Des Moines business and civic leaders have this grand idea to build a dream dome along Locust Street near Meredith Publishing and the Hotel Fort Des Moines.

The plan calls for a 10-acre, dome-covered rain forest that could reach 20 stories in height. The dome would be built on a 25-acre site and has been estimated to cost $330 million.

The project would tie together elements of education, entertainment and economic development.

We agree with Alice Rodine, a neighborhood leader in Des Moines, who said the project reminds her of spending one’s money on a guest bedroom when the rest of the house is in despair.

In other words, there are other things Des Moines could spend money on to improve the city.

In addition, it does not make sense to build a rain forest in the middle of Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A. When environmental activists rally to save the rain forest, this is not what they have in mind.

The money for the project could be spent on schools. The city’s current budget for school repair might suffer if money is needed for the dome.

Let’s leave the rain forest in Brazil.