Five years, $275,000 in planning and design fees later, Forest Grove Park may get first improvement

Five years and nearly $275,000 in planning and design fees later, Bettendorf's new Forest Grove Park may get its first actual improvement – a small playground area with one basketball hoop, a shelter and parking for two dozen cars – later this summer.

The city has issued general obligation bonds to begin improvements at the new park, located north of Forest Grove Road, east of Middle Road and south of Interstate 80. The 2014-15 fiscal year budget (ending June 30) allocated $1.3 million for Forest Grove Park improvements.

But park officials said last month they are looking at scaling back some the initial proposed park improvements (earthmoving/landscaping for a "big lawn" area) or taking money from other scheduled park improvements elsewhere in the city to help pay for construction of the small southeast corner playground area this year.

Even that work will have to await completion of a new street – Spring Creek Drive – extending north from Forest Grove being built by the adjacent subdivision developer, Ven Green Development LLC, of Dallas, TX. Work on the street began last fall, but the road is very much a work in progress with grading still the only activity on site.

The city paid $2.92 million – $32,000 per acre – for the 92-acre property in 2010. After acquiring the land, the city swapped 15 acres of prime flat park land just off Forest Grove Road with the Pleasant Valley School District for location of a future elementary school. In exchange, the city got 19 acres of land bounded by I-80 on the north and a ravine and Spencer Creek on the south and west side of the park. The land is hilly and essentially inaccessible from the other Forest Grove Park property because of the steep topography and creek.

Then, in another land deal last year with Ven Green, the city deeded over more than 4 acres, which enabled the developer to add 11 building lots worth in excess of $700,000 at current land prices in the neighborhood. The city got three acres of land unusable for development, while the developer retained the right to use those parcels for storm water detention areas.

The developer agreed to pay half the cost of the new street serving the park and subdivision, but developers normally pay the full cost of streets serving a subdivision.

City Administrator Decker Ploehn told the park board at its June meeting last year that the land swap was "a pretty good trade," and cited the increased tax base from the new home construction as one of the factors for supporting the deal.

The new road initially was estimated by the city to cost in excess of $500,000, with the developer to contribute $225,000. Park Director Steve Grimes told the park board at its meeting last month the cost of the street is now expected to be $400,000, with the city park department contributing $150,000 to the project and Ven Green the remaining amount.

Responding to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by bettendorf.com, the city provided a list of checks paid RDG Planning and Design of Des Moines for Forest Grove Park work. The total amount for the design work from June 30, 2011 through February 28 of this year totaled more than $194,000. At May's park board meeting, however, Grimes told commissioners the city was "obligated" to pay an additional $80,000 in fees for the park planning and design work.

Bids on the first phase improvements of Forest Grove Park are expected to be discussed at Tuesday's (6/9) Park Board meeting. CLICK HERE to download the park board meeting information.