SOLON — As a 43-year volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Solon Fire Department (and retired EMT from the Johnson County Ambulance Service after 30 years’ service), and member of the United States Dept. of Health and Human Service’s Logistics Response Assistance Team, Tom Trump has responded to countless emergencies and disaster situations. On March 31 of last year, he responded to his own as his family’s Solon Hardware Store was hit by a tornado.
Weather synopsis
According to the NWS Quad Cities, a very strong weather system developed that morning and tracked across the state, pulling unseasonably warm and moist conditions into the Midwest. A very favorable (for storm development) wind profile created a volatile environment in which severe thunderstorms would thrive. Initially, isolated supercell (rotating) thunderstorms developed into a squall line. In addition to tornadoes produced by the supercell storms, several more developed along the leading edge of the storms. Also, large hail and damaging straight line winds of 80-90mph were reported as the system moved through.
Two tornadoes were confirmed to have hit Solon and the surrounding area. One tornado touched down at 5:06 p.m. east of the Sugar Bottom campground and tracked northeast toward Solon where it uprooted trees, bent street signs and ripped the roof off of the Solon Hardware Store. A radio tower was destroyed and a home sustained roof damage. The tornado continued on a northeasterly track before destroying a machine shed at the Richard and Judy Miller farm on Racine Avenue. According to the NWS Quad Cities, debris from the Miller farm was lofted into a field with a 2×4 driven into the ground. Nearly simultaneously, a second tornado developed approximately one mile west-northwest of Solon damaging the roof and windows of a home in the new Trail Ridge Estates housing development. It traveled eight miles, destroying two large outbuildings and grain silos at the Stahle farm on 140th St. This tornado also snapped or uprooted several trees and downed powerlines during the eleven minutes it was on the ground. This tornado was also rated as EF-2 with 130 mph winds and a 75-yard maximum width. Again, no injuries or fatalities were reported.
The twisters were among 16 confirmed in the area covered by the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Quad Cities service area and were included in 132 tornado reports on the Storm Prediction Center’s (in Norman, Oklahoma) Storm Reports for an outbreak, which covered at least ten states. The tornadoes ranged in strength from EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (“Weak,” 65-85 mph) to EF-4 (“Extreme,” 166-200 mph). The sole EF-4 tornado moved from northeast Wapello County across southeastern Keokuk and northwestern Washington County into Johnson County with maximum sustained winds estimated at 170 mph during its 40-mile and 67-minute (approximate) lifespan.
Before the storms developed, the Storm Prediction Center issued a rare Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Watch for a large portion of eastern Iowa and placed the area under a level five (of five), or “high risk” category for tornadic thunderstorms.
The initial response
Tom and his wife were out of town at a funeral that day in southern Iowa. Late that afternoon, the weather began to take a turn for the worse.
“Obviously, we could see the weather was doing funky things, so we were headed back to Solon and pulled over to let the worst of it past, and my phone started blowing up with people calling to tell me they’d just watched the roof of the hardware store blow off.” With multiple confirmed tornadoes and their associated warnings, KCRG TV-9 was in continuous weather coverage mode and had their relatively new Solon CityCAM pointed west down Main Street when the tornado struck allowing viewers to watch in real time as the roof peeled toward the north-northeast, destroyed a three-seasons room on the back of the building, and landed on a shed behind it while also taking out the power lines.
Unknown to Tom at the time, his mother Carolyn was in her apartment above the store. Carolyn’s close friend and co-worker Delores and the store’s mechanic had left shortly before the storm hit, but again Tom wasn’t aware they had departed. “I called (Johnson County Sheriff’s) dispatch and had the Fire Department sent out. I said I don’t know what there is for damage, I know the roof came off, and there is the potential that there may have been two or three people in the store.” A friend called Tom and he asked him to go to the store. “She was coming down the back steps when he got there,” Tom said.
By the time he arrived back in Solon, his fellow firefighters had already begun covering the damaged front 1/3 of the roof with tarps. “They were kind enough to jump up there and do what they could to help me secure that and make it so more water (it had been raining) didn’t get in. We did what we could to stem that. My heartfelt thanks goes out to Jay Proffitt. The next morning, he was on the phone asking me what I needed, and we had to get the debris off the building and get the alley cleaned up. He got a crew up here and some trucks and got that all cleaned up.” Tom also expressed his gratitude to Alliant Energy’s crews for getting power back up the next day along with E& J Electric. “They all pitched in, and they had us back up and operational by Monday morning, and within a couple of weeks we were back in the (repair) shop doing things and continuing to bring money in, so they really bailed us out.”
