1 big thing: Work-from-home government

2. First look: $33M senior housing project

A drawing of a senior housing complex planned in Des Moines.

3. The Ear: Sugar, we're growing down swinging

Illustration of a cornstalk and two goldfinches silhouetted against a sun and sky in neon colors. 

4. Quote du jour: Remembering Ema Cardenas

5. We're thrifting fiends

Do you see yourself with a new career? 

6. Des Moines' ultimate events guide

High of 62 and a chance of thunderstorms before 2pm.

Situational awareness: 19 students and at least two adults are dead after a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school yesterday.

Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all flags to fly at half-staff in remembrance of the victims.

Today's Smart Brevity™ count is 893 words, a 3-minute read.

Scope out Axios Local and sign up for our free newsletters across the U.S.

Des Moines

Picture of the Des Moines skyline with DSM written across it.

Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporters Jason Clayworth and Linh Ta.

Axios Des Moines

1 big thing: Surge of teachers leaving

Illustration of a chalkboard with a waving hand emoji drawn on it.

2. Tweet du jour: Drag show controversy

3. Scooter's Coffee hits a snag

A photo of a development site in Des Moines.

Need a new job? 

4. Charted: Mass shootings

5. The Ear: We don't seed no thought control

Illustration of a pair of headphones with plastic corn cob holders sticking out of them.

6. Pic du jour: DMPD’s first Black major

Lillie Miller poses with Chief Dana Wingert

7. 🔍 1 gif to go: Stoker's mark across Des Moines

🎓 It's commencement this weekend for Des Moines seniors. What's a word of advice for the 2022 graduating class? Hit reply and we'll share.

Today's Smart Brevity™ count is 910 words, a 3.5-minute read.

🦠  Antivirals are now available at Hy-Vee pharmacies to treat people with mild-to-moderate cases of COVID-19.

Thanks for reading. Tell your friends to subscribe here.

1 big thing: Dispelling the "model minority myth"

2. School choice bill is dead, but bottle bill lives

Seeking employment? 

3. First bites: A new farmers' market vendor

4. The Ear: News children of the corn state

Illustration of an animated ear of corn, walking past a cornfield.

5. 🤔 1 mystery to go: A strange device's anonymous owner

👀 Hi, Tuesday. After today, even the calendar goes W-T-F.

High of 59. Expect some showers after 3pm. 

Today's Smart Brevity™ count is 935 words, a 4-minute read.

☀️ We'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.

1 big thing: Our poppin' parks

Illustration of a state park sign in the shape of Iowa.

2. DSM home hunters need to make 30% more

An illustration of a gold real estate sign.

3. Your weekend plans

Illustration of a sun listening to headphones and smiling. 

4. Ask Axios: Who cut down all those big trees?

On the job hunt?

5. ⛱ 1 summer thing to go: New beach concessions

🎉 Happy Friday and cheers to a holiday weekend. 

Turn off the furnace: Upper 70s today, low 90s by Monday.

Today's Smart Brevity™ count is 920 words, a 3.5-minute read.

🪦 Tombstone tours: Learn about DSM's history and its military veterans via historical tours this summer at Woodland or Glendale cemeteries. ($10, reservations required)

Send your friends here to subscribe to our newsletter for free.

1 big thing: Revising the ICON project

2. These Iowans are banned from Russia

Seven headshots on a blue background of Rich Eychaner, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Leon Spies. Bottom: Rep. Ashley Hinson, Rep. Cindy Axne, Sen. Joni Ernst, Rep. Randy Feenstra. 

New jobs to check out

3. Report: Nearly 3,000 Iowa COVID deaths were preventable

4. The Ear: Fresh from the news farm

5. Pic du jour: A historic win

It's Monday. Highs in the low 60s and cloudy. 

🇺🇦 Exclusive: Axios' Jonathan Swan will interview Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today at 1pm CT. Tune in.

Today's Smart Brevity™ count is 922 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Check out all our free local newsletters.

The concession stand at the Gray's Lake Park beach reopens Saturday for the first time in about a decade.

Why it matters: The move comes as Des Moines' Parks and Recreation Department sees more people using local parks since the pandemic began, department spokesperson Jennifer Fletcher tells Axios.

Of note: Another concession at the opposite side of the park — located on the lake's terrace — has been in use for years and will remain open this season.

What they're serving: Sorry, no adult beverages.

Hotdogs, ice cream, cold drinks and snacks are on the menu.

⏰ Open: 10am-8pm daily through July 31. Weekday hours begin at 1pm between Aug. 1 and Labor Day.

Des Moines beach concessions reopen after a decade hiatus

Gray’s Lake beach last weekend. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios  

Outdoor activities

The concession stand at the Gray&#x27;s Lake Park beach reopens Saturday for the first time in about a decade.Why it matters: The move comes as Des Moines&#x27; Parks and Recreation Department sees more people using local parks since the pandemic began, department spokesperson Jennifer Fletcher tells Axios.

