Summer is Heating Up in Des Moines
With summer officially starting this weekend, you will see more events happening around Des Moines like the Arts Festival, IRONMAN, and the downtown farmers market. We encourage everyone to enjoy their summers safely and responsibly.

Important Note: Announced this week, Des Moines Water Works is reducing water usage by 25% due to low water levels. They also encourage all of us to do our part to limit personal water usage. You can learn more about how you can help later on in this newsletter.

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To Water or Not to Water?
The newest drought forecast from the U.S. Drought Monitor reveals that central Iowa has shifted from abnormally dry to a moderate drought. Consequently, all Des Moines residents are encouraged to use water wisely.

Should you need to water your garden or lawn during this hot weather, please remember these five helpful tips from Des Moines Water Works. Utilizing these tips will help you save money, reduce consumption and reduce the peak load on water facilities.

Tip #1: Know When to Water
In an effort to conserve water, Des Moines Water Works has encouraged all Des Moines residents to abstain from watering on Mondays. As for the rest of the week, even-numbered addresses are encouraged to water on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Odd-numbered addresses are encouraged to water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Tip #2: Water as Early in the Morning as You Can
Watering early in the morning will allow your lawn time to dry completely before nightfall. Watering too late leaves your lawn susceptible to fungus and diseases.

Tip #3: Leave Grass Clippings on Your Lawn
This helps delay the evaporation process so that your grass retains more moisture.

Tip #4: Sharpen the Blades on Your Mower
Dull blades tear grass, which stresses it and forces it to use 40 to 60 percent more water.

Tip #5: Leave Your Grass Longer
Allowing your grass to grow longer than you normally would allows it to establish deeper roots and become more draught-proof.

BONUS: If you're interested in installing a rain barrel to help water your lawn or garden, the City of Des Moines will reimburse property owners 50% of the total cost of their project (up to $2,000). Visit DSM.city/swbmp for more details about this program.
Parks & Recreation Selected as Finalist for 2021 Gold Medal Award
Do you enjoy the 76 Des Moines Parks and Recreation parks, five aquatics facilities and countless programs?

You're not the only one impressed with our Parks and Recreation department.

They've been selected as a finalist for the 2021 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).
Building a Crown Jewel: Birdland Park & Marina Master Plan
Birdland Marina and Park Master Plan
Touted as an unparalleled project for Des Moines and central Iowa, the Birdland Park and Marina Master Plan is a $54.4 million-dollar multi-phased vision that will transform a diamond in the rough into one of the brightest "jewels" in the crown that is the City's park system.

"Once completed, this area will truly be a four-season recreational destination. I cannot think of one other park in central Iowa with all the features this park will have, " said Parks and Recreation Director Ben Page. "This effort is decades overdue."

Page said that the development of the Master Plan was a community and stakeholder-driven effort which leveraged input from 200+ attendees across three public meetings and 350+ follow-up survey responses. A project Advisory Committee provided additional direction to the consulting team and included 23 individuals representing 18 unique interest groups, thus representing a broad cross-section of the community resulting in unanimous approval by the City Council.

Funding for the project would require a variety of sources including state and federal grants, public fundraising, redevelopment funds and more. The Master Plan also identifies annual net revenue ranging from $300 - $400,000 per year once fully implemented.

The five-phase project could take anywhere from five to 20+ years to complete depending on the success of grant writing and additional fundraising efforts.

To learn more about the Birdland Park and Marina Master Plan, click here.
New Pawn Record System Paying Off for Police
A new automated pawn record system implemented by the Des Moines Police Department has significantly improved the process of reporting and finding stolen goods.

LeadsOnline is the nation’s largest online investigation system and provides access to transactions from thousands of reporting businesses.

Likewise, the platform offers a Citizen Property Inventory System, ReportIt. To learn more about ReportIt and how to register your property, click here. 
Citywide Block Challenge Grant
Invest DSM
The City is partnering with Invest DSM to pilot a citywide Block Challenge Grant Program. Starting July 1, applications will be accepted from neighborhood teams wanting to make exterior home improvements of all sizes, from a new mailbox to an addition or a new garage.

Funding will be available to assist between 100-150 program participants or 10-30 teams. The City will provide up to a 50% matching grant of up to $2,500 per project depending on team size and location within the City.

If you would like to start organizing a project, you can find more details about the program at DSM.city/BCgrant.
More News
Celebrating Juneteenth

This year, the City of Des Moines joins cities and states across the nation in officially observing Juneteenth.

All Des Moines Public Library branches will remain open in order to educate people about the holiday and celebrate the important historical milestone for our country. We invite all community members to visit DMPL.org/Juneteenth or visit a library location to learn more about the history of Juneteenth, slavery, the American Civil War and Emancipation, and civil rights movements.

Note: There will be no delay in the collection of garbage, recycling or yard waste.
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