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Home My WebLink About~Master - June 2024 Monthly Project Highlights Contact the City Manager's Office at 515-239-5101 515 Clark Avenue, Ames, IA 50010 Report compiled by Jeramy Neefus, Principal Clerk City Manager's Office JUNE 2024 MONTHLY PROJECTHIGHLIGHTS LIBRARY Book Sale: The Library’s summer Book Sale is here! Find great deals on thousands of used items, including books, movies, music, and more Sunday, June 30, through Wednesday, July 3. Visit the website at www.AmesPL.org for hours and admission information. New Play Area for Children: The Library has a new play house and toys for children, thanks to generous donations to the Ames Public Library Friends Foundation. Young children can practice their motor skills, while older children can exercise their imaginations with a play kitchen and more. Summer Excitement: The Library is buzzing with summer activity! • The recent author event with Lauren Tarshis, who writes the New York Times best-selling “I Survived” series, drew a crowd of over 320 people. Some came from as far as Kansas City, and feedback has been positive. • The schedule has been full with other events, too, from a magician to a houseplant swap! • The Summer Reading Challenge is in full swing, with over 2,400 participants reading to earn fun prizes. The challenge continues through August 22, so there is still plenty of time to sign up and get started. • The Free Summer Meals for Kids and Teens program is also rolling full steam ahead. The Library serves lunch to about 100 hungry people each weekday. 2 PARKS AND RECREATION Ames/ISU Ice Arena: Johnson Controls, Urbandale, Iowa, completed overhauling one of the ice making compressors at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena. The overhaul included replacement of all seals, piston rings, and bearings. Johnson Controls also replaced the controllers that operate th e two ice making compressors. The controllers that were replaced were original from when the rink opened in 2001. The life expectancy of both projects is approximately 20 years. Aquatics: For an in-service training, Ames Fire Department taught the Furman Aquatic Center (FAC) staff how to use a fire extinguisher to put out a small fire. This is the first time this collaboration has been done. Staff learned a new skill and enjoyed the experience. The Ames Cyclone Aquatics Club (ACAC) held its Rock The Blocks invitational swim meet Friday, May 31 – Sunday, June 2 at the Furman Aquatic Center. ACAC rents the entire facility for this meet. On Saturday, June 15, a Superhero and Princess Party was held at FAC. Despite the cold weather and rain, 30 people attended the party. 3 Swim lessons began in June with the sessions and registrations shown below: Lesson Session Registrations Evening 172 Daytime (Session 1) 167 Daytime (Session 2) 146 Adaptive 8 A Junior Lifeguarding Swim Camp was held June 17 – 21 with six registrants participating. A partnership with the Bliss Cancer Center - Mary Greeley Medical Center on Friday, June 21, brought Sun Safety Day to the Furman Aquatic Center. It was a hot, busy day at the pool and patrons were able to learn how to protect themselves in the sun. 4 Forestry: A chainsaw carving in honor of Virginia Stafford, sponsored by The Ames Foundation, was installed in Moore Memorial Park. To aid newly planted trees with getting established, staff will be watering these trees once per week. This process improvement has been implemented to reduce the mortality rate of the trees. Homewood Golf Course: As of June 24, 2024, Homewood Golf Course has had 10,798 rounds played. By that date last year, Homewood had 9,539 total rounds played. The table below shows the current clubhouse rental hours and revenue amounts compared to the same time frame last fiscal year. July 1, 2022 – June 24, 2024 July 1, 2023 – June 24, 2024 Paid Event Hours 203.25 169.25 Revenue from Paid Events $20,705.50 $17,476.25 Non-Paid Events Hours 213.5 224.75 5 New Playground Equipment: Staff completed the installation of the concrete border, Engineered Wood Fibers (EWF), connecting concrete walkways, and final grading and seeding as part of the Country Gables Park Playground Renovation. Staff has now transitioned to completing the Christopher Gartner Park Playground Project. Work is expected to be completed by mid-July. Below is a picture of the finished playground at Country Gables Park. Tahira and Labh Hira Park Art Installation: Staff completed the installation of a new art piece at Tahira and Labh Hira Park, 3622 Woodland Ave. Staff poured the concrete pad and worked with the artist, Kelly Tompkins, to install “Hearts of the Community” placed adjacent the shelter. The art piece was chosen by the Public Art Commission. The piece is shown in the photo below along with the artist, Kelly Tompkins (middle). 6 Wellness: Several classes began in June with the registrations shown below: Class Registrations Aqua Fitness Classes 105 Beginner Line Dance 14 Taekwondo 124 7 POLICE Ames Animal Shelter Receives Major Grant from Zoetis and Adopt-A-Pet: The Ames Animal Shelter was one of 20 animal welfare organizations across the country selected recently to receive a pet care grant from Zoetis and Adopt-A-Pet. These first ever grants are aimed at improving access to care and resources for pets, shelters, rescues, and veterinary healthcare teams. The shelter will receive flea, tick, and heartworm disease prevention for cats and dogs, along with core vaccines and antibiotics needed to support healthy pets in their care. The Ames Animal Shelter estimates the value of the pet care products at more than $40,000. Ames Animal Shelter Recognized Again for Reaching No-Kill Status in 2023: The Ames Animal Shelter was again recognized by Best Friends Animal Society for reaching no-kill status in 2023. This designation is given to shelters that save 90 percent or more of dogs and cats entering the shelter during the past year. The Ames Animal Shelter’s live release rate for all domestic animals in 2023 was 98.2 percent. A 90-percent save rate is the nationally recognized benchmark to be considered “no-kill.” The rate acknowledges approximately 10 percent of animals entering shelters have medical or behavioral circumstances that warrant humane euthanasia rather than killing for lack of space. 8 TRANSIT Iowa Public Transit Association Annual Conference: The Iowa Public Transit Association’s (IPTA) annual meeting was held in Ames June 5 - June 7. This conference provided an opportunity for Iowa transit agencies to collaborate on shared objectives, discuss strategies for improving service, and experience collective training to enhance employees’ skills. In addition, CyRide staff were asked to present at the event. Assistant Director of Fleet and Facilities James Rendall (right) was part of a four-person panel discussing battery electric buses and alternative fuels, which included the ongoing B100 pilot project at CyRide. Kevin Gries, Chief Safety Officer, presented on third-party CDL testing, CyRide’s safety culture, and the Employee Safety Reporting System (ESRP). During the awards banquet, CyRide received the Award of Excellence from the Federal Transit Administration for the highest ridership increase among large urban transit systems in Iowa. As part of the conference, CyRide hosted the Iowa Public Transit Association State Roadeo, which is a timed competition of a bus driver’s ability to maneuver through an obstacle course and demonstrate their driving skills. Many drivers throughout the state came to Ames to participate in this competition. CyRide is excited to announce that Charles Long (center) placed 1st in the Small 9 Bus competition, and Brian Grootveld (right) and Paul Klimesh (center) placed 1st and 2nd respectively in the Large Bus competition. Charles and Brian will be able to compete next year in the National Roadeo competitions. During the conference, two of CyRide’s employees also received individual recognition. Pictured below, driver Glenn Crosswait was recognized with the Professional Driver of the Year award, which was given based on feedback from Glenn’s peers and reflects the very high standard of service he provides to customers. Chris Lumley, Lead Lane Worker, was recognized as the Iowa Public Transit Association Transit Operations Employee of the Year. He was nominated for his leadership role, how he has responded to the challenges of staffing lane worker positions over the last two years, and his innovation with the solar light technology project for CyRide’s bus shelters. CyRide is very honored that Chris and Glenn were selected for these awards and are proud of their positive contributions to CyRide.