Let's Catch Up - September 2021

Jill and Brody McCarthy plan to use Block Challenge funds to replace a leaning retaining wall at the Kingman Avenue home. Ten-month-old Theodore will have a front-row seat to the construction.

BLOCK CHALLENGE GRANTS ROLL OUT CITYWIDE Block Challenge grants—a popular Invest DSM program in four targeted neighborhoods—gained a foothold in other Des Moines neighborhoods this summer.

The purpose of the Block Challenge is to bring neighbors together to make exterior improvements, including painting, replacing front steps or retaining walls, sprucing up the landscaping, and other curb-appeal improvements. For a group of 10 or more homeowners, the City provides up to $2,500 for each project costing $5,000 or more. Earlier this year, the Des Moines City Council approved $170,00 in matching funds.

Approved programs are sprinkled throughout Wards 1 and 3—121 homeowners in all—and something is percolating for two Ward 2 programs. A total of 147 homeowners are participating for projects proposed at $615,668; Invest DSM will reimburse $258,670 to homeowners upon completion.

The application process requires at least five neighbors to participate. But programs in the Waveland Park, North of Grand, Woodland Heights, and Drake neighborhoods have each attracted 16 or more homeowners.

Two of those are Jill and Brody McCarthy, part of a new Kingman Avenue Block Grant Challenge. When Kathy Schott went door to door to sign up neighbors, including the McCarthys, Brody realized that Tim Schott, Kathy’s husband, was his elementary school principal and lives just two blocks down the street. How cool is that?

Kathy organized a Kingman block walk on Sept. 12 to check out the “before” homes and yards of participants.

Invest DSM staff administers the Block Challenge program for the City of Des Moines. There’s still time to apply for funds for projects this year. The deadline is Sept. 30. Details here.

LAND AND WATER LEGACY BOND ON NOV. 2 BALLOT

In addition to municipal and school board elections Nov. 2, your ballot will include checkboxes for a referendum to extend Polk County’s Water and Land Legacy Bond. I urge you to join me in voting “YES!” for the bond, which would cost the average homeowner less than a dollar a month.

If approved by at least 60% percent of voters, the $65 million referendum would green-light the Polk County Conservation Board to:

• protect drinking water sources;

• protect the water quality of rivers, lakes, and streams, including the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers and their tributaries;

• improve public access to and the safety of rivers and creeks for floating, boating, and fishing;

• reduce flooding;

• protect wildlife habitat and natural areas; and

• expand Polk County outdoor recreational opportunities for walking, hiking, biking, and water trails.

In 2012, 72% percent of Polk County voters supported a similar referendum that enabled dredging of Easter Lake, improved tributaries to reduce siltation, expanded outdoor activities at Jester Park and the Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt, and reduced flooding of Fort Des Moines Park and Fourmile Creek. Learn more here.

TELLING THEIR STORY: PROUD HMONG COMMUNITY

If you missed the recent reopening of the Robert D. Ray Asian Garden, please carve out a few minutes to stop by the pavilion and expanded gardens just north of the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge, at the northern edge of the Principal Riverwalk loop. You will not be disappointed.

And don’t overlook the compelling stories of the five Southeast Asian communities—Vietnamese, Cambodian, Tai Dam, Lao, and Hmong—who have enriched our community since the mid-1970s.

Three Hmong community leaders stand beside the story of their ethnic mountain group. From left: DMPD Sgt. Doua Lor, Ge Jay Lee, and Khoua Lee. Khoua and his wife, Mao Sayaxang, wrote a commentary about the Hmong community and their arrival from Southeast Asia in 1976.

The garden, which just became part of the Botanical Garden, was recently expanded north to I-235 with more than 28,000 new plantings. Water features have been replaced, along with finials knocked off by a hammer-wielding vandal in 2017. Oh, yes: new lighting and security cameras are part of the $750,000 upgrades. Read details here. TREES AND MORE TREES

Tree-planting in Des Moines continues at a rapid pace: 563 new trees have been planted on City parkways (the grassy area between sidewalks and streets). Trees Forever staff, Growing Futures teen employees, volunteers, and City staff plan to add another 619 trees this fall. City Forester Shane McQuillan reports that by comparison, 612 trees were planted in 2020.

In 2022, the City will plant another 971 new trees; in the Oak Park and Highland Park neighborhoods alone, volunteers plan to plant 288 trees by year’s end. With pledged funding from Invest DSM and potential additional funds, that number could climb to 1,300 to 1,500 trees throughout the City. Several City Council members are lobbying hard to increase the City’s tree budget for fiscal year 2022-23.