News

Axios Des Moines, anchored by Jason Clayworth and Linh Ta, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

Des Moines and Polk County officials are reviewing work-from-home guidelines as some municipal employees push for remote statuses adopted in the early days of the pandemic, human resource directors from both governments tell Axios. 

Why it matters: Local governments provide crucial public services.

Efforts to balance the community's needs with employees' desire for more workplace flexibility has significantly ramped up recently.

The big picture: 77% of Americans whose job can be done remotely say it's important that their employer allow them to work remotely when they want to, according the annual Axios Harris 100 poll.

Most say the pandemic proved many jobs can be done just as efficiently from home, Axios' Sara Fischer and Jennifer A. Kingson write.

Catch up fast: In early 2020, with the arrival of COVID, both Des Moines and Polk County closed multiple government offices and shifted as many employees as possible to remote work.

Many offices have brought employees back in recent months as services return to normal.

State of play: Roughly 5% of full-time staffers still work remotely for at least a portion of their week, as some temporary administrative policies remain in place allowing for work-from-home flexibility. 

That's about 80 Des Moines employees and 65 for Polk County.

The latest: Both governments are reviewing permanent alternate work arrangement policies and are expected to issue employee guidance in coming weeks.

What they're saying: While just a fraction of the workforce is remote, James Wells, Des Moines' HR director tells Axios it's necessary to have policies and procedures in place to maintain functions like customer service operations or staff collaborations, which can require in-person employees.

Polk's HR director Jeff Edgar wrote in a memo to the county manager this month that research suggests hybrid arrangements of up to two days of remote work a week are the most effective for productivity and morale.

The key is monitoring the work product and retaining "robust authority to revoke it where necessary," Edgar wrote.

The bottom line: The face of government operations, like in many private businesses, has been forever changed by the pandemic.

Some level of remote work is here to stay.

Des Moines and Polk County assess work-from-home government

Both governments are expected to issue employee guidance in coming weeks.

Illustration of an office cubicle with a roof like a house.

Local government

Des Moines and Polk County officials are reviewing work-from-home guidelines as some municipal employees push for remote statuses adopted in the early days of the pandemic, human resource directors from both governments tell Axios. Why it matters: Local governments provide crucial public services.

Question: "Weren't the trees that were removed recently in Prospect Park part of the ICON project? If that's being delayed three to five years, why cut them now?" — Rachel Bradley, DSM.

On Monday, we told you how organizers of the Iowa Confluence Water Trails (ICON) project are seeking permission to downsize the scope of work required under a $25 million federal grant.

Under the revised proposal, work to create water amenities like boat launches at Birdland and Prospect parks would be completed in later years, depending on how much money is available.

Answer: Prospect Park and at a site near Harriet and Southeast 14th streets were prepped in anticipation of the work outlined under the original scope of the grant. 

Dozens of trees were removed in March to avoid disturbing several endangered bat species that nest in the trees during warmer months, ICON director Maggie McClelland tells Axios.

Officials at the time didn't anticipate a change in the project's timeline, McClelland said.

Yes, but: While the trees could have stood longer, their deaths aren't in vain.

The ICON improvements will still happen sometime in the future, McClelland noted.

Ask Axios: Who cut down all those big trees in Prospect Park?

While the trees could have stood longer, their deaths aren't in vain.

About 40 trees that were 12" or larger in diameter at Des Moines' Prospect Park were felled in March to make way for ICON project developments that are now likely to be delayed for a few years. Their stumps are being removed. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios 

Question: &quot;Weren&#x27;t the trees that were removed recently in Prospect Park part of the ICON project? If that&#x27;s being delayed three to five years, why cut them now?&quot; — Rachel Bradley, DSM.On Monday, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="we told you" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2022/05/23/iowa-icon-water-trail-project-first-phase-revised" data-vars-content-id="672bbfa7-5a9d-4058-8c2c-7ced5f3c110d" data-vars-headline="Ask Axios: Who cut down all those big trees in Prospect Park?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2022/05/23/iowa-icon-water-trail-project-first-phase-revised" target="_self">we told you</a> how organizers of the Iowa Confluence Water Trails (ICON) project are seeking permission to downsize the scope of work required under a $25 million federal grant.<ul><li>Under the revised proposal, work to create water amenities like boat launches at Birdland and Prospect parks would be completed in later years, depending on how much money is available.</li></ul>Answer: Prospect Park and at a site near Harriet and Southeast 14th streets were prepped in anticipation of the work outlined under the original scope of the grant. <ul><li>Dozens of trees were removed in March to avoid disturbing several endangered bat species that nest in the trees during warmer months, ICON director Maggie McClelland tells Axios.</li><li>Officials at the time didn&#x27;t anticipate a change in the project&#x27;s timeline, McClelland said.</li></ul>Yes, but: While the trees could have stood longer, their deaths aren&#x27;t in vain.<ul><li>The ICON improvements will still happen sometime in the future, McClelland noted.</li></ul>

Developers looking to bring a new Scooter's Coffee shop to Des Moines' Beaverdale neighborhood are asking the City Council to step in after the Plan and Zoning Commission rejected their plans.

