Let's Catch Up! January '26

BUSIEST YEAR EVER FOR MYDSMMOBILE

See something. Say something. Public Works, Engineering, and Neighborhood Services will sort it.

Des Moines residents embraced the myDSMmobile app for reporting City issues—15 categories in all, with 7,058 tickets opened in 2025. That’s an uptick from 6,946 the previous year.

Potholes were once again the largest category, with 2,256 reports (32 percent of the 2025 total), and up from 2,021 in 2024. Public Works director Jonathan Gano told me his crews aim to fill potholes within 24 to 48 hours of receiving each ticket. Other categories:

• Trash - 866 reports (12.3%)

• Tall grass and weeds - 856 reports (12.1%)

• Trees - 669 reports (9.5%)

• Inoperable vehicle on private property - 436 reports (6.2%)

• Snow - 427 reports (6.0%)

• Graffiti - 364 reports (5.2%)

• Request a street sweeper - 361 reports (5.1%)

• Traffic sign missing – 198 reports (2.8%)

• Traffic signal problem - 182 reports (2.6%)

• Stormwater problem - 176 reports (2.5%)

• Alleyway repair - 141 reports (2.0%)

• Sanitary sewer problem - 45 reports (0.6%)

• Report work without a permit - 41 reports (0.6%)

• Rooster concern/complaint - 40 reports (0.6%)

Something to crow about: 2024 marked the first year for rooster complaints—just four tickets opened. The jump to 40 in 2025 represents a 900% increase.

Here is the 2025 Top 10 leader board:

1. Roy Salcedo -76

2. Renda Barbieri-Snyder 61

3. Kenzie Henderson, aka “Pothole Wrangler” -51

4. Albert Daniel -43

5. Tyler Haberman -40

6. Charles Beebe III -34

7. Jami Yoder -33

8. Pavla DeFrancisco -32

9. Tie: Seth Hall and Jason Bahr - 30

I reported 28 myDSMmobile incidents in 2025, just a tick below the Top 10.

VOLUNTEER WINS GOLDEN GRABBER

John Taylor, a friend from the running and biking community, became obsessed in 2021 with picking up trash along downtown trails. And he hasn’t downshifted. For his dedication to trail cleanup, Des Moines Parks and Recreation will recognize John Taylor as its Volunteer of the Year at a January 27 ceremony. Parks and Recreation staff will recognize eight other individuals or groups for their volunteer efforts that evening.

Besides a handsome plaque, the Parks and Recreation department dressed up a trash grabber for John—far too nice for trail work, but nice for a wall in his condo at The Plaza.

Here are some stats from 2021–2025 that make John the GOAT local trail trash fanatic:

• Hours: 1,428.8

• Value: $47,073.13

• Filled-to-the-brim trash bags (2024 and 2025 only): 383

To give you a clearer picture of what 383 bags would look like, imagine two school buses nose-to-tail, both brimming with litter.

For John, it’s not work. He’s always walked or run a lot, having completed 30 Boston Marathons, and this year (April 20), on two replacement hips!

Parks and Recreation supplies John with plastic bags, disposal gloves, and a trash grabber. He texts City Field Coordinator Katy Cantin the pickup locations for his filled bags. Broken trash grabber? Nothin’ a little duct tape can’t fix!

If you run into John, ask him about his worst trashcapades. He’ll probably tell you about the Neal Smith Trail beneath the University Avenue Bridge (giant ugh; always at least two bags). Or the time he found a dead body along the Carl Voss Trail (true story). Or maybe when he picked up two $50 bills (donated them to the Botanical Garden). Or the time the Urban Bike Food Ministry volunteers mistook him for a homeless guy and offered up a burrito and water.

Free food notwithstanding, “the most rewarding aspect of volunteering,” John told me, “is the hundreds of thank-yous I’ve received.”

Good luck at Boston, John. Then, get back here healthy and keep filling those bags!

FIRST FULL YEAR FOR LIFE SERVICES CENTER

Since opening in mid-November 2024, the Life Services Center at 1914 Carpenter Avenue has made a significant impact in the community. Steve Johnson, Broadlawns Medical Center’s government liaison, shared some encouraging numbers:

• Behavioral Health Urgent Care: Averaged 12 patients daily and helped more than 3,500 individuals seeking mental health assistance.

