[Note: This material is copyright by the Des Moines Register, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other or commercial use requires the prior approval of the Des Moines Register.]

Officials on both sides say that relations have improved since and that the project is on track.

City officials in September came under fire via e-mails from Ted Townsend, founder and lead donor for the 4.5-acre indoor rain forest, and David Oman, chief administrator of the project. The e-mails, obtained by The Des Moines Register through a public records request, criticized the city's adjacent hotel plans as "uninspiring" and said big-name investors would never look at Coralville without the rain forest.

"I, personally, have spent a fortune to deliver this project to YOUR town and now we are being treated like some common retailer who might rent a few square feet of space in the local strip mall," Townsend wrote in a Sept. 13 e-mail to Coralville City Administrator Kelly Hayworth and Mayor Jim Fausett.

The "world class entities WE are about to bring to your town never heard of Coralville until WE introduced them to it," Townsend wrote. "Frankly, none of them care a hoot about Coralville even now."

Oman said in a Sept. 12 e-mail to Townsend and Fausett that Hayworth had "gone south" on the project and "the move to another city is our ace in a hole but not smart to take our conversation there, at least now."

The $180 million Environmental Project, a 20-story, worm-shaped structure to be built just south of Interstate Highway 80 in Coralville, has been promoted as becoming the world's largest indoor rain forest. Consultants predict the project, which would include a 1.2 million-gallon aquarium, a large-format theater, outdoor trails and four learning academies, would draw 1.3 million to 1.5 million visitors a year.

Hayworth said last week that Townsend's and Oman's comments were "very disappointing," but that they came at a time when city and project leaders were at odds about how to supply energy to the project and what role Coralville's planned nearby hotel should play in site development.

"I understand the frustration," Hayworth said, adding that the relationship between the city, Oman and Townsend has improved.

Oman agreed tensions "bubbled over" in the September e-mails, but have since settled. "Our relationship with the city is as good as it's ever been," he said.

Not all Coralville residents are so quick to forgive.

"If this is the brainchild of someone who treats people like that, it makes you think differently about the project," Bob Rehfuss, a Coralville certified public accountant, said of Townsend. Rehfuss wrote an e-mail to Coralville officials Nov. 11 supporting their decisions, even if they decide to bow out of the rain forest project.

"I wouldn't want to be treated like that," Rehfuss said last week.

Townsend, a Des Moines businessman who also founded the Great Ape Trust of Iowa, has pledged $10 million toward the Environmental Project. Backers still must raise $90 million. The project's board of directors will meet Tuesday in Coralville to talk about educational plans for the project and how to proceed with the project while staying on budget.

There are no contractual deadlines for the Environmental Project, Oman said, but "we are all keen to move ahead." The September e-mails from Townsend and Oman show they were not pleased with early design plans for Coralville's $40 million to $45 million Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, to be built adjacent to the Environmental Project.

"NO ONE is impressed with the Marriott design," Townsend wrote. "Frankly, as we present the project around the country, the architecture and materials are always seen as disappointing, and we find ourselves apologizing for them. This is not the time or place to do an 1890s theme. Red brick is not right for the overall, forward-looking statement of the region."

Oman has since seen more architectural renderings and thinks the hotel design fits with the Environmental Project, he said. The brick-and-glass-fronted facility, scheduled to open in late 2006, will include 268 hotel rooms and close to 90,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space and ballrooms.

"They are going to plan, build and open a very handsome facility," Oman said.

Another disagreement this fall was whether to build an energy plant near the rain forest, hotel and convention center. City officials have decided to study the idea, which Oman said would save money and energy.

Coralville real estate agent Rex Brandstatter said the e-bickering isn't personal - it's business.

"In my opinion, it's a real estate deal and a business deal," Brandstatter said. "Everything is stewing along nicely. Whether or not the soup is ever served, we'll see."

Michelle Nagle, a nurse who opposes the rain forest project, said the e-mails only reinforced her views. "All the people I've ever spoken to thought the project was a stupid idea from the get-go," she said.

For critics and supporters, money remains an issue.

There have been no major financial contributions since January, when the Environmental Project got a $50 million federal energy grant. But investors in Chicago, New York and California's Silicon Valley are interested, Oman said.

"These relationships take time," Oman said. There are no plans to scale back or move the project, he said. Meanwhile, Coralville officials and residents want to see progress.

"Everybody is in the same boat in wanting to see when the financial support is coming up," Hayworth said. He still believes the rain forest is an exciting project that will benefit Coralville and the state. "It is well worthwhile," he said.