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Des Moines City Councilman Carl Voss Announces Reelection Campaign

Des Moines, IA – Carl Voss, current at-large Des Moines City Council Member, and community advocate, announced today that he plans to run for reelection in the November 7 Des Moines municipal elections.

“It’s been an honor to serve as the At-Large City Councilman over the past four years,” said Councilman Voss. “During that time, I’m proud that we’ve made great strides to make Des Moines one of the best places to live in the country. There is still much to be done, we need to make our city safer, improve its infrastructure, create a healthier environment for our citizens, and continue to make Des Moines more neighborhood-focused. That’s why I’m running for reelection to build off the progress we’ve made.”

CONTRIBUTE

About Carl Voss: Councilman Voss is a fifth-generation Iowan and has lived in Des Moines since 1971. He served as an interim City Council member in 2013 and 2014 and was elected to the At-Large Council seat in 2019. Carl is a former photographer and editor for the Des Moines Register, and a co-founder of the Des Moines Bicycle Collective. He and his wife, Susan, are among the first East Village residents, where they have promoted Shop Local and community-building initiatives. As a founding board member of the Historic East Village, Carl has worked since 2000 to create a safe, walkable neighborhood for residents, small businesses, and visitors. For more information about Carl, visit www.CarlVoss.com.

Let's Catch Up - April 2023

HIGH PRAISE FOR IMPROVING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

Dorothy Haus and Linda Jones are among the first Des Moines households to feel the impact of Improving Our Neighborhoods (ION), the City’s new voluntary program to improve home exteriors. Over three months, the mother and daughter replaced the roof of their 840-square-foot South Side home, repaired soffits, added new gutters, and applied a fresh coat of paint. This spring, they expect to add new concrete between the garage and back door.

Dorothy and Linda were effusive about the assistance from their assigned ION team members, John Cook and Tyler Friesen. “I can’t praise them enough,” Dorothy told me. “John did all the paperwork to get us approved. And then, the two of them handled all the scheduling and contacts with the crews. And the painter did a wonderful job—just the light gray we wanted.”

When the projects are complete, 50% of the cost will be forgiven over fiver years, and the 50% balance will be a differed loan.

ION supervisor Dan Grauerhollz reports that the City’s ION team and local contractors completed 26 homes last fall in the soft rollout. Dan’s team aims to complete 150 or more home improvements this calendar year. This year, 235 residents have applied for the 2023 program. Homeowners qualify for assistance based on income.

In a 2022 survey of all Des Moines homes, the ION team identified 4,000 as in poor condition and needing significant repairs, or very poor condition and approaching a public nuisance. ION staff has notified most homeowners via informational door hangers with contact phone information in English and 11 additional languages.

ION funding includes $1 million annually from local option sales and service taxes (LOSST); $300,000 via a Community Development Block Grant; and a one-time sum of $2,900,000 from the federal COVID assistance program known as the American Rescue Plan Act. Dan anticipates the City will invest $8 to $10 million in ION projects by the end of July 2026.

MENTAL HEALTH CALLS ON THE RISE

In February, Des Moines Police Department (DMPD) 911 dispatchers checked “mental health” on 633 calls, up from 442 in January, a 43 percent increase. The February total was the largest monthly volume since July. That was when Broadlawns Medical Center’s Crisis Advocacy Response Unit (CARE) team joined the Des Moines Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) to answer mental-health calls.

Since that rollout, there have been hundreds of successful outcomes for mental-health calls that now get extra attention from DMPD, Broadlawns Medical Center staff and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. I found one example that illustrates how the program has helped to control violence and tragedy:

A woman fleeing from domestic violence was the impetus for this particular 911 call. CARE team members Jennifer and Cassondra coordinated with a local domestic violence shelter to secure a bed. They then picked-up the client's prescribed mental health medication from the pharmacy before dropping her off, safe and sound with the shelter staff.

Des Moines logs most mental health calls; 3 to 5 percent come from other Polk County communities via the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

For a deeper dive into data since the CARE team started, see below.

CITY EXPANDS RECOMMENDED TREE SPECIES

To paraphrase poet Joyce Kilmer:

“How comely would our City be

If every street there grew a tree?”

