Construction has begun on a 15,203-square-foot, one-story facility for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 347, according to commercial building permit information from the city of Ankeny.
The permit valued at $5.7 million was among the 60 issued in the Des Moines area in March, records show. The value of the March permits totaled more than $146.5 million; in the first three months of 2021, 147 commercial permits have been issued with a total value of over $521.8 million.
The new facility for the electrical union local is under construction on 2.6 acres at 6809 S.E. Bellagio Court in Ankeny. The group bought the vacant ground for $750,230 in October 2019 from Kimberley Commercial LLC, Polk County real estate records show.
The facility, made with precast concrete panels, will be visible from Interstate Highway 35, said Scott Farnsworth, assistant business agent for the union, which currently has offices at 850 18th St. in Des Moines.
The union has outgrown its Des Moines office, which has limited parking, Farnsworth said. The local has about 1,800 members, he said.
“We usually don’t have enough parking spaces when we have meetings and our meeting hall doesn’t always hold everyone,” he said. “COVID really brought out how small the hall is. It’s been a challenge to get everyone socially distanced during meetings. The new hall will have plenty of room.”
The new facility, being built by Weitz Co., will include 108 parking spaces. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year, Farnsworth said.
Plans include allowing members of the local to rent the meeting hall for weddings and other gatherings. Space will also be available at the facility to store floats used in parades, he said.
“The building isn’t fancy but it’s got a lot of nice features, Farnsworth said. “We’re hoping it’s a building that will last 100 years.”
A commercial permit was also issued in March in Ankeny for a 60,000-square-foot production and warehouse addition at Mrs. Clark’s Foods, located at 740 S. E. Dalbey Drive. The addition is being built on the east side of the existing facility.