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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - June 2021 Monthly Project Highlights MONTHLY PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS JUNE 2021 2 FIRE Ames Disaster Response Development Team: The City of Ames created the Ames Disaster Response Development Team, which is focused on evaluating and continuously improving the City’s Disaster Response Plan and Emergency Operations Center. One of the biggest changes that City of Ames employees will notice is the name change from Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to the Incident Command Center (ICC). The team has also streamlined the training process by focusing on specific position training in addition to the large group training exercises. Roles and responsibilities within the ICC have also been revised, placing a greater emphasis on supporting the overall emergency operation using role specific checklists. There will be multiple ICC training opportunities each year, leading up to a large-scale exercise sometime in 2024 involving both the County and State EOCs. Union Pacific Train Derailment: On June 24, at 1:39PM, a westbound Union Pacific train derailed near the intersection of Pullman Street and Carnegie Avenue. A total of 27 railcars jumped the tracks and were scattered throughout a 700’ area near the City’s Public Works Material Site and the Joint Police & Fire Training Site. The Ames Fire Department responded and determined that there were no injuries, however a few of the railcars were carrying hazardous materials, which included 60% Hydrogen Peroxide, Liquified Petroleum Gas, and Denatured Alcohol. Due to the extent of damages sustained by the railcars carrying hazardous materials and the potential for catastrophic leaks and/or chemical reactions, additional resources were requested from Des Moines Fire’s Hazardous Materials Response Team, Story County Emergency Management, Story County Sherriff’s Office (Drone), Iowa DOT and Union Pacific’s Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team. Public Works crews proactively dammed culverts and the drainage ditch into the Skunk River, while Fire c rews investigated railcars for leaks. Due to size and complexity of the incident, the City’s ICC was activated, and emergency evacuation orders were drafted and prepared for distribution but were never needed. Four of the City’s railroad crossings (Duff, Kellogg, Clark and Hazel) were impassible for roughly 5 hours due to the derailment. 3 Only one of the hazardous material railcars was found to be leaking. Ames Fire Crews assisted Union Pacific Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team in slowing the leak and eventually offloading the Liquified Petroleum Gas into four semi-trailers (the flare visible in the photo below is a safety precaution as part of the loading process). Both the North and South railroad tracks were opened back up on Saturday morning. The Ames Fire Department concluded emergency operations Sunday night, after all hazardous materials were mitigated. It will take Union Pacific roughly 30 to 90 days to get the entire derailment cleaned up and the areas impacted remediated. 4 LIBRARY Summer Reading and Events: Summer is in full swing at the Library! In addition to the annual Summer Reading Challenge for all ages, the Library is offering a full schedule of events, including outdoor storytimes, book discussions, lectures, and special events. Visit www.amespubliclibrary.org/events or follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see what’s coming up. Free Meals for Kids: The Library is again participating in the Free Summer Meals program for kids and teens. Youth ages 18 and younger can stop by the Library’s Auditorium weekdays between 11:45am and 12:45pm for a free to-go meal. Big Book Sale: The Ames Public Library Friends Foundation will hold a big book sale July 6 -10 in the Library’s Auditorium. Stop by for great deals on used books! All proceeds are used to enhance Ames Public Library's collections, programs, and services. More Adventure Passes: Ames Public Library has free passes to several local attractions for families to “check out.” This summer, you can get passes to Furman Aquatic Center, Des Moines Children’s Museum, the African American Museum of Iowa, Blank Park Zoo, Science Center of Iowa, Reiman Gardens, and Greater Des Moines Botanical Center. Mental Health First Aid Training: The City of Ames is hosting several Mental Health First Aid Training sessions at the Library. These workshops give participants the skills needed to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care. • Monday, July 26, and Tuesday, July 27, 5:30-9:30pm: Two-Day Evening Session • Wednesday, August 25, and Thursday, August 26, 5:30-9:30pm: Two-Day Evening Session To register for a session, email or call Carly Watson, carly.watson@cityofames.org or (515) 239- 5101. 