November 1, 2022
Des Moines Metro officials could approve a contract for construction of a key part of the downtown water trails renovations as soon as next week, finally moving forward a project that local leaders have long prioritized to create more outdoor activities in town. The Des Moines Area Metropolitan…
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November 1, 2022
The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization received a bid within budget for the Scott Avenue dam portion of the ICON Water Trails project. Leaders will begin moving forward with the next steps toward preparing a possible contract to be voted on at a special meeting, possibly as…
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October 18, 2022
Bravo Greater Des Moines and ICON Water Trails are collaborating to connect public art with regional waterways in Central Iowa. According to a news release, the two nonprofit organizations are investing in a $500,000, two-year grant program to help fund public art along Central Iowa waterways. Maggie McClelland, ICON Water Trails director, said the…
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September 19, 2022
The Great Outdoors Foundation has been awarded $7 million in Destination Iowa funds to help develop the Scott Avenue site of the ICON Water Trails initiative. The funding was part of $12.9 million in grants that were announced on Friday by Gov. Kim Reynolds. ICON Water…
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September 18, 2022
The Iowa Confluence Water Trails project received a big boost Friday when Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she will allocate $7 million in federal funding for the construction. Though backers of the project aim to develop outdoor attractions across 150 miles of waterways in central Iowa,…
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September 16, 2022
I had the amazing opportunity to join ICON Water Trails for its last float of the season recently. A group of about a dozen folks from ICON, the Iowa DNR, Polk County Conservation and supporters paddled the stretch of the Raccoon River from Van Meter to Booneville, west of…
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July 30, 2022
Leaders of central Iowa’s ambitious water recreation project are seeking a boost from Gov. Kim Reynolds’ tourism grants as costs for the project continue to rise. With price hikes delaying construction for more than a year, the Iowa Confluence…
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June 13, 2022
ICON Water Trails will move forward under a more phased approach after receiving approval to revise the scope of work to be done under a $25 million federal BUILD Grant that was awarded for the project.The $125 million initiative is being funded…
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June 2, 2022
Prairie Meadows has donated $300,000 to the Great Outdoors Foundation for use toward the ICON Water Trails projects. The gift from Prairie Meadow’s Legacy Grant program will secure naming rights for fishing nodes at the Scott Avenue location near downtown Des Moines. The site is the first in the development of a…
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April 22, 2022
Efforts to create whitewater rafting, zip lining and other amusements along the downtown riverfront suffered a setback recently when the sole bid for an initial phase of work was $73 million, nearly double the estimated cost of $39 million. As a result, supporters who have compiled private and public commitments…
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