May 25, 2001
Iowa’s capital city thrives throughout the year, but never is it more vibrant than during
March. The statehouse is alive with lawmakers from all corners of Iowa. The skywalks
are crowded with athletes, their families, and their fans attending the high school
basketball tournaments. Suits and loafers easily mix with sweatshirts and sneakers
to create a microcosm of Iowa’s diversity. In March, Des Moines is truly Iowa’s town.
It’s not until August and the State Fair that Iowans are brought together again in great
numbers to celebrate Iowa. The exceptions are showcase events, such as the 1999 Senior
Open or the Iowa Caucuses, which put our state in a national spotlight. Truly, when Des
Moines shines, all of Iowa basks in the light. It should be that way all year, every year.
We represent a core group of corporate leaders who live and work in Central Iowa and serve
the entire state. We are extremely proud of our city and our state, and we know they can
be even better. We believe we should be ever striving to create a way of life that makes
our community even more positive and memorable. We need to create greater incentives for
Iowans to return home to Iowa — not just to visit, but to build their futures even as we
celebrate our past.
People of vision have spent the last decade building a plan for our future. They created a
“Vision Plan” in the early ‘90s that centered on making this community a “destination city”
for all Iowans. A hallmark of that plan is attracting cultural opportunities and myriad events.
In 1994, this vision was expanded through the “Destination Downtown” report that dared
to envision a world-class public events center to “help retain and expand business for
economic and employment gain essential to the health and viability” of our community.
The Major Projects Taskforce, formed in 1998 by then-Mayor and former Governor Robert D.
Ray, recommended this center be our community’s highest priority over 17 other worthy
projects reviewed. Seven national and international entertainment and redevelopment
consultants who participated gave their unanimous support to the plan.
The Iowa Events Center is the cornerstone of today’s “Vision Plan.” Yes, it is the
centerpiece of economic development for Central Iowa. But it is much more. It’s
named the Iowa Events Center, not simply the Des Moines Events Center. This project
is part of a strategic plan to bring over a billion dollars of public and private
investment to the downtown area and serve as a catalyst to rebuild our capital city
in the process.
It does not stand alone, but is the lynchpin to the development of almost a dozen complimentary
projects that enhance Iowa’s quality of life: a new Science Center, Court Avenue Station,
the new library, downtown housing at both Court Avenue and Riverpoint West, Gray’s Lake
redevelopment, Gateways East and West, and the Chinese Cultural Center.
The project would have access to parking for up to 7,000 vehicles right on the skywalk and up
to 15,000 spaces within a half-mile of the site. The skywalk system itself links the
facility to downtown hotels, restaurants and additional entertainment opportunities.
And the MLK Parkway and I-235 expansion project will provide direct and easy access right
to the Center.
Central Iowa is home to many of the state’s corporate headquarters and the hundreds of
thousands of employees that make our economy grow. It is the interests of these people
that make the compelling case for this project.
Governor Tom Vilsack and the Iowa General Assembly approved the Vision Iowa Program with
the clear purpose of keeping Iowa’s youth in Iowa and to attract more people to build their
homes and their lives here. We thank the members of the Vision board, who have committed
themselves to making a difference for Iowa, to invest the program’s limited resources wisely,
and to encourage quality of life enhancements that will secure the future of our state in this
new century.
We join the leaders of each and every community surrounding Des Moines in their strong
support of this vision. Recently, a number of major corporations have chosen Greater
Des Moines over cities like Columbus, Atlanta, and Minneapolis for their expansion
projects. We are confident that these decisions resulted from their confidence that
we are committed to the continued vibrancy of our community. It’s the same reason that
over 50,000 people moved here in the past decade.
So the next time you watch the Tournaments, go to the Fair, or see a Broadway touring
company in Des Moines, remember that these are all a part of a larger vision for our
community, the next element of which is the Iowa Events Center. We urge your support
of this exciting project.
OP-ED PIECE IN SUPPORT OF IOWA EVENTS CENTER
The following op-ed piece by Central Iowa business leaders was submitted to the Des Moines Register on March 5, 2001, in support of the
Iowa Events Center. The Register ran the piece later in March.
*******