West Des Moines City Manager Blog

Grand Avenue Construction Update

2009-11-03T11:25:00.002-06:00

North of the bridge. The contractor was able to pave the two west lanes of Grand Avenue from Casey's to the bridge on Wednesday of last week. All storm sewer, sanitary sewer and water main lines were completed on the project prior to the weekend. The contractor is applying fly-ash material to the roadway to speed the drying process and lessen the impact of future rain events so that the remainder of the project can be paved in the next few weeks. Every reasonable step is being taken to get as much done as possible while the good weather lasts.

South of the bridge. On Friday, fly-ash material was applied to the roadway to assist in the drying process so that crews could work through the weekend in preparation of paving the two west lanes early this week. They continue to complete back filling and fine grading behind the curbs so that traffic can be reopened from the Fuller Road & Grand Ave intersection to Railroad Avenue with some restrictions north of the bridge.

Website Honored

2009-10-19T10:49:00.002-05:00

Our website was recently awarded a Silver Circle Award for digital communications from 3CMA, the City-County Communications and Marketing Association. The judge's comments read:

"Beautiful design! Clean, contrasting colors. Great calendar and news features. Content is clean and well-designed. Well-updated City Manager blog."

Our staff works diligently on the website to keep it updated and educational. We do not maintain a separate web communications specialist, so each department is charged with updating and adding new information when appropriate. There are several staff in each department trained to use the content management system in place, and they do everything from adding news and calendar items to sending out eNotifications and creating pages with video, links, and important content.

Of course, it is great to get kudos on the blog as well!

We are always looking for feedback on the website from residents and users. Let us know what works and what doesn't from your viewpoint!

H1N1 Information

2009-10-05T16:38:00.002-05:00

I've overheard a lot of conversations related to the H1N1 flu in the last week - it seems to come up everywhere.

Efforts to counter and manage potential pandemic situations are spearheaded at the county level, with support and participation from any agencies or governing bodies with a role to play in the process. The City of West Des Moines is one of those entities. In addition to partnering with the county public health departments in their planning and preparation efforts, we are continually working to improve our organization's internal pandemic flu plan in the event we need it.

In response to demand for information on H1N1, Polk County released a letter to the community last month. Here are some excerpts from that letter:

"Everyone is hungry for concrete answers regarding the H1N1 influenza A pandemic and what the Polk County response will be this Fall... We anticipate the spread to continue through the Fall and Winter at a greater rate although we have no way of knowing what the real rate of the spread will be."

"the populations at highest risk for more severe illness and complications are:

1) pregnant women
2) newborn infants under 6 months of age - because they can't receive the vaccine, (their parents and caregivers will need protection)
3) infants, children and young adults ages 6 months to 24 years of age
4) health care workers and emergency service personnel - because they have the a high risk for exposure
5) people 24 - 64 years of age with underlying health conditions. Adults 65 years of age and older have had minimal impact from this virus."

"The H1N1 vaccine should be available (in limited supplies) in mid to late October. We also know all of us have a role to play in keeping our community and each other safe. Each of us can effectively reduce the spread of the illness by staying home when we are sick with flu like symptoms and use good hygiene etiquette (cough and sneeze in a tissue or your sleeve and frequently wash your hands). We also know that antiviral taken in the first 48 hours of symptoms could help minimize the severity and length of illness. We also know that seasonal flu will also be spreading during Fall and Winter months and that seasonal flu and pneumonia vaccinations are readily available in our community."

"Just like you, we do not have all the information we need to fully develop our plans. What we are doing is preparing with school districts, colleges, hospitals, emergency service personnel, private businesses and hundreds of other partners in the community. We are planning a menu of multiple strategies for vaccine distribution on which to draw from once we have stable information and when we know how much and when vaccine will be received. We have 48 staff members who are all working very diligently and intensely in developing plans for each of these concept strategies."

"The vaccine distribution strategies in Polk County will be a blended program for the at-risk populations and they will be built upon the premise that targeted people should receive the vaccine as quickly as it becomes available. The possible venues being planned are mass clinics, school-based clinics, school and community rounds (nurses provide on-site vaccinations at licensed child care facilities, pre-schools, and other places), and pushing vaccine out through select health care providers who work with the target populations and can provide the vaccine directly to these people."

