DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Community leaders in Des Moines are continuing to oppose plans for a $137 million federal courthouse on the city’s riverfront. KCCI-TV reports former City Council member Christine Hensley and business leaders held a news conference Monday on the steps of the current courthouse and questioned the need for a new building on land the city had hoped would be used for a high-profile private development contributing to the tax base.

Hensley says she initially supported plans for a new courthouse but now believes the current building is underutilized. She says construction of a new courthouse is unnecessary and wasteful.
It has been several years since a YMCA was demolished at the site along the Des Moines River with plans for a private development. City officials suggested other sites for the courthouse, but federal officials insisted on building on the property in the heart of downtown.

Federal officials say planning for the new courthouse is continuing.