Around Des Moines

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie attended the March 11, 2008, Des Moines Public Schools School Board meeting to promote the Super Block. This is the stretch of land on the southern edge of the city that runs from SE 14th Street to SW 9th Street and from Army Post Road southward to County Line Road. There are two schools sitting in this giant block and the city wants to acquire some of the school district’s land.

The proposal before the school board was to approve the Super Block and to authorize district staff to negotiate further with the City of Des Moines. The city wants to acquire approximately 47 acres of the school property next to Studebaker Elementary and McCombs Middle Schools. No member of the public spoke on this portion of the meeting agenda. In addition to the mayor, Terry Rich, chief executive officer of the Blank Park Zoo, and a representative of the Polk County Conservation Board attended the meeting to lend support to the plan. The board’s vote was 6-0.

Members of the school board made sure to clarify that the city would be purchasing the property for fair market value. Board Member Patty Link said she heard over and over that there is growth on the south side. She and other board members wanted to make sure that if the land were sold there would still be room for the district to expand facilities. Link also inquired about horticultural opportunities for students at the A.H. Blank Golf Course. DMPS’ Chief Operating Officer Bill Good said the golf course is “enthusiastic” about working with students and that he believes there will still be “good growth potential” for school programs. Board Member Connie Boesen said she spoke from experience as a person who has sat on the zoo’s board. She believes the plan utilizes space well and that there are horticultural opportunities at the zoo, too. There was also a board member suggestion that students might be able to learn golf.

Board Member Jeanette Woods compared all the activities planned for the Super Block to the isolation of the Botanical Center. “I really like the idea it’s connected,” she said. She also thinks the entire plan is a good idea but she is concerned that Lincoln High School is overcrowded. In a response to Woods’ inquiry about the status of a demographic study, Good said a draft has been prepared and it should be ready in about a month. (The demographic study was authorized at an earlier board meeting and will look at projected growth in the district, with particular attention paid to the south side.)

The Super Block issue will appear before the school board again when terms of the land sale are finished. The Super Block vision is to stimulate economic and social growth on the south side, as well as to develop a signature a so-called green sustainable project.

Personal Note: As I have written on AroundDesMoines.com in regard to other development projects, residents throughout the city should be concerned about and involved in projects regardless of where in the city they are being proposed. This Super Block is just one of many plans the city has for the south side. In addition to the Super Block, the city is planning reconstruction of Indianola Avenue and development of the Highway 5/North River area that currently is outside of the city’s limits. All of these projects and the public meetings that have been held for some of them, merit far more comprehensive media coverage than they have received.

M.R. Field covers school board meetings for AroundDesMoines.com. 

Today may be Super Bowl Sunday but Wednesday, February 6, 2008, is the 22nd Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. This year’s theme is “All In” but when I talk to people about the day, I push for women being in all parts of the game. That means not only playing, but also coaching, being referees, managing, reporting, and owning. Even understanding the rules of the game as fans is important.

When writing the accompanying post about the basic rules of football, I realized just how much football is a game of strategy, individual ability, and teamwork. While I think memorizing details of sports teams and games over a span of years is a display of obsessive-compulsive disorder, having knowledge of the rules is good training for many professions. In politics, as in football, rules can give a player the opportunity to run all the way and the option of taking a protected breather. Football also demonstrates that strategy needs to change depending upon the opponent, the condition of the playing area, and the current physical condition of any given player. Being this adaptable, and prepared, is good for a business owner and for a campaign manager.

Teams that win based on the scores of individual performers could be good for understanding how a business can grow while allowing telecommuting. Track and field is an example of this. A discus thrower may place third in her competition, while a teammate could win the 100 meter hurdles. The competitions take place at different times and with different standards. Yet the outcomes of both competitions are included in the recognition accorded to the entire school or national team. Moreover, much of the training between meets is done as individuals.

Athletes learn about discipline and consequences. In Iowa’s schools, athletes know that they won’t play if they fail classes. Athletes also understand that they cannot be at peak performance if they don’t stay in condition and eat properly, particularly during a sport’s season. For the purposes of this commentary I won’t delve into the special treatment given to some star players, and the excuses made for their performances off the playing field.

