Hawkeye Reporter

DES MOINES, IOWA — Monday, February 20, 2023 — The Des Moines North Side Community Recreation Center project is gaining some serious momentum, and a new name.

On Monday, the Des Moines City Council will receive and consider over $3.5 million in donation and naming agreements with various donors for the Community Recreation Center project that will be located at the current site of the Grubb YMCA.

"This project is near and dear to all of our hearts,” Des Moines Parks and Recreation Director Ben Page said. “This is a neighborhood that deserves a new facility and the investment from these donors shows that our community is stepping up and helping turn it into a reality. This is a major moment in the process that is all in thanks to the incredible generosity and support of these donors."

The project plan was developed over the course of six public meetings and more than 200 community conversations that helped shape the plan that includes removing  the current  building and constructing a new community recreation center and park on the site located in the vicinity of 1611 11th Street and 1600 9th Street.

“This entire project has been a collaboration between the neighborhood and the City,” Page said. “The project design has been driven by the input we’ve recieved at our public meetings, and the community has certainly shaped what this project will look like, the amenities it will bring to this area, and how residents will enjoy it for generations to come.”

The City has committed $12 million over four years to the estimated $18 million project which is anticipated to open in 2026. The first round of donations totals $3,570,000 to the project which includes six donations and four sets of naming agreements.

• $1,200,000 – The Reichardt Family
  • The building’s exterior façade shall be designated the “Reichardt Community Recreation Center”
• $1,000,000 – Patty and Jim Cownie
  • The basketball court and gymnasium shall be designated the “Patty and Jim Cownie Family Courts and Gymnasium”
• $500,000 – Catalyst Circle Grant
• $250,000 – Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines
  • The largest community room area shall be designated as the “Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines Community Room”
• $500,000 – The Ruan Foundation
  • The elevated walking track shall be designated as “The Ruan Foundation Track”
• $100,000 – W.T. and Edna M Dahl Trust
• $20,000 – Lohse Family Foundation

If you want to make a contribution to the project, and help meet the Parks and Recreation Department’s $6 million dollar fundraising goal, please visit the project donation website, through the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation.

Original source can be found here.