New Library Website Launched!

I am pleased to announce the launch of the Public Library's new website design at www.wdmlibrary.org. This new design was made possible by the West Des Moines Library Friends Foundation and constitutes a fresh "look and feel" for the Library site, as well as increased functionality. In particular, new Kids Zone and Teens Space areas allow the Library to provide content for, and speak directly to, these audiences. An Events and Programs calendar allows patrons to see what's coming up at the library. A new Reader's Advisory area allows Library staff to recommend great books to read. More content will be added over time, so continue to check it out at www.wdmlibrary.org.

Citywide Disaster Drill

West Des Moines Emergency Medical Services organized a mass casualty bus rollover drill on May 10th to test our public safety's mass casualty protocols and Command/Communication procedures. The drill started with an actual bus turned on its side with 12 “patients.” The patients were moulaged with fake injuries. The drill began with a lone police officer arriving on the scene and culminated when personnel from WDM Fire, EMS, 5 neighboring departments and a flight helicopter responded to the incident. This kind of drill always results in lessons learned should a true mass casualty disaster occur. Ideally we will not have to use these lessons, but our public safety departments are now more prepared if we do.

Human Services Wrap UP (2006)

As usual, Human Services found themselves busier than ever in 2006. Fortunately, they had over 70 volunteers helping them out! Those volunteers were recognized at a luncheon on April 20 for putting in over 11,000 hours in 2006. They estimate the dollar worth of those volunteer hours to be nearly $160,000. Every year our residents get more generous with their time, ideas, and assistance.

Human Services served 1, 963 households last year and gave out 3, 242 food pantry orders. They assisted 8,094 individuals through the clothing closet. Annual donations totaled $499,000, a 10% increased over 2005 and 20% increased over 2004. Almost 2000 households in West Des Moines and the Western suburbs were better off last year thanks to this department, the donations they receive, and the volunteers who help their operations continue running smoothly. That is a real accomplishment.

K-9 Unit Valuable Asset to Police Department

The Police Department’s K-9 Unit was developed after a survey indicated that the community wanted a stronger focus on narcotic enforcement. Using private donations, the Police Department purchased their dog and associated equipment and trained an officer. A recent PD report details the work of Rony (the K-9) and Officer Brent Kock, who were put into service in April of 2004. Officer Kock and Rony are a valuable asset to the Police Department, involved in community service, crime prevention, proactive enforcement of laws and the direction and apprehension of criminal offenders. Some of this unit's accomplishments for 2006 are listed below!

2006 Total Trips: 1913
Felony Arrests: 6
Misdemeanor Arrests: 44
K-9 Involved Arrests: 20
Written Warnings: 45
Moving Violations: 243
Verbal Warnings: 281
Area Search: 8
Track: 7
Building Searches: 8
Evidence Search: 1
Motor Vehicle Drug Sniff: 77
Room Drug Sniff: 7
Training Hours: 244.5
Apprehension w/out bite: 6
Apprehension with bite: 1
Demonstrations: 11
Paraphernalia retrieved: Various pipes
Cash: $13,443
Marijuana retrieved: 1931.7 g
Meth retrieved: 229.9 g
Cocaine retrieved: 8.5 g

Sign Code Enforcement

Signage is an important issue in our community because it provides awareness for residents and visitors but should not detract from the aesthetics or safety of our City. As part of our Quality Initiative, the City recently completed a Process Action Team (PAT) on Sign Code Enforcement. This small group of employee stakeholders evaluated the issue with the following goals in mind:

Establish the importance/priority of sign code enforcement (SCE);
Establish a communication process between all entities involved;
Establish the parameters of SCE for public and private property;
Establish a process for the elimination, disposal, and record keeping of illegal signs;
Make recommendations for the responsibility of enforcement;
If necessary, adjust the ordinances dealing with SCE.

Employees developed recommendations for each of these bullets. In general, they suggested measures to create stronger enforcement mechanisms (such as fines and a more structured enforcement process) and improved communication and record-keeping. This is a great example of a group of employees taking an issue our residents are concerned about, studying the process and its good and bad points, and reaching practical, effective solutions.