No Meeting Tuesday, February 27th 2007

Posted by Joe Willis 
 

 

 

Tuesday, February 27th 2007

 

This Week (02-27-07):       NO MEETING    

Meeting cancelled since our 80th Anniversary Party is this Saturday, March 3rd at WDM Marriott. See details below under Club News.

 

Last Week (02-30-07):     The Principal River Walk

Dana Petrowsky introduced Libby Jacobs, Iowa state legislature and Vice President at Principal Financial Group.

 

With the two rivers (Des Moines and Raccoon) meeting in downtown DSM and the opening of Gray's Lake, Principal Financial was inspired to move forward with the Principal River Walk. In 2002, they assembled a national firm with a reputation in waterfront design, along with local experts, to design and develop six miles (both sides) of riverfront in downtown DSM.  

 

Local eclectic focus groups were used to get feedback on what DSM wanted. Two key comments surfaced: Keep it simple and make sure there is an ice cream vendor down there. This $60 million redevelopment project started in pieces along the rivers, and includes several amenities.

 

Fom Wells Fargo Arena on the Des Moines River and from Fleur heading east along the Raccoon River, here are several of the pieces that are either completed or soon to be finished:

Meredith Trail-

Street-level walkways take you to Gray's Lake over the Jackson Street Bridge (A.K.A. 5th St. Bridge) that crosses the Raccoon River.  

Center Street Bridge-

This arched bridge will cross the DSM River from Wells Fargo on the west and connect to the walkway on the east side just north of the Armory.  It will have two decks, one for walking and one for bikes. The bridge will stand 112 feet high. For comparison, the new arched bridges over I-235 are 52 feet high.

Brenton Skating Plaza-

22,000 people have used this facility since it opened this winter. It has three miles of permanent cooling coils and the rink is three feet wider than the Rockefeller Plaza Rink. They have their own Zamboni which is housed in the smaller of the two buildings.

Union Railroad Bridge-

This was converted to a walkway. The red part is original. It cost $1 million to scrape the original lead paint off and repaint it.

Court Avenue West-

West of the DSM River and east of the Court House, this will be a multi-purpose trail from the Iowa Cubs ballpark to the ice skating rink. It will be a key gathering area with a new structure along the walkway. This is scheduled to be finished in 2007.

Hansen Triangle-

Located at 2nd and Grand Avenue, this section will connect with the river-walk near the MidAmerican Energy Substation. It will include a $500,000 sculpture fountain donated by the Buchsbaum family. It is scheduled for completion in 2008.

Outdoor Artwork-

Both the Buchsbaum and Papajohn families have donated several million dollars of art that have either been installed or will soon be installed in the above projects.

Pioneer Gardens-

Along the west side of City Hall, the Gardens were opened in 2006. It is built on a levee. They had to put a new 500 year flood wall behind it for approval from the U.S. Army Core.

 

35 government agencies were involved to make this project as seamless as possible. Over $40 million have been raised so far. Any questions or for more information, go to:

www.principal.com/riverwalk.  

 

 

CLUB NEWS:

 

80th Anniversary Club Party

Dana Petrowsky and Janet Nelson have got the bash all set up and ready to go. 

Date:       Saturday, March 3rd, 2007

Location: WDM Marriott

Time:       6-7pm cocktails / 7pm dinner

Live Music before dinner furnished by:

Bob Start and his Band of Renown

Entertainment after dinner: Illusionist, David T. Williamson

Contact : Dana (440-4630 or Janet ((453-6456)

 

Bunny Harper

Scheduled for June 18th at the Indianola Country Club. Indianola Rotary is the host club for 2007. Contact Greg Kenyan if you want to participate in this event.

 

WDM Rotary Club Foundation

Resurrected by Tom George and Greg Kenyan, it will soon be online. More later on its purpose and growth potential.