Congratulations Hy-Vee!

I want to take some time and space to congratulate Hy-Vee on the first-class event they put on June 15-17. Both the amateur event in West Des Moines and World Cup race downtown brought thousands of spectators to our area. Our City staff had the pleasure of working with several different Hy-Vee employees and race director Bill Burke, and they couldn't say enough good things about each and every one of them.

There are concerns that naturally accompany this type of event--potential inconveniences for our residents, injuries, traffic issues, etc. We were fortunate in that our residents and businesses welcomed the event and truly saw it as a significant boon to our community.

If you read any of the literature regarding the 2007 triathlon, you know that it is only the 4th World Cup event of its kind to be held in the United States, ever, and the only US World Cup triathlon event to take place this year. Most of these athletes spend their time competing in other countries for prize purses. To bring them to Des Moines and West Des Moines was truly an opportunity for us to show others what we already know--that this is an excellent place to live, work--and visit!

Events like this do not just drop into the laps of cities or communities. Somewhere along the way, an idea must form in the mind of someone committed to planning and carrying out an event of this magnitude. In this case, we can thank Hy-Vee CEO Richard Jurgens for having the idea and the dedication to make it a reality. Marketing Director Beth Damm also deserves much thanks and recognition for executing this large-scale plan, keeping track of every detail, and just being a pleasure to work with in general. This should not minimize the skill and commitment of every person involved with the triathlon; I simply feel that Ric and Beth deserve a little extra recognition.

We look forward to this event in June of 2008! I know positive word about the Triathlon and its accompanying events has spread fast and expect an even bigger and livelier response next year!

Hy-Vee Triathlon Update

After a great weekend for the Principal Charity Classic, we can look forward to another busy weekend in West Des Moines with visitors from around the country.

I mentioned before that the City of West Des Moines is proud to host bike portion of the age-group (aka amateur or citizen’s race) event. We expect thousands of athletes, spectators, and volunteers to come together in the metro area for this exciting event. We are thrilled to have such fine competitors and triathlon enthusiasts as visitors in our community!

Age group competitors will traverse a great span of our City via EP True Parkway and catch a glimpse of one of our regional attractions—the Jordan Creek Town Center—as they circle it midway on the route.

I’d like to thank Hy-Vee for working with us every step of the way during this event and thank City staff and the numerous volunteers who are helping to make this event safe and smooth for the riders.

Route through WDM: Riders will enter West Des Moines via Grand Avenue at 1st Street (63rd Street in Des Moines). Riders will then turn left on 1st Street and proceed south to Railroad Avenue. They will take a right on Railroad Avenue and head west, traveling E.P True Parkway to the north entrance of the Jordan Creek Town Center Mall. After circling the mall, bicyclists will retrace their original path.

As of June 5 over 1500 competitors were signed up for the race representing 38 states and 3 countries, with about half from Iowa. Due to the density bike traffic will reach at some points during the race, the city is closing First Street, Railroad Avenue and E.P. True Parkway to vehicular traffic until the last rider clears the course (race official have estimated roads will be closed from 6 am to 9:30 or 10 am). The intersection of Grand Avenue and First Street will also be closed as riders come in from Des Moines on Grand.

Traffic cones will channel the neighborhood cars and bicycles in separate lanes. Neighborhoods whose only major street access is located directly on the bicycle course may have different exit routes that morning. Please plan your morning accordingly!! Affected neighborhoods should have received letters from both Hy-vee and the City of West Des Moines regarding this change. Information is also posted on the West Des Moines website--click here. There will be a rolling reopening of streets as the race leaves the City.

A watch spot has been set up at Jordan Creek Parkway, so I encourage residents to gather there to see the turnaround point of the race. Of course, there are several festivities surrounding the afternoon elite professional World Cup event in downtown Des Moines you may be interested in as well--click here for that information.

Thanks for your understanding and cooperation this weekend! This is a new event for the City but we are proud to have been selected as one of the hosts for this world class event.

Principal Charity Classic

We have an exciting event in town this week and weekend that may seem familiar but has a new name and a new focus: The Principal Charity Classic! This year Principal and Wells Fargo are sponsoring the golf tournament that annually takes place in Glen Oaks.

This year, the field for the Classic includes defending champion Gil Morgan and the top four 2007 Champions Tour Money Leaders: Jay Haas, Brad Bryant, Hale Irwin, and Tom Kite. Actor Rob Lowe will also play golf in the CIBER Pro-Am tomorrow (June 6th).

As usual, the City of West Des Moines is very involved with the event from a transportation and public safety perspective. It has really become a smooth-running event thanks to the hard work of the tournament staff and cooperation of our City employees. As I mentioned, this year there is a new focus to the vent: Charity. The FORE our KIDS concentration of the tournament and surrounding events is something we can definitely support as a City.

Proceeds from the 2007 Classic will go to:
Blank Children's Hospital
Bravo Greater Des Moines
Greater Des Moines Community Foundation
United Way of Central Iowa
Variety-The Children's Charity of IOWA

I have witnessed ongoing enthusiasm for this event in our community, and this year's dedication to local arts and human service organizations makes me even prouder to host this event in West Des Moines. Please welcome the players and spectators who will arrive in our community over the next few days. For more information on the tournament click here.