contracts and special projects

Operation Downtown enhances the business environment in Downtown Des Moines (DSM) by fostering vibrancy and forming strategic partnerships that create positive experiences and drive investment in key issues. This work includes collaborative contracts aligned toward shared goals, public art installations, activations and other creative problem-solving initiatives. 

Downtown Public Space/Park Maintenance

Operation Downtown manages a unique collaboration between the private and public sectors to provide cooperative maintenance of Downtown DSM 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. This work has not only enhanced Downtown DSM but has raised the standard of what a world-class city should look like. 

Downtown Installations and Activations

The Operation Downtown Board of Directors designates funding for special projects like placemaking installations and activations to increase vibrancy and provide welcome surprises in Downtown DSM. Events, interactive pop-ups and art installations produced by the Greater Des Moines Partnership and Operation Downtown contribute to the vibrancy. Check out the installations and activations here.

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.

Downtown Farmers' Market

The Operation Downtown team supports the Downtown Farmers’ Market presented by UnityPoint Health through various tasks to assist with the operation of one of the Top 5 Best Farmers’ Markets in the United States (The Gateway, 2025).