It’s been about one and a half years, but a property in downtown Grand Junction is cleaned up.

Ten area fire departments responded to a July 4, 2021 fire that destroyed a former grocery store at 301 East Main Street in Grand Junction. Resident Misti Murphy says the property was owned by her late brother-in-law Michael Halligan, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2021. Murphy tells Raccoon Valley Radio her sister Dawn was married to Michael and they live in Texas. She says the original estate plan named her husband Dennis as executor, however, the estate plan and will were lost. 

Misti notes it over several months working with her lawyer to establish a new estate plan and will that included, to the best of their knowledge with other family members, the intentions from the original estate plan and will. Misti points out that while they were going through the process of creating the new documents, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources wanted the property to have any asbestos removed and the property cleaned up.

Misti points out once a new estate plan and will was in place, then they were able to get the Grand Junction property in their name by September. She says Dennis was also able to get licensed for asbestos removal and they had the property mostly cleaned up before the DNR’s deadline of December 8, 2022. Misti is happy and thankful of getting the debris removed from the property and adds they are planning to build a new business in the future.