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Des Moines' Birdland Park and Marina is set for a $54 million overhaul, with the first phase beginning as early as winter 2026.

Phase one, costing an estimated $16 million, includes a new boat ramp, trail improvements, and a skating ribbon.

Future phases over the next 20 years will include environmental upgrades, dredging the park's lagoon, and building a new boathouse.

Visitors to Des Moines' Birdland Park and Marina could see work to overhaul the aging northside park on the shores of the Des Moines River start as soon as this winter.

In store for the park, 2100 Saylor Road, is a $54 million, decades-long master plan that includes a skating ribbon, a new boat ramp and a hub for the Iowa Confluence Water Trails (ICON) for water recreation. In a conversation with

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