Girls and women in Iowa have numerous opportunities to partake in organized or individual sports. In addition to playing golf on several golf courses, there is ice skating in the winter and public pools for swimming in the summer. There is the amateur portion of the triathlon, a marathon, non-profit races (e.g., Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure), and a rowing club. There is a group of women playing Granny Basketball and other women playing soccer, football, and even skating in roller derby competitions. Des Moines plays up the high school girls’ basketball tournament as much as it does the boys’ tournament. There are numerous teams in the state’s many colleges and universities, with women competing in sports that include basketball, soccer, tennis, softball, field hockey, cross country running, rowing, volleyball, and track and field.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.  

By the sun, Monday, February 4th is mid-Winter. Start the celebrations early with groundhog sugar cookies. Bake up a batch Friday night then rise with the sun on Saturday, February 2nd. Hold a cookie, in the shape of a groundhog, up to the sun and see if it casts a shadow. It sure beats standing out in the cold and disturbing a live animal.

February appears to be the month when people return to activity, after the food of the year-end holidays and a January recovery. The inaugural Des Moines Winter Games are this weekend, from February 1st through the 3rd. Later in the month are the 23rd annual Skywalk Golf tournament (Feb. 9th) and the 801 Grand Power Climb (Feb. 24th).

Friday, February 1st is the annual day on which women are encouraged to wear red to remind them to care for their hearts. The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease (WomenHeart) has information on women, heart attacks, and coronary disease.

Quilts will be on display at the Polk County Heritage Gallery (111 Court Avenue) starting February 4th, with an opening reception on Sunday, February 3rd, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. In 2007, a series of classes was held to make bed-sized quilts for the C-on Kinshuko Christian family camp in Iwate, Japan. More than 50 quilt makers from 12 area churches participated. A sampling of their work is what will be on display at the gallery.

The fifth Sunday of Blues at the Botanical Center is also February 3rd. Tina Haase-Findlay will be performing from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Cost is $4.

Even though Ballet Des Moines is holding its A Chocolate Affair this Friday night, with chocolate treats at East Village merchants followed by chocolate martinis and salsa dancing at 504 East Locust (cost $40 at door, starting at 5:00 p.m.), I just cannot get excited by anything on my calendar this weekend. I blame it on Enchanted April. The play, now showing at the Des Moines Playhouse, got me daydreaming of romance, warm ocean breezes, and the flavor of the Mediterranean. Then I was forced to confront 40 mph wind gusts, stinging snow pellets, and gray skies over Iowa. As I was complaining about this to a friend, she started telling me about how she used to warm up the men in her family who returned inside after caring for livestock and doing other rural chores in the bitter cold. The cure involved butter, sugar, cocoa, heavy cream, and vanilla. Now that is serious hot chocolate.

The Drake University men’s basketball team is drawing crowds and attention. Now you have the choice of watching the Bulldogs play tennis, too. This Sunday the men’s team will play St. Louis at the Drake Tennis Center at 11:00 a.m. Oh, yeah, Sunday is when the Super Bowl is played.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa. She encourages organizations and performers to send news about their upcoming events to events@AroundDesMoines.com. 

According to a KCCI-TV meteorologist, after this week the average temperature in Des Moines starts to rise. A glance at The Weather Channel’s web site confirms this. Of course, with 8 degrees Fahrenheit forecasted for Saturday’s high, history may be of little comfort to city residents. According to The Weather Channel, January is the coolest month, July the warmest, and June the wettest. The lowest temperature on record is -30 deg. in 1884; the highest is 110 deg. in 1936. According to the National Weather Service’s Climate Summary, 2007 in Des Moines was the 12th wettest, the 5th snowiest, and tied for the 24th warmest on record.

There is one benefit to this seasonal cold. Three ponds in the city are now open for ice skating. A green flag means skating conditions exist; a red flag means the proper conditions do not exist. You can skate at Greenwood Park, MacRae Park, and Gray’s Lake Park. The first two are open sunrise to sunset. Gray’s Lake is open 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

In just over two weeks, the Des Moines Winter Games will begin. These are designed for fun with a low entry-fee for participants and opportunities to watch the activities for free. If you are enjoying the exercise, remember that Wednesday, February 6th, is the 22nd Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The theme this year is “All In.” One of the organizations holding activities around the day encourages people to wear sports attire of their favorite team. In Iowa, we have competitive teams in roller derby, soccer, and football. There is also Granny Basketball for women over 50, but they take referees of all ages. There is a tryout for Granny Basketball on Thursday, January 24th, at the DMPS Central Campus, at 1800 Grand at 5:30 p.m.

