The City of Wellman is working to utilize unused property downtown.

The city has been in discussions with Kevin Miller, the owner of the Starbeck/Miller property on Main Street, and Miller has agreed to sell the property to the city for $1 this August. The city has received funding from the Iowa DNR Brownfields program to inspect for asbestos which confirmed there is asbestos in the building. They also received funding to perform an environmental study on the building, which must be completed before the city receives the title. The city council worked with the Wellman Chamber of Commerce to receive a $1,500 mini grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation for this project. City Administrator Kelly Litwiller comments on the collaboration, “I think that we just work well together and everybody wants to see something better for the town. And if somebody can save the building and do something with it, it’s one more bonus for the city.”

The mini grant will pay for a structural engineer to determine if the building is sound. If the inspection determines the building is not safe to use, Litwiller says the city will most likely demolish it. Litwiller says there are parties interested in using the space, and the city expects to receive continued funding from the DNR to mitigate asbestos in the property.