Some pre-demolition work has started on the derecho-damaged building just off Newton’s downtown square. Newton City Administrator Matt Muckler says DeCarlo Demolition Company in Des Moines has been working to separate the damaged building at 209 West Second Street North from the adjacent building at 207 West Second Street North. This coming week, Muckler says the building is to come down, so the city will close the 200 block of West 2nd Street North from Monday through Friday.

The City of Newton has been trying to get the building’s owner, Jeremy Chedester of Chedester Properties LLC of Des Moines, to demolish the building since 2023. Newton Mayor Evelyn George says that’s when Chedester agreed, in a court document, to tear down the two-story building by February 2nd of last year. This Tuesday, September 30th, Mayor George and the City were going to again ask a judge to order Chedester Properties to demolish the building. The Mayor and City Council members have even been collecting residents’ signatures on petitions, which they intended to present to the judge next week, in an attempt to prompt the court to take action against the building owner.