Doanes underwent improvements in 1971-72. The park had been expanded to a total of 39 acres in the late 1960's but there was little development. The mayor and council acquired a $40,000 grant from the federal conservation department to improve the park facilities. A power building and lights were installed to increase the hours in which the park could be used. The parking lot was surfaced. Also, two tennis courts were constructed.

One goal of many people in Pleasant Hill was to have a community swimming pool. A bond issue was brought before the people in 1969, but it lost by one vote. A second attempt was made in 1970. It failed too, as did a third vote. There is still no pool.

Mayor Grant expressed his concerns for the town's current problems and future plans in a “Des Moines Register" article of July 30, 1972. The main issue was the talk of forming a "metropolitan government." Pleasant Hill had not wanted to be part of Des Moines in the early 1960's and it did not want to be absorbed in a super city now. “We don't want any form of metropolitan government now," Grant said. "There is nothing they can offer us for less money and in such phases as fire and police protection, I think we can do better on our own."

Grant felt that a more important community concern was the need to provide a sanitary sewer system to the north industrial area which had been annexed. In the article, the mayor mentions the beltway or by-pass freeway idea as potentially beneficial to Pleasant Hill. "The beltline ... will definitely help us attract and promote industrial development in this town,” Grant said. Grant's final concern was with the old problem of trash being strewn on the roads. He called it "irritating."

Richard Delk was elected mayor for two successive terms starting in 1974. On the council during the first term were Richard Hall, Jim Robbins, Dan Rupprecht, Don McGillivray, and Richard Shaffer. The next council, beginning in 1976, had the first and only woman council member, Pauline Thurman. Joining Thurman were Richard Hall, Kent Forbes, Dan Rupprecht, and Richard Shaffer.

In 1974 the Pleasant Hill growth spurt slowed down. In a four year period, 1970-74, over one thousand new people had come to live in the town. This was so many new people that a special census was conducted to take advantage of the federal dollars that were given to towns. The more people in town, the more money the town received.

Clerk Resigns in Protests Elected to Council

The middle seventies saw a number of interesting events, some of which were also controversial. One of the more controversial events occurred in the town government. The council, in 1974, had been working on job descriptions for all town employees and decided that Pauline Thurman, the town clerk, should be doing more work. Thurman was told that the clerk should take the minutes at the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. Rather than adding to a workload which Thurman felt was already enough, she resigned in protest. In connection with the resignation were charges that the council was conducting illegal secret meetings.