The Perry Mayor is looking forward to some revisions to the downtown area in 2025.

Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh tells Raccoon Valley Radio that Perry saw a good number of businesses shut its doors last year, but he sees this as a positive for many exciting modifications coming up for this year. He details that he has spoken with Hotel Pattee co-owners Jay and Jan Pattee, who have leased their space that formerly held Ben’s Five and Dime to a new undisclosed owner with a plan to reveal the organization in early February. 

Cavanaugh adds that Perry Perk will be moving locations from Warford Street to 2nd Street, next to Tin Pig, and that there is a plan to open a bakery for the Warford Street location. He continues by stating that a new bookstore is in the works to start soon across the street from the Des Moines Area Community College VanKirk Career Academy. Cavanaugh addresses that the owner of the former Tyson Foods Pork Plant building is still having ongoing conversations with a couple of clients. He is looking forward to the changes coming on the horizon.

“A lot of activity downtown that will hopefully help us recover. Hopefully Tyson will sell and somebody will come in there and be back moving towards better days in Perry.”

Cavanaugh mentions that construction will start this year on downtown apartments above Tin Pig, H and R Block, along with Perry Nudgers Incorporated renovating the apartments above the Morgan Building. He pinpoints that all the work along downtown is scheduled for completion by either this summer or fall.