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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - December 2021 Monthly Project Highlights MONTHLY PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS DECEMBER 2021 Report Compiled by Carly Watson, Principal Clerk, City Manager’s Office 2 FIRE Inspections: The Inspections Staff is preparing to return to City Council early next year to receive further direction on the Property Maintenance Ordinance that was proposed this Summer. Staff has reviewed public input from Council’s workshop and the online feedback form and has a few updates to the proposal that would address many of the concerns raised. The proposed ordinance will allow Staff to remediate nuisance issues in a more timely manner than the current process. 3 LIBRARY Conversations Are Back!: Starting January 3, the Library will hold Conversation Circles in English every Monday at 11 a.m. This focus of this group is to help English Language Learners gain confidence and fluency. Native speakers will be paired with non- native speakers and receive conversation starters. Watch for Conversation Circles in Russian, French, and Spanish starting in late January. MLK Day of Service: Ames Public Library will hold a special Day of Service on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. All ages are invited to drop in between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Monday, January 17, to assemble hygiene kits which will be distributed by The Bridge Home. Kits will consist of supplies donated by the public including tooth brushes, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo/conditioner, and menstrual products. New Doors: Ames Public Library has new, more accessible front doors! The doors at the Library's main entrance have been replaced by automatic motion-sensing doors, making them much easier to navigate with wheelchairs, walkers, or strollers. Winter Reading: The Library's Winter Reading Challenge is in full swing. All ages are invited to earn a prize by reading 30 days by February 15! 4 PARKS AND RECREATION Furman Aquatic Center Play Structure Refurbishment Project: Fischer Bros, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, has been hired to refurbish the play structure and beaver slide from the Splash Pool at the Furman Aquatic Center. Work includes dismantling the play structure, inspecting each piece for defects, repairing pieces as necessary, and restoring to a like new condition. The stand-alone beaver slide will be dismantled, inspected for defects, fiberglass repaired if needed, and repainted to match the original color scheme. The structure and slide have been removed and will be reinstalled in late April of 2022. Programming: Ames Parks & Recreation is offering FREE drop-in fitness classes December 27- 31 at the Ames Community Center. Participants are encouraged to bring 1-2 cans of non- perishable goods per fitness class for the local food bank. The winter session of all Fitness classes began Monday, January 3. 5 Over 100 people attended the Ames Parks & Recreation Tae Kwon Do end of the year celebration held Sunday, December 19 at the Ames Middle School. It was a fun n ight of good food and celebrating the Ames Parks & Recreation Tae Kwon Do Family. The winter session of Tae Kwon Do will begin Tuesday, January 11. 6 WATER AND POLLUTION CONTROL National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit : On December 15, staff received a draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit renewal for the Water Pollution Control Facility. The permit that was issued in 2010 expired in 2015; but under the terms of the Clean Water Act, it remains valid and enforceable until re- issued. The Iowa DNR did issue a draft in 2016, but subsequently withdrew it pending resolution of a statewide policy on wet weather flows. Key provisions of the new draft permit include: • A requirement that the City provide an update on its progress on the Nutrient Reduction Strategy implementation schedule submitted by the City in February 2019. • Increased monitoring requirements for nitrogen and phosphorus, as a result of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy. • A new permit limit and sampling requirements for copper, with a 59-month compliance schedule before the new limit becomes enforceable. City staff has provided preliminary data to the Iowa DNR showing that local stream conditions result in a decrease in copper toxicity, and as such warrant a higher limit. A comprehensive site -specific study will be performed during the 59-month compliance window to confirm that there is no copper toxicity in the Ames WPCF discharge. • A new permit limit and sampling requirements for cyanide, also with a 59-month compliance schedule. Cyanide in the discharge is almost always undetectable, but there are infrequent samples where it has been detected at concentrations near the water quality standard. The cyanide is undoubtedly the result of an industrial process discharge. The City’s adopted Industrial Pretreatment Program will be used to screen discharges for the presence of cyanide. Once the source has been identified, staff will work with the discharger(s) to eliminate the source of the random cyanide discharges. • A further restriction on the ammonia concentrations that are allowed in the plant’s discharge. Staff is working with the Iowa Water Environment Association to confirm that the “waste load allocation” procedures being used by the Iowa DNR are appropriate. • There are some additional technical items, such as required minimum detection limits in the laboratory analyses, that staff will be confirming are appropriate. 7 The permit is out for public notice through roughly the end of January. Anyone wishing to comment on or object to the proposed issuance of this permit must do so in writing to the Iowa DNR. The proposed permit and other information may be viewed online using the Wastewater Permit Information Exchange (WWPIE) system at https://programs.iowadnr.gov/wwpie/. In addition, copies of this information may be requested by contacting Ben Hucka at (515)-537-3015 or ben.hucka@dnr.iowa.gov. North River Valley Wellfield Project: After months of discussions, the City has now received a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the North River Valley Wellfield Project. This project will construct three additional wells to the north of E. 13th Street between the South Skunk River and Stagecoach Road. The FONSI clears the way for the project to be bid in early 2022. These wells will provide a combination of: replacement capacity for older wells as they fail or otherwise need to be abandoned, and; increased capacity for future growth in drinking water demand. Sludge Pumping Building Improvements: The Sludge Pumping Building Improvements Project is underway with a significant amount of the painting work already completed. Delivery of key equipment, such as the new pumps, have been delayed. Watershed-Based Nutrient Reduction: The Administration Division staff continue to devote considerable time to working with partners on watershed- based nutrient reduction projects. The photo below shows Ames staff working alongside staff from Story County Conservation, Polk County Conservation, and local and state Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) offices to identify possible locations for a saturated buffer project. A saturated buffer is an area of perennial vegetation between agricultural fields and waterways where tile outlets drain . As water drains into the buffer, the roots of the vegetation absorb water and nutrients, like nitrate-nitrogen. A project consisting of up to as many as 28 individual saturated buffers and 8 bioreactors is planned for bid in the spring. The work will be funded 75% by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, with the remaining 25% split between Story County and the City of Ames.