The Waldinger Corp. has expanded its footprint in southwest Des Moines with the acquisition of 15.5 acres from Mid-Iowa Council of Boy Scouts of America, Polk County real estate records show.  

Waldinger, doing business as Bell Avenue Properties Inc., paid Mid-Iowa Council $7 million for the parcel at 6123 Scout Trail in Des Moines. The parcel includes a one-story, 23,662-square-foot office building with banquet facilities that was constructed in 2012. The property, which had been tax exempt, is valued at $8.9 million.

The multipurpose facility will be used as a training center and office space for Waldinger’s corporate team, according to a company spokesperson. Waldinger also owns a three-acre triangular shaped parcel adjacent to the former scout facility and nearly 27 acres at 6200 Scout Trail on which its headquarters is located.

The scout facility was constructed when there were more members and staff involved in the organization, wrote Matt Hill, scout executive and CEO of the Mid-Iowa Council. “After evaluating multiple options over an extended period of time, our leadership determined that selling the property and reinvesting the proceeds represented the best long-term path forward for the organization.”

Hill stressed that the Mid-Iowa Council is not ceasing to operate. However, it will relocate its administrative offices, Scout Shop and warehouse operations to a leased facility at 7900 Hickman Road in Windsor Heights. The new location is better suited to meet the organization’s current operational needs and is accessible to Central Iowa Scouts, volunteers and families, Hill wrote.

The majority of the proceeds from the sale will be invested in the Council’s endowment and long-term sustainability initiatives, Hill wrote. “This is a proactive strategic decision focused on strengthening the future of Scouting in Central Iowa, not a response to financial distress.”

The Mid-Iowa Council serves youth and families in 27 Central Iowa counties through programs that include Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Exploring and outdoor education. “One of the benefits of this move is that it allows us to direct more organizational resources toward youth programming and volunteer service rather than facility overhead and maintenance costs,” Hill wrote.

The transaction was recorded May 29.

In other transactions:

Gerald and Colleen Patterson paid Timothy and Karla McCarthy $1.3 million for property at 1456 Tulip Tree Lane in West Des Moines, records show. The property includes a two-story, 3,505-square-foot house built in 2004. The transaction was recorded May 26.

Roxann and Darin Roggenburg paid SP Property Investment $4.5 million for property at 12870 and 12874 Ridgeview Drive in Urbandale, records show. The two parcels, with a combined total of 2.5 acres, include a one-story, 2,990-square-foot house built in 2022. The transaction was recorded May 26.

Joseph and Emily Schmidtlein paid Strahan Construction Co. $1.4 million for property at 3263 NW 85th Place in Ankeny, records show. The 1.3-acre parcel includes a 3,546-square-foot house built in 2022. The transaction was recorded May 27.

Steven and Nita Savage paid Mohit and Charu Chawla $1.7 million for property at 5710 Chestnut Lane in West Des Moines, records show. The property includes a two-story, 4,466-square-foot house built in 2013. The transaction was recorded May 28.

Dallas County

Waukee gun club property sold

Property that for 65 years had been used as a shotgun range has been sold to a developer who plans on constructing 127 single-family homes on the site, public records show.

Neighborhood Builders, doing business as Timberline Estates LLC, paid New Pioneer Gun Club $6 million for the parcel at 31454 312th Place in Waukee, Dallas County real estate records show.

In January, the Waukee City Council approved the annexation of 100 acres, most of which had been owned by the gun club. Hubbell Realty Co. also owns some of the land that was annexed into the city. In April, the council approved a preliminary plat for the development of a 90-acre single-family residential development.

The gun club had been located on the site since 1961, when it relocated from south Des Moines. When the club moved to rural Dallas County, it was surrounded by farmland. Over the past two decades, Waukee has expanded to surround the gun club property with housing developments and a school.

The gun club had been a shotgun-only range that offered trap and skeet shooting and a sporting clays field.

Before the site can be developed, soil on the site must be remediated, according to a city document. The property’s new owner is working with Iowa Department of Natural Resources on a remediation work plan. A certificate of completion will be issued by DNR once soil removals are completed and properly contained or disposed of, the city document said.

The transaction was recorded May 26.

In other transactions:

Ricky and Kristi Dhabalt paid Cynthia Voorhees $1.7 million for property at 31275 Crosscreek Road in Waukee, Dallas County real estate records show. The five-acre parcel includes a 3,008-square-foot house built in 2018. The transaction was recorded May 29.

Jeffrey and Deanna Burke paid Darin and Misty Gruver $1.1 million for property at 4010 NW 181st St. in Clive, records show. The property includes a 1,985-square-foot house built in 2023. The transaction was recorded May 28.

Next Phase Development LC, located in West Des Moines, paid JES Investments LLC $1.2 million for property at 1225 SE Laurel St. in Waukee, records show. The 2.3-acre parcel is undeveloped. The transaction was recorded May 27.

Shawn Sabin and Paul Barnds paid Custom Holdings LLC $1.2 million for property at 18241 Baxter Place in Clive, records show. Construction of the 2,106-square-foot house was recently completed. The transaction was recorded May 26.