Bidder identified for ICON water trails project

Tyler Jett, Des Moines Register
·5 min read

Des Moines Metro officials could approve a contract for construction of a key part of the downtown water trails renovations as soon as next week, finally moving forward a project that local leaders have long prioritized to create more outdoor activities in town.

The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization will hold a special called meeting Nov. 8 to vote on a $40.9 million contract with two companies to renovate the Scott Avenue dam at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. The renovations will make the dam safer and generate white waters that people can raft or kayak through, creating an attraction similar to those offered in communities like Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Bend, Oregon.

The MPO, a regional planning organization, announced the proposed contract Tuesday, seven months after the group rejected the only bid it received for work on the waterways. MPO leaders scaled back the amount of work they asked contractors to do following those bids in April, hoping to find contractors who could complete at least some of the many renovations that metro leaders envision for the waterways at a lower cost.

More:ICON Water Trails, Val Air Ballroom receive $8 million from Gov. Kim Reynolds

If the MPO's policy committee approves the deal on Nov. 8, the money will go to United Contractors andReilly Construction. The two companies, which submitted a joint application, are the only businesses that submitted bids for the Scott Avenue dam renovations, according to the MPO.

The policy committee consists of elected officials from local governments around the metro, including Des Moines, Polk County and West Des Moines. Local leaders have said they hope the companies can begin construction next year.

“This has been a long process getting here, and we are very pleased to be at this point,” UrbandaleMayor and MPO Chair Bob Andeweg said in a statement Tuesday.

Overall cost 'is likely to increase'

Known as the Iowa Confluence Water Trails, the entire project includes a proposed 80 developments across 150 miles in the center of the state. Local leaders told the Des Moines Register in April that they expected all of the projects to cost about $125 million.

But ICON Water Trails Director Maggie McClelland said in July that the overall cost "is likely to increase," given rising construction expenses. The group has not updated its overall budget. ICON Water Trails has raised $89 million from public and private sources, McClelland said Tuesday.

More:ICON Water Trails seeks $10 million from state to help plug inflation-driven funding shortfall

The Scott Avenue dam renovation will be the first major development in the water trails project. The city of Johnston has also added a couple of boating access points on Beaver Creek, while West Des Moines completed a trail that connects Blue Heron Creek to Raccoon River Park.

"We're just really excited to be able to move forward with this project," McClelland said. "This is the critical first step to the downtown project."

The dams on the Des Moines River, located in the middle of the city, have been a focal point since the MPO released a master plan for the waterways renovations in 2016. Metro leaders said they needed to redesign the structures, known as low-head dams.

Maggie McClelland, ICON Water Trails director, speaks at a fund raiser Tuesday, July 13, 2021.
Maggie McClelland, ICON Water Trails director, speaks at a fund raiser Tuesday, July 13, 2021.

The dams are underwater and stretch from one side of the river to the other. But their steep drops generate currents at the bottoms, potentially sucking a person back toward the dam. The currents can be too powerful for swimmers to escape, drowning people. Low-head dams caused 111 deaths in the United States from 2018 to 2020, according to the National Weather Service.

The renovated dam will look more like underwater steps, lowering gradually.

For budgeting purposes, ICON Water Trails officials have lumped the $41 million Scott Avenue dam renovations in with two other planned developments in the area. The group has raised a total of $48 million for those three projects from these sources:

  • U.S. Department of Transportation: $25 million

  • Destination Iowa: $7 million

  • Private donors: $6.5 million

  • City of Des Moines: $6 million

  • Polk County: $3 million

  • Federal Highway Administration: $550,000

The private donors include Athene, Principal Financial Group and Prairie Meadows Casino and Hotel. Former Principal CEO Larry Zimpleman and his wife, Kathi, have also donated.

The Iowa Confluence Water Trails, or ICON, is working to make improvements along 150 miles of central Iowa rivers and creeks. This map shows where improvements are proposed in Des Moines.
The Iowa Confluence Water Trails, or ICON, is working to make improvements along 150 miles of central Iowa rivers and creeks. This map shows where improvements are proposed in Des Moines.

The Scott Avenue dam renovations are part of larger plan

The organization hoped to move faster on the developments than it has, requesting bids for the Scott Avenue dam renovations last fall. No builders responded.

The MPO tried again in April, but they only received one bid. Just like the latest attempt, the only response came from United Contractors and Reilly Construction. At the time, the MPO asked the builders to do four projects. The builders said they could do the work for $73 million − double what MPO hoped.

MPO officials asking the U.S. Department of Transportation for permission to scale back the project this spring. The local leaders also decided to issue the requests in pieces rather than altogether. The Scott Avenue dam renovations represent the first project.

From July 2021:Call it ICON: Central Iowa Water Trails, now Iowa Confluence Water Trails, launches grassroots fundraising campaign

Local leaders plan to follow the Scott Avenue dam renovations by building an exit point for boaters south on the Des Moines River, near Harriet Street. McClelland said in July that she hoped to request bids for that part of the project in the fall of 2023.

The group also plans to make additional changes around Scott Avenue, adding a plaza and an area where anglers can fish. McClelland expects to issue that project out for bid in the fall of 2024.

The water trails vision at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers.
The water trails vision at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers.

The overall project includes renovations to a dam to the north on the Des Moines River, near Center Street. They expect to renovate the dam, add more whitewater, build a rock climbing wall and hang four ziplines that run across the river. Further north, city leaders hope to renovate Birdland Park and Marina, adding boat launches, trails and a plaza.

In September, Gov. Kim Reynolds gave the ICON Water Trails a $7 million grant, tapping federal funds allocated by Congress for her Destination Iowa tourism program. The city has applied for another $4.9 million from the program for Birdland Park and Marina.

Tyler Jett covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at tjett@registermedia.com, 515-284-8215, or on Twitter at @LetsJett.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Bidder identified for key Iowa water trails project