Among other things, you can get updated H1N1 information by:

signing up to receive health alerts when Polk County Health posts new information to the website;
calling the special line (515-323-5330) between 9 am and 4 pm Monday - Friday to ask H1N1 related questions;
following the Health Department through Twitter for updates;
checking the H1N1 section of their website for FAQs, weekly bulletins, and more; and
checking the H1N1 section of the Dallas County website, which contains information very similar to the Polk County Health Department site.

As the Polk County letter mentions, we can all effectively play a role in reducing the spread of H1N1. We've advised our employees to follow their recommendations as it relates to attendance at work when flu-like symptoms are present and practicing proper hygiene.

Also, continue your usual habits to stay informed. County health departments will release information about the vaccine when it's available, including who is eligible to receive it as it is rolled out.

Energy Star Challenge

2009-09-21T10:20:00.002-05:00

The City is participating in the federal government's ENERGY STAR Challenge and is encouraging local businesses and organizations to do the same. The ENERGY STAR Challenge is a national call-to-action to improve the energy efficiency of America's commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more. Read about the Energy Star Challenge and see what the City's SASS (Striving After Sustainable Solutions) team is up to on our website. We are encouraging local businesses to take the challenge as well, and we will put those participation certificates up on our website.

Our application for Energy Efficiency and Block Grant funding from the US Department of Energy includes steps to help get us toward that 10% goal. That application is currently being reviewed. See what we applied for and what we hope to do to make the city more energy efficient.

To establish a baseline for this goal, the SASS team requested that MidAmerican Energy conduct audits on our thirteen largest city facilities. Audits have been completed for nine of the facilities. The other four - City Hall, Public Works, the Law Enforcement Center, and the Library - are undergoing a more extensive audit. By working through MidAmerican Energy, we are able to reap greater rebates from MidAmerican for any changes we make. I encourage local businesses to see how MidAmerican can help in evaluating and recommending changes for facilities through their BusinessCheck program- there are links on the SASS pages of our website for that too.

If you are a West Des Moines business that is making sustainable changes or using sustainable practices, let us know! We plan to promote any best practices out there.

Census 2010 Plans Well Underway

2009-09-08T09:43:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe, but the Census Bureau is already gearing up for the 2010 Census. The Census is mandated by the Constitution and participation is required by law, but response rates are still low in some areas of the country. In the 2000 census, Iowa had the nation's highest response rate at 76% (in our area, Polk County had 74%, Dallas County had 76%, and Warren County had 77%). This year the Census Bureau is hoping to boost that rate by giving everyone the same 10-question survey, among the shortest surveys since the first Census in 1790. Beginning in mid-March 2010, more than 120 million questionnaires will be delivered to U.S. residential addresses. The Census Bureau has also announced that more than 13 million questionnaires will be bilingual (English - Spanish) for the first time.

As you can imagine, preparing for and conducting the Census is an enormous project. Last spring, Census Bureau workers walked every street in the nation to match actual residential addresses with those provided in lists from the U.S. Postal Service and local governments. The Census Bureau has reported that it will hire nearly 1.4 million people to conduct the 2010 Census, including follow up with households that do not return their mailed questionnaire.

The City of West Des Moines is assisting in this year's Complete Count campaign by helping to identify and organize resources for the Census Bureau and by promoting completion of Census 2010 by our residents. It is certainly to our benefit to have every resident of West Des Moines - and Iowa - counted, as population is a common criteria for financial assistance, grant funding, and representation in federal government.

WDM Magazine Issue 19

2009-08-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

West Des Moines residents should receive Issue 19 of the WDM Magazine in mailboxes this week. The issue includes a recap of summer events, an article on our Traffic Operations Center, important notices and information from the Public Works and Police Departments, some features on Valley Junction, and more.

As usual, the issue includes a pull-out Parks and Recreation guide and programming information for the Library and Human Services departments. The Human Rights Commission has included a short survey they'd like residents to tear out and send back to gauge opinions & experiences related to human rights in West Des Moines.