You’ve probably noticed a 5-gallon bucket beside each tree. Trees Forever Growing Futures teen employees, paid by City funds, water new trees for two years.

DON’T WANT A SPEEDING TICKET? DON’T SPEED Earlier this summer, the City added a speed camera to Grand Avenue at 14th Street, around the Western Gateway Park and the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. Motorists will be issued tickets if they’re caught traveling at 36 mph or faster (11 mph over the posted 25 mph speed limit).

Speed cameras are excellent tools for traffic enforcement. Best of all, they allow police officers to focus on other public safety tasks without putting themselves on the street.

To combat the old saw that “speed cameras are just revenue generators for cities,” some cities have success with other approaches:

• For every motorist driving under the speed limit, a Dutch city made a cash contribution to rebuild a neighborhood park.

• In Sweden, obey the speed limit and you are entered in a lottery made up of funds collected from speeders.

• Toronto introduced a similar “safe speed” lottery.

• Closer to home, Minneapolis and St. Paul rolled out “Twenty is Plenty” speed limits on residential streets.

And if you think Des Moines tickets are too onerous, Chicago, home to 100-plus speed cameras, issues tickets if you go 6 mph over the posted speed.

I like the way RAYGUN founder Mike Draper thinks:

“Slow down that traffic, speed up government.”

(trademarked) ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS GAIN TRACTION

In earlier generations, an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) may have been labeled as a mother-in-law apartment, backyard cottage, or granny flat. Adding another dwelling unit on a residential property provides the benefit of three generations living together (but not on top of each other) and helps spread fixed costs such as property taxes and family members. Unlike traditional rental property, the primary dwelling and ADU generally share utilities (no separate meters).

They are becoming popular in many cities, Des Moines included.

In the Waveland Park Neighborhood, a couple is building a detached ADU for the husband’s mother. They plan to add a 716-sq.-ft. ADU for grandmother in back of an 816-sq.-ft garage.

In the Highland Park Neighborhood, Invest DSM, Home, Inc., Hubbell Properties, and AARP Iowa have partnered to build a new 1,500-sq.-ft. primary dwelling with 540-sq.-ft. ADU in a detached garage (alley access). Construction should begin this fall on the Euclid Avenue lot.

A Drake Neighborhood family has initiated conversations with Invest DSM for an ADU on their property.

To allow for an ADU construction, there must be a familial relationship between a property owner and the ADU occupant. The homeowner may need to sign an annual affidavit for continued use by a family member. Some cities streamline the permit process if the ADU square footage is 800 square feet or less.

Here’s a link for Des Moines ADUs: https://states.aarp.org/iowa/adu-des-moines

general ADU information

And here’s how the permit process works in nearby St. Paul, Minnesota.

CLIVE GREENBELT GOATS:

MORE THAN CUTE Seventeen goats are taking a big bite out of honeysuckle and other invasive plants along the Clive Greenbelt.

“Our Greenbelt Goats are doing a great job of managing the natural area along the Greenbelt—about 400 acres,” notes Richard Brown, Clive’s director of Leisure Services. “They eat a lot!”

While working as assistant director of Des Moines Parks and Recreation, Richard always wanted a goat herd. Unfortunately, Des Moines zoning codes regarding livestock prevent the City from embracing a similar program. But Clive found a sustainable solution — and lots of fans.

“We have volunteers who count the goats each night and send us a quick email,” Richard reports. “And the winter months, we have people stop by and feed the goats.”

The goats also have become a branding opportunity—“We’re now selling T-shirts and koozies displaying our goats,” Richard adds.

A third party owns the goats; Clive is responsible for the daily care. Chief goatherd Ryan Fogt, an operations specialist for the Clive Parks and Recreation Department, tends to the herd’s daily food and water needs and moves the herd’s fencing weekly.

Here are details about the baa-bies.

Antonio Mireles in the ring with manager and SPO John Saunders

TOWERING SOUTHSIDE BOXER

TURNS PRO Antonio Mireles recently inked up for a professional boxing career. Senior Police Officer John Saunders, long-time manager for the Des Moines Police Activities League (PAL), couldn’t be prouder.

