Safety Concerns Will Keep Former GRC Campus Closed To Public During Building Demolition Process

The campus of the former Glenwood Resource Center, including a burial site that serves as the resting place for more than 1,000 individuals, will remain closed to the public for an indefinite period of time as redevelopment of the property moves forward.

The campus has been off limits  to the public since Oct. 31 at the request of local law enforcement agencies after repeated acts of vandalism and loitering.

Larry Winum, a spokesperson for the Glenwood Redevelopment Corporation (GRC) - the non-profit organization established to oversee redevelopment of approximately 250 acres of the campus - said the property was closed to the public to ensure the safety of residents and staff at Glen Haven Village skilled nursing facility and the Glenwood Community School District, which houses its central office, daycare and APEX programs in the 103 Central Building. Public access is now limited to individuals who have direct business with those entities.

‘The intention originally was to kind of leave it (campus) open,” Winum said. “We know people were going up and walking – we thought that was great, but then it got to the point, particularly at night, it got pretty bad.”

The vandalism, loitering and need for officers to patrol the campus more frequently became a growing burden and concern for local law enforcement officers.

“Eventually, it just became a situation where in order to enforce the rules up there, we’re just going to have to close the campus to unauthorized folks,” Winum said. “ If you’re not going up to Kid’s Place or you’re not going up to Glen Haven, they don’t really want other people up there.”

Winum said the GRC is aware of concerns some members of the public have about access to a cemetery on the campus being temporarily closed to the public. However, he said some of the information being spread on social media by citizens is inaccurate.

‘We totally get the fact that the residents are buried there and we’re going to do the best we can when we get into new construction, which will be after all the demolition, to maybe enhance that place a little bit and dress it up a little bit,” he said.

According to a ruling from the Iowa Department of Insurance, the GRC does have the legal authority to shut off access to the cemetery for safety reasons. Under Iowa Code, the area is legally defined as a “private burial site” because interment was restricted to former Glenwood Resource Center residents and other individuals with direct-ties to the facility. The cemetery was not available for burials to the general public.

The historical and archaeological studies conducted across the campus by the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) have been completed so the next step in the lengthy redevelopment process will be the demolition of about 90 percent of the existing buildings on the campus. Before that can happen, each structure must undergo an environmental inspection to determine what mitigation issues exist. The inspection process is expected take 60-90 days.

Winum pointed out the state of Iowa initially intended to demolish every building on the campus, except the structures that are part of the Glen Haven Village complex.

“We are saving buildings up there,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the Glenwood Redevelopment Corporation, every building up there except Glen Haven, would be torn down, including the school building. The school’s lease was up with the state, it was expired, so they were just letting them stay up there. They (state) were not interested in letting them remain, but they finally said, ‘if you want to work with them (school district), fine.’”
Including the 103 Central Building, which underwent a massive renovation earlier this year, around 8-10 existing buildings on the campus will be spared demolition.

“The goal is to keep the 103 Building, the Girls Cottage to the north of that, the administration building, the Meyer Building, the chapel, fire station and a couple buildings east of the fire station,” Winum said.

There have also been discussions about retaining the campus barn.

Building demolition is likely to begin in 2026. The construction of two access roads to the campus from Highway 34 will also commence.

The GRC has selected a master developer to determine a plan for the property’s future – Woodbine-based Arch Icon, one of the region’s most highly-regarded firms specializing in residential and commercial space development.

“We’re very fortunate to have them as our master developer,” Winum said. “We’ll develop residential housing – lower to moderate income, multi-family, moderate housing, higher-end housing. It’s probably going to be a little more unique than just normal Glenwood.

“We do have funds from the state to tear down buildings and put in two new roads, but the master developer is going to help us kind of do a more detailed design of what potential neighborhoods, light commercial and retail stuff could look like up there – kind of  a neighborhood lay-out.”

Winum stressed the process will take time.

“Phase 1, which we are in now, gets us to the point where the site is development ready,” he said.  “That means we’ve got access to sewer, water, gas, electric and internet, we’ve got two new roads up there, we’ve got the buildings torn down and land graded so you could develop housing, light commercial, retail.”

Winum said citizens can get project updates and submit questions and inquiries on the GRC website - glenwoodredevelopment.com.