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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - March 2022 Monthly Project Highlights MONTHLY PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS MARCH 2022 Report Compiled by Carly Watson, Principal Clerk, City Manager’s Office 2 FIRE This month, firefighters had the opportunity to practice their ventilation skills at Carr Pool, prior to its planned demolition. Crews utilized chain saws and rotary saws to cut ventilation holes in the roof. Ventilation is an important task during any fire ground operation and timing is everything. Fire crews must coordinate their ventilation with the crews making entry into the fire. Cutting the right type of ventilation hole, in the correct location, at the right time will have a significant impact on the fire conditions inside the structure for any occupants still trapped inside and the firefighters who are rescuing them. 3 LIBRARY Battle of the Books: Ames Public Library’s Battle of the Books is as popular as ever! Twenty- four teams of 5th graders competed on March 31, and 13 teams of 6th graders will compete on April 7 in a trivia contest about specific books. Library Training: Several Library staff members attended the national Public Library Association Conference in March, exploring topics about library service, DEI, outreach, and much more. In April, many of our Youth Services team will attend Pop YS Con, a conference on library service for children presented to by the State Library Youth Conference. These events offer valuable insight into changes in libraries, help us gather ideas to improve or expand services, and give staff members a chance to network and connect with peers. Spring Book Sale: The Ames Public Library Friends Foundation Book Sale in March was a great success, raising over $9,000! Items sold in book sales or in Literary Grounds bookstore can come from a few different places. Some are withdrawn from the library’s circulation due to lack of demand or relevance or once they become too “well-loved.” Others are items that have been donated to the Library but aren’t needed or suited for the circulating collection. Selling these unneeded items is not only a great fundraiser to enhance Library programs and services, it’s also a great way to get more books into homes and give them a second life! Supporting Teens: Ames Public Library supports teens in a variety of ways, including special programs. A recent workshop in partnership with Parks & Recreation, gave teenagers a chance to meet The Reminders and explore positive self-expression through song. In April and May the Library will partner with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to offer Ending the Silence, an engaging presentation about mental health conditions in youth. 4 PARKS AND RECREATION Carr Park Bathhouse: Carr Pool Bathhouse and Pump buildings were removed the beginning of March. Parks staff spent time emptying building contents and prepping the buildings for removal by salvaging and recycling all the metal possible. A big thank you to Public Works Streets Division for the equipment, trucks, and operators to help bring the buildings down and separate the concrete and wood debris for disposal to the proper locations. Also, thanks to the Resource Recovery Plant for assisting with the roll off dumpsters and hauling to the landfill. 5 Ice Arena: In the month of March, the Ames/ISU was a host site for the Midwest Amateur Hockey League Championship for age groups 10 & Under, 12 & Under, and 14 & Under. Ten games were hosted at the arena with the Ames Bantam team winning their division. Also in the month of March, the Ames/ISU hosted their first ever “Drive the Zamboni” Experience. The class had ten participants, aged 20’s to 80’s, and everyone had a great time! Participants were trained on how to operate the Zamboni, as well as safety procedures, and then given the opportunity to drive! Wellness: Ames Parks & Recreation offered free drop in fitness classes over spring break March 13-19. Twenty-three classes were offered, and participants were asked to bring one-two cans of non-perishable goods for the local food bank. Classes were well attended with approximately 202 participants throughout the week. 6 Ames Parks & Recreation is partnering with Iowa State University and Mary Greeley Medical Center in a Walk With Ease program. Classes are open to adults 60+ years of age and are held three times a week at the Community Center gymnasium. New sessions of Aqua at Green Hills and ISU Forker Pool began this month along with a new session of Healthy Foot. 7 WATER AND POLLUTION CONTROL Water Treatment Plan: As the seasons begin to change, the Water Plant begins to again closely monitor weather patterns. The Drought Monitor released on March 17, 2022, shows Story County as being in a Category “D0” drought condition, indicating it is “abnormally dry.” This is the lowest level on the drought severity index. Last year at this time, however, Story County was not in any drought category. Currently, the aquifer levels in all wells is high enough that pumping does not need to be restricted. As is the case every year, spring rains will be important to maintain supplies through the summer and fall. A first round of testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was performed in mid-March. This is the start of a comprehensive scan of all 22 source water wells used by the Ames Water Plant. Testing performed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in December detected PFAS in Ames water, but at levels far below