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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - February 2021 Monthly Project Highlights MONTHLY PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS FEBRUARY 2021 ANIMAL SHELTER The Ames Animal Shelter received a generous donation from the Wheatsfield Cooperative on February 10, 2021. Thanks to the community for rounding up their transactions and donating their extra change and Wheatsfield for providing the opportunity. Together, they raised $2,853 to support our services, education, and advocacy work to build a more humane community, promote compassion, and strengthen the human-animal bond. The Ames Animal Shelter is proud and thankful to partner with local businesses and individuals in our community to help improve the lives of our furry friends and provide exceptional services to the residents of Ames. CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE Climate Action Planning: Progress continues in selecting a consultant to assist in developing an Ames Climate Action Plan (CAP) that includes a robust, inclusive community input process to encourage citizen participation. The City’s CAP Review Committee recently scored the RFPs an d is on schedule to interview top candidates. The Ames CAP will establish relevant, achievable, and cost -effective strategies to achieve reduction goals within a reasonable timeline, designate milestone reduction achievements along the timeline, and specify metrics to track and measure progress. The process will include establishing a community task force and using a variety of community engagement tools throughout the estimated 18-month process. Being mindful of the pandemic, virtual and in-person opportunities for participation during plan development will be pursued. The GHG Inventory, climate vulnerability report, renewable energy potentials study, are available at www.CityOfAmes.org/Sustainability. FIRE On Sunday, February 7, around 6:00am, the Boone Fire Department requested assistance with an apartment fire at 814 8 th Street in Boone. Ames Fire Crews responded with Truck #3, along with the On-Duty Commander. Temperatures that morning were 10 degrees below zero. On Monday, February 22, around 6:00am, Ames Fire Crews responded to a fire at Ross Hall on the Iowa State University campus. Fire Crews searched the first floor and found a fire in a custodial closet. The fire was quickly brought under control and extinguished. LIBRARY Local Talent on Display: The Library works with many organizations to offer programs and exhibits featuring local talents and expertise. One partnership that has become an annual event is The Memory Project with Ames High School. Students create portraits as special gifts for children facing challenges. The portraits are displayed in the Library’s entryway through the month of February, and in March they will be delivered to their recipients in Cameroon. Staff Training Day: Every Presidents Day, Ames Public Library staff gather for a day full of learning and sharing across workgroups. This February 15, rather than packing into our Auditorium like we normally do, staff spread throughout the building and gathered virtually on Zoom. Staff worked through an interactive training on equity and inclusion, shared updates on the Library’s Strategic Plan and budget, shared our favorite wellness resources available to City employees, and discussed learning from recent conferences and w ebinars. We also enjoyed an amazing performance by the Library’s own book cart drill team! Realm by Naomi Pena Fire Crews respond to Fire in Boone, IA Fire Crews respond to fire at Ross Hall at ISU Storytimes for Black History Month: One way we celebrate Black History Month is with guest readers from the ISU Black Faculty Staff Association at our storytimes. Since our storytimes are online this year, they’re available to watch anytime, anywhere! Visit http://youtube.com/amespubliclibrary to see our storytimes and more. EcoChats Begin In March: The City of Ames and Ames Public Library will present this year’s series of EcoChats virtually, but participants can still have a hands -on experience! From now until the March 2 presentation on Gardening, the public is invited to pick up a Grab ‘n’ Go kit of seeds and soil in the Library’s lobby. EcoChats are planned for the first Tuesday of each month March through August. For more information, visit www.amespubliclibrary.org/events/EcoChatMarch. PARKS AND RECREATION Aquatics Programming: As the pandemic continues, aquatics programming has included swim lessons (parent with child for most levels), lap swimming (one to two swimmers per lane), and some rentals. Shown below are figures for December & January (month-to-date): January February (as of 2/16) Lap Swimming: Daily Paid Admissions 70 41 Swim Pass Visits 952 472 Total Lap Swimmers 1022 513 Private Rental Hours 9.5 7.5 Emma McCarthy Lee Park Pedestrian Bridge: Staff received approval from FEMA the week of February 15 to proceed with construction of the pedestrian bridge in Emma McCarthy Lee Park. FEMA awarded the City an additional $22,545.25 to bring the total reimbursement the City will receive to $52,435.25. Henkel Construction, Ames, Iowa, will be completing the construction. Henkel would like to start