Besides making Des Moines look invitingly green and serene, trees provide natural insulation so as to lower residents’ heating and cooling costs. Trees also increase stormwater retention, property values, and use of the outdoors. This year, the City plans to plant 3,800 trees in parks and along streets by staff or contracted to Trees Forever.

Chestnut, golden raintree, and Persian ironwood are just three species on Des Moines’ Forestry Division’s recommended trees list. City Forester Shane McQuillan told me the list has been expanded to increase the biodiversity of our urban tree population: Think fewer trees susceptible to the next tree blight or disease.

More than 90 species, which tolerate ice melt chemicals, are recommended for trees in rights-of-way or parkways. Those include dawn redwood, willow oak, and kwanzan cherry.

RecommendedTreeSpecies

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Download XLSX • 20KB

Want to plant your own tree? Each year, City residents can request up to five saplings—absolutely free—from the Forestry Division to plant on private property through the Tiny Trees Program. (Deadline to request trees this year is April 28.) Since the program started in 2017, the City has given residents tens of thousands of free trees to Des Moines residents, for planting on private property.

BARK! BARK! DM TAGS

TREATED ASH TREES

In the City’s fight against emerald ash borer disease, the Des Moines Forestry Division earlier this month began tagging treated ash trees that residents have adopted in rights-of-way (parkway or parking) or in parks. The tag, which resembles a dog tag, is nailed prominently to the trunk of an ash tree that’s been injected with emamectin benzoate, which is 99.9% effective against the disease.

Urban Forestry Project Manager Dan Just told me the City has tagged 25 treated trees out of 160 adopted trees along streets and in parks. In addition, an additional 195 trees along ML King Parkway and in the East Village have been treated.

The idea is to identify treated ash trees and keep them alive. Before the ash borer invasion, in 2015, the Forestry Division inventoried about 8,600 ash trees in public spaces and parks. Dan told me that’s now been reduced to 1,212: 680 in public spaces and 532 in parks.

Last summer, two healthy ash trees were felled inadvertently by a City contractor in a neighborhood south of Park Avenue. The new tag program should alleviate similar mistakes.

Adopting an ash tree helps with the cost of treating it; typically, $10 per inch of trunk diameter. So treating a 15-inch-diameter tree runs $150 and lasts two years.

COME ON DOWN! EAST VILLAGE

LAUNCHES FIRST FRIDAY EVENTS

The Historic East Village merchants are over the moon about the April 7 launch of its First Friday events. Locally owned shops, restaurants and bars will remain open until 9 pm for five upcoming months.

To support of brick-and-mortar retail businesses, the City of Des Moines will provide free on-street parking in the core retail area.

More details.

Jay Chedester and Jay Sunvold bag cimmaron lettuce heads that staff delivers to local customers. It takes just six weeks from seed to table.

CISS GREENHOUSE PRODUCING

1,200 HEADS OF LETTUCE WEEKLY

Several Des Moines businesses and nonprofits are getting plenty of head’s-ups from the new Schoen Family Greenhouse at Central Iowa Shelter and Services (CISS), which opened in November.

Aaron Thormodsen, CISS urban farm manager

Aaron Thormodsen, CISS urban farm manager for the hydroponics operation, tells me the 3,600-square-foot greenhouse produces 1,200 heads of fresh lettuce a week for the Iowa Food Cooperative and Farm Table Delivery, as well as the Big Grove Brewery restaurant. Aaron believes his team can bump the output to 1,400 heads per week.

Besides lettuce, the greenhouse grows jobs: 10 employees work in the 8- to 12-week job program. The $8 per hour supplements veterans’ and other benefits.

On a recent trip to the greenhouse, at 1420 Mulberry Street, I noticed two CISS residents pushing tiny seeds into growing medium, then stacking seed trays under grow lights. Just a few steps away, four employees scurried about, tending to the thriving lettuce, okra, tomentose, and herbs.

By summer, Aaron, a California transplant, expects to expand the employment base to 20 to assist with outdoor raised beds and a new fish culture. Four 15,000-gallon fish tanks will flip the hydroponic operation into an aquaponics greenhouse, with fish waste fertilizing the plants. CISS will market the locally grown fish to area restaurants.