the US EPA’s lifetime health advisory level. The Iowa DNR monitoring did not sample every well, and City staff want to obtain a complete snapshot of all wells so that appropriate decisions can be made about how to manage the source water supply. Results from the sampling will be posted to the City’s web page at www.CityofAmes.org/PFAS as they become available. City staff are also finalizing a research proposal with Iowa State University to fund an additional in -depth assessment of all wells, including an effort to identify possible sources of PFAS in the local groundwater. The Water Plant will host a public open house on April 23 , 2022. The event will begin at 10:00 a.m., with tours beginning every 10-15 minutes. The last tour will begin at 1:30 p.m. In addition to tours, there will be a wide array of displays and activities showcasin g the sustainability initiatives of the City of Ames as well as private sector partners the City is working with. Photos from the August 26, 2017 ribbon-cutting and open house. Iowa Drought Monitor for March 15, 2022, courtesy of the National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 8 Staff is anticipating bringing two large construction projects to Council in April. The first is the construction of three new water supply wells in North River Valley. The second project will be for the demolition of the old Water Plant. Construction of both projects is expected to begin in the summer of 2022. Water Pollution Control Facility: A new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the facility was issued as “final” by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and became effective on March 1. Iowa DNR staff responded positively to several changes requested by the City and incorporated them into the final permit. The new permit runs through February 2027. Staff intend to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for professional engineering design services for the conversion of the facility to a biological nutrient removal treatment scheme. The project, which will also include modifications and equipment replacement at the facility’s headworks, will be the first of three phases of construction that will ultimately result in the facility achieving the goals of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy of a 67% removal of the incoming nitrogen and a 75% removal of the incoming phosphorus loading to the plant. If the consultant selection process follows the anticipated schedule, it will be brought to the City Council in June for approval. Staff are still attempting to resolve a damage claim with the contractor performing the Methane Generator Number One Replacement project. During the project, the contractor opera ted Methane Generator Number Two without notifying staff. The coolant had been drained from the engine so that maintenance work could occur, and the engine overheated. The cost to repair the engine was approximately $53,000. The facility also experienced an additional $103,000 of increased operating expenses because it had to purchase electricity and natural gas as a result of the generator not being operable. Staff continues to work with the City Attorney and outside counsel to attempt to resolve the disagreement. Progress on the Sludge Pumping Building Improvements is finally back on track after being hampered by COVID supply chain issues. The new centrifugal pump has been delivered and placed into operation. The new pump has a non-clog impeller New Boiler #1 (blue, background) and Methane Generator #2 (yellow, foreground) New centrifugal pump, sporting a beige primer paint coat. 9 that will reduce maintenance and a high chrome wear plate to increase the lifespan. Staff from the Administration Division are working with Story County Conservation on a project that will treat water from tile- drained farm fields before it reaches local waterways . Currently, the project includes seven sites in Story County with a total of 27 tile drainage outlets that will be treated by either a saturated buffer or a bioreactor. Both saturated buffers and bioreactors are effective practices to reduce nitrate runoff from farm fields. They also require very little maintenance, have long useful lifespans, and have no impact on the associated farm fields. The project is being funded by the City of Ames, Story County Conservation, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), and the Natural Resources Conservat ions Service (NRCS). The landowners allowing these practices to be installed on their land bear no financial burden for the project. The City of Ames is acting as the fiscal agent for the project and will manage the bidding and construction phases. A Notice to Bidders is expected to be issued this spring with construction beginning in the summer and extending into the fall 2022. This project will provide nutrient reduction to nearly 1,200 acres in Story County. These nutrient reductions will be ‘banked’ as credit toward and future more stringent nutrient reduction requirements imposed on the WPC Facility. Water Meter Division: Maintaining an adequate meter inventory continues to be a challenge due to supply chain disruptions of electronic components. The Water Meter Division has orders for several hundred meters and electronic registers that are still on backorder from Fiscal Year 2020/2021 on top of outstanding orders in the current fiscal year. The current estimated ship date is May 13, 2022, although previous promises of ship dates have repeatedly been missed. Single meter on a shelf in the Water Meter stock room.