Des Moines is one step closer to a final recommendation for a recreation center on the city's north side - Des Moines Register

Des Moines' north side residents are one meeting away from seeing a final recommendation for a new and improved recreation center for their community.

The process has included five community public forums, hosted by the city and Chicago-based architecture firm Latent Design, to include residents in the project's planning process.

So far, residents have collaborated and had open conversations at these forums to help narrow down ideas for a site plan. At Thursday's meeting, the residents with ideas included local Girl Scout Troop 30078, who uses the Grubb YMCA as a meeting space.

The girls shared their vision for a new center which included plenty of space to play, a new basketball court, a splash pad and more.

In all of the public forums, one major theme has emerged: Des Moines' north side residents want access to the same state-of-the-art community facilities as their suburban peers. 

Already, $12 million has been allocated by the city toward the construction of either a brand new facility or the renovation of the current Grubb YMCA building at 1611 11th St.

An overwhelming majority of participants have made it clear that not only do they want a new facility, but they also need amenities that would exceed the $12 million budget.

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As a result, Latent Design came to Thursday's meeting with six, tiered options for residents to review.

Still, there were options to either build new or renovate the existing building. Each of those two options had three tiered options that started at $12 million then increased to $15 million and then $18 million.

Katherine Darnstadt, founding principal architect at Latent Design, said the options were meant to show residents what was possible beyond the $12 million already allocated for the project, which is what residents requested at the last meeting.

More funding for renovation could mean addition to the existing building

If residents opted to renovate the existing Grubb building instead of building new, there would be little opportunity change the existing floor plan. 

Already multiple residents have expressed that the existing layout is crammed, and want more independent space for the weight room and community space. 

A $12 million renovation does offer some reconfiguration to rooms, but not any major changes to the layout. A $15 million renovation would offer reconfiguration of walls for more program spaces, and an $18 million renovation would allow for a two-story addition.

Additional funding for new construction would significantly increase possibilities 

The options for the construction of a new building showed increased square footage with each option.

The maximum square footage for $12 million is about 19,000 square feet. The building would be one story and include amenities such as community rooms, fitness and cardio spaces along with a pool.

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With $15 million, the building could expand to about 28,000 square feet, adding a track, increased community space, a pool party room and an NBA sized basketball court.

The top tier, which would cost $18 million, could increase the square footage to about 40,500 and include two levels, a hydro pool in addition to a regular pool, and all the features includes in the $15 million option.

'We deserve better'

When asked who would prefer building new over renovating, almost every person voted for a new building, while no one showed interest in a renovation.

The greatest support in the room was for the newly constructed $18 million plan. If the final site plan were to be the $18 million option, the parks and recreation department would need to fundraise for the additional cost. Another possible option could be an allocation from the city's $95 million pot of COVID-19 relief funds.

Parks and Recreation director Ben Page acknowledged that fundraising could be difficult, as many of the usual donors for big dollar projects have other commitments. Page said he remained positive that the department would be able to find some kind of donors for the center. 

But residents say they are ready for the challenge.

"We deserve better...we just need to go out and find the money...we're not going to be scared. We're going for more than that," resident Brandi Miller said. "If I got 18 million to make this nicer. I want 18 million to make it new."

Latent Design will have an open house on March 24 at the Grubb YMCA from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. to present its final recommendations to the community. 

Those who could not attend Thursday's meeting can watch a recording of the meeting and submit feedback at https://www.dsm.city/business_detail_T6_R277.php

Melody Mercado covers Des Moines city government for the Register. Reach her at mmercado@registermedia.com or Twitter @melodymercadotv.