John, who stands all of 5 feet 4 inches, has looked up to Antonio for years, and not just because the Lincoln High School grad and PAL product towers over him at 6 feet 9. Antonio, who joined the PAL when he was 12 years old and competed for the first time when he was 15, was a five-time Iowa Golden Gloves champion and the 2019 National Golden Gloves champion. Saunders and Elly Nunez were Antonio’s coaches through his 12-year amateur career.

How far a boxer can go, John says, depends on how willing he is to work hard. “From that respect,” he adds, “Antonio was easy to train.”

Known in boxing circles as “The Lincoln Giant,” Antonio had a 28-4 amateur boxing career, including winning all five bouts in the super heavyweight division to earn gold at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Despite that, he was not selected to the U.S. team that competed in the 2021 Tokyo Games. Instead, Antonio signed in late July with Split-T management and now trains with the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard, California.

Generally, John has a dozen boxers training at the Pioneer Columbus gym, part of the nonprofit PAL program. All know Antonio and his story and now have someone to look up to—if they’re willing to work hard. Here’s more about “The Lincoln Giant.”

For more about PAL activities—including flag football and bike rodeos, contact SPO Deb VanVelzen. “Our mission to reach all youth in Des Moines through all types of activities from sports to the fine arts,” Deb added. “We are looking to partner with other nonprofits to provide some out-of-the-box opportunities to our City kids.” A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS

(with a tip of the hat to the late Maury White, Des Moines Register sports columnist)

The first new E911 signs are sprouting up along Des Moines trails. The signs, in quarter-mile increments, provide valuable information to emergency responders and for alerting city staff of trail conditions. Friends of Des Moines Trails funded the initial signs. …

Speaking of trails, Des Moines Parks and Recreation director Ben Page reports that individuals or groups have adopted 11 Des Moines parks and seven trail segments in a new program rolled out earlier this year. Here’s how you can participate. … <

Let's Catch Up - July 2021

Officer Andrea Brouwer, left, and SPO Lindsey Kenkel

When 28 freshly minted Des Moines police officers graduated from the City’s 79th Police Academy in mid-May, an equal number of veteran police officers seated nearby were glowing, inside and out. Those experienced officers, who volunteered to mentor academy candidates, watched with pride as DMPD badges were pinned for the first time above left pockets.

Officer Alan Kent, left, and SPO Brian Foster

It was a proud day for the graduates and the mentors for another reason: For the first time in recent memory, 100% of the academy class graduated. Commonly, candidates leave the academy, some realizing police work isn’t for them, others who don’t meet DMPD standards.

Early in the 24-week academy, department leadership assigns an experienced officer to navigate a candidate through the rigors. Then, at weekly meetings, the pairs take a deeper dive into classwork, tune up for the physical standards, fill in the gaps in public-safety lingo, and answer personal questions about a successful career while balancing home and family responsibilities.

Senior Officer Lindsey Kenkel, an eight-year DMPD officer, was assigned to Andrea Brouwer, an educator for 18 years before applying to the academy. Lindsey became interested in a public safety career while working as a part-time emergency medical technician for the Johnston-Grimes Fire Department.

Police work, even in a small city, like Des Moines, can be complex. On one of Andrea’s first nights on patrol, she recalls, the pair handled the theft of a catalytic converter, a traffic stop, and burglary. “Lots of domestic calls in the first week,” she related. “And all different paperwork. And I’ve learned how to label a victim scenario when there wasn’t one clear example on the report form.”

Andrea impressed Lindsey with her organized learning. “Andrea put together study guides for her classmates—that’s the teacher in her,“ Lindsey says. “And she wasn’t too afraid to ask one of the instructors or me a question.”

Lindsey also recalls that Andrea didn’t want to fall behind on her physical standards after injuring a shoulder while at the academy. So they connected for some physical therapy.

“I appreciate all the time Lindsey spent with me,” Andrea says. “And she’s still putting up with me! Lindsey is so gracious about answering my questions—emails, texts, phone calls.”

Senior Officer Brian Foster, with 14 years in law enforcement, including three in Des Moines, was paired with Alan Kent, a 2019 naturalized citizen who immigrated from London, England, after marrying a Central College student he met during her semester abroad. Alan’s introduction to American policing included weapons training (“I had only shot a gun once or twice”), and legal issues such as domestic violence and no-contact orders. “Luckily,” he says, “the officers I’ve met are good at sharing procedures.”

