The vacant former pastry shop in downtown Webster City was purchased on April 16, 2018, with the intent to demolish it. At that time local officials said the building was unsafe.

A previous attempt to hire a demolition contractor failed in December when bids came in much higher than expected.

Kent Harfst, acting city manager, said before the regular council meeting that if demolition bids continued to top what the city expected to pay, it might be willing to reconsider a new path.

Harfst said that would depend on cost.

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Nicole Stinn, Hamilton County engineer, said, “There really is not one part of the county that is better or worse than anywhere else. It is spread out evenly everywhere. In general, the worst roads are the ones that get the most traffic, especially those on which grain is being hauled or livestock operations are taking place.”

The building at 605 Second St. was purchased from Fuhs Pastry Shop LLC, of Webster City, for $1.

The Fuhs Pastry Shop closed on Dec. 31, 2014. But there were problems with the structure before then. The conditions were bad enough that city officials posted signs outside of the building in 2013 that read “Enter at your own risk.”

At the same time the building was purchased, the vacant lot next to it was bought from Big Dawg Investments LLC, of Webster City, for $11,995.

In September 2018, the council hired Snyder & Associates, of Ankeny, to prepare the plans for the demolition job. The company was paid $14,718.