• Crisis Observation Center: Sees an average of two new patients a day.

• Sobering Center (operated by St. Vincent de Paul): Averages nearly four admissions a day and supported 1,418 guests in 2025.

St. Vincent de Paul CEO Steve Havemann estimates that since opening in November 2024, the Sobering Center has saved taxpayers $3.5 million in emergency room expenses, $74,000 in admissions avoided at the Polk County jail, and 35,000 law enforcement hours. The City of Des Moines contributes 50 percent of the Life Services operating budget, or up to $600,000 annually.

Steve told me the Sobering Center staff had a busy December, with 152 guests admitted:

• 54 arrived via police from Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Windsor Heights, or the Mobile Crisis team.

• 4 were transported by Des Moines Fire/EMS crews.

• 4 are regulars who arrive nearly every night.

• 32 were new guests.

“We struggled to get guests into treatment when they requested,” Steve reflected. “We found out the months of November and December are busy months to receive treatment, as people want to do this [sobriety treatment] for their family before the holidays.

“We were able to send two guests to the House of Mercy to get same-day help.”

BUSY YEAR FOR HOYT SHERMAN

Is there a busier Des Moines venue than Hoyt Sherman Place?

When I reached out to Hoyt Sherman Place CEO Robert Warren for a 2025 update, he reported that the historic site at 15th and Woodland Avenue:

• Hosted 432 events and welcomed 103,948 guests. The tally includes 99 headliner artists, from comedy to country, in the 1,252-capacity theater, plus 333 additional bookings, including meetings, events, conferences, breakfast clubs, corporate rentals, and classes. Wowzer!

• Des Moines residents purchased 10,862 tickets, spending $528,014.

• Ticket buyers living more than 50 miles away made up a third of attendees, spending $1,547,000 and contributing to local restaurants and hotels.

• 225 Des Moines residents made personal donations of more than $110,519.

• A big hand up from BRAVO, which awarded $289,500 for 2026.

Robert ticked off four additional proud moments:

1. The Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025, “And we are now completely debt-free!”

2. For the fifth time, the American College Theater Festival generated more than 600 hotel room nights in the dead of January.

3. And more than 500 people from across the country attended an eight-day Community Theater Festival this past summer.

4. In 2025, Catch Des Moines recognized Hoyt Sherman Place with the Tourism Champion Award.

Susan and my personal favorite Hoyt Sherman moment from 2025: The Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s “Creole Christmas” and pianist Kyle Roussel’s “Silent Night.”

ARTS FESTIVAL BENEFITS 4 NONPROFITS

Four local nonprofits recently were awarded a total of $40,000 for volunteer staffing at the 2025 Des Moines Arts Festival beverage stations. Here’s a snapshot of the partners and how they used their hard-earned dollars:

• Community Youth Concepts updated its Stowe Heights Challenge Course, an East Side ropes course accessible to youths 10 and older.

• Cowles Montessori Parent Group intends to use the generated funds to host 25 local artists for a Fine Arts Day, to fill the Cowles art supply closet for teachers and staff, and support after-school enrichment activities.

• Des Moines Refugee will use these funds to purchase art supplies, camps, and summer activities for youths involved with Des Moines Refugee Support.

• Perkins Elementary PTA plans to use its funds to purchase musical playground equipment, supplies for their new art teacher, and recorders for the music room. Parents can appreciate that the instruments will stay at school and not be played at home (whew!).

PRIDE PICKS UP THE BEAT

In June, I wrote about the newly formed Iowa Pride Ensembles that marched for the first time in the June 8 PrideFest parade. “This was grassroots recruiting and word of mouth,” Meredith Murphy, one of the co-founders, told me. “We had 65 marching with us on Sunday. Ages ranged from 19 to 65 years—professional musicians, band directors, and some who hadn’t marched since high school.”

In the photo above, that’s Amanda Thomas-Murphy, Pride Ensembles artistic director and co-founder, leading the band.

The new group planned to establish a pep band, a jazz band, and a concert band. And they’re checking the boxes: The Pride Ensembles marched in Valley Junction and Ankeny pride parades. And Iowa Pride Ensembles won the “People’s Choice” and “Pitch With Pride” awards from the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce.

