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Residents press Grimes council over transparency after Waterworks Park chosen for city building
Summary
Multiple residents told the Grimes City Council they were sidelined after staff and consultants recommended Wallace Farms as the preferred site for a new administration building, raising questions about timing, notice and whether the Waterworks Park decision was properly disclosed.
Residents pressed the Grimes City Council on Jan. 27 over the city’s decision to place a planned administration building adjacent to Waterworks Park, saying they received notice late in the process and that the site selection lacked adequate public transparency.
At the start of public forum, Joe Herman said the city hired consultants for site analysis and “OPM concluded that Wallace Farms was the best location for this building,” and asked why the city had proceeded with Waterworks Park instead. He said the site selection was not disclosed to the public until November 2025 and argued that residents were deprived of meaningful input. Brian Hansen said petition organizers collected roughly “300 signatures” opposing siting the building at the park and said the process felt already decided before neighbors were notified.
Kristen Hansen, speaking for the Concerned Citizens for Waterworks Park, said city records show professional services contracts were approved in April and July 2024 and that pre‑design materials in October 2024 analyzed multiple sites and did not recommend Waterworks Park as the preferred option. She asked whether any meeting that changed the preferred site was properly noticed under Iowa Code Chapter 21 and requested an auditor review limited to governance and process questions.
Mayor and staff responded that the city followed the notice and bidding procedures required by state law. City legal counsel Tom Henderson told the meeting that, in his review, he had seen no violation of Iowa open‑meeting law in the steps taken and that planning, bidding and contracting steps were subject to public meetings. The mayor said the administration building project had advanced through typical steps and emphasized the city had tried to engage the community.
Council members acknowledged the residents’ emotions and encouraged continued dialogue. The mayor and several council members said they would be available after the meeting to meet with neighbors and that staff would explore mitigation measures — for example, additional landscaping and site design adjustments — to address neighborhood concerns while preserving the project schedule and budget.
The council did not take legislative action on the site selection during the meeting. Residents said they would pursue additional records requests and consider asking the auditor to review the city’s documentation of meetings and decisions.
Next steps: residents requested clearer documentation of when and where site decisions were discussed and whether all relevant meetings were properly noticed; the council said staff would follow up with neighbors and provide opportunities for continued input.
