Des Moines to get first solar panel field to help power 2 future city buildings

Des Moines City Council members approved bids for two construction projects Monday night, including its first solar field that will power two future city buildings on the southeast side of town.

The council also approved salary increases for the Des Moines mayor and city council members and a study to determine whether the city should move to the Nationwide building downtown.

The meeting also included a contentious discussion over a proposal to require rental properties to test for lead in water as part of the coming changes to the city's housing code, which was ultimately approved.

Here are some of the meeting highlights:

Des Moines' first solar panel field will power 2 future city buildings

Des Moines is on its way to housing its first solar field that will power two future city buildings.

Council members approved a contract bid and funding to build a $1.9 million, 6-acre solar field that will replace a landfill site east of Southeast 15th Street and north of Harriet Street. Once completed, the two solar panel arrays will provide electricity to an animal control facility at 1441 Harriet St. and a greenhouse at 1553 Maury St. on Des Moines' southeast side.

The city already has roof-mounted solar arrays on a few newer buildings, such as Des Moines Fire Station No. 11, but the field is the first "ground-mounted" array, city architect Ann Sobiech-Munson told the Des Moines Register.

The project also brings the city one step closer to meeting its "clean energy goals," Sobiech-Munson said.

"In the production model, these arrays will produce more than what we anticipate the overall annual electricity demand is for those two buildings," she said.

The city is also planting a "pollinator lawn" within the property to grow native plantings, Sobiech-Munson said.

The project will be funded by the American Rescue Act Plan, and the city expects to receive credits from the Inflation Reduction Act. Newton, Iowa-based Van Maanen Electric Inc. will lead construction.

The construction is slated to be completed ahead of the summer of 2024.

101-year-old Drake Observatory due for major foundational repairs

Council members approved a bid for foundation repairs to protect the 101-year-old Drake University Municipal Observatory from flooding.

The observatory, located on the highest ground in the city between the 17th green and the 18th tee at Waveland Golf Course, has served as a staple for stargazing and public astronomical lectures.

But the building is in need of structural repairs and maintenance due, in part, to water damage over the years, as well as upgrades to the dome that houses the historic telescope. In a study to assess the building's condition last year, city staff learned the repairs would total $2 million to $2.5 million.

Without funding to tackle the whole project, the city is starting with the most critical repairs necessary to keep the building intact, Sobiech-Munson said.

The $360,940 first phase approved Monday includes repairing the drainage on the exterior of the building around the foundation and brick masonry in the foundation wall in the interior.

The initial funding is coming from Municipal Building Improvement bonds. Des Moines area-based Gruss Construction LLC will lead the repairs.

Sobiech-Munson said preserving the observatory is protecting a piece of Des Moines history.

"There are lots of people that have strong and fond memories of the public programs at the observatory," she said. "And it's really a unique sort of piece of our architectural history."

The foundation repairs are expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.

Study approved to determine whether the city should move to the Nationwide building

Des Moines City Council approved a study Monday to determine whether the city should purchase the vacant Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. downtown.

Council members approved a $30 million development agreement in September to purchase the five-floor, 360,000-square-foot office building at 1200 Locust St. The building could serve as a new home for the Des Moines Police Department and city workers operating in the century-old Argonne Armory, 602 Robert D. Ray Drive, on the east banks of the Des Moines River.

The $528,000 study, conducted by OPN Architects Inc., will determine the feasibility of accommodating city employees in the new building. The study should wrap up in June.

While the city's deal with Nationwide would put more workers downtown — a win for shops and restaurants that have seen an exodus of weekday foot traffic since the start of the pandemic — it also would give hungry developers a chance to revive the riverwalk in the East Village.

More:Des Moines looks to buy Nationwide building in a move that could alter downtown, riverfront

Salaries for Des Moines mayor, council members will rise 21% by 2024

Des Moines' mayor and City Council members approved a 21% salary increase come 2024.

In the first pay hike since 2020, Mayor Frank Cownie will earn $70,000 per year, up from his current $57,760 salary. Council members' annual income will increase to $35,000 from $28,880.

They will also get a $100 per-week allowance — up from $75 — to spend on expenses incurred doing city business such as cell phone bills, transportation and conferences.

Council members approved the first vote for an ordinance to consider the new salaries Monday night and waived the second and third readings. At-large Council Member Carl Voss said it was brought up with a pledge that salary increases should happen every two years instead of every four years.

The new salary will begin January 2024.

Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2. 

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines to get solar panel field to help power 2 city buildings