Demo work in Clay Center nearly complete

Demolition work on the north side of the Clay County Courthouse square was nearly complete late last week, as buildings owned by Joe Cooney came down over the course of the past three to four weeks. The building that once stood just east of the USDA Service Center office, shown here at the left in this photo, leaving just two buildings on that side of the square in Clay Center. The easternmost building collapsed in the late afternoon hours of Saturday, Oct. 14. Broken Arrow Excavating of Pleasant Dale razed the buildings, and cleared out the debris, changing the downtown landscape in Clay Center. The collapse put the Clay County Emergency Management office, along with the Clay Center Fire Department, with assistance from other area fire departments, as well as linemen from the South Central Public Power District, as well as Black Hills Energy to help secure the area following the collapse.