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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - July 2023 Monthly Project HighlightsHIGHLIGHTS JULY 2023 MONTHLY PROJECT 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 LIBRARY Library + Parks = Storywalk ™: Ames Public Library and Outdoor Alliance will present a special StoryWalk™ event at Moore Memorial Park August 14 at 3:00 p.m. The StoryWalk™ is a series of permanent sign holders along the walking path displaying the pages of a picture book in order. Visitors can read the entire book as they walk around the park. For the August 14 event, staff will lead families through the pages of Kate Messer’s “Over and Under the Pond.” After the walk, there will be a fun and educational pond-themed activity. For those who cannot make it to the event, the StoryWalk™ can be enjoyed on any visit to the park: “Over and Under the Pond” is already on display! Watch for a new featured book later this fall. Pub Fiction Fundraiser: The Ames Public Library Friends Foundation will hold its annual Pub Fiction fundraiser Thursday, August 10. Participants can purchase tickets at the Library or online at https://bit.ly/PubFiction2023 for a literary pub crawl at downtown Ames businesses with book- themed decorations and drink specials. Proceeds from Pub Fiction are used to enhance library collections, programs, and services. Special Visitors from the Library World: In July, Ames Public Library hosted a visit with Sam Helmick, President of the Iowa Library Association; American Library Association (ALA) President-Elect, Emily Drabniski; and the new Director of the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at the University of Iowa, Dr. Lucy Santos Green. It was a great opportunity to meet with state and national library leaders and show off the City’s amazing staff and library! Summer Reading and Meals: There is still a bit of summer left before Ames Public Library switches gears to back-to-school. Special family events, free lunches for kids and teens, and summer storytimes continue through August 18. The Summer Reading Challenge ends August 21, and Ames Community School District begins classes August 22. So far, almost 3,000 participants have logged a total of 2.8 million minutes of reading! 2 PARKS AND RECREATION Ames/ISU Ice Arena: The Ice Arena closed on June 25 to complete maintenance tasks, including the sand releveling project. Ice Arena staff removed the ice and paint and turned compressors off within five days of closing. It took several weeks for the sand to dry out before the contractor was able to inspect and correct (where needed) the piping embedded in the sand, replace the insulation around the perimeter of the rink, and level the sand. Next steps are to refreeze the sand and build the ice sheet. Staff has also been busy painting the interior of the facility, sharpening all rental skates, and doing a thorough cleaning. The Olympia was taken to Fleet Services for its annual maintenance. The pictures below show the different stages of the sand releveling project. 3 Cardio Room: A new Life Fitness Recumbent Cycle was purchased for the Cardio Room. Emma McCarthy Lee Park Pickleball Project: Staff completed demolition of the tennis court posts and anchors in preparation for the pickleball project. Des Moines Steel Fence Company, Des Moines, Iowa, completed installing the fence posts that divide the six pickleball courts and two tennis courts. Upper Midwest Athletic Construction, Andover, Minnesota, was scheduled to start tennis/pickleball post installation, crack repair, court resurfacing, and boundary line installation the week of July 10, but has been delayed by other projects. Staff has communicated with Upper Midwest Athletic Construction the need to get started on the project. At this point, the project may not start until mid-August. Pictured below is the fence post installation. Forestry: Forestry staff inspected and completed necessary work on 117 trees in Stuart Smith Park. This pruning is a part of a regularly scheduled five-year inspection cycle for all publicly owned trees and was very timely ahead of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Race Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) and the potential high usage of this park. Additionally, staff has been dedicated to hazard tree identification and mitigation in parks and rights-of-way (ROW) ahead of RAGBRAI. The following areas have been addressed: • Brookside Park • Lincoln Way Underpass • ROW between Brookside Park and Main Street • ROW on Main Street, 5th Street, and 6th Street between Duff Avenue and Grand Avenue • Northern section of Vet Med Trail (Grand Avenue to S. 16th Street) • ROW along RAGBRAI route (Mortensen Road and Beach Avenue) 4 Homewood Golf Course: The course opened April 1 and business has been good. As of July 24, 13,400 rounds have been played, compared to 9,628 rounds played in the same period in 2022. Inis Grove Restroom Repair: HPC, LLC., Ames, Iowa, has been delayed in starting the demolition and renovation of the restroom in Inis Grove Park. The work is now expected to start in early August. The project includes replacing the roof trusses, metal roof, electrical system, interior wall surfaces, lighting, exterior limestone, siding and gutters. The project is expected to be completed this fall. Lifeguard Instructor (LGI) Class: A Lifeguard Instructor Class was held July 5-9 with eight registrants. LGI is an