Stanbrough Realty donated the land for the water tower in exchange for having the main water line run through Stanbrough's development. The city council agreed to this. The city had to run the main pipe through someone's land anyway, so the cost to the city was no different. The water tower site was bought for nothing. Sunrise Park was established after the tower was built in 1976.

The feud between Des Moines and Pleasant Hill over trash hauling through Pleasant Hill continued in 1975. The city of Des Moines started a trash pick up day which, on the one day, the city trucks would pick up anything and everything to be hauled to the landfill ten miles east of Des Moines. The main route to the landfill was on Highway 163. The night before trash day was to begin, Pleasant Hill Police Chief Chuck Dales asked Mayor Delk if the cover ordinance was going to be enforced. Mayor Delk said "Yes, enforce it."

Chief Dales and his officers strictly enforced the cover ordinance. They wrote many tickets for trucks that allowed the trash to blowout onto the road and ditches. About noon, Mayor Delk was called by a person from the Des Moines city hall. Delk was asked to halt the ticket writing. The answer was no. A little while later the mayor was contacted again. Again, he would not stop the Pleasant Hill police.

Des Moines Cleans Up
Pleasant Hill

Finally, the Des Moines mayor's office called Delk. An official offered a compromise to the problem. If the mayor would halt the ticket writing, the city of Des Moines would come out the next day and clean up the mess from the trash being blown out of the Des Moines trucks. Mayor Delk agreed and he told Dales to stop writing tickets. Unfortunately, by this time in the afternoon, the Des Moines truck drivers were driving all over eastern Polk County in an effort to avoid going through Pleasant Hill. Trash was being strewn everywhere the trucks went. Des Moines eventually did clean up, but in the Pleasant Hill area only.

During Mayor Delk’s second term, the city received another federal grant for improving the park. The money from this grant went to build two more tennis courts, to put in sewer and water lines through the east part of the park, and to surface more of the park’s roads.

Another development for the park occurred on May 15, 1977. The baseball field was dedicated to the memory of Eddie J. Fairman. Fairman had been active with the youth of Pleasant Hill. He had been particularly involved with the Pleasant Hill Baseball Association.

Two events during Mayor Delk’s term of office that helped the city involved money. The first did not cost the city any money and the second helped the residents save their own money. The state legislature, as part of its home rule legislation, had allowed city’s to issue tax free industrial revenue bonds. These bonds would allow industries and businesses to raise capital at a lower cost to themselves than taking out a more conventional loan. The other important money matter was the reduction of the city’s tax rates.

Iowa Power
Asks City’s Approval

Iowa Power and Light Company approached Pleasant Hill in 1974 for the issuance of revenue bonds. Ipalco wanted $5 million worth of bonds to finance pollution control equipment for the generating plant. Since the city’s only obligation was to approve of the bonds, the council agreed. Ipalco took all of the responsibility of repayment.

Since then the city has issued a number of bonds for development of certain commercial and industrial ventures. The people who buy the bonds receive tax-free interest payments from the industry or firm who wanted the money. This can be used by the city to entice industries to locate in Pleasant Hill.