5 PARKS AND RECREATION Access Ada Hayden: The Access Ada Hayden group has met its $35,000 fundraising goal so plans are moving forward to purchase an accessible canoe/kayak launch. Snyder and Associates will be developing the site plan for this project with the hope that the launch could be installed yet this year. Ada Hayden Fishing Pier Repairs: Woodruff Construction of Ames has been awarded the contract for completing the fishing pier repairs. The project includes removing several pilings, removing the decking and railings, installing new decking and railings, and add new walkways. Work on this project is scheduled to begin mid-August. Ames/ISU Ice Arena: The Ice Arena recently hosted several camps which included participants from throughout Iowa and neighboring states. The Bantam Camp had 102 skaters and ten coaches; Planet Hockey Camp had 56 skaters and 5 Coaches; Top Shelf Goalie Camp had 15 goalies and 5 coaches; and the LBX Defenseman Camp had 25 skaters and 6 coaches. Goalie Camp Defenseman Camp Planet Hockey Camp 6 Furman Aquatic Center: The Furman Aquatic Center (FAC) opened in May after being closed in 2020 which has resulted in many happy pool patrons! Three leaks were discovered in the Lazy river with one being fixed. Temporary measures were put in place for the other two leaks which will then be repaired at the end of the season. Miracle Park Ribbon Cutting: A ribbon cutting event for the Barnes Family Inclusive Playground and the Rotary Club of Ames Miracle League Field was held on Saturday, June 26 with approximately 150 people in attendance. The event included a petting zoo, speed throwing (individuals threw baseballs and volunteers clocked the speed), a Miracle League Game (baseball for individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities), and a ribbon cutting ceremony. Photos are courtesy of Linda Kauffman. Splash Pad Project: Snyder and Associates was selected to develop a design for the splash pad which will be constructed in Daley Park. The design is expected to be finished this summer so bid documents can be distributed. Construction may begin this fall and finished in the spring of 2022. 7 Wellness Programming: The first five-week session of outdoor Aqua classes began at Furman Aquatic Center with four classes (56 registrations) offered Monday through Thursday. Yoga in the Park began its eighth summer on June 5 at the Bandshell Park. This free class is being taught by various Yoga instructors in the Ames Community. Participation has been good so far this summer with attendance between 25 -50 participants. Nancy Shaw, Wellness Manager, worked with Media Production Services to promote our summer group fitness classes in a video. Watch the video on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AmesParksRecreation/videos/4045536562229312. 8 PLANNING AND HOUSING Housing & Community Development: Applications for the CDBG CARES (COVID-19) Rent, Mortgage and Utility Assistance Programs are still being accepted. Applications are available at www.cityofames.org/housing. Planning Division: The Windsor Point Apartments located at (3709 Tripp Street) have recently been acquired by new housing company. At the time of initial construction, the site was approved through a Special Use Permit within FS-RM zoning as 61 senior housing units. However, the property has not recently been rented solely for senior housing and the owner is aware they are out of compliance with the Special Use Permit. The owner has decided to pursue a variance to allow for use of the site as apartments rather than senior housing. Staff anticipates that the Zoning Board of Adjustment will review the variance request in late July or August. Shoppes on South Duff (former K-Mart) site has submitted a request for an amendment to its Major Site Development Plan and Integrated Subdivision. The amendment is similar to the original approval with approximately 53,000 square feet of retail compared to 51,000 square feet along with associated changes to the site plan for parking, storm water, and loading docks. The amendments will go before the Planning and Zoning Commiss ion and then to the City Council. City Council workshops regarding Ames Plan 2040 are scheduled for July 20th and August 3rd. At the July 20th meeting staff will provide an overview to the City Council about progress on completing the draft plan and updates to the Vision and Principles that City Council has reviewed in prior workshops. The August 3rd meeting is intended for City Council to provide any direction needed for edits to the Draft Plan before making the complete plan available for public review in August. 