Back to School!

As school begins, the City finds itself with a whole new set of responsibilities and opportunities. I'd like to mention a few.

First--safety! In cooperation with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) West Des Moines Police Officers will be conducting extra traffic enforcement in school zones around the City during the first two weeks of school. Four additional officers will be assigned this duty to help ensure a safe transition into the school year for our youth. This is always important to us as the school year begins.

One of the exciting things we will be doing this year is facilitating a new Youth Advisory Board. This board emerged out of recommendations from the Mayor's Youth Summit we held in March. The board is comprised of 10-15 youth (we have a few spots available!) from grades 8-11 in the West Des Moines vicinity. We have representation from Stilwell, Southwoods,
Valley High School, Walnut Creek, Dowling Catholic High School, Prairieview School (in Waukee), and Sacred Heart. The board met for the first time last week and is considering some very interesting projects for this school year!

Another important way we gear up for the school year is through the School Supply Drive our Human Services department heads up annually. This year, they collected $3,339 worth of donated school supplies and $2,395.00 in actual funding. This meant they were able to assist 350 students with their back-to-school needs. It's a great way for the City, through the generosity of citizens and businesses, to make the transition and start of the school year a little easier on kids and families.

WDM Magazine--on the verge of Issue 10

Our tenth issue of the WDM Magazine will be coming out next week--please keep an eye on your mailbox for it! This is a public information piece that has been designed specifically with the citizen in mind. It provides information on all the Parks and Recreation and Public Library programming that will be going on in the next few months along with a summary of the services provided by our Human Services department and some exciting news about what is going on in the City. Issue 10 will have information about some new library databases, the animal adoption program our Police Department maintains, the sidewalk improvement program, and the grasses and native plants we landscape with here in WDM, among many other things! I think this will be a very interesting and useful resource for our residents and I hope you keep it around until Issue 11 comes out! It lets you know what activities are available for kids as well as adults, including trips for senior citizens, the transportation program, and camps or classes we offer on a regular basis. It is the easiest way to find information about all our City departments and contact information for officials and City staff as well! I hope you take a look at it and let me know what you think.

Aquatic Center Closing Dates

It is hard to believe how quickly the summer goes by, but here it is August and before we know it school will be starting. I often get questions regarding the aquatic center closing dates. Here is a little information regarding those policies.

When the City of West Des Moines and City of Clive decided to build the new aquatic centers, a 28E Agreement was established to share services and supplies between the three facilities (Clive Aquatic Center, Holiday Park Aquatic Center and Valley View Aquatic Center). This agreement not only provides access for residents to all three facilities and cost savings for both communities; it also determines when facilities will close at the end of the summer.

It was agreed that at least one of the three facilities will remain open until Labor Day each year. That responsibility alternates yearly between West Des Moines and Clive. This year it is West Des Moines' year, and Holiday Park Aquatic Center will remain open until Labor Day.

Between the two aquatic centers in West Des Moines, Valley View requires the largest number of staff to operate safely. Because a large number of aquatic staff members are college students, and most Iowa colleges begin school in mid-August, the size of our staff team reduces significantly at this time. We also have many high school students on staff that are involved in extracurricular activities that start up in mid August as well. Because of these staffing levels, and the fact that pool attendance drops off in August, it is the best business decision to close Valley View first. This year it will close August 13.

Both the Clive Aquatic Center and Holiday Aquatic Center will remain open until school starts August 23rd. After school is in session Holiday will remain open on an abbreviated schedule weekdays and open regular hours on weekends through Labor Day.

Our goal each year is provide opportunities for residents to swim until Labor Day, and the past three years we have been able to offer that service and will continue to for this summer too. So don’t delay and get out there and enjoy your favorite aquatic center before the summer is over!