DES MOINES, Iowa — On Monday, Planned Parenthood North Central States announced they will end their annual book sale after six decades of selling books to Iowans.
The organization says October will be their last book sale — at the Iowa State Fairgrounds — because the city of Des Moines bought their warehouse under a voluntary agreement.
The agreement: the city of Des Moines plans to reconstruct Second Avenue by adding left turn lanes and realigning side streets, including Clark Avenue where Planned Parenthood's warehouse is located.
City engineer Steven Naber told Local 5 on Tuesday that the project will begin in early 2024 between University Avenue and the Des Moines River. There are over 50 properties impacted along the three-quarters of a mile.
"We had been working with Planned Parenthood over the past couple years, and came to an agreement, a voluntary agreement in May to acquire that property in order to build this, this safety improvement," Naber said. "Some of that acquisition we may only need like a little sliver, or a little corner for acquisition. Or other cases, such as Planned Parenthood, it warranted complete acquisition in order to realign Clark Street and make it line up."
Planned Parenthood said in a Monday press release that "change is hard," but they would continue to provide a sex education program in Iowa raised by the book sale through an endowment fund established by the sale of the organization's warehouse.
The final book sale will take place from Oct. 12 through Oct. 16 in the 4H buildings at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.