Here is a page from the current Capital Improvements Plan (CIP), for  the ‘Marina Steps’.

The CIP is the ‘bible’ for a City. It’s what the City uses to budget projects throughout Des Moines. Transportation, Parks, Marina, Storm drains, you name it. This is one of those things we are legally required to review and vote on as part of the budgeting process. It’s one of the few ways you have to know what the City is working on, when the work will be done and where the money is coming from. It’s what keeps us on track.

Here is that project description:

Phase 3 will be to develop and publish a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a refined design of Marina steps to incorporate a water feature, mixed use retail/office space, marketspace and hotel. The design approach will increase connectivity between the downtown and the waterfront through sustainable design and improvements to create a welcoming and lively environment that will spur economic growth and further development within the community and region.

But this Thursday, we will be voting to allocate money that seems very different from what that project page says.

What we’re going to vote on The packet says that we’re going to use $782k from that bucket of money (sourced from ARPA) to move ahead with the basic approach in this Skylab image first displayed at the September 27 Community Meeting (the one with no microphone), and before we get any more public input. Yes, the ‘design’ may be tweaked, but if so, it will most likely be within the parameters laid out in this image because this is what the engineers will be using as their marching orders. In other words, this is ‘the design’. And that is nowhere near enough detail for me.

I do not think that is what residents expected after that September 27 meeting or after the January 26, 2023 Study Session–where they had no opportunity to ask questions.

People were so focused on ‘NO HOTEL!’ I am certain they just assumed the next step for the City would be to do another RFQ and not make the same mistakes again.

Nope.

Combo Package

We will also vote on an item to approve the City’s ‘intent’ to purchase $25.1MM in bonds–which remember are your tax dollars. To be clear we’re not voting on the bonds–that’s part of a ‘two-step’ process which gives the Council plausible deniability to say, “Simmer down, there will be plenty of opportunities to comment.” But this is what’s happening and if you are as concerned as I am, now is the time to comment.

The package will combine six projects:

• 3 dock replacements (L,M,N)
• Redondo Fishing Pier
• Paid Parking at Redondo
• Paid Parking at Marina
• Marina Steps
• Marina Plaza

It also says nothing about budgeting for the broken boat launch.

So, if you go by what is in writing, we’re removing the dry sheds, and leaving the current Marina tenants with no launcher. Hopefully the City will say that they’re working on it, but that’s not what this says.

This is also not great government and you should oppose this. It combines some things most people want, with some very controversial items into a combo platter. Obviously as a tactic to get them all through with as little resistance as possible.

Instead, we should vote to finance these separately. And only after they have been thoroughly vetted by both the public and the Council.

Revisionist History

On a related note: the Council occasionally receives emails specifically praising the Mayor for ‘moving the City forward!’ They applaud the notion of ‘We don’t want to look like 1962!’

And they go on to say, of course except for that hotel in the north parking lot, which was never a good idea. And then, except for…

It’s all great, except for all the except fors. 😀

The thing these these people tend to have in common is this: They’ve only lived here a few years. Or (sorry) they just haven’t been paying that much attention. They don’t understand that almost everyone who has lived here a while wants what they want and has wanted it for a very long time.

Which is to say that the whole notion of ‘NIMBY’ is simply untrue. For example, most people don’t know that in 2007, the City’s sales tax revenues were about as good as in 2019! We actually were on the right track until the Great Recession. The slow recovery is not the fault of residents. And that hotel (among other things people are not crazy about) were (and are) 100% the Mayor and City Manager’s ideas.

That makes it awkward for me. Every few years people move here and they all have the same excitement about ‘the potential!’ Me too. But it is that basic lack of knowledge which makes people prone to getting all kinds of things  all sorts of flim-flammery.

Messaging…

Sincere question: How do you tell such enthusiastic people that the things they object to are the very things being put forward by the person they are praising? How do you tell people, “Look we do want what you want. We can get there. The only reason we ask to slow down is because we want to do it right.” People are so anxious to do something, they’re willing to fall for anything so long as it looks like someone is making an effort.

I honestly need some help here in messaging this, because once people get an idea in their head, it’s tough to be ‘that guy’. But frankly, that’s the job.

Your action items

But for now? Please write your City Council. The message is simple:

Do not proceed with the current Marina Steps proposal or any financing proposals without at least one more community meeting where people can ask questions, with microphones and video and all that fancy stuff. 🙂