Des Moines' $55M Birdland Marina plan snubbed in budget plans

Catch up fast: The five-phased plan adopted last year calls for a new two-story boathouse, an ice-skating ribbon (like the one in Chicago), and a pedestrian bridge.

• Hundreds of residents and more than a dozen groups helped develop the concepts, which have been promoted as an economic development project.
• The project's timeline depends on grants and fundraising, but it could take anywhere from 5 to 20+ years, city officials said.

State of play: Recreation advocates are trying to get some of the first pieces of a separate $125 million Iowa Confluence Water Trails (ICON) proposal going, but the project is diverting lots of local government resources.

• Ben Page, the city's Parks and Recreation director, told council members that $1 million is budgeted for Birdland's first phase, though that's largely for boat ramp and shoreline improvements.
• Further progress is unlikely without a larger city allocation, Page said.

Between the lines: Adding significant projects — those $5 million and above — places pressure on the city's tax rate and can result in cuts to other projects, Joe Brandstatter, the city's deputy finance director, warned the council last week.

What to watch: The city's finance team will again review the project's financing, including whether federal money allocated for pandemic recovery can be used, city manager Scott Sanders told the council.

• The council will adopt a final budget next month.