CISS executive director Melissa O’Neil sees a huge upside to the CISS Agri-hood she envisions. “This operation aligns with the City’s strategies for innovative homeless solutions and more reliance on local food sources,” she told me. She also noted she’s turned down $1.8 million in contracts from big local producer users. “They get it,” she says. “There would be an immediate market if we could fund the aquaponics expansion.”

Melissa and City staff have greenlit the concept of floating raised-bed community gardens on four city retention basins, as well as a fifth floating operation on CISS property. Imagine vegetables and flowers growing on a 9,600-square-foot platform of raised beds, fed via drip irrigation. It’s a flood-proof operation that would float when the little-used retention basins fill with water.

The concept has won a $300,000 USDA innovation grant. Melissa has set her sights on the first floating operation in 2024. More details.

TRAIL, PARK FACILITY USAGE CLIMBED IN 2022

Once again, the Kruidenier Trail at Gray’s Lake Park logged the highest number of trail visitors in 2022, with 796,226 uses. The Principal Riverwalk Hub Spot counter reported the second-highest number, with 327,653 annual uses.

The Parks & Recreation Department uses 14 trail counters to track usage along Des Moines trails. Nine EcoCounters were added in 2022, thanks in part to the commemorative plaque donation program on three popular bridges.

The data also reported that City residents were taking advantage of our many other recreational amenities:

Shelter and facility rentals rose 10 percent in 2022 to 1,708 from 1,443 in 2021
Volunteer hours increased 35 percent, from 21,307 hours logged in 2021 to 28,816 in 2022
Almost 10 percent more folks took advantage of learn-to-swim lessons at one of the City’s five pools/aquatic centers in 2022: 3,546, up from 3,268 in 2021
And 124 native Iowa trees and shrubs were planted at Gray’s Lake Park in 2022, the park’s largest single shrub planting since it opened in 2001. In addition, 10-plus new species were introduced to bolster biodiversity.

Parks and Recreation Annual Report.

LIGHT IT UP! WILD LIGHTS

RETURNS TO BLANK PARK ZOO

The Blank Park Zoo has some new animals to show off, and not one is behind a fence.

Last week, Shuying Zhang, above, and her crew of eight wrapped up the installation of this year’s Wild Lights Festival presented by MidAmerican Energy. The exhibit, which features 50 illuminated animal-shaped major pieces, opens to the public on Saturday, April 1, and continues Wednesdays–Sundays through May 29. Chinese engineers, artists, and electricians designed pieces for this show in the style of the impressive array at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Twenty-five U.S. cities will promote the Tianyu Arts & Culture exhibits this year. But Shuying ranks Des Moines as the “most happy city” she has visited since joining the Tianyu organization.

The Des Moines show arrived in early March on 13 semi-trailer loads from three U.S. warehouses. Shuying’s team invested more than 1,000 hours setting up the colorful illuminated pieces, including:

a 23-foot-tall giant panda along with nine additional pandas;
a 75-foot-long tunnel, teeming with brilliant sunflowers and bees;
a massive 3-foot-diameter drum that controls the colors and intensity of nearby light columns, responding to strikes from a drum (guaranteed kid magnet); and
a collection of eight swimming sea turtles and giant, friendly praying mantises.

Ryan Bickel, the zoo’s chief market officer, told me that to avoid overcrowding, the zoo will limit nightly attendance to 2,500. He also offered these photo tips:

Walk the display during “golden hour,” just before sunset, which casts an appealing golden hue to photos. For an entirely different intense hue, walk the exhibit again after sunset.
Switch off electronic flash, even if you include your group in the foreground. “Smartphone cameras do an amazing job with these exhibits,” Ryan says.
Walking the display after a rain or in a light shower can improve photos—the puddles reflect fantastic light.
Videos of 30 seconds or less are easier to share via text or Instagram.
The zoo walkways include several lighted “angel wings” set up especially for posing children and adults.

