DES MOINES, Iowa — The city of Des Moines is working around the clock to make sure downtown is ready for the hundreds of visitors in town for the Iowa caucuses.
According to Catch Des Moines CEO Greg Edwards, the caucuses will bring an estimated $11.2 million in just one week.
“All eyes are on Iowa right now. All eyes are on Des Moines. As I’ve told people, this is our Super Bowl here. It really is,” Edwards said.
Edwards said over 2,000 media credentials have been requested for the Iowa caucuses.
“We’ve been preparing for the caucuses really for the last year. A lot of stuff we do along with the Greater Des Moines Partnership and making sure the media is all set to go,” Edwards said.
Des Moines Public Works Director Jonathan Gano said almost all of the department’s street division is working 24/7 to clear streets and sidewalks in East Village, near the Iowa State Capitol and around the Iowa Events Center.
“We got more than a foot of snow this month and a last little bit here coming in right before the caucus coverage kicks up in earnest next week. We decided to come in and clean out those areas and scoop the snow off the sidewalk and haul it away,” Gano said.
The snow is loaded in trucks and sent to an open area off of Harriet Street.
“We’re just trying to get the snow out of the way so that everyone else that is trying to use the East Village sidewalks and the parking spaces can have just that much more extra room for everybody to peacefully coexist,” Gano said.
Crews are expected to complete the snow removal Jan. 27.