I'm pleased to report that the WDM Magazine recently won an award--specifically, the Bronze Award for Best Government Publication from the 2009 Magnum Opus Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Custom Media. The Magnum Opus awards are given by ContentWise in conjunction with the Missouri School of Journalism and McMurry Publishing. This is the second award the magazine has won in the last couple years - in 2007 it received a Savvy Award from 3CMA, the City/County Communications and Marketing Association.

Business Record Appearances

2009-08-20T13:18:00.001-05:00

The City of West Des Moines has received some great exposure recently in the Des Moines Business Record.

West Des Moines traffic engineers Jim Dickinson and Eric Petersen were interviewed for an article on the City's innovative traffic modeling techniques.

The City was also named "City Most Conducive to Business" in the Business Record's Annual "Best Of" rankings for 2009. We have received this recognition consecutively since the question was first asked in 1998 and will work to continue to receiving it.

PD 2008 Annual Report

2009-08-06T11:18:00.005-05:00

As part of its annual report, the Police Department keeps very good records of its work in the community each year. They report comprehensively on the work of each division, year to year comparisons, commendations and awards, and more. Some details from 2008:

In the Operations Division, the Uniform Patrol Unit (the largest and most visible segment of the department) responded to 48,675 calls for service in 2008. This group authored over 6,400 police reports, made 1,580 arrests, investigated 1,226 traffic accidents, and issued 657 parking tickets and 6,070 traffic citations. These officers, who work in one of five patrol territories, maintained an average response time of 6 minutes and 9 seconds to priority calls during 2008.
The K-9 Unit, which is part of the Uniform Patrol Unit, had a busy year as well. The unit made 107 canine trips, 2 felony arrests, 31 misdemeanor arrests, 19 assisted arrests, 28 assisted traffic stops, and 32 outside agency assists. They completed 8 building searches, 20 demonstrations, and 251 hours of training. The unit seized $102,300 in US currency and three types of illegal drugs. West Des Moines also hosted the United States Police Canine Association Region 21 Field Trials, where the K-9 Team placed second overall in a field of over 30 teams, qualifying for nationals.
Police officers in the Criminal Investigation Unit (C.I.U.) investigate major crimes like homicide, rape, robbery, assault, arson, kidnapping, and burglary. The eight officers and one part-time civilian investigator assigned to C.I.U. all receive extensive training to deal with witnesses, victims, and suspects, often in sensitive situations. The C.I.U. was assigned 2479 cases in 2008
Three detectives, called School Resource Officers, are assigned to the schools. They work to prevent crime and investigate crime against children in the schools, as well as serve as a liaison between the department and the school community. They were assigned 689 cases throughout the year with a closure rate of 90.3%.
The Animal Control Unit, which is part of Special Operations, works to ensure and promote the humane treatment of animals in West Des Moines and Clive and return or adopt out as many animals as possible. In 2008, they handled 2,126 calls for service and 504 adoptions from our WDM animal shelter.

In their annual reporting, the Police Department also recognizes five chaplains that donated over 233 hours of their time in 2008 to help officers and civilian employees who requested their presence or help.

This is just a sampling of the information from the Police Department's 2008 year. To read more about the different functions of the police department, visit their section of the West Des Moines website. You can also view the 2008 year-end crime report.

Use the VJ Shuttle

2009-07-29T13:06:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow night we begin offering shuttling service from the Hillside/Walnut Creek campus in the 700-800 blocks of Eighth Street to the intersection of 5th and Maple for the Farmers Market and Music in the Junction events.

We'll have two shuttles running using vehicles from the WDM Human Services Department. They'll run from 4 pm to 9 pm, and each vehicle that parks in the lot will receive a $5 "voucher of appreciation" for trying it out that can be used at the vendors and merchants who participate in the Farmers Market. It's a short route, so there shouldn't be much of a wait, and it will really help to open some spots up outside the immediate area of the events.