GROUND CREW PREPS FOR I-CUBS OPENER FRIDAY

Can you believe it? We haven’t even wrapped up March Madness, and it’s already time to head to Principal Park for baseball. (And oh, those loaded bratwursts!)

Iowa Cubs field operations director Chris Schlosser, above, promises the diamond will be ready for the team’s home opener Friday night against the Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. Unlike a typical front yard, warming tarps and sand beneath the turf avert frozen ground issues.

When I visited the ballpark recently, Chris, who is entering his 24th season with the Iowa Cubs, told me he and I-Cubs president Sam Bernabe glue their eyeballs firmly to four weather radar reports to stay ahead of Iowa’s up-and-down conditions.

“When they all have the same forecast,” says Chris, while supervising a crew of three full-time employees preparing the infield for a top dressing of calcined clay, “I’m worried. Something must be wrong!”

Calcined clay is the official prescribed infield dressing of Major League Baseball. Chris told me it provides the reliable surface for a “true baseball bounce.”

The I-Cubs’ 75-game home season runs through September 17. Ticket prices range from $7 to $40, with discounts for children ages 13 and under.

A NASTY SPRING FOR POTHOLES

Oh, the glory of spring also signals the return of pothole season.

Public Works Director Jonathan Gano expected this year’s pothole season to be worse than normal, and the number of pothole validates his prediction.

As of late last week, 1,249 potholes were reported via the myDSMmobile app.

City crews usually respond to reports (as in fill the pothole) within 24 to 48 hours.

There’s no award for the top pothole reporter, but congratulations to Albert Daniel, who logged 117 pothole tickets as of late last week. Rick W is second with 51 new tickets. According to Jonathan, most other residents report fewer than 10 potholes.

MEDIACOM ROLLS OUT AFFORDABLE INTERNET PLAN

Mediacom has enabled area income-restricted households to qualify for reduced-rate internet service through the new federal Affordable Connectivity Program. Katie Reeder, a Mediacom public relations coordinator, told me that through February, more than 3,000 households in Polk County connected to the service through the credit, which reduces or zeroes out the monthly service cost.

Eligible households can qualify for an income-restricted monthly credit of up to $30. The company offers 100 Mbps service and provides free installation, lease-free modems, no deposit, and a long-term contract.

Qualifying households include those receiving government assistance programs, including SNAP, Medicaid, federal housing assistance, SSI, or WIC.

NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES

The Merle Hay Neighborhood Association wrapped up its annual food drive this month. The group made cash and canned goods donations to DMARC, Food Bank of Iowa, Reach Church Food Pantry, Grace Lutheran Church Little Free Pantry, and Immanuel United Methodist Church Little Free Pantry.

The Lower Beaver Neighborhood Association will host a Community Easter Egg Hunt at 9 am on April 1 at Woodlawn Park.

And another egg hunt! The Union Park Neighborhood Association will host an Easter Egg Hunt at 10 am on April 8 at Union Park.

The Merle Hay Neighborhood Association will again partner with Des Moines Public Works to host the annual Spring Clean Up to Reduce Urban Blight (SCRUB) from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 15 in the parking lot behind the ramp on the north side of Merle Hay Mall.

Three additional Mega SCRUB days are planned in other parts of the City. More details on dates, locations and accepted items.

Thanks again to Ira Lacher for his keen copy-editing additions to this newsletter. 😄

Let's Catch Up - February 2023

Luai Amro promotes the AIRaz Academy, an Islamic school for local children.

Maximous Wahba of Saint Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church holds a censer used to burn incense in worship services.

COME TOGETHER: COMPARISON PROJECT DRAWS 26 FAITH COMMUNITIES TO DRAKE Bahais and Buddhists. Sikhs and Presbyterians. Hindus and Catholics. Jews and Coptics. Friends and Muslims. A smorgasbord of groups representing the Des Moines faith community—26 groups in total—gathered Sunday afternoon at the Olmstead Center on the Drake University campus and organized by The Comparison Project, a Drake program focused on the comparative philosophy of religions. Each table reeled in visitors seeking to learn more about local-lived religion. This, friends, is today’s Des Moines.