American Red Cross course for lifeguards who want to become instructors to teach lifeguard classes. Participants must be at least 17 years of age and have a current lifeguard certification. The class is approximately 30 hours of hands-on teaching experiences, classroom instruction, and in-water skills. National Parks & Recreation Month: Free classes are being offered through the month of July in honor of National Parks & Recreation Month. Classes offered free this month include Zumba, Simply Strength, and Balance Strength & Stretch. RAGBRAI: A few thousand bike riders camped in Brookside Park, Tuesday, July 25, as part of RAGBRAI 2023. Staff from Parks and Recreation greeted riders as they came into the park, managed barricades at 6th Street and Brookridge Avenue and 6th Street and University Avenue, and cleaned up the park once the riders left on Wednesday, July 26. Below are pictures of camping at Brookside Park during and after the event. 5 Red Shirt Drill: A Red Shirt Drill was held on Thursday, July 13, at Furman Aquatic Center, as part of weekly in-service trainings for lifeguard staff to practice their rescue skills and execution of emergency action plans (EAPs). The drill is called a Red Shirt Drill because an individual at the facility plays the role of “victim” while wearing a red shirt. This individual simulated an emergency and staff responded. Red Shirt Drills provide a realistic emergency scenario and create an environment where performance can be evaluated to ensure staff are ready to act under stressful situations. Police, fire, and ambulance services all played a role in this drill. Furman visitors were made aware the drill was going to happen, so they were not alarmed when the training took place. Scholarship Fundraising Events: The Parks and Recreation Department is excited to present the inaugural Scholarship Duck Derby at Furman Aquatic Center and Scholarship Golf Classic at Homewood Golf Course. The purpose of these events is to serve as fundraisers to benefit the City of Ames Parks and Recreation Scholarship Program. Parks and Recreation Department offers scholarships to assist youth with program registration fees. Currently, up to 50% of the program registration fee is forgiven through the scholarship, up to $60 per calendar year. Scholarships are also available to families to purchase seasonal swimming passes, with 50% of the season pass fee being forgiven through the scholarship. The Scholarship Golf Classic at Homewood Golf Course will take place on Friday, August 25, at 10:00 a.m. Players in the tournament will play 18 holes in a four-person best shot format. Cost is $400 per team. The year-round Clubhouse at Homewood will serve as tournament headquarters, where players will check in and participate in raffles, 50/50, and more! Players of all ages and abilities will have a fun experience on a course that features a variety of challenging holes and mature oak trees. Register a team online at www.amesparkrec.org, in-person or by phone at the Community Center (515 Clark Ave., 515-239-5350) or Homewood Golf Course (401 E 20th St., 515-239-5353). The Duck Derby at Furman Aquatic Center will take place on the final day of the 2023 season: Monday, September 4, at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place on the Lazy River, where up to 2,000 rubber ducks will be released and race through the current channel. Parks and Recreation will work 6 with community partners to donate prizes for winners to select. Ducks are available for adoption in-person or by phone at the Community Center (515 Clark Ave., 515-239-5350) or on site at Furman Aquatic Center (1635 13th St.). Duck Packages Sponsorship opportunities are available for both the Scholarship Golf Classic and the Scholarship Duck Derby. For more information on how to become a sponsor or for more information about these events, visit www.amesparkrec.org or contact Courtney Kort, Recreation Superintendent, at courtney.kort@cityofames.org or 515-239-5357. 7 Superhero Pool Party: Twenty-one families registered for the Superhero Pool Party at Furman Aquatic Center on Saturday, July 15. Attendees were able to meet superheroes, make a craft, and enjoy time in the water! 8 Wellness Classes: A new session of wellness classes began in late June and July with the following registrations: Program Registrations Participants from the Line Dance class will be dancing at the Ames Farmers’ Market on Saturday, July 29, at 10:00 a.m. The Iowa Games Zumba class was held Sunday, July 17, at the Community Center with 10 participants. 9 PLANNING AND HOUSING Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) and Duplex Outreach: New ADU and Duplex public outreach information is now available on the City’s website at www.cityofames.org/addhousing. At its June 27 meeting, the City Council directed staff to do outreach on proposed standards to allow for adding ADUs to single-family properties and to allow for new construction of duplexes as well. The website includes background information from the City Council workshops, proposed standards, dates and locations for public meetings, and a survey and comment tool for the proposed standards. The results of public feedback from August and September are tentatively planned for presentation to the City Council in October. CDBG/HOME Annual Action Plan: A 30-day comment period for input to the City’s 2023-24 CDBG/HOME Annual Action Plan is now available through August 4. The document