We'll continue the shuttle service, as well as the voucher program, through the rest of the 2009 Farmers Market season (October 1). I hope you try it out. There are a lot of great reasons to go down to Valley Junction on Thursday nights, and it's important that we work to lessen the impacts of these events so that they can continue in a positive light.

If we all focus on being good neighbors to those who live in the area around 5th Street and finding a parking spot that is legal, safe, and doesn't inconvenience someone else in the area or just use the shuttle, the events will be more enjoyable for everyone.

Economic Development Plan Update

2009-07-17T08:38:00.004-05:00

The City's Community & Economic Development Department recently started the process of updating the West Des Moines Economic Development Plan, which was last completed in 2003. The plan is a broad study to help city officials and staff better plan for future economic development in our City. This project will involve other city departments, elected officials, and community members, and will focus on creating high-value jobs and retaining young talent in West Des Moines.

The development of Jordan Creek Town Center was the main impetus for the original study in 2003. Because the City anticipated that the area around that site would quickly become an attractive area for development, we generated this plan to ensure the area developed the right way. The 2003 plan also led us to ramp up the executive call program, which involves visits by city staff and officials to local businesses to identify any issues they may have and educate them about how the City can assist.

The 2009 update will be managed by AngelouEconomics (AE), an economic development consulting firm. The plan has four objectives:

1) assess the region's current competitiveness;
2) identify specific high-impact target industries;
3) develop specific strategies to improve city efforts to attract new business, retain and expand existing businesses, retain young professionals and grow a skilled workforce, revitalize older commercial areas, and encourage entrepreneurship; and
4) build a shared vision and catalyze collective action through a detailed implementation plan.

As I mentioned, community input in this process is key. Although we will hold focus groups on specific issues, all citizens can get involved by going to the project website, following our progress in developing the plan, and completing surveys. There is one for businesses and one for residents, and both will be open until the end of July. You can also use the link to the consultant's email on the website to send your comments directly to AngelouEconomics.

The website is located at: http://www.wdmdevelopmentplan.com/.

Thanks for your assistance as we improve our planning for the future West Des Moines.

New Book Spotlights West Des Moines & Valley Junction

2009-07-10T14:02:00.001-05:00

On July 6, a book showcasing a pictorial history of West Des Moines and Valley Junction was published as part of a series called Images of America. The book, written by local author Craig S. McCue and the West Des Moines Historical Society, displays over 200 vintage images highlighting the history of the city, including some current photos we provided for their use.

The book, called West Des Moines and Valley Junction, includes:

the history of West Des Moines beginning with Pioneer times, through the years as Valley Junction and up to present day;
several chapters relating the story of the city's evolution from a farming community to a railroad hub, its growth as a suburb of Des Moines, and its transformation into a financial hub; and
other chapters of regional interest related to the heyday of the railroads in the Des Moines area, the impact of the Depression and War of Iowa communities, and the construction of the interstates through the Des Moines metro area.

The book is available for purchase through the Jordan House at 2001 Fuller Road. Anyone can call (515) 225-1286 to place an order. It is also obtainable at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers. Although I would encourage purchase of the book through the Historic Society to support their work, you can also preview the book on the publisher's website.

New and Improved Fuller and Grand

2009-06-29T10:42:00.004-05:00

The intersection of Fuller Rd and Grand Avenue is now open for travel on the south, west, and east sides. The north leg is still closed for the next phase of the Grand Avenue project. This project is part of a larger reconstruction of Grand Avenue from the Raccoon River Park entrance to Railroad Avenue as a four and five-lane section. The new intersection allows for safer traffic movements through the intersection and roadway, and includes traffic signals.

Although the intersection officially opened up last Wednesday afternoon, we had to close it again at times on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for Hy-Vee elite and age group races.

Grand Avenue was originally paved in the early 1930s, so this rehabilitation is very much needed. The overall project involves a widening of the street to increase traffic capacity and wider lanes (12 feet). All three phases are described below.

Phase 1: This phase of the overall project involved reconstruction of the Grand Avenue/Fuller Road intersection, including the installation of signals. Construction in 2008 included relocation of public utilities as well as construction of the retaining wall south of Heatherwood Drive. Construction began March 23, 2009 for the 2009 Construction season and involved the remaining utility work, full pavement removal and replacement, and construction of new traffic signals at the Grand/Fuller intersection.