THE LETTER YOU’RE NOT WAITING FOR: NEW PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS TO MAIL SHORTLY

Polk County Assessor Randy Ripperger reports that property assessments for the new January 1, 2023, value (updated in odd years, as required by Iowa law) should be mailed on March 31. The notices will impact the first tax payment due September 30, 2024.

Randy expects that the bottom-line “what do I owe?” figure (included in the Polk County Treasurer’s payment notice, mailed in August 2024) will represent about a 3 percent increase in taxable value for most homeowners. Some owners will be glaring at a 22 percent increase in assessed value.

The net taxable value determines your property tax bill: assessed home value, minus the Iowa rollback value, minus military exemption, if applicable. The Assessor’s office has updated appraisals on 186,000 Polk County properties; about 90 percent are residences. The assessed value is based on what the property should sell for in today’s market.

Based on previous years, Randy expects about 7,000 to 9,000 homeowners will file for written protests with the Board of Review. Here’s how to Protest Your Assessed Value (don’t forget to sign your Protest Forms) and important dates:

April 2 - April 25 — You may request an Informal Review.
April 2 - April 30 — If dissatisfied with the outcome, you can file a Protest. (Randy’s tip: Be sure to provide the Assessor’s office with all pertinent information before your hearing, which lasts about five minutes.) Yes, that’s not a lot of time. Be organized.

THERE’S MORE ON THE DM EVENT CALENDAR THAN NCAA BASKETBALL AND RAGBRAI

The Des Moines calendar is loading up with many headline-grabbing events, including the state girls’ and boys’ high school basketball tournaments, NCAA regional men’s basketball games, “The Lion King,” and RAGBRAI. But does Catch Des Moines snag smallish events, too? Fair question.

There’s no “catch and release” for the Catch team. “We sell and host EVERYTHING,” CEO Greg Edwards says. “Small board meetings, small meetings, conventions that may be for only 50 people. Family reunions, weddings. You name it; we are here at your service if it involves bringing visitors to town. “We don’t categorize what’s small versus what’s large. Sometimes, booking a smaller board meeting may gain us exposure with this group, and maybe it is even the first time they have been to Des Moines. So small may end up big in the long run.“We have a couple of people that will respond to smaller event inquiries. However, all of our sales team will work small and large events, depending on the market they are affiliated with—agriculture, sports, education, religion, and so forth.”

Here are a handful of smaller events that might escape notice:

Jammers and blockers flock to Des Moines when the Des Moines Derby Brats and Skate Southhost the Junior Roller Derby Association Regionals on June 17-18.
Costumed participants should be easy to spot on downtown streets when Anime Des Moines (previously known as Galaxy Con) meets July 29-30.
Elements of basketball, rugby, and dodgeball combine in Quadball, a coed, full-contact sport derived from the “Harry Potter” series and previously known as quidditch. Metro Des Moines hosts the League Quadball Championship August 26-28.
We’re not in Wisconsin, but did you know there are now 24 cheese factories in Iowa? (Maytag Dairy Farms, Frisian Farms Cheese House, and the Milton Creamery are just three Iowa producers with national followings.) See if you can wedge in a visit to the American Cheese Society Annual Conference July 18-21. This gathering goes wa-a-y-beyond Velveeta and aged cheddar.

Four-year ambassador David Lewis holds a new broom and one he recently retired after wearing down the bristles about 4 inches. A broom lasts just two months before it ends in a trash receptacle.

BROOMS TELL THE TALE: IT’S WORK TO KEEP DOWNTOWN CLEAN

Operation Downtown ambassadors are out seven days a week, year-round, keeping downtown streets safe, clean, and beautiful. The 20 ambassadors manage litter, maintain trash receptacles, power-wash sidewalks, pull weeds, scrub down graffiti, maintain and replenish dog disposal stations, and use two-way radios to communicate regularly with staff. In addition, they escalate calls to the Des Moines police when warranted. Shifts start as early as 6 a.m. and stretch into evening hours. But ambassadors do more than keep downtown clean. Hospitality tasks include providing directions and offering suggestions for food or drink.

And the cigarette butts the ambassadors recycle from the ash urns? Every couple of weeks, Operation Downtown ships a box of cigarette butts to an Illinois company that recycles the filters into plastic playground mats and compressed materials for park benches. (Good news and bad: We are one of the company’s best recyclers.)

