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NEIGHBORHOOD UPDATE
City News for Neighborhood Association Leaders and Residents
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Thank you for joining us for our December edition of the Neighborhood update. The year is coming to a close, but the City is ramping up work on new initiatives and projects for 2022. This month's newsletter includes information on a new violence prevention initiative, expansion of the mental health crisis program, hiring a Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator, and upcoming City budget discussions.
The new COVID variant, Omicron, is quickly spreading throughout the United States and has shown up in Iowa. Scientists expect a wave of infections in the coming months. Winter weather is also on the way leading to more residents getting sick. We encourage you to get your vaccine shot if you have not already.
Due to the continued and rising transmission of COVID-19, our face-covering requirement in City buildings is still in effect.
This newsletter is your direct connection to what's happening within your City government. If you know of someone monthly that might be interested in these updates, share this newsletter with them! They can sign up here.
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The City Implements Violence Prevention Initiative |
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On December 6, City Council members unanimously approved a new public health approach to preventing violent crimes. The program, Cure Violence, uses a data-driven model of violence interruption to target high-risk youth ages 14-25 and break the cycle of violence with proven techniques. Rather than a law enforcement-based approach, Cure Violence is a behavioral health approach to violence prevention.
"Our community has been asking us to do things differently and to try something new," City Manager Scott Sanders said. "We have to take the risk and find a unique way to address the issue of violence in Des Moines."
Cure Violence has been implemented in cities across the country including; Kansas City, Omaha, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee. This program will be executed by Creative Visions, a local organization with a long history of community activism and mobilization.
"This is an investment for the whole city," Creative Visions founder Ako Abdul-Samad said. "With Cure Violence, we can address gun violence and begin to address the systemic issues that lead to it."
The program will begin in 2022 and will initially be focused on the Drake Neighborhood and the Evelyn K. Davis Park areas. Specific benchmarks have been created to measure progress as the program is implemented.
"We're taking a step towards a safer community, one in which fewer people and fewer families are impacted by gun violence," Ward 3 City Councilor Josh Mandelbaum said.
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City Presentations Set To Discuss Budget And Covid Funding |
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The City of Des Moines is holding two public presentations to cover the state of the City budget and distribution of federal COVID relief funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
"Following a year of online-only budget engagement due to COVID-19, we are pleased to bring back opportunities for residents to hear from City staff and discuss ideas related to the budget for the next fiscal year." Sanders said. "This will provide an excellent opportunity for dialogue between City staff and interested community members."
In addition to questions and comments from residents, the staff-led public presentation and subsequent webinar will present information related to the City's budget process, the structure of the funds, and update on the Local Option Sales & Services Tax and planning for the City's potential share of ARPA funds.
The in-person meeting is scheduled for today, Wednesday, December 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Central Library, 100 Grand Avenue. If you are unable to attend, it will be recorded and made available on YouTube after the event. The recording will also be part of the programming schedule on DMTV-7 on Mediacom.
The December 21 budget webinar will be presented from 5:30 - 7 p.m. and conducted entirely on Zoom. City staff will address frequently asked questions throughout the presentation and respond to written questions from Zoom participants. In addition to Zoom, the webinar will be broadcast live on YouTube and DMTV-7 on Mediacom.
Below is the registration information for the December 21 webinar:
Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device:
Passcode: 548471
Or One tap mobile:
+13126266799,,83823476678# US (Chicago)
+17209289299,,83823476678# US (Denver)
Or join by phone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 720 928 9299 or 833 548 0276 (Toll Free) or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 838 2347 6678
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A New Approach To Mental Health Response |
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The City of Des Moines finalized a new approach in responding to mental health calls. The Des Moines Police Department, in conjunction with Broadlawns Medical Center, has partnered to create the Crises Advocacy Response Effort (CARE) program.
The CARE Program is an extension of the Mobile Crisis Metal Health Response Team to divert non-criminal or medical mental health 911 calls to Broadlawns staff with mental health experience and training in crisis intervention.
Here is how it works: If a 911 call comes into the dispatch center and is flagged as a potential mental health situation, the Broadlawns clinician, who is in the dispatch center, will then take the call. The clinician will talk with the caller and determine what type of response is needed for the call. The benefit of this process is it allows a trained professional to decide if the situation needs the mental health crisis team to respond or if a larger response is needed.
This program allows the City of Des Moines to provide a broader ability to respond in the most effective way to 911 calls for our residents.
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Be Prepared For Snow Season |
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The 2022 snow season is right around the corner. The Department of Public Works is dedicated to providing residents with professional snow removal services. To keep our roads safe during the winter, it wakes hundreds of Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and WRA employees to operate the 100 pieces of equipment that are necessary to clear our streets.
As a general rule, while snow is still falling, plow trucks are working on designated main snow routes that are designed so that no one is ever more than four blocks from a snow route. Once the snow stops, the plow trucks transition into plowing all of the residential roads that do not fall into the snow route system.
Unlike many of the suburbs, the City of Des Moines has over 2,200 miles of roads to cover, which is why the City has set up email and text notifications for residents to sign up to receive information in real-time during snowstorms.
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Meet The Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator |
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In last month's newsletter, we shared that the City of Des Moines hired a Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator. This month we are sharing with you more about the person hired for this role and the position itself.
This newly created position supports the City's strategic initiative to strengthen and grow our 51 neighborhood associations. After a thorough search, the City of Des Moines hired Heather Tamminga for the position. In this role, Heather will attend neighborhood association meetings; provide assistance, education, guidance, and support to neighborhood associations; and will connect neighborhood leaders to City resources.
One of Heather's first priorities is to connect with each neighborhood association and discover where leadership support is needed. Look for her to contact your association in the near future.
About Heather Tamminga: She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with more than two decades of experience in association management. Her experience includes board governance, leadership development, financial management, volunteer engagement, event planning, and communications. Heather believes in the power of associations. She advocates that associations are vital to improving the quality of our communities, bolstering the economy, creating powerful networks, and expanding personal skill development.
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University Avenue Virtual Public Meeting & Holiday Closures |
Tonight, the City of Des Moines Engineering Department is hosting a virtual public meeting on the upcoming University Avenue Street Improvements from 31st to 48th Street.
If you would like to attend, registration before the meeting starts is required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email.
The City of Des Moines Buildings will be closed on December 23, 24, and 31 to observe the holidays. If you need to visit City Hall of another building at the end of the month, make note buildings are closed on these dates.
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Thank you for subscribing to our Neighborhood Update!
As we enter the last part of 2021, we'd love to hear what you think about this newsletter. What kinds of things are you interested in, or what would be helpful for your neighborhood? Send your suggestions to [email protected]. |
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