Phase 2: This phase will include construction of the four and five-lane section of Grand Avenue from the limits of Phase One northerly to the railroad tracks north of Delevan Drive. Phase Two will be constructed during the 2009 construction season.

Phase 3: This phase includes construction of a similar pavement section from the limits of Phase One southerly to just beyond the entrance to Raccoon River Park. The construction timelime for Phase Three is yet to be determined.

Tri Weekend in WDM

2009-06-24T14:59:00.007-05:00

June is always a busy month in West Des Moines, and one of the biggest events in the city is quickly approaching.

The Hy-Vee Triathlon will fill up Raccoon River Park this weekend. On Saturday, hundreds of kids will participate in a shortened version of the event inside Raccoon River Park. In the afternoon, the world's top male and female triathletes will compete for an impressive prize purse. On Sunday afternoon, they will represent their countries again as part of the World Championship Team race (a new event for the sport of triathlon that we in West Des Moines will be the first to see)!

Earlier on Sunday, nearly 2500 amateur athletes will test themselves by swimming, biking, and running through the park and on some of our city streets. Due to the number of people participating in this race, the route must be longer to avoid problems that frequent lapping would cause.

This is a tremendous event for the City of West Des Moines and the greater Des Moines metro area. Here are some questions we are often asked at the City regarding the event:

Q. Which streets are impacted?
A. This year, the race impacts the portion of Grand Avenue from S. 35th St to Fuller Rd. for about an hour Friday (during elite practice) and from 12 - 6 pm Sunday, the elite race.

On Sunday, the bike portion of the race will take place on Grand from the park entrance out to Raccoon River Drive, continuing into Dallas County and back. The run will then go up Grand Avenue to Fuller Road, west to S. 35th, north to Mills Civic, and turn around short of the Valley Stadium west entrance. Sunday's closure starts at 5 am. Grand west of S. 35th will open as soon as the last biker leaves the road, and should be open no later than 10:30 am. The rest of the route will remain closed until noon. For road closure maps and route maps, view the Triathlon news item on our website.

Q. Where should I park to see the event?
A. Hy-Vee has done a lot of advertising of its shuttle routes for the event, and that is the best way to park without hassle and without having to navigate the road closures. You can park and ride at Valley High School and Valley West Mall.

Q. What impact does this have on Raccoon River Park?
A. Portions of the park have been closed during event-setup, and the entire park will be used during the triathlon weekend. There will be some lingering impact as the event is taken down as well. View a graphic showing the park impacts here. Other impacts that may be of concern to residents include aesthetic changes to the park or changes to the natural beauty of the park. Hy-Vee has committed to leaving the park as good as or better than it was prior to the event.

Q. Who pays for this event to take place?

A. This event (including any overtime costs incurred by the city) is entirely funded by Hy-Vee, and any proceeds they recover go to Variety - the Children's Charity and other designated nonprofits. Although there is some city administrative staff time involved in planning for the event, it is a worthwhile investment of time because of the community benefit and the impact of bringing visitors and participants to our city for an elite competition. Although the amateur event creates some inconvenience for residents because of its size, which necessitates holding part of that race on city streets Sunday, it is this part of the event for which West Des Moines residents - and people around the state -- spend months preparing. Many of us know someone participating. As a city, we must weigh the costs of some temporary road closures with the benefits of providing a location for this community activity to occur. We have tried to minimize the inconvenience to residents in the area to the best of our ability.

Q. What does it cost to attend?

A. The event is free for the public.

Please view the Hy-Vee Triathlon news item on the City website or http://www.hyveetriathlon.com/ for any additional questions you have about the 2009 Hy-Vee Triathlon.

Fuller and Grand Construction Update

2009-05-28T12:12:00.009-05:00

Due to great weather last week, the contractor was able to make great progress in paving operations at Fuller Road and Grand Avenue. Below are some photos taken last Friday morning.