The downtown Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) funds Operation Downtown via an additional tax on property owners. Scot Blanchard has directed the ambassadors for more than 20 years. Scot reports that some ambassadors have served more than ten years.

SOBERING CENTER PLANNED AS PART OF

ACCESS CENTER ON CARPENTER

The Polk County Supervisors, Broadlawns Medical Center, and St. Vincent DePaul are planning the county’s first Access Center, scheduled to open in the summer of 2024. The building at 1914 Carpenter Avenue—a grocery store in its earliest iteration and later Uncle Sam’s disco club—will be remodeled into the country’s first landing place for individuals dealing with addictions.

Broadlawns will operate the Behavioral Health Urgent Care and Crisis Center beds. In addition, Broadlawns mental health services will be included at this site. Broadlawns government liaison Steve Johnson reports that St. Vincent de Paul has agreed to be the sobering center service line contractor in this building located across from the Polk County Public Health and the Polk County Emergency Management Center.

According to the Journal of the American Public Health Association, “sobering centers offer an alternative to incarceration and relieve overuse of emergency services while assisting individuals with substance-use issues.” In Houston, for example, public intoxication jail admissions had decreased by 95 percent after Harris County opened its sobering center.

Unlike sober-living houses and detoxification centers, clients generally spend less than 24 hours in a sobering center.

Local decision-makers have visited sobering centers in Iowa City and San Antonio, where programs integrate social services with physical and mental health assistance.

Jeff Kane, left, clarinetist and leader of the NOLA Jazz Band, talks with local muralist Chris Vance at a Creatives’ Breakfast Club breakout session.

DM ARTS FESTIVAL RAMPS UP ITS GAME

The Des Moines Arts Festival draws 200,000 visitors downtown each summer and has garnered a wall of achievement plaques, recognizing its stature among similar festivals and events worldwide. But the organization behind the three-day event is more significant than that.

Earlier this year, the organization launched ARTSwork to support creative entrepreneurs, arts organizations, and cultural institutions, while focusing on professional development and capacity-building for independent artists. It’s not only about art for art’s sake: Iowa’s creative class is estimated to fuel the state's economy by $43.9 million in 2019 (the most recent normal year with supplied data).

The first Creatives’ Breakfast Club—think of it as a Rotary Club for artists—held on January 28 drew an SRO crowd in the festival’s Mainframe offices, attracting more than 85 artists of assorted disciplines. Photographer and arts-business consultant Chris Dalhquist was the featured presenter with her program “Building a Thriving Artist Career.”

The Iowa Center for Economic Success partners with ARTSwork partner for the breakfast gatherings planned for the last Saturday of every month. On the February 25 program: Developing a business plan.

ARTSwork staff is preparing a long-overdue online Artist Resource Directory, organized by discipline. A separate Mural Directory to help connect artists, companies, nonprofits, and individuals seeking to brighten the streetscape. The Iowa Arts Council is one of the key partners.

Arts Festival executive director Stephen King stressed three objectives for the increased collaboration:

strengthen cross-discipline of artist relationships;
facilitate communication; and
provide life-long learning opportunities.

Poke around the ARTSwork website, and you’ll find more interesting year-round events planned by the Arts Festival leadership. On March 2, REVEAL will provide a sneak peek at the 190 applications for this year’s festival, winnowed down from 847. The Interrobang Film Festival will roll into its own space during the June 23-25 Arts Festival. Wine & Clay is a November event celebrating earth arts (pottery, figures, tableware, fibers, jewelry, and wood).

Full disclosure: I represent the City on the Des Moines Arts Festival board.

20 YEARS AGO: DM'S FIRST NON-SMOKING BAR

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across an article I penned for a 2003 Capital Striders newsletter that noted The Lift on West Fourth Street, believed to be the first non-smoking bar in Des Moines. “Good news for non-smokers,” the article began. “Several local restaurants and bars are beginning to take notice of us [as in the running community]. A recent issue of Pointblank (the new free alternative weekly) includes a two-page ad from the Central Iowa Tobacco-Free partnership. It says ‘167 restaurants and not one ashtray.’ ” Most listed were locally owned.