Also, Alan took a lot of razzing about his English accent and slang. “We worked on saying ‘hood’ rather than ‘bonnet’,” Brian recalls with a chuckle. “Or a ‘parking lot’ rather than their ‘car park.’ He’s got the American lingo pretty well managed now.”

Over lunches in small mentor/candidate groups or just the two of them at Jethro’s Southside, Brian realized how well Alan eased into the ideal U.S. police model of connecting with individuals.

“What I noticed about Alan is the great way he talked with people,” Brian reports. “He has a very trusting demeanor when on duty. Another time, he picked up on a suspect’s deception—the person wasn’t forthcoming. Good skills.”

The graduating cadets are probationary police officers for the first year. In Phase 1, they spend 20 working days observing one officer. In Phase 2, the new officer takes control—with a veteran officer in “the shadow,” if necessary. If they pass muster after their probation, the newest officers are on their own—but the mentor connection can last throughout their careers.

RETURNING TO THE OFFICE: YOU CAN’T MAKE UP THIS STUFF

As we all know, businesses across the metro have begun rolling out plans for employees to return to the office. Here are a few interesting reactions or responses worth sharing. (Company names withheld.)

• At one downtown insurance company, everyone is expected to be in the office three days during the week. One question brought forward to the CEO: “Will we get paid mileage for the days we are to be in the office?”

• At a West Des Moines insurance company, the entire IT department decided they could just work from home. Responded the executive team: “Oh, good, we’ll just outsource IT and save some money.” The IT staff reconsidered.

• For one locally owned bank, the lengthiest discussion about returning to the office revolved around men wearing ties. Ties prevail. For now.

• At a downtown nonprofit, everyone is expected to return to the office and pre-COVID face-to-face community interaction. However, one employee signaled a preference to work from home. After a bit of probing, the employee revealed why: “I moved to Las Vegas in September.”

• In one department of four, an individual staked a claim to the in-office days by announcing: “These are the days that work best for my child care schedule.”

IN SEARCH OF NEIGHBORHOOD CHAINSAW ART

Some of my bike friends served up an interesting challenge: Where can we see the best chainsaw art in our neighborhoods? Can you help map out locations for excellent front-yard sculptures created from tree trunks? I’ll collect your suggestions and publish a map. Somewhere in Beaverdale, there’s a giraffe . . .

Email Carl

DEFERRED EXPULSION: SHOWING STUDENTS SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Remember when you opened your first savings or checking account? Who could forget that prized passbook with handwritten entries we tucked safely away in desk or dresser drawers?

Savings passbooks are relics, but opening an account is still a big deal—especially if it’s connected with your first paying job. That’s the highlight takeaway of a conversation earlier this summer with Joseph and Bryan. The two 15-year-old high school students opened new accounts at local institutions because of their first paying summer jobs, through Good Vibes, a neighborhood nonprofit working with youth.

Joseph and Bryan participate in the Des Moines Public School (DMPS) deferred expulsion program, which began in 2015. They’re among 30 or so students identified with unsafe “Level 4 event” behavior—e.g. fighting, weapons, drugs—that lists them for potential expulsion.

“These are kids that no one wants to deal with.” says Negus Imhotep, Urban Dreams case manager. “Most are candidates for the school-to-prison pipeline. So we have a lot of societal issues to deal with.”

Expelling students without service support doesn’t serve the family or community, says Rich Blonigan, who oversees DMPS’ alternative programs. Deferred expulsion is about turning kids around, getting them back on track, and keep them in school. “We work with Urban Dreams to wrap services around the students and find a better situation for them to succeed,” Rich says, referring to the Des Moines nonprofit that became the community partner of the program in 2017.

“For the students, there’s a real positive vibe at Urban Dreams,” Rich adds. “We’re thankful we have partners that want to do this important work.”

"We are thankful to DMPS for thinking outside the box with expulsions,” says Izaah Knox, Urban Dreams executive director. “It is difficult to keep a young person engaged and hopeful for their future if they have no connection to academic and employment opportunities, positive adult role models, and a safe place to go. We coordinate all of that and more.

“This partnership grew from an authentic, and grassroots partnership predicated on assisting young people in our community achieve their dreams. Many have, and many more will succeed because of our long-established trust and dedication to DSM and our residents.”

From offices on Forest Avenue, Negus and Urban Dreams provide case management services. Classroom teachers may drop in; some students work virtually. Students are in the program for 90 days to full semester, depending on their progress. For the three most recent school years, the program has a 64% success rate. For the most recent school year, the program boasts an 88% success rate.

