Legislators lobby to keep Hy-Vee open on DM's north side

By TOM BARTON tbarton@dmreg.com
May 07, 2008 06:04 AM

Three state legislators have agreed to arrange a meeting between Hy-Vee Foods CEO Ric Jurgens and members of Citizens for Community Improvement to discuss keeping a north-side store open. Reps. Wayne Ford and Ako Abdul-Samad and Sen. Jack Hatch met with two dozen members of CCI on Monday, the day store officials announced plans to temporarily close and rebuild a smaller store at the Harding Hills site at 3330 Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. During that meeting, the three agreed to call Jurgens and encourage him to still meet CCI members.

Hy-Vee's renovation of the Harding Hills store will not happen for at least a year, store officials have said. The West Des Moines-based grocer said in September that the Harding Hills store probably would close in late 2009 after a new store opens in Beaverdale. CCI in a statement sent Tuesday said it was encouraged by Monday's announcement, but maintains "there is more work to be done." The group said critical issues need to be negotiated: keeping the store open during remodeling, ensuring the remodeled store is a full-service grocery store, and creating a dialogue between the community and Hy-Vee.

CCI members have pointed to stores at other locations that have remained open during construction, including Altoona, Pleasant Hill, West Des Moines and Bettendorf. They also used the Ingersoll Dahl's store as an example. Dahl's will replace its current store at 3425 Ingersoll Ave., which is roughly 48,000 square feet, with a 69,885-square-foot store, which will be Dahl's largest. The current store will remain open while the new store is built.

Hatch called the smaller store a "glorified convenience store," and worried low-income residents in the area would be forced to pay more for their groceries. Ford praised the work of CCI and said he was pleased with Hy-Vee's decision to stay in the area. "The people are happy and the community is happy, but there still needs to be a dialogue so Hy-Vee can understand the needs of the community," he said. Hy-Vee officials have said the remodeled store will not have bakery or deli departments or a pharmacy.