“We were swimming uphill for a while,” owner Amedeo Rossi recalls.

It would be spring 2008 before Iowa legislators passed a non-smoking bill for Iowa’s bars and restaurants. The law took effect July 1, 2008. Feels like ancient history.

FIRST IN THE METRO: REST STAND FOR BIKERS

Jeff Bock uses a new cyclist’s rest bike stand at ML King Parkway and Ingersoll Avenue while waiting for the green bike signal before continuing his westbound commute. The two bike stands at this busy intersection are believed to be the first in the metro area. Copenhagen is credited for the genesis of this street feature, which provides an option to dismount while waiting for the bike signal. In addition, cyclists use the double railing (hand and foot) as a convenience to get a little extra push before entering the intersection.

STARTUPS THAT GREW UP

Four startup food businesses that began in the Mickle Center Shared-Use Kitchen have sprouted wings and are now operating in their own spaces.

Dinner Dispatch, family-style meals delivered to the home, has moved to 7246 University Avenue in Windsor Heights. Owners are Jennifer Ordeson and Leann Thongvanh.
Prep Kings, individual fully cooked meals, has moved to 700 Locust Street. The operation has sprouted DSM Deli at the same location. Owner is Bob Fox.
Peverill’s Apiary, honey and creamed honey sold directly to consumers plus retail locations, has moved to 1673 Northeast 70th Avenue in Ankeny. Owner is Michael Peverill.
Hanna Valley Protein, plant-based protein powders, and granola sold direct to consumers, plus retail locations has moved to 128 East Center Street in Truro. Owner is Emily Hanna.

Two additional startups are awaiting final lease paperwork for their kitchen spaces.

NEW PARKLAND EMERGES AT GRAY’S LAKE Crews continue to remove invasive and undesirable trees, vines, and undergrowth on seven acres of newly acquired and donated parkland on the east edge of Gray’s Lake. The City Council approved accepting the additional property about two years ago via a partnership with the Grays Lake and Meredith Trail Advisory Committee.

Late last year, the Conservation Corps of Iowa and Minnesota, part of AmeriCorps, removed trees from about three acres. According to Mike Gaul, parks manager for Parks & Recreation, City crews will continue work on the four remaining acres as time allows.

This summer, the first cleared areas will be seeded with native plants to restore the new acres to meadowland. Then, as time and funding allow, walking trails will be laid out with wood chips.

Mike explained that some trees will be left as snags—dead or dying standing trees that become homes for birds and mammals.

Photo credit: Murza Kudic

5TH STREET BRIDGE LIGHTS RESTORED The spectacular lighting on the Fifth Street Bridge—dark for most of 2022 during the reconstruction of the nearby Raccoon River levees—was finally restored last week.

Make that the historic Fifth Street Bridge that originally opened on June 17, 1898. Yes, nearly 125 years ago.

Later this year, bridge and trail supporters will roll out festive events to celebrate the importance of this bridge to downtown and the nearby southside, known by many as Little Italy. Stay tuned.

ROCKIN’ THE RACCOON: 3,104 TRUCKLOADS OF LIMESTONE

Craig Bouska, City civil engineer in charge of the Raccoon River levee projects, reports that Peterson Contractors, Inc (PCI) has armored the river banks with 80,705 tons of limestone riprap—roughly 3,104 truckloads of rock—for Phase B of the $12.7 million project under final stages. If you lined up PCI trucks bumper to bumper, the riprap convoy would stretch more than 35 miles. Impressive. Craig reports that part of the limestone arrived in Dexter via freight train from a quarry near the Iowa-Wisconsin border, then trucked to downtown Des Moines. Other limestone arrived via truck from a Matin Marietta quarry near Marshalltown.

Joe Van Haalen, IAFF Local 4 union president, stands beside a retired 1974 American Lafrance initially put into service as Engine 4 for the Des Moines Fire Department. It now has a permanent home on the first floor of The Shop DSM.