A long and frustrating journey begins
Then-Mayor Steve Stange called Tom and told him he couldn’t occupy the building until it had been inspected for structural stability and safety. Steve Lee, previous building inspector for the City of Solon (with VJ Engineering), was on the scene when Tom arrived. “I went up on the roof with him and he said yeah, structurally you’re fine, go ahead and make repairs.”
Tom’s insurance provider sent a contractor to make repairs in late May/early June. They were finishing up the last of the work approximately one week after the May 28, 2023, partial collapse of a six-story apartment building in Davenport, which claimed three lives.
“When the roof came off there was one-to-three layers of brick on the parapet wall on the southwest corner that came up along with the roof. They were up there fixing that when the current building inspector (Josh Beeh, with VJ Engineering) drove by. “He required a structural engineer to sign-off that the beam on the front of the building was structurally safe and not a life safety hazard.”
At that time, Tom explained, “with that having gone on, there were virtually no structural engineers who would entertain even coming and looking at anything, if they would even talk to me.”
During a meeting with the City, the construction company, and an engineer representing the insurance company Tom was told he would have to demolish the front of the building and replace it. An off-the-cuff cost estimate was given by the contractor. “They (the City) told me there could likely be some TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funding available to help me with repairs to the building.
TIF – an economic development tool
TIF is a sometimes controversial financial tool local governments can use for funding economic development.
“TIF allows the city to designate a TIF district in which property tax valuations for new development in that district can be used by the city for the purpose of economic development for their community,” explained City Administrator Cami Rasmussen. “This gives cities access to more property funds than through regular tax growth; however, the use of these funds are specific for improving the economic climate of the city or removing blight. Since the Solon Hardware Store in in the TIF district and the repairs will be an improvement to the economic climate to Solon’s Main Street, TIF funding can be applied for,” said Rasmussen. “The City Council Finance Committee reviews each TIF application on a case-by-case basis and then makes a recommendation to the City Council.”
Recommendations, precautions, reports, and delays
In late May the City hosted representatives of the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Reynolds Urban Design for two days during which they toured the downtown area and suggested “refreshed fronts” for the Solon American Legion Stinocher Post 460, Solon Hardware Store, and El Sol Mexican Restaurant as a way to help revitalize Main Street. “They wanted brick (the original brick finish is currently under stucco) and pricing to do all of this,” Tom said. An estimate was made, one Tom quickly realized was “way low based on what I was hearing.” His suspicion was confirmed as a bid he described as “astronomically high” was received.
With Beef Days fast approaching the City required scaffolding be placed to cover the sidewalk in front of the hardware store for what was felt would be only a couple of months’ rental of the scaffolding. A call for bracing came soon after as well as plans to relocate some Beef Days mainstays such as the Bingo tent. The covered walkway and bracing, placed at city expense, are still in place today. However, the scaffolding is now a monthly expense for the store, as has been the various inspections and reports, and all non-tornado repair work to date.
Shortly after Thanksgiving an engineer verified the structural stability and Tom was granted the OK to have T&K Roofing come and put down a permanent roof (they had previously installed a temporary covering replacing the tarps). Concerns were then raised about the sand lime mortar, common to 19th and early 20th century brick buildings. The hardware store was originally built in 1843, before Iowa became a state. Concerns were also raised about the parget (stucco) covering which led to additional inspections and reports to attest the front wall was non-load bearing and that the mortar and parget were stable and solid. It was found the mortar had been tuck pointed – a process whereby deteriorated mortar is removed and replaced, and the parget was solid (and protecting the brickwork).
The end and a new beginning are in-sight
There was some deterioration found on the back side of the parapet wall and a recommendation was made to remove the parapet wall, place rebar in the solid roof deck beneath it for reinforcement and rebuild the parapet. Four companies have submitted bids, said Tom. “We’ve got one we’ve selected and we’ll be meeting with them one more time.” Once all of the numbers are crunched and the final estimate is in-hand, Tom will take it to the City to ask for TIF funding.
“I think we’re very close to coming to a resolution, and I think that in the long run the building is going to be better than it has been for many, many years. It never was unsafe, I don’t feel, and to this day I don’t feel any of the bracing that’s out there needs to be there. I truly understand that the City wants to make sure that the building is safe. They have a responsibility to make sure that it’s safe. But what’s frustrating to me is, I have to prove it’s safe. I truly think we’re getting close to a compromise. If the City is able to help me out with some TIF funding we can make repairs and when it’s all said and done it’ll look more like it originally did in 1843.”
They’re still open for business and ready to serve you
“Its been a struggle but we’re still getting along and the fortunate thing for us is we’re having an early spring so we’ve put 50 lawn mowers through the shop already. It’s been a long, difficult winter with limited access to the front of the building.
-30-
Tom Trump (middle, back to camera) works with his fellow Solon volunteer firefighters to place tarps over the tornado damaged roof of the Solon Hardware Store March 31, 2023.