Dico Demolition Making Great Progress In City Of Des Moines

Press release from the City of Des Moines:

September 7, 2021

"The City's on-site role in this demolition and cleanup really got rolling in August, and we couldn't be more pleased with the progress made," Cooksey said. "As long as the weather cooperates, and barring any unforeseen challenges, we should have our portion finished in November."

Demolition work on the former Dico office building was captured in this time-lapse video.

The Dico site on the southern edge of downtown has been considered a Superfund site by the EPA since 1983. After decades of challenges, the City now has ownership of the site and is focused on preparing for future development.

On May 28, 2021, the City of Des Moines officially took ownership of the Dico site. In partnership with the EPA, the City has started removing the structures on the 43-acre property. Crews were given access on July 24, 2021, to clean up the Cities portion of the site. Since then, they have already removed the old office building, and are prepping to start demolition on the second building. EPA has demolished the three buildings along the east side of the property and is in the process of sorting materials for disposal.

While the buildings will be gone, there is still important work that needs to be done. The EPA will continue work to remediate the south pond and replace the groundwater treatment system prior to potential re-development.

This press release was produced by the City of Des Moines. The views expressed here are the author’s own.