Negus also organized mock job interviews for the boys and helped them and their classmates polish their resumés for that all-important first job. “You should have seen their faces when I told them they had a job!” Negus recalls. Negus also points with pride to two or three program students who joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) apprentice program.

“There are a lot of job opportunities that people don’t realize,” says IBEW Local 347 business manager Pat Wells. “We’re looking for people that want to do the job and show up every day.” Recently, Tim Hawthorne signed on as the local’s diversity officer to develop community engagement and identify apprentice candidates.

Good Vibes found summer jobs for Joseph, Bryan, and about 18 other neighborhood kids. They work 10 to 15 hours a week on gardening, yard, and construction projects. Right now, they are rehabbing a house in the neighborhood. “It’s a great introduction of hands-on work and trade skills,” says Good Vibes executive director Maya Bromolson. “They get to invest in their neighborhood and we pay them $10 an hour.”

Good Vibes funding through Future Ready Iowa runs through the summer. Maya hopes to tap other resources to continue after-school and weekend jobs.

Successes—going back to school or signing on to a career—are the goals, but it’s not all roses. “I had three boys who were shot and killed,” Negus says. “I tell the students, ‘Don’t let that be you.’ “We need to show them something different.”

GOING LIVE WITH SOLAR; DOING OUR PART

The heatwaves in the Northwest, the unprecedented severe drought in the West, and the deadly flash flooding in Germany should bring home to each of us the clear and present dangers of climate disaster. How can we, as individuals, and the City of Des Moines do our parts to reduce our carbon footprints and become less reliant on fossil fuels?

Earlier this year, the City Council passed a resolution to develop partnerships that advance a 45% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 2010 levels by 2030 and to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We also committed to a communitywide goal of achieving 100% 24x7 electricity from carbon-free sources by 2035, which would make Des Moines one of the first cities to do so. Learn more, and about the City’s other energy initiatives.

For Susan and me, the answer was converting to solar power. Next week, solar panels installed on our East Village garage roof should began generating electricity. A six-person crew from Purelight Power installed the panels in late May, then steered us through the approval process with the City of Des Moines and MidAmerican Energy.

Not only do Susan and I look forward to reducing our $120 monthly MidAmerican Energy budget bill (gas and electric), but excess kilowatts we generate will be credited to our MidAmerican account. We can draw on those credits during cloudy days.

Our solar savings barely makes a blip in the energy consumption in a city our size. Still, we think it’s essential for each of us to do our part to reduce our carbon footprints and become less reliant on fossil fuels.

We understand that not everyone can afford this investment, but you can research other solutions from the DSM Citizen Taskforce members on Sustainability.

10th ANNIVERSARY BIKE CAMP

In mid-June, Randy Damon, Kittie Weston-Knauer, and I volunteered to lead a weeklong bike camp organized by the Des Moines Police Department and sponsored by the Street Collective of Des Moines and the Police Athletic League. It’s the 10th year Kittie and I have volunteered for the activities. So I feel pretty danged lucky to share the duties with two retired schoolteachers, as well as Senior Police Officer Deb VanVelzen, who heads the DMPD Youth Services Division and is a former teacher.

The camp encompasses more than biking—although we did accumulate 90-plus miles for the week! Some highlights included swimming at two public pools, a session on loading bikes onto DART bus racks, a terrific Court Avenue Hy-Vee nutrition tour by dietitian Anne Cundiff, geocaching on three days, and a pontoon boat ride on Easter Lake. And, of course, the week’s big event: biking across the High Trestle Bridge west of Madrid.

Bike Tube Patch Practice

To earn a Zombie Burger shake on the last day of bike camp, each youth had to state something they learned in camp. Testimonials included:

Angel: “Change gears only when pedaling!”

Eliza: “When I pedaled harder, I learned how to ‘reel in’ other riders.”

Joell: “Before going uphill, shift DOWN to the biggest cog in the rear.”

Kennedy: “The three main parts of a bike frame are top tube, seat tube, and down tube.”

Nartavious: “After looking left, right, left, call out CLEAR before pedaling.”

Nicki: “Each time your ride, do an ABC quick check on your bike.”

Parker: “I learned all three hand signals for bicyclists.”

Paul: “Raise your seat so your knee is slightly bent when your foot is at 6 o’clock.”

GAME CHANGERS MOBILE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE

Within weeks, expect to see improvements in how Des Moines and Polk County respond to mental health crisis calls. “This will be a big deal for Des Moines and Polk County,” says Captain Jeff Edwards of the Des Moines Police Department.