9 PUBLIC WORKS Grand Avenue Extension: Phase III (Squaw Creek Drive to South 16th Street) of the Grand Avenue Extension is in progress with major bridge work and paving currently taking place (pictured below). 10 Ioway Creek-Brookside Park Project: A stream assessment and conceptual design has begun on the Ioway Creek Project in Brookside Park from 6th Street to 13th Street. Priority Area 1 has been identified as the area between the two pedestrian bridges in the park. The 2011 Ames Stream Assessment showed that in the stream in Brookside has banks with high instability and sediment deposition in the channel. A sloped area approximately 300 feet long and 45 feet high along the east side of the creek has lost significant soil and vegetation and is nearing encroachment on structures and other improvements at the top of the slope. The purpose of the project is to restore stream function and establish stable stream banks. Analysis and design is done with the Iowa River Restoration Toolbox, which provide best management practices with proven techniques and emphasis on incorporating natural material. For Priority Area 1 that means grading the bank slope to 4:1 and incorporating rock and log riffles in the stream. Areas where a 4:1 slope is not practically feasible because of existing structures or improvements will be stabilized with rock riprap at the bottom of the slope. Preliminary estimates set the limits of construction approximately 25’ from the current top of bank. Areas beyond this grading limit will not be disturbed. The banks will be established with native vegetation. The project will also contain recreation elements to create a stronger connection to the creek within the Park. Possible amenities include an accessible path to the creek’s edge and rock and log riffles in the creek. Public outreach will begin for this project in the next month. East Slope of Ioway Creek between 6th St and 13th St 11 WATER AND POLLUTION CONTROL Biosolids Transfer to Verbio: On May 25, Council authorized an agreement with Verbio Nevada, LLC. Verbio is in the process of starting up a renewable natural gas production facility that includes anaerobic digestion of various materials. To accelerate the maturation of their digesters, a “seed” material can be added to introduce the necessary bacteria. Under the agreement, biosolids from the Ames Water Pollution Control Facility are hauled to Verbio and added to their digesters. Verbio is picking up the cost for the hauling of the material. A savings of approximately $50,000 in the WPC Facility’s operating budget will be achieved due to the avoided expense of contracted land application of the biosolids onto farm fields. Hauling of the biosolids began on June 28, with each 6,000 -gallon tanker truck being loaded in about three minutes. Depending upon Verbio’s needs, the hauling arrangement could continue for up to three years. Drought Update: An unusually hot and dry spring has resulted in unseasonable water demands. The graphics below (courtesy of the National Drought Mitigation Center and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln) show how drought conditions intensified during the month of June. The combination of extreme heat and low rainfall resulted in a new entry in the list of “Top 10 All-Time Single Day Peak Demands” when demand reached 9.275 million gallons in a single day (compared to our all-time peak day of 9.484 set in July 2017). 12 As utilities in the Des Moines metro area began calling for voluntary water conservation measures, we began receiving calls asking if Ames had implement ed or was planning to implement any water use restrictions. The short answer is “We are not contemplating any mandatory water use restrictions at this time.” Obviously, things can change depending on weather patterns, and it is possible that restrictions might be needed as we move further into the summer. We are closely watching trends in rainfall, river levels, the local groundwater table, the Iowa Drought Monitor, and the community’s collective water demand. Any call for water use restrictions would be predicated on those data sources. Impact of June 24 Water Main Break: On June 24th, a contractor working on Kellogg Avenue unintentionally pulled a water service line out of the water main, causing the main to split. A video of water fountaining out of the pavement can be found on our social media page at www.facebook.com/AmesWater. The resulting impact on the water tower levels can be seen in the graphic below. At one point, the instantaneous water demand exceeded 17,000 gallons per minute, with about 75% of that being released due to the break. Public Works’ crews quickly isolated the break, and the distribution system was able to recover in a few hours.