Alexis Storbeck, left, a recent DMFD academy graduate, attends her first official union meeting in The Shop DSM basement. Firefighters Tasha Law, Mitch Duver, and Brandon Osterman are seated at the bar. Tasha and Mitch were among the firefighters who helped remodel the building on days off.

YOU CAN GO HOME: FIREFIGHTERS RENOVATE ‘THE SHOP’

Local 4 members of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) are nearly finished renovating the former Kum & Go Theater—most recently part of the Des Moines Social Club—into their union hall and event venue, rebranded The Shop.

Before the facility was a theater space for a brief run, it was the Des Moines Fire Department’s maintenance shop from 1937 to 2013. Packed into the walls of this sturdy brick building at Southwest Ninth and Cherry streets are 77 years of fire department history.

Not surprisingly, firefighters have taken a shine to the remodeling task. And they’ve done so mainly on the backs and at the skilled hands of Local 4 members. Member firefighters, known for their “side job” skills, completed the lion’s share of the remodeling tasks:

General carpentry: Mike Morgan, Sean Lash, Dan Findley, Russ Baker, Jason Shediway
Floor polishing/sealing: Mike Flaherty, Matt Dewater, Aaron Bauch
Windows: Holly Smith (retired), Josh Wiebel
Plumbing: Scott Johnson

“We’ve had a ton of our other folks help these individuals with their side jobs,” reports Local 4 President Joe Van Haalen. “On several days, we’ve had 20-plus members just cleaning and painting.”

Firefighters remodeled the basement into union offices and a meeting room. Members also transformed the main floor and Rooftop into an entertainment venue overlooking downtown Des Moines for weddings, retirement parties, and other gatherings.

It’s a fire-family affair for social media and marketing, too. Mary Brannen—her husband, David, is a union member—is now promoting The Shop DSM event space. Other wives pitched in to build the website and design the bridal suite room.

The main floor has seating space for up to 200 guests; 315 for a reception with smaller tables. The Rooftop has a capacity of 115, and The Basement Lounge can seat 120. Mary has already scheduled four summer and fall weddings and a handful of corporate events.

“With our partnerships,” Mary added, “we want to work with local small businesses—especially businesses that support our community members in public service fields. We have special rates for nonprofit organizations.”

The Shop’s first public open house is Friday, March 17, with a St. Patrick’s Day family-friendly pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. on. Later that day, The Shop will host an NCAA beer garden with local food trucks.

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NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES Earlier this year, the Waveland Park Neighborhood Association paid $500 for 100 promotional spots on Iowa Public Radio (IPR). The suggestion, brought forward by member Mark Johnson, dovetailed with one of the association’s 2023 goals: Build the association’s brand and create a positive reputation for the Waveland Park neighborhood to attract people to want to live, work, and spend time there. IPR created two sponsorship spots: One highlighted the area; the second highlighted neighborhood features, including the Waveland Golf Course and the Roosevelt Cultural District. Neighborhood president Nick Coleman reports they are considering another ad buy in the fall.

Elsewhere:

The Beaverdale Neighborhood Association will sponsor a Home Improvement Fair from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, at the Northwest Community Center on Franklin Avenue. More than 16 local contractors have agreed to host a booth or table. Invest DSM, City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services, and the Neighborhood Finance Corporation will participate.
Neighborhood Services will sponsor a workshop for neighborhood leaders on gaining 501(c)(3) status. The Central Library event will be 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, March 2. Two attorneys who specialize in nonprofit work will present and answer questions.
The new South Central DSM Neighborhood Association, formed via the merger of South Park, Magnolia Park, and Fort Des Moines groups, will meet for the first time on Tuesday, March 21.

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THE DUDE GOT IT MOSTLY RIGHT

Earlier this month, Susan and I watched The Big Lebowski for the umpteenth time. Dang, so many memorable lines! I was captivated by one of The Dude’s classic lines when asked about life:

“Oh, you know, strikes and gutters, ups, and downs.”

As far as public service rolls, I’d add one crucial edit to The Dude’s bowling analogy: strikes, gutters, and too many splits. And those 7-10 splits are the worst!

Thanks again to Ira Lacher for his keen copy-editing comments on this newsletter.

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