After reviewing crisis-response programs in other cities (CAHOOTS in Eugene, Oregon, and STAR in Denver), local mental health experts believed the Crisis Call Diversion Program in Austin, Texas, best fit our community, although Polk County contains about half Austin’s population.

Earlier this month, a delegation of 11 from Des Moines and Polk County spent three jam-packed days in Austin taking a closer look at the program, which rolled out in 2013. The first delegation to witness the Austin model in person, the Iowa dispatchers and supervisors sat in on calls, and mental health clinicians accompanied Austin’s three full-time clinicians in the field. The hosts were generous with their time, with discussions lasting well into the evening.

Participating in the Austin trip were:

• DMPD Captain Jeff Edwards, dispatch supervisor Brad Button, Sergeant Lorna Garcia of the mobile crisis team, and senior public safety dispatchers Katie McGhee and Mindy O’Donnell.

• Polk County Sheriff’s Office: Major Brent Long, dispatch supervisor Nick Brockman.

• Polk County Health Services: Annie Verz of adult mental health services, and Julie Gibbons of children’s mental health services.

• Broadlawns Medical Center: DawnMarie Hooker, nurse and supervisor of the mobile crisis response team; and Phil Sullivan, nurse and mobile crisis worker.

Des Moines plans to ramp up its mobile mental health crisis team to 24/7 response in coming weeks. In coming weeks, Expect to learn about other welcome announcements regarding mental health crisis response from Des Moines, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Broadlawns Medical Center and Polk County Health Services.

THE RETURN OF CIVILITY

The past 15 months have been a grinder for City Council meetings. Council members endured an 11-hour session loaded with Zoom bombing: insults, outbursts, shouts, and cursing. When we returned to in-person meetings in June, disruptors swarmed the Council chambers, grabbed papers off the City Clerk’s desks, stood on chairs, and shouted down the Mayor. We worked our way through the agenda, but not without a lot of pain.

Here’s an interesting quote from Angela Andrews, group director of the National Conference of State Legislatures, penned in 2016:

“In the 2016 Civility in America survey, 79% of respondents believe incivility in government is preventing action on important issues, 76% believe incivility makes it difficult to discuss controversial issues, and 64% have stopped paying attention to political conversations and debates. Incivility in government inspires distrust of public institutions, including legislatures, and those who serve in them.

“As the late Alan Rosenthal, one of the nation’s leading scholars on state legislatures, wrote, ‘The most important effect of incivility is probably on the legislature itself. … The public … has become increasingly cynical about political people, including legislators, and political institutions, including legislatures. … And they are highly critical of what they perceive to be the unnecessary bickering, conflict and deadlock of the legislature. The public has lost confidence in the way the institution and the process work.’ ”

We in City government suffer through similar challenges in our strides to conduct the public’s business. We look forward to the day when residents no longer need to fear attending a Council meeting in person.

Let's Catch Up: May Newsletter

INCENTIVES: LIVE IN DES MOINES

At Monday evening’s meeting, the City Council approved a plan to provide incentives for City employees to live or rent within Des Moines city limits. The goal is to encourage more employee investment in the City and enhance employee-community relations.

Qualified employees who purchase a home in the City of Des Moines and maintain it as their primary residence for at least five years will get a one-time forgivable loan of $15,000, minus any other incentives. (A prorated portion of the amount becomes a lien against the home if the homeowner leaves City employment or relocates outside the City.) Qualified employees who sign a lease of at least 12 months for a City rental residence will receive two separate incentive payments of $1,000.

Residency incentives grew out of the Civil and Human Rights Commission’s Bridging the Gap program.

NAILED IT! WALLS FOR HABITAT HOME

Saturday, I joined 30-plus volunteers from Central Presbyterian Church to knock out all the wall panels for a new Habitat for Humanity home planned for 1323 13th Street in the King Irving Neighborhood. Habitat staff plan to turn over the keys to the first-time homeowners this fall.

Without one nail gun, we cut and assembled all the exterior and interior walls for the 1,110 square-feet home, including the closets. Habitat valued our contribution at $3,848.

This year, the local Habitat chapter, working with BSB Design of Des Moines, plans to complete 34 affordable homeownership opportunities in the metro area.

These homes don’t get built by themselves! Here’s how to volunteer. To organize a group, call the Habitat offices at 515-471-8686 x 111.

