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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - May 2021 Monthly Project Highlights MONTHLY PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS MAY 2021 2 CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE Low Head Dam Improvements: A ribbon-cutting and open house was held on Saturday, May 1, and included booths from various organizations. Also, Ames was presented the “River Town of the Year” award from the Iowa Rivers Revival. Free tree seedlings were given away to encourage tree planting. Since 1984, the low head dam constructed in North River Valley Park has pooled water in the South Skunk River to recharge the aquifer that supplies Ames with drinking water. But the dam made the waterway inaccessible for paddlers due to the dangerous recirculation hydraulics it created. Now, the dam has been reimagined into a recreational asset that still allows water to pool, but also creates riverbank access for visitors and an exciting water obstacle for paddlers. 3 FIRE This month, the Ames Fire Department conducted Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) training, using the Fire Service Training Bureau’s Mobile Breathing Apparatus Training Unit. A picture of inside the trailer may look like an easy course to navigate while you are slowly running out of breathing air from your SCBA. Now imagine the same course but pitch black, with loud noises of fire, chainsaws, and people screaming in the background. Crews also used this training opportunity to practice firefighter down drills, where they simulate a firefighter running out of air and their team has to switch out their air cylinder all by feel with gloves on. It’s a difficult skill to master, but one th e crews must know how to do in case a firefighter ever gets trapped inside a structure. 4 LIBRARY More than Monoliths: The More Than Monoliths project, which features black artists through virtual conversations and displays at the Library, is off to a great start. Selected prints of artwork by Jill Wells have been a beautiful addition to the Library's entryway. The virtual talk with Wells will be held May 27 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The featured artist for June will be Ebere Agwuncha. More information is available at www.amespubliclibrary.org/morethanmonoliths. Summer is Coming: The Library is gearing up for a busy summer! As usual, there will be reading challenges for all ages, prizes, special events, and free lunches for kids and teens. This year's storytimes and family events will be held outdoors at Ames parks and the Library's plaza. For more information, visit www.amespubliclibrary.org/summer2021. Vaccination Clinics: Ames Public Library has been hosting free, walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations in partnership with Story County Public Health and CyRide. Another vaccination clinic is scheduled for June 3 from 3-7 p.m. to coincide with the Downtown Ames Art Walk. Information is available in multiple languages at www.amespubliclibrary.org/vaccine. 5 PARKS AND RECREATION Homewood Golf Course Clubhouse: Staff hosted a ribbon cutting for the opening of the new clubhouse at Homewood Golf Course on May 10. The event had over 60 individuals in attendance and the facility was open for viewing after the event. Since the ribbon cutting there has been a few rentals and the feedback has been very positive. The contractor has a few punch list items to complete, but staff hopes to bring final completion of the project to Council in the near future. Ice Arena: Multiple maintenance items have been completed while the Ames/ISU Ice Arena has been shut down for May. One of the projects completed was the repainting of the ice which is shown. 6 Miracle League of Ames: Ames Parks & Recreation began the Miracle League of Ames on May 15! There are 29 players (youth and adults with disabilities) placed on two teams and will play games on Saturdays through June 26. In the Miracle League of Ames, everyone bats, everyone scores, and all games end in a tie! As you can see in the pictures below, the players are enjoying these games very much! One boy turned to his mom prior to batting and said, “This is a dream come true!” It is so rewarding for staff to be able to offer this program! 7 Tree Plantings: The pictures below are of the volunteers who participated in the Ames Foundation/City of Ames volunteer tree planting event on May 15. The picture on the right is of the group that met at the cemetery and the people with their hands up have participated in volunteer tree events in the past. For the rest it was their first event. There were 55 volunteers at three separate locations in Ames to plant 120 trees. The below picture is the REG group that planted 17 trees at Inis grove on Friday, May 14. 8 Wellness Programming: The first summer session of fitness classes began May 24 which include outdoor classes in addition to the virtual and in-person classes. A new partnership with Reiman Gardens has begun this summer to offer a variety of mind- body classes at the gardens taught by Ames Parks & Recreation Group Fitness Instructors. The classes began Monday, May 24, and will continue throughout the summer. Classes offered include Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi. A new session of Tae Kwon Do classes began Tuesday, May 18. We continue to see an increase of in-person classes so additional classes were added. We will continue to offer one virtual of all levels class on Sundays. We have 85 in-person registrations and 13 registrations for Zoom. A new session of Aqua Fitness classes began at Forker Pool on Monday, May 17, with 36 registrations. Summer Aqua Fitness classes at the Furman Aquatic Center will begin on Monday, June 7. 9 WATER AND POLLUTION CONTROL The City was recently notified that it is the recipient of a “Phase 1 Waste to Energy Technical Assistance” grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office. This grant will provide 40 hours of technical assistance from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and will be looking specifically at the practical considerations of introducing diverted food waste and cover crops into the digesters at the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF). It will extend the work performed a few years ago to confirm at a high level the available digester capacity and the types of compatible wastes that could be accepted at the WPCF. In late May, the Water Plant completed draining, cleaning, and inspecting the interior of the MAC (Mortensen and County Line Road) Elevated Tank. The City has three elevated tanks, and every spring one of the three is removed from service and drained. Staff is then able to enter the bowl of the tank to perform a condition assessment to look for any signs of coating failure, structural issues, or other problems. At the same time, the interior of the tank is cleaned and disinfected prior to being placed back into service. This regular “major maintenance” activity is in addition to routine, frequent inspections performed multiple times per month to verify that hatches are sealed, vent screens are intact and in place, and that the structure is otherwise in a clean, sound, and sanitary condition. Staff from Water & Pollution Control and Public Works have been jointly learning about available technologies for monitoring pressure in the drinking water distribution system. These emerging technologies allow for pressure to be monitored remotely in real-time and provide an overview of the distribution system’s performance. This project is featured in the FY 2021/22 Water Production/Treatment CIP, and once implemented will enable treatment plant and distribution system staff to identify and respond more rapidly to water main breaks. A prompt identification and response to water main breaks reduces both the amount of water lost during the event and the risk of contamination in the water main. Staff has met with several vendors and is currently reviewing the various products offered. Staff intends to develop bid documents internally and award this project fall/winter of 2021.