A drone image shows the demolition of the old part of the former Lawn Hill School in Webster City. — Daily Freeman-Journal photo by OHP Marketing/Kent Bailey

Dick and Jane moved on a long time ago. They did well here. The characters from the well-worn reading series of the 20th century served a purpose in helping to educate generations of Webster City students who walked the halls of Lawn Hill Elementary School.

But Dick and Jane don’t live here anymore.

The demolition of the former Lawn Hill building late last week might be a sad occasion for many who have a fondness for historical architecture, but Dick and Jane grew up and some of those folks need a little extra help navigating the world as adults.

The new owner of the site — Central Iowa Recovery Inc. — will be building a new structure on the site, one that will provide extra help for adults who may have a myriad of mental health issues that stand in the way of living their lives to the fullest potential.

“By the time this is all done, it’s just going to be so nice,” said Tim Bedford, chief executive officer of Central Iowa Recovery.

Central Iowa Recovery provides services in cooperation with the regional group of Central Iowa Community Services (CICS). It provides a range of psychiatric and mental health services, and runs a popular drop-in center known as the Round House.

The “newer” version of the former Lawn Hill school, built in the 1950s-60s, will remain; the original building, which Bedford traced to as early as 1906, is the one being brought down.

Bedford, himself, is a fan of historic buildings and said it was too bad that it had to be taken down, but there does come a time when structures have to be replaced. The building was simply beyond repair and had become a hazard in the neighborhood. The Webster City Community School District had been planning its demolition for some time and made that a requirement in the purchase agreement.

“Part of the agreement was that we had to demolish the building within two years,” Bedford explained.

Bedford praised school officials for the agreement that included a purchase price of $10,000 for the 10.5 lots comprising the Lawn Hill property. To him, school officials were looking for the long-term good of the property and community rather than just a dollar figure.

“You had to write a proposal saying what you were going to do with the property,” Bedford said. “They saw that this was really going to benefit people in the community.”

The drop-in center will be far more than just a place for folks facing challenges to gather as friends — even though the value of that alone should not be underestimated. The facilities included will also include ways and means for people to begin rebuilding their lives.

“We are going to have showers and bathrooms that people can use because we are seeing more homeless people in the community,” Bedford said.

There will also be laundry facilities, a kitchenette, and banks of computers. Similar facilities were available in Central Iowa Recovery’s former home at 1610 Collins Street, Webster City, but with the move to the Lawn Hill site they are temporarily unavailable. Bedford is anxious to get the new building up and restore these much-needed services. He recounts his own experience of getting to know one of Webster City’s homeless residents.

“A person came in, and he was living under an underpass a mile from my house,” Bedford recalled. “I probably drove by him a hundred times and never knew he was there.”

That man eventually was invited to the Round House.

“He came in and talked to the people here,” Bedford said. “He found out he could come in here and take a shower, do his laundry, get on a computer. He was able to apply for jobs. I would stop and visit him whenever I saw him here. One day, he told me, ‘I got a job.’ Not long after that he said, ‘I got a place to live.’ And the next thing you know, he comes with a car.”

And it all started with a shower, a computer and a place where people were willing to help.

Bedford is grateful to many donors already in the community who have supported the project. He is compiling a full list and will be planning recognition ceremonies as the project moves along.

Becky Hacker-Kluver is a well-known local educator who can well relate to the entire story. Her first office when she joined Webster City schools as curriculum/staff development director in 1995 was in the original Lawn Hill building.

She and her secretary, Sondra Carden, shared a large old classroom. It was a great office, even if they did have to swat an occasional bat.

“It was a great build,” Hacker-Kluver said. “Even though it was old, we loved it.”

Hacker-Kluver came out of retirement in the past school year to serve as principal at Pleasant View School. Working with the district’s young students in kindergarten and first grade, offered her an often revealing glimpse of today’s challenges.

“It was a great year but again I learned so many of the issues even our little kids and families are struggling with … oh my,” she said. “But we just love them all.”

For the Lawn Hill site, this is a story coming full circle.

Central Iowa Recovery Inc. is picking up where the legacy of Lawn Hill Elementary left off.

And Dick and Jane will find a home there, even as adults.