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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - October 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 OCTOBER 2024 MONTHLY PROJECTHIGHLIGHTS CITY OFFICE 50th Anniversary of the Ames Human Relations Commission: This October marks the 50th anniversary of the Ames Human Relations Commission (AHRC). The Commission celebrated this milestone on Sunday, October 20, at Moore Memorial Park with a a ceremony that included a tree planting, the unveiling of its new t-shirt design, food, and great company. 2 FIRE Open House: On Saturday, October 12, the Ames Fire Department hosted its annual Open House at Fire Station #1. The event saw well over 1,000 people in attendance, participating in 14 different activities focused on fire safety. 3 Vehicle Extrication Training: During the week of October 14, Ames firefighters participated in vehicle extrication training. This annual training is imperative as vehicles continue to evolve and firefighters learn new techniques to quickly and safely remove trapped occupants from crashed vehicles. 4 LIBRARY Book Sale: The Ames Public Library Friends Foundation will hold the next Book Sale November 14-17. Proceeds from this fundraiser are used to enhance Ames Public Library’s collections, programs, and services. Get the details on the Library’s calendar at www.AmesPL.org/events. Carpet Project: Ames Public Library will be replacing carpet in many of its highest-traffic areas from January through early March, including the adult and youth collections areas, Teen Space, study rooms, and the entryway. The Library will remain open throughout the project, but parts of the building will be closed to the public during certain phases. Library staff are using experiences from COVID closures to plan alternatives for customers when collections are unavailable. Watch for more information as plans are finalized at www.AmesPL.org. Satellite Voting: Ames Public Library has been serving over 500 extra visitors for the past few Saturdays as a satellite voting location. From 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., a steady stream of residents has joined a long queue that snakes from the Library’s Auditorium, through the Lobby, and far into the Youth Services area. Voters seem pleased to have activities to entertain themselves during the roughly hour -long wait: books and e-books, free paperbacks in the lobby, and meeting neighbors and acquaintances on their regular visits to the Library. Staff hopes voters who are not regular Library visitors see something to bring them back throughout the year! Staff Training Day: The Library will be closed on Veterans Day, November 11, for an all-staff Training Day. This is one of two annual opportunities for Library staff to connect, engage with library-wide topics such as the upcoming Strategic Plan, and share information and training across workgroups. 5 PARKS AND RECREATION Ada Hayden Heritage Park Improvements: Staff completed several improvements at Ada Hayden Heritage Park in October, including refinishing the main park shelter, installation of a concrete grill slab adjacent the main shelter, installation of a ramp for the boat dock, and renovations to two mini shelters at the park. 6 Aquatics: Fall swim lessons began on Sunday, September 29, at the ISU State Gym. There are 143 participants registered for the session. Carr Park Agility Course: Staff held a final public input meeting with the neighbors of Carr Park in mid-October to present final plans for the project along with color options for the playground equipment and safety surfacing. The presentation included responses to concerns that were expressed by the neighbors at previous meetings. The neighbors that attended the meeting were excited for the project and appreciated that changes were made to the project (e.g. demolition of the bath house, removal of a mid-block crossing, utilization of colors that will mesh with the surrounding landscape, and parking lot efficiency). Project specifications were distributed for bid 7 on October 24 with bids due on November 27. Staff will present bids to City Council on December 10. The pictures below depict the color of the surfacing that was determined by the neighbors. Emerald Ash Borer Tree Replacement: Staff planted 20 trees in various parts of town as new tree requests or replacement trees. Additionally, Country Landscapes planted 45 trees in various locations around town that were direct replacements for ash trees removed last winter. Fitch Family Indoor Aquatic Center: Staff is developing a facility schedule (hours of operation), tentative fee schedule (daily admissions, season passes), and an operational budget. This information will be shared with the Parks and Recreation Commission on November 21 and City Council on November 26. The report will include results from a survey staff is conducting, as well as comparable data from similar facilities throughout Iowa. Homewood Golf Course: As of October 27, 2024, Homewood Golf Course has had 25,428 rounds played. By that date last year, Homewood had 22,928 total rounds played. The table below shows the current clubhouse rental hours and revenue amounts compared to the same time frame last fiscal year. 8 July 1, 2023 – October 27, 2023 July 1, 2024 – October 27, 2024 Paid Event Hours 41 36.25 Revenue from Paid Events $4,305.00 $3,806.25 Non-Paid Events Hours 43 51 Iowa DNR Community Forestry Grant: Parks and Recreation received a Community Forestry Grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for $10,000. This grant funded the planting of 45 trees in right-of-way strips along Twain Street, Dickinson Avenue, Poe Avenue, Webster Street, Waller Street, and Steinbeck Street. Volunteers helped City staff plant the 45 trees on Saturday, October 12. Park Broadleaf Spraying: Staff completed spraying broadleaf weeds (ground ivy, dandelions, knotweed, etc.) on over 150 acres of turf in the parks this fall. In the past, a contractor was hired to do the spraying, but it is now done by Parks and Recreation staff with application certification. Trees for Kids Grant: Parks and Recreation received a Trees for Kids grant from the Iowa DNR. This grant award for $2,098 funded the planting of 17 trees at the Municipal Cemetery. The project was developed in partnership with a local Eagle Scout, and volunteers from the scout troop helped plant the trees with City staff on Saturday, October 5. Wellness: Several wellness classes began in October with the following registrations: Program Registrations Group Fitness 503* Taekwondo 115 Yoga Basics 9 Adult Beginner Ballet 9 *Includes 25 virtual registrations Heartland of Story County’s Sixty Forward Center opened to the public Monday, September 30, and Parks and Recreation staff has onboarded 109 participants on the EGYM equipment between September 30 and October 21. Free fitness classess will be offered at Si xty Forward October 28 – November 8 for people to try. A new fitness session at Sixty Forward begins Monday, November 11. Pictures of the EGYM equipment and some of the free classes are below. 