Tama Complex awaits release from investigators

Sept. 18--The Tama Complex has yet to be released to the owner as insurance investigators continue to work to find what caused the Aug. 4 blaze that undid a $12.5 million rehabilitation project on two historic buildings in downtown Burlington.

It was anticipated that the property would be released Friday, but Des Moines-based architect Doug Wells, who became the sole project developer in 2016, said Monday that was not the case.

"It's in the insurance company's hands to notify us when they're going to do that," Wells said.

Investigators from Grinnell Mutual Insurance Co. and at least one other insurance company have been investigating the fire, and Grinnell has offered up a $10,000 reward for information to assist in identifying the cause.

Wells said a project manager from his office attended a meeting with investigators Friday.

"All we know is they're still doing some investigation," he said.

Work to clear out the rubble blocking off portions of Jefferson and Third streets cannot begin until the property is released. Temporary supports also must be added to the structure.

As for plans for the property, Wells plans to keep everything still standing and rebuild the rest of it as had been originally planned. He estimates the project will be complete in spring of 2020.

The project nearly was complete when the fire broke out, with tenants expecting to move in within the month.

"It was shocking and I couldn't believe it," Wells said of when he received news of the fire. "We've had so much time and energy in the project, and it was pretty devastating. It's still pretty hard to believe, but everybody's working toward the same goal and I think we'll have a very nice outcome."

In his 29 years as an architect, Wells had never had something similar to the Tama fire happen with his projects. Sprinkler systems typically are not energized until work is mostly complete, but he said that might be done differently in rebuilding the Tama Complex.

He credited the response of the city, community members and Burlington Downtown Partners for his determination in completing the project.

"The support from the city and the city government has been really significant," he said. "They're all maintaining contact with me on the project, and they're wanting to offer me any support or help any way they can, and that's a lot of what makes us want to rebuild."

Wells said there is still a significant amount of interest in filling the retail spaces on the first floor, though he said those businesses prefer to remain anonymous for the time being.

The project largely was financed with historic tax credits and a Community Development Block Grant, some of which already had been advanced. Wells said those funding sources will remain in tact.

"Everything is the same, except it's just a big delay," Wells said.

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