W.D.M. to build $20 million public services facility

West Des Moines will spend up to $20 million to build a new public services facility that will better serve neighborhoods on the city's far western edge, city leaders say.

It will house the city's Public Works Department and Parks and Recreation maintenance division. 

Bret Hodne, public works director, said it is a challenge to meet the city's growing infrastructure needs from the department's facility at 560 S. 16th St. Employees spend a lot of time traveling to the far reaches of West Des Moines, whether for snow removal or to fill potholes.

The department has outgrown the 30-year-old facility and has been renting warehouse space to store equipment, Hodne said.

"Logistically we’re so far from one end to the other," he said. "We're not just going to move from one building to the other, we’re going to expand out to the west and operate out of two facilities."

The new facility will be located on 63 acres at the intersection of South 88th Street and Grand Avenue. The grounds will include a burn simulation training center for the fire department, a communications tower for Westcom and a deep well for water works.

Starting Sept. 1, the Public Works Department will incorporate portions of the parks department. Ten parks maintenance, forestry and horticulture employees will come under the umbrella of public works, City Manager Tom Hadden said.

Public works will be responsible for maintenance of parks grounds. The parks maintenance facility at 1421 Maple St. will close with the opening of the new public services building.

"We have different peaks in seasons when these departments are busy. We'll be able to pull people over from one department to the other," Hadden said.

The Parks and Recreation Department will continue to oversee recreational programs and plan new parks.

The public services building is expected to be fully complete in four years, Hodne said. The City Council on Monday will approve a bid to grade the site and consultants will move into the design phase.

The grounds are being designed to accommodate future expansion. West Des Moines, which had a population of 56,000 during the 2010 census, is expected to grow to 125,000 residents by 2030, Hodne said.

"When I started 26 years ago our borders were much smaller. Now we're all the way into Warren County and down into Madison County," Hodne said. "I think the big challenge is the land mass we're serving. I want to build something out there that's both very durable and functional, but the main thing is the capability to expand in the future."