Fuller Road Looking East:

Grand Avenue Looking North:

Grand Avenue Looking South:

Currently the intersection is scheduled to be open in time for the Hy-Vee Triathlon, although it will be closed to thru traffic for most of that weekend. For important information regarding the Triathlon weekend including park impacts, road closings information, and more, visit the Triathlon News page on the city website.

Site Selection Recognizes the Greater DSM Partnership

2009-05-13T13:32:00.002-05:00

Site Selection magazine, which recognized Jordan Creek Town Center earlier this year as a development that creatively combines retail and entertainment options, recently gave the Greater Des Moines Partnership an Honorable Mention as one of the Top Economic Development Groups of 2008. The Microsoft Data Center slated for West Des Moines is mentioned in their discussion of the Partnership's work.

The article in Site Selection is also interesting because it suggests that the "jobs of the future" are headed to Middle America. The author notes that, based on Site Selection's data, communities in the central United States are leaders in job creation and corporate investment in facilities.

Site Selection's choices for the top economic development groups were based on numerous criteria: total capital investment; investment per capita; total jobs created; jobs created per capita; the contributions of the local or regional economic development organization toward the attainment of these numbers; overall economic vitality; depth and breadth of economic strength; diversity of industry; ability to generate breakthrough deals; and the ability to provide documentation for all projects.

Another sign that Central Iowa is considered a strong and vital economic power! Thanks to the Partnership for their continued commitment to attracting and retaining businesses in our area, assisting business expansion, and developing our workforce.

If you haven't visited the Partnership's website recently, I suggest you view the Partnership's Workforce Attraction Video or get information about their recent I Believe campaign.

Employees Mark Earth Day

2009-05-04T08:58:00.006-05:00

Last Wednesday, ten West Des Moines employees took an hour out of their day to collect garbage and litter near Interstate 35 between Mills Civic Parkway and Grand Avenue. They collected over 20 bags of trash in that short time. A commendable effort that I know mirrored the efforts of numerous groups, organizations, and individuals who demonstrated their commitment to making our community more sustainable on Earth Day.

Another group of city employees is working to develop a comprehensive sustainability strategy for the City organization, which will serve as a year-long reminder that we need to be cognizant of the effects of our present-day activities on the future.

Relocation Source Spotlights WDM

2009-04-24T15:09:00.003-05:00

West Des Moines was named one of America's Top 100 Places to Live for 2009 by Relocate America, a website that provides relocating consumers and area residents with access to local community resources. The award is based on outlook for future growth, visionary leadership, improving or thriving economies--including housing--and realization of "green" initiatives. Congratulations to our community members for being active participants in and contributors to our education systems, community events, and business community. It is only by being a successfully well-rounded community that West Des Moines appears on these lists.

Online Services Review

2009-04-09T10:46:00.002-05:00

At Monday's City Council meeting, we reviewed the first year of the West Des Moines website, which was launched March 31, 2008. For those of you who missed the meeting, here are the highlights from that report.

From approximately March 31, 2008 to March 18, 2009) over 272,000 “sessions” were recorded on the West Des Moines website. That resulted in an average of 772 sessions per day. A 'Session' is defined as a series of clicks on the site by an individual visitor during a specific period of time. During that same time, over one million page views were recorded on the West Des Moines website. That resulted in an average of 2,892 page views per day.

In all, 135,218 unique visitors came to the West Des Moines website in that timeframe. A Unique Visitor may have more than one session during the date range, but is only counted once.

According to the 2008 Citizen Survey, citizen satisfaction with the website increased 7% from 2006 to 2008. 40% of residents were “very satisfied;” 45% of residents were “satisfied;” and
14% of residents were neutral.

37% of residents reported having used the website to get information in the last year.

Some new features we've added this year include:

Online Development Center
eUpdates
Restaurant listing/hotel listing
Email to a Friend - available on any page
Add to Outlook - available on calendar items
Report a Crime Online
File a Traffic Complaint Online
Online directory of parks
Awards and Recognitions page
Publications and Reports page
Online RFP and Bid listings
Online holiday sponsor form
Online Human Services volunteer application
Small Business/Entrepreneurship assistance
Comprehensive new resident guide
City Council Meeting video online
Online magazine/document viewing (page turning program)

Our next steps will involve more e-commerce options for residents on the website.

