Public Works Accreditation

I've written about the accreditation our three public safety departments have received. We are one of only four cities in the nation to have our Fire, EMS, and Police departments accredited. Well, I'm pleased to announce that our Public Works department has also achieved an accreditation!

The entire fleet staff for Public Works has been certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and as a result the shop at Public Works is 100% accredited with ASE. This certification is considered by the service and repair industry to be the standard measure of competency for auto repairs. The next time you see a Public Works employee, notice the ASE patch on their sleeves--it is a sign that the employee has met a high goal set by the department. Their ultimate plan is for each mechanic to earn master certifications in both automotive and truck mechanics, which involves successfully passing 16 tests. These employees are highly skilled and dedicated to their trades.

Congratulations to our Public Works fleet staff on this accomplishment.

West Des Moines has A-MAY-ZING DAYS ahead

We have a real sense of community in West Des Moines. You can see it in the kindness with which people greet each other, the way we support our neighbors in times of need, and the overwhelming response of our residents to community events. If you ever sit back and try to examine the various events held in West Des Moines, you can really see the importance of community celebration. Gatherings that involve local organizations or businesses and bring together residents from all over town connect people to the community. They help people create memories that are intertwined with other people and places in our City. They also connect people to the future of our community, as we plan on attending a certain event "next year" or welcome a new reason to celebrate in our ever-expanding and improving City.

Given the exciting benefits that celebrations bring to our city, I'm thrilled to talk about a month-long event in May that people from various parts of the community have been planning for the last year. A-may-zing Days is being billed as a "Celebration of West Des Moines" and provides a mix of existing and new events that will make West Des Moines the place to be in May. In addition to the City, some of the organizations involved include:

WDM Chamber of Commerce;
WDM Development Corp;
WDM Community School District;
Historic Valley Junction Foundation;
Jordan Creek Town Center;
Valley West Mall;
West Glen Town Center;
Lions Club; and
WDM Rotary.

More groups are signing up to participate as I write this! There are several events that will be publicized officially in a calendar as we get closer to May, but some of the highlights include:

Two pancake breakfasts, one held May 3 by the WDM Rotary and one held May 17 by the Lions Club and Eddie Davis Community Center.

Learnapalooza, the free annual event sponsored by the WDM COmmunity School District's Community Education. Traditionally held in April, Learnapalooza has moved to the first Saturday of May to be part of A-may-zing Days.

The 4th annual Festivale Cinco de Mayo, hosted by the Historic Valley Junction Foundation at Railroad Park and 5th Street in Valley Junction, on May 3.

Zing into Spring, a brand new Chamber event highlighting family fitness and wellness. The Zing into Spring, which takes place on May 4, will feature a 5k fun run, 1 mile walk and health fair headquartered on the lawn of City Hall. There will be a kids zing zone, a DJ, and much more, with a portion of proceeds this year being donated to help send Shawn Johnson's Coach Chow to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics.

Three big musical events will cap off Memorial Day weekend including a May 23 concert at Val-Air Ballroom, a street party featuring three bands on May 24 on 5th Street at Valley Junction, and a musical event with a national headliner on May 25 at Jordan Creek Town Center followed by a fireworks display.

There are so many more events. Many events are free, and most that do charge are both affordable and send a portion of proceeds towards a worthy cause, whether it be WDM Human Services, supporting our troops overseas, or other charities. To read about more events, visit www.amayzingdays.com. This site provides a tentative calendar and event listing, which will change and grow as we get closer to may, so keep checking back.

May will be a great opportunity for our City to come together and enjoy numerous events catered to residents of all ages. We haven't seen anything like A-may-zing Days in West Des Moines before, and I hope you clear off some time from your calendars in May to celebrate our community.

A Sad Reminder

I'd like to look back quickly to my post on January 31 of this year regarding weather sirens. Today's Christian Science Monitor reports that a siren system in Atkins, Arkansas likely saved lives during the tornadoes that hit the Southern United States on Tuesday. Many residents in Atkins were able to find shelter after they heard the sirens twenty minutes before the tornado arrived.

The Monitor states that "With better weather monitoring and the wider use of sirens and other warning systems, the number of tornado deaths per million Americans has been decreasing in the United States for decades. " It's one thing for me to state in a blog entry that a frequently tested and functional weather siren system is important; it's another for a tragic incident to solidify how vital these systems are. Tuesday's devestating storms in the South were a sad reminder that while you cannot predict and plan for every disaster, preparation is vital. These tornadoes hit earlier in the year than expected. Fortunately, an effective siren system can provide short-term notice no matter when an event occurs, and hopefully save lives.

Read the article in the CSM here.

911 Trail Signage Project

I'm surprised by the number of our residents who use the trails system in the winter. People repeatedly comment on the fact that the trails near their home are often plowed as quickly as their street! I'm glad they are used year-round; I know we have a lot of active residents! Recently, we have worked with surrounding cities to instate a plan that makes the trails even safer. This terrific multi-jurisdictional effort, called the 911 Trail Sign project, is starting to come to fruition in our City.

The 911 Trail Sign project is the product of a regional workgroup which planned to create a consistent trail sign system for 911 callers to reference when identifying their location on a trail. The workgroup consists of representatives from West Des Moines, Des Moines, Clive, Urbandale, Johnston, Polk and Warren Counties. West Des Moines was extremely active in this project with members from Parks and Recreation, Public Safety, Public Works, GIS and Westcom collaborating to increase public safety.

To be consistent among jurisdictions, the group chose to use a grid system that covers all involved areas and will help reduce confusion and response time in emergency situations. The grid also offers flexibility, giving the participating entities discretion regarding the location of signs for their part of the trail system. Signs can be placed closer together in short visibility areas and further apart where there is greater visibility without causing problems with the numbering system.

Jordan Creek Trail between Valley West Drive and 60th Street is the first segment of trail to be signed in West Des Moines. Parks and Recreation chose locations along the trail to place the signs and Public Works collected the GPS points so signs are accurately located and positioned. Each sign has an orange sticker indicating to dial 911 in the event of an emergency along the trail. The rest of the sign has a 6 digit number used to reference that specific location and give dispatchers information about where the call is located along the trail and how to access that specific location in an emergency.

Des Moines has also started signing their trails with this system. The other cities and counties involved in this project will be signing their trails as they have resources available for the project. This is a terrific example of cities collaborating to make emergency services more accessible from these harder-to-reach parts of our City.