the project as soon as temps allow, hopefully in March. Homewood Golf Course Clubhouse: Construction continues on the new clubhouse and updates are shown below. • Contractors have completed installing all window frames and most of the glass in the building. • The plumbing rough ins are still ongoing including the installation of the duct work for the HVAC system and connection of the heat pumps to the geothermal system. • Electrical rough ins are nearing completion in preparation for drywall installation to take place in the next week. The electrician still needs to install the conduit in the ceiling for the lights. • The carpenter completed the shiplap on the ceiling and the painter has finished applying the varnish. • There are many items that still need to be completed in preparation for opening by April 1, including siding and limestone veneer installation, fire sprinklers, casework, flooring, and tile. Recreation Programming: Although the Governor issued a new Emergency Proclamation on February 5, 2021, no changes have been made in programs and facilities. Participants and staff are still expected to wear a face covering, social distance, disinfect equipment, practice good hygiene, and stay home if not feeling well. Program and facility group sizes remained the same in order to maintain social distance. WATER AND POLLUTION CONTROL Water Pollution Control Facility: Staff from W&PC and Public Works are collaborating to develop modifications that can be made to the Water Pollution Control Facility’s (WPCF’s) Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) receiving station to be able to accept food waste . The food waste could be introduced directly into the primary digesters at WPCF. The breakdow n of the food waste will produce methane, which is captured and converted to electricity. Initial smaller modifications will be completed using savings from previous projects. A long-term solution for accepting food waste will be designed into the design of a new FOG station as part of a FY 2022/23 CIP project. Water Plant: Staff is currently working to evaluate the new Lead and Copper Rule Revisions published by the US EPA on January 15th. This rule will have a tremendous impact on drinking water utilities across the country. The rule as written has several problematic components, including a potential trigger that could force the water utility to replace all lead service lines in the community, even though the service lines in Ames are owned by the customer. It is important for Council and customers to be aware that changes in the testing requirements have been intentionally designed to result in higher lead test results than in the past. The American Water Works Association estimates that 4 out of 10 utilities will not meet the new standards . Prior test results in Ames would meet the new standards, but at this time, it is unknown how the new testing protocols might change our test results. The fate of this new legislation is not clear, as the new Administration has placed a hold on its implementation, and there have been two lawsuits filed asserting that the new rule doesn’t go far enough. It is safe to say that the ultimate outcome will be a rule that is at least as stringent as the version published on January 15th. This new rule is substantial and can be reasonably assumed to have an impact on future rate increases. As more is learned, staff will continue to update Council. A virtual informational meeting was held on February 11 to share details of the planned demolition of the old water plant with area residents. The meeting discussed the timing of the work, anticipated impacts such as noise and traffic, efforts to achieve at least 90% recycled materials from the demolition, and future plans for the property. A Notice to Bidders is anticipated later this spring. A subsequent public meeting will be held to receive input from the neighborhood on the site layout for the addition to the Technical Services Complex. Photo of the original water tower, underground storage tank, and pump station constructed on the East 5th Street site - 1920 Floor plan for the TSC addition that will be constructed where the old administrative offices were located Staff is working internally to complete an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) for the Water Utility. This is a requirement of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act that was signed into law in 2018. The ERP, which must be certified as complete to the US EPA by June 1, 2021, will include the following: • Strategies and resources to improve the resilience of the system, including both physical and cyber security; • Plans and procedures that can be implemented, and identification of equipment that can be utilized, in the event of a malevolent act or natural hazard that threatens the ability of the community water system to deliver safe drinking water; • Actions, procedures, and equipment which can significantly lessen the impact of a malevolent act or natural hazard on the public health and the safety and supply of the drinking water provided to communities and individuals; and, • Strategies that can be used to aid in the detection of malevolent acts or natural hazards that threaten the security or resilience of the system.