Our most frequently viewed pages on the website in that timeframe were:

1) Employment
2) Parks and Recreation
3) Adult Sports Info
4) City Calendar
5) Valley View Aquatic Center
6) Contact Us
7) GIS and Maps
8) Raccoon River Park
9) Parks Facilities and Matrix
10) Directory of Parks

WDM Magazine Arrives This Week!

2009-03-30T10:52:00.002-05:00

West Des Moines residents and businesses: watch for Issue 18 of the WDM Magazine to arrive in your mailbox this week. This is our biggest issue yet - evidence of the quality programs we continue to promote and the high level of communication we want to maintain with our customers - you!

Among other things, the Spring/Summer 09 issue of the magazine contains:

information on this year's A-MAY-Zing Days celebration;
a description of the Hy-Vee Triathlon event planned for June 27-28 this year;
2008 Citizen Survey results;
news on the new single-stream recycling program, Recycle and Roll;
info on the yard waste season;
eco-friendly tips for the home;
a sign-up request for the City's new text messaging program; and
many more interesting news items about city services.

Like every issue, the magazine includes information on the Library, Human Services, and Parks and Recreation programs taking place over the next few months.

Notable - Jordan Creek Town Center

2009-03-18T10:15:00.002-05:00

In case you don't read Urban Land, a publication of the Urban Land Institute (which our Community and Economic Development department keeps up with), Jordan Creek Town Center was recently named one of ten developments internationally that creatively combine retail and entertainment.

The article, entitled "Entertainment/Retail Synergies," names Jordan Creek along with developments across the US and in Tokyo, Portugal, China, Finland, and Switzerland as examples of creative, well-designed regional malls and lifestyle centers that offer shopping intertwined with entertainment options.

You can download a PDF copy of the article to see the feature on Jordan Creek and other examples around the globe.

Westcom Moving Today

2009-03-10T14:31:00.003-05:00

If you receive the West Des Moines section of the Des Moines Register, you may have noticed that the Westcom Dispatch Center is moving today.

If you're not familiar with Westcom, the Westcom Dispatch Center is a consolidated public safety dispatch facility that receives public safety related calls and dispatches police, fire and EMS for the cities of Clive, Urbandale, and West Des Moines. The name Westcom was derived from the fact that all three cities are western suburbs of Des Moines and it is the communication center. Until today, Westcom was located in the West Des Moines Law Enforcement Center at 250 Mills Civic Parkway.

Prior to January of 2001, all three cities had separate public safety dispatch centers staffed by city employees 24 hours every day. The consolidation of these independent dispatch centers into one contributed to a big improvement in communication between the three public safety agencies involved because it put us all on one trunked radio system. The merger allows us to directly communicate with one another during large-scale incidents/accidents. The three communities share expenses for the center based upon a percentage breakdown of the total calls for service received by the center. The policy oversight body for Westcom is a committee made up of representatives of the three cities and chaired by a city manager. West Des Moines EMS Chief Jeff Dumermuth serves as Director of Westcom.

As noted in the article, Westcom is moving to its new communications center in Public Safety Station #19 today. Housed in the basement of the station, Westcom will have a great deal more space and more assurance that their equipment and dispatchers can operate without seeking an alternative shelter during a weather emergency.

As the western suburbs have grown, our three-city dispatch operation has outgrown its old location in the Law Enforcement Center. The entrance to the Police Department has been enhanced to handle the change. After today, residents who enter the police department on weekends, holidays, or after 4:30 PM will remain in the front vestibule (the area between the front doors and another set of inner doors, which will be locked) and communicate with Westcom in their new location via phone, with dispatchers responding via intercom.

The dispatcher will view the caller via cameras that will be installed in the entrance, listen to the resident's needs, and dispatch police personnel to the location if necessary as they have done in the past. If the individual is seeking immediate refuge at the police department, Westcom will be able to remotely open the inner doors and immediately close and lock them.