Why it matters: Developers want to open the shop at a gas station that has stood vacant at the corner of Beaver and Douglas avenues for more than a decade. It's one of the busiest intersections in the neighborhood. 

Catch up fast: The City Council in December approved a request from Knapp Homes to rezone the site to allow for restaurant use with a drive-up window.

Demolition was expected in coming weeks and the coffee shop was slated to open in late spring, now-former councilperson Bill Gray said during the December meeting.

Flash forward: Des Moines is now pushing for the proposed 669-square-foot drive-thru building to include a patio to make the site more pedestrian friendly.

It's part of an alternative site plan being sought by developers that would waive some requirements associated with entrances and building design.

Yes, but: Outdoor seating would also require the site to provide public restroom facilities. 

That would add to the building's footprint and not allow for enough queuing space to prevent drive-thru congestion, project designer Brandon Short told zoning commissioners last month.

Between the lines: The site, which is just over half an acre, is too small, zoning commissioner Todd Garner said during last month's meeting.

The property needs to be combined with adjacent properties to build something more appropriate for the location, Garner said.

What's next: City Council will consider the developers' appeal on June 13.

Of note: Officials from Knapp Homes did not return Axios' request for comment.

Plans to build new Scooter's Coffee in Beaverdale hit a snag

Zoning officials rejected developers' request.

A photo of a vacant gas station in Des Moines.

A Scooter's Coffee shop is proposed for this site, 4402 Douglas Ave., in Des Moines. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios

Developers looking to bring a new Scooter&#x27;s Coffee shop to Des Moines&#x27; Beaverdale neighborhood are asking the City Council to step in after the Plan and Zoning Commission rejected their plans.Why it matters: Developers want to open the shop at a gas station that has stood vacant at the corner of Beaver and Douglas avenues for more than a decade. It&#x27;s one of the busiest intersections in the neighborhood.

Food and Drink

A $33 million senior housing complex will be constructed on Des Moines' south side, under a zoning request approved by the City Council this week.

Why it matters: There's an affordable housing deficit in central Iowa. The facility will bring about 144 units to a nearly six-acre site near Southridge Mall. 

Details: KCG Development, an Indiana-based affordable housing company, plans to build the three-story Akona Hills complex at 7221 SE 5th St., around an interior courtyard.

Apartments will have one or two bedrooms. A clubhouse will include a library, business center and screened patios.

What's ahead: KCG will apply for $15 million in Iowa tax credits next month, KCG development director CJ Lintner tells Axios.

Construction could begin later this year with the first units available in 2023.

First look: Des Moines' planned $33M senior housing project

Construction could begin later this year.

Construction of the Akona Hills senior complex at 7221 SE 5th St. in DSM could begin later this year. Drawing courtesy of KCG Design Services

Affordable housing

A $33 million senior housing complex will be constructed on Des Moines&#x27; south side, under <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a zoning request" data-vars-click-url="https://councildocs.dsm.city/Resolutions/20220523/43.pdf" data-vars-content-id="aeb1ea4f-7f6f-450e-ab1f-3c7d68496abb" data-vars-headline="First look: Des Moines&#x27; planned $33M senior housing project" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://councildocs.dsm.city/Resolutions/20220523/43.pdf" target="_blank">a zoning request</a> approved by the City Council this week.Why it matters: There&#x27;s an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="affordable housing deficit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pchtf.org/about-us/recent-news/nlihc-releases-annual-gap-report/" data-vars-content-id="aeb1ea4f-7f6f-450e-ab1f-3c7d68496abb" data-vars-headline="First look: Des Moines&#x27; planned $33M senior housing project" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pchtf.org/about-us/recent-news/nlihc-releases-annual-gap-report/" target="_blank">affordable housing deficit</a> in central Iowa. The facility will bring about 144 units to a nearly six-acre site near Southridge Mall.

Sections

Axios Local

Axios gets you smarter, faster with news & information that matters.

About

Subscribe

Jason Clayworth

Stories

Ask Axios: Who cut down all those big trees in Prospect Park?

Des Moines beach concessions reopen after a decade hiatus

Plans to build new Scooter's Coffee in Beaverdale hit a snag

Des Moines and Polk County assess work-from-home government

First look: Des Moines' planned $33M senior housing project

Newsletter editions

🏡 You need a raise

🧑‍🏫 500+ teachers leaving

🗂 Work-from-home gov

🚫 Debunking Asian stereotypes

🇷🇺 Russia bans Iowans