The City of Sioux Center is moving ahead with the cleanup of the former Kum & Go property after purchasing the site for approximately $150,000.
Sioux Center City Manager Scott Wynja says the city had watched the property deteriorate over several years while working through the process of contacting the owners and acquiring the site.
“The property was falling into a pretty state of disrepair and kind of becoming a nuisance property,” Wynja said. “It hasn’t been operated or utilized for a number of years.”
The city completed inspections and an environmental assessment before finalizing the purchase. Wynja says the Iowa Department of Natural Resources gave the city approval to proceed, and crews have now begun removing the underground storage tanks. Demolition of the remaining structure is expected in the near future.
Assessments Find No New Environmental Concerns
Wynja says the environmental inspections did not uncover any additional concerns at the property.
“The environmental inspections that have taken place have come back, you know, all good,” Wynja said. “…The assessments that have been done now have showed that there’s no additional concerns with the environmental assessment that we’ve done.”
He says some environmental work had been completed at the former gas station during the 1990s, but the city does not currently anticipate further issues.
Parking and Green Space Planned Initially
Once the tanks and building are removed, the city expects to install some concrete for additional parking. The remainder of the site will likely be planted with grass and maintained as green space.
The property’s proximity to Sioux Center’s fire station, ambulance garage and Central Park also gives the city options for future use. Wynja says the city expects to retain ownership rather than sell the property for private development.
There is no timeline for expanding the neighboring emergency-services facilities. However, Wynja says acquiring the land gives the city flexibility should additional building or parking space be needed five or 10 years from now.
“Their equipment keeps getting bigger and bigger, ambulance service and our community is growing,” Wynja said. “It positions us for long term, five-,10- years down the road.”
Wynja says the property’s small size would have limited its potential for private redevelopment and that purchasing and cleaning up the site made financial sense for the city.
