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City to take over former Dico site near downtown Des Moines

City council will be voting Monday, Sept. 14 on transferring ownership of the property to the City of Des Moines.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The City of Des Moines announced Thursday that it will soon take over ownership of the Dico property located near downtown. 

The agreement is between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dico, Inc., Titan Tire Corporation, Titan International, Inc. and the city. 

Removing buildings, remediation of a pond and installation of a replacement upgraded ground water system are all included in the agreement, according to city council documents.

$200,000 is the estimated cost to demolish the site and $250,000 is the estimated annual cost to maintain and operate the property.

The 43-acre Dico lot, which will be donated to the city, is located south of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and east of the Raccoon River.

Credit: City of Des Moines

The EPA says operations at the property resulted in the release of harmful chemicals and metals into the soil, buildings, drainage areas and groundwater. In 1983, the EPA placed the property on its list of Superfund sites requiring long-term response to clean up hazardous material contamination. 

In 2017, city leaders saw the need for a larger-sized police department and voted 5-2 to give the city manager the ability to begin working with the EPA and DNR to evaluate the readiness of the old Dico site. 

The Des Moines City Council will address the agreement at their meeting on Monday, Sept. 14 at 4:30 p.m.

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