is available on the City's website at www.cityofames.org/housing. The City Council will conduct a public hearing on August 8 for the approval and submittal of the Plan to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on or by August 15. Downtown Development/Redevelopment Stakeholder Meetings: Meetings with stakeholders addressing downtown development and redevelopment were conducted in June with the assistance of Ames Main Street and the Ames Economic Development Commission (AEDC). A wide range of feedback was provided regarding development requirements, permit processes, incentives, façade programs, and business priorities. This information will be provided to the City Council on August 22. Townhomes of Creekside Project: The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) announced the award of $1,149,500 in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and $500,000 in HOME funds for the Townhomes of Creekside Project in Ames for the Baker Subdivision. The City of Ames partnered with Hatch Development Group to submit an application for 38 low-income multi-family units in March. The award of these tax credits will complete the funding necessary for build-out plans of the development. The start of construction is tentatively planned for the spring of 2024. 10 POLICE Towing Contract: The City recently re-bid its Towing Contract, which is used when it is necessary to tow for police impacts, illegal parking, blocking a driveway, etc. There was only one bidder, and Central Iowa Towing (CIT) was awarded the bid. CIT was the contracted City towing service prior to this bid. However, the cost of a tow has increased. Starting July 1, the cost of a City tow has increased from around $65 to $100 plus tax. The cost is paid by the owner of the vehicle. In addition, storage fees past day one will increase from $5 per day to $15 per day with a $1,000 maximum. 11 WATER AND POLLUTION CONTROL Community Outreach Events: The department continued its active participation in community outreach events, helping out with Council Night at the Bandshell, the downtown July 4 parade, Midnight Madness, and the RAGBRAI welcome station. Upcoming activities on the schedule include Rummage Rampage and National Night Out. Demolition of the Old Water Plant: This project is moving into the final stages. Work began in August 2022 to sustainably demolish the structures. The project called for recycling 90% by weight of the total nonhazardous waste debris generated. When completed, the area will be seeded and returned to a green space. The images below show the start of demolition on August 11, 2022, and the status as of July 13, 2023. Ioway Creek Watershed Management Authority: The City Council will be asked to approve an amendment to the 28E agreement for the Ioway Creek Watershed Management Authority that would add Hamilton County as a participating partner. This could allow the Edge of Field Project to begin taking on projects in Hamilton County. North River Valley Well Field Project: A preconstruction conference was held on June 27 for the North River Valley Well Field Project. As a “sign of the times,” staff learned that the lead time on a key 15kV step-up transformer was 110 weeks! Construction on the wells could commence as early as late July, and pipeline installation is planned to begin in late August. 12 Sensors on Flow Meters: One recurring maintenance issue experienced since starting operations at the Water Plant has been fouling of the sensors on flow meters leading into the Solids Contact Units. These are critical meters, as they are used to pace things like chemical feed rates. Staff worked with a local contractor to have a 12” access portal tapped into the side of a 24” cement-lined ductile iron pipe approximately 16 feet up in the air. This now provides considerably easier access to be able to clean the sensors. Story County Edge of Field Project: The City Council will be asked to accept completion of the FY 2022/23 Story County Edge of Field Project in early August. This was the first year of the project that intercepts agricultural drain tiles and routes them through either a saturated buffer or a nitrifying bioreactor. These practices reduce the nutrient loading from the intercepted tiles before the water is returned to a nearby stream. Landowner sign- ups for year two are now underway, and design work is beginning for the third year of the project. Pictured is installation of wood chips in a nitrifying bioreactor during the FY 2022/23 project. Water Pollution Control Facility Nutrient Reduction Modifications Phase 1 Project: A 20% design workshop was held on June 30 focusing on the placement of key equipment for the Water Pollution Control Facility Nutrient Reduction Modifications Phase 1 Project, which remains on pace for design to be completed by the end of the calendar year. Allowing for an approximate two month pause while the design is reviewed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and construction permits are issued, staff anticipates moving into the bidding phase in March or April 2024. The images below were captured from the three-dimensional design model. In addition to improving design coordination, the model allows staff to navigate the improvements in a virtual 13 setting, much like walking through a video game. It allows staff to provide meaningful input on equipment placement, orientation, access, and provides a realistic portrayal of the final product.