contracts and special projects

Operation Downtown enhances the business environment in Downtown Des Moines (DSM) by revitalizing spaces and streetscapes, conducting market research and forming strategic partnerships to drive investment in key issues. Along with managing special projects, Operation Downtown also offers contract services.

Downtown Events and Installations

Downtown Des Moines (DSM) is a vibrant destination to live, work and play in the heart of the Greater Des Moines region. Events, interactive pop-ups and art installations produced by the Greater Des Moines Partnership and Operation Downtown contribute to the vibrancy. This vibrancy is made possible through several supportive community partners, including MidAmerican Energy Company and Prairie Meadows. Check out their work and learn more about Downtown DSM.

Downtown Public Space/Park Maintenance

Operation Downtown manages a unique collaboration between the private and public sectors to provide cooperative maintenance of Downtown public parks and other public spaces, including the Principal Riverwalk, John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, East Locust Street and more. The work goes beyond typical safe and clean services and includes turf/irrigation, sidewalk/trail snow removal, plant bed maintenance, utilities and more. 

Crow Control

When the weather turns colder in the fall, thousands of crows flock to Downtown DSM to seek warmth. These huge flocks can make quite a mess with their droppings, so Operation Downtown works with the USDA federal wildlife specialists to implement crow preventative measures. From pyrotechnics that generate loud noises to laser beams that scare off the birds, the Operation Downtown crow control program has implemented several successful crow-control techniques that keep Downtown DSM clean and have led the way for other cities.