The massive project underway in Bondurant is on such an aggressive construction timetable that a building inspector will be stationed at the site daily between at least 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., according to city documents.

Typically, building inspectors are called to a site when specific parts of a project are completed to ensure the work meets codes. Inspectors normally don’t stay on the project site.

The only days an inspector won’t be at the project are legal holidays, according to an agreement with Veenstra & Kimm Inc. that the City Council is expected to approve at 6 p.m. today during a special meeting at City Hall.

In the agreement, Veenstra & Kimm wrote that it expects to assign two building inspectors to the project on a full-time basis. The engineering firm will be paid $450,000 for its inspection services and plan reviews.

Construction of a 780,000-square-foot, five-story warehouse/distribution/fulfillment center is expected to be completed by November 2020, according to city documents. Other parts of the project, including infrastructure improvements, are expected to be completed by mid-2021.

None of the documents the council is approving today include the name of the company behind the fulfillment center that will be located on 165 acres east of U.S. Highway 65 and north of Northeast 62nd Avenue.

However, most believe an Amazon fulfillment center is being built on the site because the building plans are similar to other fulfillment centers built by the online retail giant. In addition, according to the Seattle-based company’s website, it is hiring people for delivery station jobs that will be based in Grimes.

Bondurant city officials have been mum about who is behind the project because they signed nondisclosure agreements.

Work at the site is underway, with heavy machinery being operated nearly 24 hours each day. The people who live south of the construction site are upset by the constant construction noise and lights, KCCI News reported this week. 

The council today is also expected to approve a development agreement with Ryan Cos., the company overseeing construction of the Project Bluejay, the project’s code name.

The development agreement calls for Bondurant to waive a portion of property taxes over six years and dedicate some of the tax revenue to infrastructure improvements around the fulfillment center, which is expected to employ more than 1,000 people. More than 500 trucks are expected to travel to and from the center daily.

Ryan Cos. will pay building permit fees totaling $950,901 and sewer and water connection fees totaling $451,300, according to city documents.

From those fees, Bondurant will pay Ryan Cos. $592,500 to oversee the infrastructure projects that include widening nearby streets and building a new one as well as a trail and adding traffic signals at four intersections.

The cost of the improvements is estimated at $14.6 million, part of which will be paid with a RISE grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation.