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Residents criticize plan to place administration building in Waterworks Park
Summary
Two residents accused city leaders of bypassing public notice and process for siting a new administration building in Waterworks Park, citing a timeline of meetings and hiring that they say predates public disclosure.
Two residents used the Grimes City Council public forum on March 10 to sharply criticize the council’s decision to site a new public administration building in Waterworks Park and to question whether the city followed required public-notice and land-use processes.
Brian Hanson, who identified himself as a resident of Grimes, told the council he was concerned the project would erode green space and future parking and questioned whether the $11,000,000 plan accommodates the city’s growth. “Does this plan have room for enough growth, or are we spending $11,000,000 on a short term problem?” Hanson said, criticizing the loss of parkland and potential impacts from nearby splash-pad parking.
Kristen Hansen said the problem was not opposition to government facilities but the process the city followed. She laid out a timeline of meetings and contract activity — including hiring architects in July 2024 and site direction from October 2024 — and argued the public was not given a meaningful opportunity to weigh in until December 2025. “When the body that writes the rules decides it does not have to follow them, that’s an ethical problem,” Hansen said, invoking Iowa open-meeting law and land-use code.
Mayor (identified in meeting records by role) responded that the city had followed required procedures. “We have followed those processes, and we’ll continue to follow those processes,” the mayor said in reply during the meeting.
The comments drew no formal council action at the meeting. The exchange happened during the scheduled public forum before the council moved on to consent and action items.
Staff and council members who handled subsequent agenda items noted the administration building and related items have been discussed in past workshops and planning sessions, and staff said construction contractors are expected to mobilize to the admin building site soon. No vote or change in the approved site was recorded during the March 10 meeting.
