Botanical Garden's aging heating system threatens exotic plants

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is one mechanical failure away from losing its valuable collection of exotic plants.

The facility's 39-year-old heating and cooling system is barely functioning and needs to be replaced.

The nonprofit that runs the indoor garden has spent nearly $19 million in recent years to update the facility's meeting rooms, cafe and gift shop.

Now, it wants Des Moines to cover half the $3 million cost to replace the HVAC system, despite a lease agreement that says the city is not responsible for building upkeep and maintenance.

“Without having a stable HVAC system, the entire collection could be lost,” Stephanie Jutila, the Botanical Garden's president and CEO, told the Register.

The city has not yet agreed to help pay for a new HVAC system, but Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders said it might be in the city's "best interest" to work with the nonprofit.

“The alternative is that they either have to fund raise for the full amount, taking away from their programming, or turn the property back over to the city which would be the worse case scenario,” he said.

“We would not want to have to consider shutting it down,” Sanders said.

But Councilman Chris Coleman said he's "of the mind that the city only has enough money right now for our top priorities."

"I'm going to take a hard look at the history of this," he said.

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden nonprofit has managed the facility since 2013. It has a 75-year lease with the city, which continues to own the building.

It has spent $18.6 million in the last five years to update administrative offices, meeting rooms and classroom spaces, add a cafe and gift shop, and develop 7 acres of outdoor gardens.

But it has not made any changes to the HVAC system, which was installed in 1979 when the building opened.

"It wasn't within the scope of the project," Jutila said, despite acknowledging that officials with the nonprofit were aware of the system's age.

The nonprofit conducted an engineering study of the building in 2017. Excerpts presented to the City Council in November showed the HVAC system is barely functioning.

“There should have been money spent on making it work well before making it look pretty,” Mayor Frank Cownie said during a November workshop.

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden declined to share a copy of the engineering study with the Register.

Des Moines shifted operational control of the Botanical Garden to the nonprofit in 2013 to in part relieve taxpayers from ongoing maintenance, infrastructure and operating costs at the facility, city documents show.

The nonprofit receives $200,000 per year from the city and $200,000 a year from Des Moines Water Works, which also provides the facility with free water. Bravo Greater Des Moines — a group that supports arts, culture and heritage organizations across central Iowa — provides another $245,000 annually.

The city has helped finance additional one-time projects. It paid $550,000 to bring the gardens into compliance with the American Disabilities Act, $150,000 to help replace the facility's geodesic dome panels, and $18,500 for a new fire hydrant.

"The city and Botanical Garden have a great relationship," Jutila said. "City staff and city council continue to be very pleased with what we're able to do under private leadership."

Councilwoman Linda Westergaard said an agreement on funding the HVAC replacement could come before the City Council in the next few weeks.

Westergaard sits on the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden board of directors.