“At our ‘Coming Out Of The Dark’ concert on December 21,” board community liaison and co-founder Rachel Gulick told me, “we performed with 60 musicians, had an audience of 350, and 50 of those were youth! Our goal was to sell 150 tickets, so we’re ecstatic over all the support.

“Saturday, March 28, at Bash DSM [event space at 1312 Locust Street], Pride Ensembles will shift to its first ‘Swing Fling,’ a night of big-band jazz music, light apps, drinks, a VIP experience, and of course, swing dance! Don’t worry, we’re bringing in dance instructors.

“We’re utilizing this event as our fundraiser for our marching band season and beyond. We hope to see you there!”

Look for details about February 1.

ARF! FREE PET FOOD

Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Iowa’s Abbey Youker talks to a Des Moines resident next in line for the mobile Pet Food Pantry in September. The ARL’s new mobile pantry, which opened in August, provides free pet food and cat litter at locations sprinkled around the City.

Abbey told me that in 2025, ARL assisted more than 2,300 families (8,000 companion animals) by furnishing more than 100,000 pounds of pet food and 1,745 units of kitty litter at 40 mobile Pet Food Pantry stops. ARL plans similar weekly Pet Food Pantries this year. When supplies allow, the ARL also provides free pet food at 12 food pantries. Residents in need of pet food can visit the ARL events page to see when and where the next Pet Food Pantry will be located.

Steve Rohrer, director of ARL community partnerships and animal services, told me ARL hosted 52 low-cost/no-cost Wellness and Community Paws Clinics in 2025. Most of these clinics were held on Fridays at the Des Moines Animal Services building. One of the first mobile clinics at Grand View University, sponsored by Invest DSM, drew 53 dogs and 37 cats (plus their humans). Steve told me the ARL plans to host 10 Community Paws clinics this year, where pet owners can get their pets vaccinated and microchipped at no cost. How to register.

Late last year, the ARL used a $1 million donation from Ardin and Nona Backous to purchase two low-cost storefront veterinary clinics. Now rebranded as ARL Afford-A-Care East (1258 E 14th Street; just north of University) and Afford-A-Care South (3003 SE 14th Street; north of Park Avenue), these clinics expand the ARL’s affordable quality veterinary care to the community.

SOCCER THROW-INS

Late last year, I had breakfast at the Hobnob in the Hotel Fort Des Moines with Scott Munn, the newly appointed director of soccer operations for the Krause Group, which will bring men’s and women’s USL professional soccer to the City. Scott previously served as chief football officer at Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League and is relocating to Des Moines.

Scott told me he has recommended that the pitch — field, as Americans say — planned for the new stadium be a hybrid system modeled after the Premier League pitches: about 95 percent natural grass and 5 percent synthetic. The synthetic fibers are stitched in, Scott explained, allowing the field to recover quickly from wear and tear. With a little online poking around, I learned the UK considers itself the “Silicon Valley of Turf.”

And a heated pitch! Because of women’s matches into December, Scott has recommended an undersoil heating system to keep the pitch playable year-round. Think of something similar to Lambeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers play.

Currently, the Iowa Soccer Development Foundation—the nonprofit that will build and own the stadium—is reviewing RFPs for the stadium’s design and construction. First matches are expected in 2029.

Scott’s ambitious Des Moines goals also include securing a location for professional practices and a youth academy.

Stay tuned for more developments!

HARM-REDUCTION VENDING MACHINE

In July, I included information about a new 24/7 harm-reduction vending machine outside the Polk County Health Department at 1907 Carpenter Avenue. There, residents can pick up naloxone (branded often as Narcan), which rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, and 14 other items. Polk County Public Health communications supervisor Addie Olson reported that from May to December, nearly 15,000 items were dispensed. Yes, all free and no registration required.

For 2025, Plan B (an emergency contraceptive) was the most popular item (2,382 packages), followed by sexual lubricant (1,685) and latex-free condoms (1,486). Other high-profile categories: naloxone (No. 6, 1,206 kits) and gun locks (No. 7, 806).

In that July newsletter, Allison Smith, executive director of the project partner Family Planning Council of Iowa, said: “Some of the items are more sensitive health products. The vending machine enables people to access potentially life-saving supplies more privately.”

