Bondurant’s Trailside Transformation Starting Soon

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Get ready to see some heavy equipment during your next ride through Bondurant. Some transformative additions will soon take shape along the Chichaqua Valley Trail (CVT), giving cyclists a new reason to pull over.

Distillery In Old Grain Elevator

A new distillery in an old grain elevator is the centerpiece of the transformation at the old Landus Cooperative property, right next to the CVT. Scott Turczynski is the driving force behind what he is calling T12 Distillery.

“I like to joke that I was coming back from the crazy farm when I passed by the ‘for sale’ sign on the co-op,” he said.

He now owns the old Landus property, and is getting ready to start work on T12 — his passion project.

“A few years back, I was thinking about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and I just feel like I’m being called to put this there,” Turczynski said.

Two clusters of grain elevators sit on the property, located just northeast of downtown Bondurant. Turczynski plans to renovate one of the towers in the western cluster into his distillery. He said the tasting room will have an industrial feel with concrete floors and walls.

Turczynski said T12 Distillery will also include a speakeasy, event space, outdoor cigar patio and a performance venue with a big mural as a backdrop.

“It really ties things into the community, and that’s what I want to be,” he said.

Turczynski expects some demolition work to start as soon as next week, with construction on the distillery itself beginning in late June.

“By mid-summer, there should be a lot of dirt moving around and a lot of things changing,” he said.

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T12 Distillery could be open to the public as soon as March of 2026, and it will be just the beginning of the co-op site’s makeover.

Turczynski said two existing Bondurant businesses – Twist Sips soda shop and Farm Boys BBQ – will eventually move to the site. He said they will be housed in two new buildings next to the distillery. Both will have drive-up and walk-up windows, and Farm Boys will include dining space. Both businesses could open by mid- to late-2026.

Trail Reroute

The City of Bondurant will also start work this summer on straightening out the CVT as it passes by the co-op site. When the trail was built, it diverted from the old railroad route just before reaching Landus’ private property. The CVT jogs to the north for several blocks before rejoining the old rail line. Now, the trail will shoot straight through, uninterrupted.

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“It’s kind of a work-around right now,” Turczynski said of the current route. “Now to be able to have this just as a continuation is going to make it a lot easier for people using the trail.”

Turczynski said the rerouted trail will run right next to the distillery, which made his idea even more irresistible.

“There’s a huge number of people that on a yearly basis are on that trail. This is a captive audience as I see it, from a business standpoint,” he said.

The City of Bondurant said the relocated trail section could be ready for riders by this fall or spring. The current route will remain open as an option as well.

Driving Force

Turczynski has a construction background and said he’s not nervous about all the work it will take to transform the elevators. He has faced bigger challenges.

“I’m in a wheelchair. I had a spinal cord injury,” he said.

That injury to the T12 segment of his spinal cord happened after an accident in 2010. The segment is the namesake for his distillery, and customers may notice some imagery inspired by the spinal cord.

It’s a dream come to life for Turczynski to provide a new gathering place for a growing cycling community.

“I used to bike a lot back in college before my accident. For me it was always more about exercise and getting out, and lately it seems to be more social,” he said.

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Other Notes

• The former Landus property is part of what the City of Bondurant has dubbed the “Grain District,” an extension of the town’s historic downtown. Turczynski hopes to eventually turn the other cluster of elevators into a hotel and condo complex.

• BonduBikes’ project to renovate an old home into a modern bike shop and watering hole is happening just a couple blocks to the south. The shop is currently operating in a temporary location (85 Paine St. SE) until the new building is finished, which should be sometime next year.

• Bondurant plans to straighten out a second section of the CVT, east of Highway 65. It currently jogs around an industrial area. Planning is still underway on this project, and there is no set completion date. 

UPDATE: Raccoon River Valley Trail Bridge Repair To Take At Least 1 Year

If you follow the DSM Bike Notes Facebook page, then you may have already read the news. But if you haven’t seen it, I talked with Dallas County Conservation Dept. director Curt Cable about the aftermath of last week’s fire on the Raccoon River Valley Trail “lighted bridge” just east of Adel. Here are the bullet points from what he told me:

• It will take at least a year to repair the damage, with May 2026 the "absolute best case scenario" for reopening

• Funding is a big issue since this is an unexpected $896,000 project

• Other variables include getting proper permits for building in a flood plain, design and construction

• The current RRVT closure (Ortonville to just east of Adel) is still on track to reopen by late summer or early fall once construction is complete on three other bridges

• Repairs to the lighted bridge will cut off access to Adel for westbound riders, while eastbound riders will be cut off from Waukee

• No official detour route will be designated