Top 10 Affordable Suburbs

2009-03-06T16:55:00.000-06:00

BusinessWeek has again included West Des Moines in one of its "top communities" list. This time, it was named one of the Top Ten Most Affordable Suburbs, which factored livability (short commutes, low pollution, green space), education (well-educated residents, high test scores), crime (low personal and property crime), economy (high job growth, low unemployment rate, high family income), and affordability (median household income, cost of expenditures) into its ranking.

This story was featured on the homepage of MSN.com today!

Leading the Way to Sustainability

2009-02-18T17:11:00.002-06:00

The City of West Des Moines recently directed some of our Curb It! Revenue Sharing funds toward sponsorship of the Center on Sustainable Communities Building a Sustainable Iowa Workshop. The events taking place here in West Des Moines at the Raccoon River Park Nature Lodge include an Advanced Building Workshop and a leadership forum.

I think that the leadership forum will be an exceptional opportunity for area individuals, businesses, government entities, and organizations to dialogue about our current efforts and how we can make more progress toward sustainability in Central Iowa. The City of West Des Moines will have staff in attendance.

Here is the description of the forum from the COSC website:

"As Iowa’s leading resource on sustainable building education, COSC is conducting a Leadership Forum with Marc Richmond for Iowa’s business leaders, community leaders, state agency leaders, and policy makers. The session will define the key components of sustainable building and illustrate strategies for building sustainable communities based on national models. "

Schedule:

9:45 am Registration, Networking
10:00 am Welcome by Kevin Nordmeyer, New Director of the Iowa Energy Center
10:10 am What exactly is Green Building and Sustainable Design . . .
and why is it important to you?
11:00 am Where are we in Iowa?
12:00 am Luncheon
12:30 pm How do we move forward effectively?
1:30 pm Open Discussion and Wrap-up

I would encourage any Greater Des Moines community leader to consider signing up. I know that our staff members look forward to participating in the conversation.

The WDM Difference

2009-02-10T14:48:00.004-06:00

Click the graphic above to virtually browse through the City of West Des Moines' newest development guide, The WDM Difference. The guide was distributed to Business Record subscribers in January.

This guide serves as an economic development tool for the City's Community and Economic Development Department as they work to recruit and retain businesses in the city. In my opinion, it's also a pretty interesting read for residents of West Des Moines because it encompasses so many different aspects of our community. A map highlighting land uses and development areas is available halfway through the online publication.

Request a hard copy of the development guide.

Crime Free Multi-Housing

2009-02-04T08:10:00.006-06:00

Many people don't realize that multi-family housing (apartment, town home, and condominium) is a strong component of West Des Moines' residential inventory. Over 18,000 of our residents (35%) live in multi-family dwellings.

Although residents report a very high "feeling of safety" on our citizen surveys, we continue to work in all parts of our community to improve how we deliver public safety services. One important element of that service is crime prevention.

Approximately 10% of the Police Department’s calls for service are to apartment communities. Although that is just a percentage of overall crime, we try and work through management groups and associations to affect a large number of people in multi-housing developments. All of these efforts take shape in the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program (CFMH).

CFMH is a partnership between the WDM Police Department and local apartment complexes. It is essentially a coalition of police, property managers and residents of rental properties working together to reduce crime. This concept was developed in Mesa, Arizona in 1992 and introduced in the Des Moines area in 1996. Our department received its initial training in 1997 and certified its first apartment community, Sun Prairie Apartments, in 1998.

The main tenants of the program are that effective property management can have an impact on the health of the community and that simple, legal, and fair techniques exist to deal with illegal activity. There are three phases to the program - management training, crime prevention through environmental design (which involves inspections and meeting security requirements), and tenant safety training. A complex must complete all three phases to be fully certified. Eight apartment complexes have done so. The Police Department has developed partnerships with an additional 42 apartment communities in West Des Moines to work towards that goal.

Learn more about the phases and tools involved in the program on our website. For more specific information on Crime Free Multi-Housing, you can contact Officer Jeff Hartshorn in the Police Department's Special Operations Unit at 222-3369.