“We are very interested in adding more health and safety vending machines throughout the community,” Addie told me in the new year’s first week. “We have been working with partners to identify other potential locations and funding avenues.” Details.

SAFE BARS LIST GROWS

Polk County Public Health communications supervisor Addie Olson reports that in 2025, 15 local bars or restaurants completed Safe Bars training. The three-hour program, patterned after the national Safe Bars training, teaches staff to recognize, respond to, and intervene in sexual harassment and related gender violence. The local Safe Bar program also includes training on how to deliver Narcan, a medication to reverse an opioid overdose quickly.

The certified Safe Bars list includes: Buzzard Billy's, The Continental, Escape Lounge, Hessen Haus, Iowa Taproom, Joe's Pub, The Kee, McCann's Tap, Palms DSM, Polk City Pub, The Purveyor, Ricochet, The Royal Mile, Sleepy Hollow Sports Park, and University Library Café.

Amara Sama, above, owner of Palms DSM, at 1905 Ingersoll Avenue, completed the Safe Bars training in October. “The team used real-life scenarios that strengthened our ability to screen situations,” Amara said. “As a new restaurant owner, I appreciate any tools or training that would help make this space safer for everyone.”

In the photo below, Amara has placed Safe Bar stickers on Palms DSM's entrance doors and additional signage in the women’s restroom.

The next three-hour training program is scheduled for Saturday, February 21, at Hoyt Sherman Place. Registration details.

AWARD-WINNING BRICK SIDEWALK

Later this month, 1000 Friends of Iowa will present the Capitol Park Neighborhood with its Best Development Award in the Neighborhood Revitalization Category. The neighborhood, which spans both sides of the Des Moines River between 2nd Avenue and East 14th Street, celebrated the completion of new brick sidewalks at 1300 Fremont Street in early September.

The City has reconstructed brick sidewalks in front of a few homes. Still, no one in Engineering or Development Services can recall an entire block of brick sidewalks being rebuilt within the last 30 years.

Most of the bricks from the old Fremont sidewalks were salvaged for the $88,000 project, funded by grants from the City, Polk County, and Prairie Meadows. The contractor first constructed a concrete base for the new sidewalk. A bed of sand over the concrete allowed the crew to level the bricks.

Joining in for the celebratory photo above were Anuprit Minhas, senior City planner in development services; Chelsea Lepley, Capitol Park Neighborhood Association vice president; Dena Bennett, the association’s president; and Jon Hanson, its treasurer.

FOOD COMMITTEE READY TO ROLL

What began as the Food Security Task Force in December 2020 has transformed into the Food Sustainability Advisory Committee, with new duties.

The City Council approved the change, elevating the group to a standing committee, at its November 17 meeting. City council approved the appointments at its December 8 meeting:

• Hailey Boudreau – community health consultant, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Brings expertise in public health nutrition and statewide healthy-eating programs. Served on the second Food Security Task Force.

• Katie Das – state coordinator, Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT). Focused on farmland preservation and sustainable agriculture outreach.

• Paul Gibbins – regional director, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach. Provides leadership in community education, youth development, and agricultural programming.

• Amy Joens – community garden specialist, Lutheran Services in Iowa (Global Greens). Leads refugee farmer and community gardening programs.

• Sheila Knoploh-Odole – Attorney and sustainability consultant, Knoploh Law & Consulting. Former SILT director and served on both prior Food Security Task Force iterations.

• Alejandro Murguia-Ortiz – food rescue logistics manager, Eat Greater Des Moines. Coordinates large-scale food recovery and redistribution efforts. Served on the second Food Security Task Force.

• Adam Shriver – director of wellness and nutrition, Harkin Institute for Public Policy. Experienced food and environmental researcher with a focus on public engagement.

• Vannessa Silva – produce manager, Gateway Market. Experienced in food retail operations and served on the second Food Security Task Force.

• Kathy Underhill – chief executive officer, Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC). Leads Central Iowa’s largest food pantry network and brings national anti-hunger leadership experience.

Breann Bye and Nick Tarpey from Development Services will staff the monthly meetings, with a kickoff on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Breann told me: “It is anticipated the new committee will focus on initiatives that expand and support urban food production, advance local food entrepreneurship and market access, strengthen community gardens and orchards, promote food-friendly policies, and improve coordinated community food access and resilience across Des Moines.”