9 10 WATER AND POLLUTION CONTROL Best Tasting Water in Iowa: Each year during its annual conference, the Iowa Section American Water Works Association hosts the “Best Tasting Water in Iowa” competition. The event is a formal competition with a five-person panel scoring the water samples on categories such as taste, clarity, aroma, and after-taste. In 2024, a new competition was added: The People’s Choice Award. The new award category allows all 200 attendees at the conference to cast a vote. The rationale for adding the second competition was to create an opportunity for an additional utility to win an award. However, the Ames Water Treatment Plant brought home both trophies! This is the fifth time in 23 years that Ames has won the statewide competition (2001, 2007, 2017, 2018, and 2024), and will now represent Iowa in the national competition held in Denver in June 2025. Hunziker Youth Sports Complex Wellfield Standby Power: Engineering design and archaeological evaluations are nearing completion for the installation of a standby generator for the drinking water wells in the Hunziker Youth Sports Complex. This is the first phase of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-funded hazard mitigation grant. Following this design effort, staff anticipates receiving a second phase grant award to procure and install the generator. Lead and Copper Rule Improvement Released: On October 8, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its final “Lead and Copper Rule Improvement.” This rule will require utilities to prepare a lead service line replacement plan that details the full replacement of all lead service lines within 10 years. It is not yet clear how the EPA expects utilities to mandate the replacement of privately-owned infrastructure. In many communities, including Ames, the service line is entirely owned by the customer. Staff from Water and Pollution Control, Public Works, Inspections, and Planning and Housing are considering possible ways that the City could help incentivize these private property improvements. 11 Lead Service Line Inventory: The Water & Pollution Control Department has recently completed an update to the inventory of lead service lines in the City. Out of the 12,475 service lines in the inventory, there are: • 147 lead lines (1.2%) • 97 galvanized requiring replacement (0.8%) (galvanized piping that is, or ever was, downstream of lead pipes) • 0 service lines with unknown materials (0.0%) Letters will be mailed directly to each property address to let them know what service line material our inventory shows for their home or business, along with information about ways the City’s water utility is minimizing the risk from lead, and things they as a consumer can also do to lower their risk. A searchable map of the service line inventory is available to the public on the City’s website at www.CityofAmes.org/Lead. North River Valley Wellfield Project: Work continues on the construction of two new wells in the flood plain north of E 13th Street and west of Stagecoach Road. The pipeline is complete and has passed the required disinfection step. Drilling of the two wells began in mid -October. Final completion is not anticipated until fall 2025 due to the extended delivery times for key electrical components. Staff is working through a complicated and contentious change order with the contractor to remove one of the three planned wells from the project. Nutrient Reduction Modifications Underway: Work has begun on the modifications to the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) to achieve the goals of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Underground utility relocations are underway for the addition to the sludge pumping building and for the new grit handling building. Building pad preparations are also underway for the new administration building and the new electrical service building. Excavation in progress for the addition to the Sludge Pumping Building is pictured below. 12 Water Pollution Control Facility NPDES Permit Update: Earlier this year, staff from the WPCF and Laboratory Services Division completed a water quality study to document the potential for copper toxicity in the South Skunk River at the point where the WPCF discharges. The result of that study confirmed that the ambient water chemistry is such that copper is less toxic than what the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) uses as their statewide default value. Copper toxicity depends on the hardness of the water; harder water tends to bind up the copper, making it less toxic. As a result, the Iowa DNR has established a new site -specific copper water quality standard for the South Skunk River. Iowa DNR is amending the WPCF’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to remove copper. The Iowa DNR’s Permit Amendment Rationale notes the following: “An updated wasteload allocation was completed on August 14, 2024. An updated reasonable potential analysis was conducted on the available copper effluent data and found that reasonable potential no longer exists to violate the newly calculated copper effluent limit. As such, the permit is being amended to remove the copper limits, monitoring, and associated compliance schedule.” The new permit will be issued following a 30-day public comment period.