Beaverdale sports bar's days are numbered as Des Moines seeks to fix troubled intersection

Even as Players Sports Bar & Grill celebrates its 13th year anniversary, the date of its impending acquisition by the city of Des Moines looms closer.

Formerly dubbed a "jinxed" location because of the repeated failures of past businesses at the location, bar owner Chelsie Lyons says she really may have been jinxed.

"This is my 13-year anniversary, and this is just a play with numbers," Lyons said. "I opened on Oct. 7, the 13th (anniversary) is on the 7th … and they do an article (headlined) "jinx," I opened on the 7, and I'm closing after the 13th."

In a meeting in early May, the Des Moines City Council voted to proceed with the acquisition of the bar to improve the troublesome intersection of 41st Street and Beaver Avenue. Lyons said she has had patrons of the bar write letters to the council voicing their disapproval of the acquisition.

"I've gotten the maximum amount of time that I can be there, but then that's the maximum time, at this point, they can give me a 30-day notice," Lyons said.

According to city documents, the intersection's alignment is skewed, which is a cause for safety concerns. The project aims to realign the intersection to a perpendicular angle to remedy safety concerns.

"It is a very emotional thing to lose the only thing you've ever known for most of your adult life, so it is definitely a lot more than just the money aspect of it," Lyons said. "Sucks."

Lyons said the city will reimburse her the fair market price value of the building and land, as well as pay a portion of the relocation costs. Lyons added that though she will be getting compensated for the acquisition, she will need to figure out how to deal with the loss of her main source of income.

"I was planning on renting this spot out, and the city says the life expectancy of this place is another 25 years, so you take rent at three grand a month for the next 25 years — that's $900,000 that I had planned on having," Lyons said.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Beaverdale sports bar sees end of road as city wants to raze it