BCYCLE E-BIKES ARRIVING IN THE METRO

If you were in the Court Avenue District Saturday night, you might have glimpsed the first Des Moines BCycle e-bikes assembled for the local fleet. Over the next two weeks, Street Collective employees will distribute 65 e-bikes to the 27 BCycle stations around the metro. (Total BCycle bikes in the fleet: 200.)

Des Moines has the longest-operating BCycle program in the USA. The local program started with four stations and 18 bikes in 2010. New BCycle stations in the metro include the Clive Aquatics Center, Clive Campbell Park, Windsor Heights Colby Park, and the Des Moines Water Works Park.

The expansion is part of a $170,000 Transportation Alternatives Program grant awarded to the City of Clive through the Des Moines Area MPO. According to Street Collective Executive Director Jeremy Lewis, “This project would not have been possible without significant financial investment from MidAmerican Energy Company, and the cities of Clive and Windsor Heights.”

Street Collective employee Muhamed Ibisevic invited his friends Rebecca Clay, left, and Alexis Rose, right, on a trial ride. Yes, smiles all around.

PEPPER PLANTS WITH DEEP DES MOINES ROOTS

When it comes to planting pepper seedlings for summer gardens, generations of Ausilios in the Des Moines area are mighty picky about what to plant—no ordinary pepper will do: It’s gotta be the Ausilio thin-skinned Italian peppers.

How treasured are the seeds passed down through five generations? In 2017, Decorah-based Seed Savers Exchange added the family’s pepper seeds to its catalog of 20,000 items, declaring the Ausilio peppers as among the best-researched additions. Soon afterward, the Ausilio pepper seeds were added to the “doomsday” seed vault deep inside the Arctic Circle in Svalbard, Norway.

Well-regarded local chefs Tony Lemmo and George Formaro worship them. “They are such an important ingredient that embodies all the folks who immigrated to Des Moines from southern Italy,” Tony says. “Plus, there is no better pepper around that combines everything a pepper should be. They are truly divine after roasting and preserving them in oil.” If you are fortunate, you might find these cherished pepper plants at Gateway Market.

Chad Ogle-Riccelli, the owner of Action Auto Body, keeps the family tradition going and growing with more than 600 pepper plants started each spring in his backyard greenhouse. When July arrives, Chad; his wife, Michele, and their three kids harvest peppers that are fried, canned, dried, and added to family recipes. Cherished recipes include Sarda (a rolled bread with peppers and anchovies) and Pastachiena (a casserole laced with layers of pasta, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, meatballs, tomato sauce, and peppers).

Here’s a quick family and pepper history:

Giovanni “John” Ausilio, Chad’s great-grandfather, immigrated from Campana, Italy, in the early 1900s. He later met and married Rachel Scarcello, who arrived in Des Moines from Terravecchia, Italy. The young couple lived on Motley Street near MacRae Park, where they maintained a tidy garden that included peppers from cherished seeds originally sent from Italy. For the second generation, seeds from the local Ausilio pepper plants were a wedding gift for their daughter Theresa, now 96 years young, when she married Nick Riccelli.

Today’s Ogle-Riccelli garden consists of the Ausilio peppers, as well as tomatoes and herbs. “The peppers have always been consistent over all these generations,” reports Michele: bell to triangular-shaped peppers, with excellent, moderate to high-heat flavor, up to 3½ to 5 inches long and 1½ to 2½ inches wide. “Stewed, dried, stuffed, or fried, this pepper is at the center of our family’s culinary traditions,” Michele says. “Naturally, they require full sunlight, warm soil, water, conversation, and love.“

Yes, conversation and love! An observant Ausilio descendant talks to the pepper plants daily. Theresa, Chad’s grandmother, recommends giving a warm morning greeting to pepper plants. And of course, don’t forget to say “Good night.” With that, an Ausilio plant frequently grows 5 feet tall and produces 24 or more peppers.

Read more about the Ausilio family pepper plants.

PAINT THE TOWN GRAY. AGAIN.

This year has the makings of a long season to cover new graffiti in Des Moines. In the photo, Kat Rivera, a member of the City’s graffiti team, rolls gray latex paint over a slew of taggings beneath the Seventh Street Bridge and along the Meredith Trail.

