RenovateDSM.com - News and Action - Comments

Rule is more restrictive in Iowa

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:03:13 -0800

The EPA renovation rule is not as restrictive as Iowa's rule. Contractors need to be aware that disturbing more the 1 square foot of paint (either interior or exterior) cumulatively must be certified by the State of Iowa in lead safe work practices!

Endangered Buildings

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:23:10 -0700

I was not able to get the form to load, but do have buildings to nominate as Endangered.

1. The cute old 'dutch' styled depot from 1900 on the west side of E. 1st street just south of Court Avenue (part of Boyer Petroleum). It had been fairly well kept until recently and now the weeds are as tall as it is. It would be a great 'Donut Depot' if moved closer to the East Village or a welcome center on the Riverwalk.

2. Ferrington Place on Keo Way across from the Greyhound Bus Station. It has an angular corner on the SE - a rare feature in DsM buildings. It also has an interesting story of the former Carpet Co. and owner.

3. The 1903 Odd Fellows Hall at E. 30th & Locust, which is used as Fairgrounds Hardware. I wonder what would happen if the store would close. Fortunately, the VFW saved the old fire station a few blocks to the west.

4. A small 1953 building at about 1800 Euclid, on the south side of the street. Until recently it had been better maintained, but now the windows have been broken. It was from the day when Highway 6 was the major route through town. It would be great if it could be moved closer to the 6th & Euclid area - or near one of the very old gas stations along 6th Avenue, or even if it could be moved across the street nearer the cute 'One of a Find Creations' building at 1529 Euclid. The two old gas stations on 6th Avenue may also be considered endangered, especially the one at Madison which appears to be vacant. The other 'stone' one is quite cute and well kept.

There are about 12-15 of the Lustron homes in the DsM area. Two are along 63rd street in Windsor Heights, two are on Chamberlain across from Roosevelt High and there are two in the Merle Hay neighborhood. The city has a separate designation for them on the housing plan and they could give you a list of all of them in DsM. Also, in addition to the round houses at 50th & Urbandale, there are a couple of round houses near Polk Boulevard and Kingman Ave. and one in the Fairgrounds neighborhood (around E. 25th Street just south of E. University).

There was a note in the newspaper that the log cabin is endangered - probably not. It was moved to the spot by Sec Taylor Field, Principal Park from Washington, Iowa in 1964 as a memorial to Fort Des Moines II, established in 1843, closing in 1846. The city has promised it will not even have to move due to the new bridge. It was restored again and rededicated three years ago. Michael Gartner has said he will landscape around it, and there will probably be some information about DsM history and the DsM history of baseball (the first lighted game & involvement in the Negro leagues) on a wall of the new bridge.

For more info about the cabin and some DsM history, go to the website for Polk County Historical Studies at www.neighborhoodlink.com/org/pchs. Even though the Polk County Historical Society is no longer active, I wanted to keep the website going and revised the name. Hopefully, someday there will be a Des Moines Historical Society and the DsM buildings and historical stories and items will be much better preserved and appreciated. Many people don't even know there was the 'old brick' capitol building here for 30 years before the current capitol was opened. It was neglected and became a dirty, smelly mess before it was torn down; it should have been an endangered building. DsM has quite a history of ignoring history.

If you have any questions please contact me at a1hawkeye@juno.com or my home phone is 278-1234. Thanks. Pat Meiners

River Bend

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:56:22 -0700

I am President of the River Bend Association and was asked to reply to your question. First, I'm very pleased that you have fallen in love with one of the neighborhood houses. There are many folks who felt the same and have bought and rehabbed wonderful old houses here. I am one of them! Second, River Bend generally has a lower rate of crime than surrounding neighborhoods. However, that continues to be a challenging issue for us. Last summer was definitely not good. We are fortunate to have a new Chief of Police who has become very involved in improving neighborhood/law relations. Last summer she formed the Neighborhood Enforcement Strike Force (NEST) which had a huge impact on crime in our neighborhood and other neighborhoods. We have been told that a similar initiative will be launched this spring and summer. We have also been told that a new vice and narcotics patrol unit is being formed and will start this summer. This will be an evening patrol for the whole city, and it has been many years since such a unit was part of the police force.

We also strongly believe that landlords who are indifferent to the activities of their tenants are contributing factors to crime. In the last two years we have successfully sued landlords to hold them responsible for the criminal and nuisance activities of their tenants. We are getting the message out that landlords cannot just collect rent without being held accountable.

Lastly, we cannot do any of these things without the committed participation of members of our association. We have a strong organization and we do our best to address the concerns of the neighborhood.

I would be happy to put you in touch with other residents to get their perspectives. Thanks very much for your interest in River Bend.

Jeanne Johnson

River Bend

Pamlyn — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:18:24 -0700

Do any of you live in this neighborhood? I'm afraid I've fallen in love with a house... right by the corner the man was shot last summer. It seems that there is slow improvement there-- can anyone give any comments?
Feel free to contact me directly.