Falling bricks from building leave residents of Charter Oak, IA concerned for public safety

CHARTER OAK, IOWA (KTIV) - Folks living in Charter Oak, IA said they’re worried about a building along Main Street.

For years they’ve watched that building deteriorate.

In fact, over the weekend pieces of the building came crashing down and it was caught on camera.

Sunday afternoon was a scary sight for some parents in Charter Oak as a chunk of bricks fell from a building. Now, these parents are worried that more bricks may potentially fall leading to injuries.

“It’s very concerning. I can’t imagine a little one walking by there and something happening,” said a concerned by parent KTIV spoke with who wanted to remain anonymous.

Another Charter Oak resident, Matt Knowles, said the building has been vacant for years, but the building’s current condition concerns him.

“It’s a safety issue for everybody that’s in Charter Oak. There’s some semi drivers that park their trucks there and lots of kids walk by and it’s just a concern for everybody that walks by, and it needs to be taken care of,” said Knowles.

We talked to Marion Neddermeyer, who owns the building. Wednesday, he was repairing the bricks to try and repair the issue, but there is still a strong safety concern from people within the community. They believe the patch work is just a temporary fix.

“I feel that it’s probably far too gone to be saved, and I hate to see what could happen,” said the previously mentioned parent.

“It just would be nice before something terrible happens to force a situation to tear it down,” said a different concerned parent who wanted to remain anonymous.

There is a fence that surrounds the building along the sidewalk. But, when bricks fell from the side of the building on Sunday, they landed outside the safety barricade.

Concerned community members want Neddermeyer to take action or ask the city to find a way to prevent future problems.

Neddermeyer told KTIV he had no comment on the situation, but he did confirm the building is insured.

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