Graffiti is a growing eyesore in Des Moines. Graffiti tickets reported to the City rose from 280 in 2018 to 497 in 2020. For the last fiscal year, the three-person team, supervised by Jody Rouse, used 100 gallons of paint to cover the vandalism beneath bridges, wooden buildings, and light poles. This fiscal year they’ve used 142 gallons. In addition, they have run through 70 gallons of chemical concentrate to power-wash the graffiti where necessary.

You can use the MyDSMmobile app to open a ticket to remove graffiti. Here’s a PDF you can download for additional information.

NEW STREET VACUUM FOR PERMEABLE PAVERS

On Ingersoll Avenue and elsewhere, the City is installing permeable pavers, which allow water to pass through to the layers underneath. As you might imagine, a traditional street sweeper would quickly clog the gaps in the pavers, so the Public Works Department has replaced one sweeper with an Elgin Whirlwind street vacuum, purchased for $316,334 in late 2020. The City’s fleet now contains six waterless sweepers and four water sweepers.

DINNER DISPATCH MOVES TO NEW DIGS

Dinner Dispatch founders LeAnn Thongvanh, left, a nurse, and Jen Ordeson, a teacher, cooked up an enviable business plan, then watched their business grow more than 300% during the pandemic. Woohoo!

Dinner Dispatch is an affordable, local version of Blue Apron or Hello Fresh but with an added benefit—they prep everything. No chopping, dicing or sauce-making; the ingredients are ready to go. And they rely heavily on local suppliers: Ebersole Cattle Company in Kellerton sources grass-fed ground beef. Giddy’s Goodies provides excellent scotcheroos featured in some dinners. And Prep Kings is the go-to for addictive Energy Balls.

Every Monday, Dinner Dispatch delivers about 1,500 dinner servings to 100 or more households in the metro area. Two-thirds of the meals they prepare are intended for families, serving 4 to 6. The remaining third (half portions serving 2 to 3), end up at the doors of empty nesters and young professionals. (https://wallace.org/community-kitchen/)

The menus change weekly. Among the favorites: beef stroganoff, a meatball sub casserole, and Honey Sriracha Asian Chicken Salad. Other offerings are ready for the freezer.

What started as a partnership between friends has grown into a business supporting 15 part-time workers, including drivers (10 routes currently in the metro), prep workers, and support staff. While Jen’s mom was a professional chef, LeAnn had no background in culinary arts. But, she says, “Family shows through in our love for food.”

Dinner Dispatch is the first business to graduate from the Mickle Center Shared-Use Commercial Kitchen into its own space. Jen and LeAnn recently moved into a remodeled 1,200-square-feet prep kitchen at Apple Valley in Windsor Heights.

“It’s just so hard to fathom how fast we’ve grown,” LeAnn marvels. “We moved into the Mickle Center kitchen in November 2019. In January 2020, we were feeling pretty good about the opportunities. Then with COVID, our sales tripled almost overnight. Word of mouth and Facebook is where we’ve found a lot of new customers.

“We’re ready to grow again in our new space.”

Jen has effusive praise for the Mickle Center’s kitchen and its supervisor, Mary Kapler. “We couldn’t have started this business without Mary and this kitchen,” Jen praised. “Mary coached us through how to prepare for our state inspections and helped us ramp up our recipe development. We owe Mary a lot.”

Explore Dinner Dispatch’s menu here.

TWILIGHT WALK/RUN AT WAVELAND GOLF

Think Waveland Golf Course is exclusive territory for duffers and the winter sledders? We have an event for you.

The Waveland Park Twilight Family Walk/Run is your opportunity to enjoy a leisurely evening walk or run on the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi River. It all kicks off at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 18. (The course is closed to golfers that evening.) Sponsors include the Waveland Golf Course, Friends of Des Moines Parks, the Waveland Park Neighborhood Association, and the Capital Striders Running Club.

On the 4-mile course—you can shorten your walk, if you wish—you’ll stick to the asphalt golf cart paths that wind their way through nearly 2,000 trees. Then, circle back to the historic Waveland clubhouse for a slice of Fat Joe’s pizza and a beer or soft drink.

Plan your walk here.

ASIAN GARDENS EXPANSION UNDERWAY

A $750,000 expansion and renovation of the Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens is taking place along the Des Moines River. The expansion north of a pagoda, installed in 2009, includes a wood-planked boardwalk and more than 25,000 new plantings in the Jim Muto Recreation Area. Looks for a re-dedication of the gardens in September.

When completed with updated lighting and security, the management of the Asian Gardens will transfer from the Riverfront Development Authority to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.