighboring building at 1010-1012 South 4th St., but a date for that work hasn't been set yet.
A structural engineer viewed the site in 2022 and indicated the building "was in severe disrepair and had many failed structural elements," according to an ECIA Brownfields Program report. That same report said the property had been primarily underutilized and vacant for the past 20 years.
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