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Des Moines Council approves paving, park and parkway conveyances, and major Birdland Park contract
Summary
The City Council on April 20 approved multiple contracts and conveyances — including $994,415 for residential paving, an $830,560 parking-garage repair contract, and an $8.4 million Birdland Park Phase 1B contract — and dismissed a skywalk improvement hearing with no bids received.
The Des Moines City Council on April 20 voted to approve a series of contracts, conveyances and code changes, including awards for residential paving, parking garage repairs and Birdland Park Phase 1B improvements.
Council members carried motions on consent and separate agenda items after routine roll-call votes. The council designated Inroads LLC as the lowest responsive bidder for the 2026 residential hot-mix asphalt paving program at $994,415 and approved a parking garage repair contract with Fisher Building Services Inc. for $830,560. The council also approved an $8,398,738.65 contract with Minturn Inc. for Birdland Park Phase 1B improvements and accepted a $150,000 cost-share grant from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for urban conservation demonstration projects.
The voting sequence was procedural: each item was moved and seconded and then approved by roll call. Several measures required multiple votes or waivers and the transcript records each motion as carried with seven affirmative votes.
During discussion and public comment, Carol Maher, a downtown Des Moines resident (Ward 3), criticized a separate skywalk signage expenditure and said the city should not spend on skywalk improvements instead of supporting street-level retail. "$550,000 US. That's how much we're going to pay for signage in the skywalks," Maher said, adding that skywalks reduce walkability and can create safety and sanitation problems. The council later dismissed a hearing on Skywalk exterior improvements, noting no bids had been received.
Council members and staff highlighted the role of grant funding for parks work. One councilmember pointed to nearly $7.5 million in grants (Birdland 1A and 1B combined) that the city secured, and thanked grant-writing staff and federal partners for assistance on the Birdland master-plan work.
Votes at a glance - Item 37 (vacation of portion of E. Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy; conveyance to Market District Apartments LP for $4,500): motion moved and carried (roll call recorded; seven affirmative votes). - Item 38 (corrected vacation of air rights and conveyance of permanent easement at East Grand Ave): motion moved and carried (seven affirmative votes). - Item 39 (sixth amendment to Oak Park Highland Park urban renewal plan): motion moved and carried (seven affirmative votes). - Item 40 (2026 hot mix asphalt residential paving contract — Inroads LLC — $994,415): motion moved and carried (seven affirmative votes). - Item 41 (2026 parking garage repair program — Fisher Building Services Inc. — $830,560): motion moved and carried (seven affirmative votes). - Item 42 (Birdland Park Phase 1B improvements — Minturn Inc. — $8,398,738.65; plus $150,000 Iowa Dept. of Agriculture cost-share grant): motion moved and carried (seven affirmative votes). - Item 43 (dismiss hearing on Skywalk exterior improvements due to no bids): motion moved and carried (seven affirmative votes). - Item 44 (amend Chapter 114 of the municipal code regarding SW 33rd Street): motion moved and carried (seven affirmative votes).
The council moved to receive and file public comment materials on item 45 (public speaking) before adjourning. The meeting record shows uniform roll-call outcomes for the listed agenda items; individual council votes were not read aloud for every item beyond noting unanimous carriage in the transcript.
What happens next: approved contracts will proceed to the administrative steps required for execution (award, bond, and contracting). The council did not delay or table the listed items at the April 20 meeting.
