[ad_1]
A group of business leaders and citizens of Des Moines announced Wednesday its intention to take control of the social club of Des Moines and redevelop the downtown site into a public market open all year .
The plans are in their infancy for a reinvented space, which could cost around $ 7 million. The same goes for the Des Moines Social Club as it exists today – a non-profit organization and entertainment venue dedicated to local arts, theater and music.
Executives are considering owner-operated stores or sales areas that would include fresh produce and other homemade products similar to those found in the downtown farmer's market.
An extra space could be dedicated to restaurants.
"It's a very important space in this community – we want to transform it, not let it go," said Kristi Knous, president of the Grand Des Moines Community Foundation, the non-profit organization. who is leading the project with the Greater Des Moines partnership. , the city of Des Moines, Polk County and other stakeholders in the community.
"We think creatively about how we could pursue the essence of the Social Club," she said.
The Latin restaurant Malo will remain open. The same goes for Scenic Route Bakery, an East Village café that will open its second site at Des Moines Social Club on Thursday.
Both will serve as "anchors" to the proposed covered market, Knous said.
Organizers hope to continue running the Social Club Gallery, hosting community classes and renting space for events, Knous said. We do not know what can happen at the Kum & Go Theater.
The announcement comes just three months after the Social Club said it was facing financial difficulties, operating costs far outpacing revenues.
The leaders behind the proposed public market say that the social club does not close, but evolves.
However, the Social Club's website, which previously cataloged events and classes, was replaced by a statement from its board of directors stating, "Something new and wonderful is coming."
"It's not closing, it's coming in. It's going to turn the Social Club into a public market concept," Knous said.
"The spirit of the Social Club has always been to bring people together, to build a community and to be available to all – it will be very good in this public market space," she said.
The board of directors of nine members of the Social Club is expected to vote this week for its dissolution. A new board will take over the leadership of the club, said Tiffany Tauscheck, Greater Des Moines Partnership's Strategy Officer.
The existing board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of the new board.
The group hired a consultant to conduct a 120-day conceptual study to refine the plans. The consultant will help determine how the market will be financed, probably through a combination of public and private money, as well as grants.
The concept of the covered market has been floating in Des Moines for several years. The initial plans were for the market to be in the Hub's kaleidoscope before the building was purchased by Blackbird Investments, a local developer who plans to demolish it and build a housing tower instead.
Public markets have been successful in other US cities including Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Portland and Milwaukee. The NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids has dozens of small businesses that host many ephemeral shops and weekly farmers' markets.
Founded in 2008 by Zack Mannheimer, the Des Moines Social Club was created for the first time at 1408 Grand Ave. prior to relocating to its current location in the former Des Moines Town Fire Hall at 900 Mulberry Street
At its official opening in 2014, the Social Club unveiled the Kum & Go Theater, featuring an auditorium, a bar downstairs and a rooftop. The 30,000-square-foot site includes an art gallery, a recording studio, performance and rental rooms and a cafe.
The Social Club offered hundreds of community classes each month on topics such as dance, cooking and writing. He introduced local artists, theater and orchestras, organized an annual food truck festival and organized a big New Year's Eve party, all at lower prices to allow all income levels to participate.
Still, the organization, which relied on a combination of ticket sales and donations, was unable to maintain its funding model, the board said in June.
The organization's tax forms show net losses of $ 395,329 for fiscal 2017, $ 255,136 in 2016 and $ 1,585,158 in 2015. The non-profit organization has announced that he had a debt of $ 1.7 million for the 2017 fiscal year.
A statement sent Wednesday on behalf of the board of the Des Moines Social Club says that it's time for the organization to "imagine the next step."
"We understand that we must be open to new ideas, energy and leadership," the statement said. "While programming may no longer look like the past, we welcome the opportunities offered by the evolution of this glorious facility into the ongoing mission of creating unprecedented community engagement."
The requests for additional comments from the Chair of the Board, Mac Stanfield, were not immediately returned.
Social club leaders first became interested in organizational change about six weeks ago, Tauscheck said. The idea of managing a public contract in the building arose from a meeting with a group of stakeholders.
"In life, you try things and sometimes, what you had planned originally must be adapted," said Matt McCoy, Polk County Supervisor.
Social club reorganization plans have evolved rapidly, said Tauscheck. The existing 501 (c) (3) will remain in place and this organization will continue to own the building, she said.
The events planned for 2019 should remain the same, but the organizers will contact those who have reserved space in 2020 to see if the new vision will match their plans.
Some social club employees are still working in the building, but staffing is expected to change as the reorganization unfolds, said Jay Byers, executive director of the Greater Des Moines Partnership.
The Social Club has spent about $ 8 million to relocate and renovate the former fire hall, known as the Firehouse No. 1. He bought the building in Des Moines in 2013 for $ 630,000 when the city moved its fire headquarters to 1330 Mulberry Street.
Any change in use or ownership of the building within 10 years must be approved by the Des Moines City Council, in accordance with the purchase agreement.
The principals of Principal Financial, Wells Fargo, Kum & Go and the Grand Des Moines Community Foundation have injected nearly $ 3.5 million into the Fire Station project, convinced that the Social Club could improve the quality of Des Moines' life, contributing to a culture that attracts and retains the most talented employees and their money.
"There were a lot of investors in the Social Club at the start, so we want this thing to work," said Knous. "We will get around it, re-imagine it and watch it grow and prosper."
Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the registry. Contact her at [email protected] or 515-284-8259.
Your subscription makes work as possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.
[ad_2]
Source link