Chinese New Year, Groundhog Day, Michaelmas, and Imbolc are some of the celebrations that take place as mid-winter approaches in the early days of February. Chinese New Year (Gung Hoy Fat Choy!) will be celebrated on February 7th. It will be the year of the rat. For those who prefer Michaelmas, Ash Wednesday is on February 6th. I’m never sure whether to think of the blessing of the candles as a thank you for providing light through the long winter nights or as a plea for them to last through the last few weeks of winter weather.

I like cold weather but there is something about Des Moines that makes it worse than any other place where I’ve lived. The day I had to photograph Des Moines at mid-Winter as part of my seasonal environmental art project was not pleasant. This was in February 2006 and the temperature was not too bad; it was in the 20’s with some sunshine. Yet, by the time I finished the last shot, caught the bus, and made it back to my apartment, I was chilled through to the bone. It took more than two hours for me to warm up.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa. 

Forget the Arts Festival, the Hy-Vee triathlon, and even state wrestling championships. For me, it is the regatta that labels Des Moines as a city of note.

Okay, I’ve never watched a regatta. Yet, the image of shells gliding through water always makes me think of Cambridge and Oxford and the prestige their graduates have offered to world-class institutions. Back in Des Moines, the local river may not lead to sites of ancient history but the local rowing club can offer up a darn good education.

The Des Moines Rowing Club hosts the Head of the Des Moines regatta on the last Saturday in September. This year that date is September 29. Club members are excited that Lesleh Heim will be coxswain for the men’s eight. Heim rowed on the Canadian women’s team for a decade and now lives in Carroll, Iowa. There will be 600 other participants competing in 60 races. Races are scheduled for high school and collegiate teams, for gender-segregated and gender-mixed teams, and for rowers over 50 years old, just to mention some of the categories.

Races begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Competitors will row downstream from the Birdland Marina to the starting point near the Botanical Center. They will then row in timed races upriver to Prospect Park. I asked Jill Emmert, a second year rower and regatta committee member, to share some insights that would help a novice spectator better appreciate the competitions. This is what she wrote:

“[W]hat spectators need to realize is that all the boats are on their own timer and start at different times. So no one knows who won until all the boats have crossed the finish line and the times have been reported. The ways you can tell if a boat is doing well is by watching the bladework. If the blades are all off of the water and the boat is doing a good stretch of gliding between strokes, they are doing well. Another thing to watch is the rowers. If they look like they are all doing the exact same thing at the exact same time, they are doing very well. If watching from Prospect Park (the finish line) you will notice that a lot of this stuff is not happening because many rowers are very tired by now. It is, after all, a three-mile race. And they have been rowing for at least 20 minutes before you even get to see them. Another thing to remember is that rowing is a total body workout. There isn’t a part of your body that isn’t tired after 3 miles/20 minutes. All you can do is concentrate on your crew members and your cox. You try to forget about everything going on around you and keep your head in the boat. And row like a bat out of hell.”

This is the 24th year of the regatta. Now that I know what to expect, I am looking forward to the races.

Guest Writer: M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.

Jack Welch of Des Moines and Team Cow enjoys RAGBRAI on Sunday.

Photo by Rodney White/The Register

Register for the Regional Event Today!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Big Creek State Park Marina
Polk City, IA

The North Face®, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative, and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment, and footwear, announced The North Face Endurance Challenge, presented by Gore-Tex, hosted by internationally recognized endurance athlete Dean Karnazes.

The 2007 Endurance Challenge Series will include (4) regional events and (1) Championship event. From August through December 2007, five endurance events will span the country, starting in Washington, DC, passing through Connecticut, Washington, and Iowa, and culminating with the Championship in San Francisco, California. Each offers options for runners of all levels at an array of distances, including: 50 Mile, 50K, Half Marathon, and 10K.

The Endurance Challenge is expected to attract some of the country’s top ultra-endurance runners. In addition to host Karnazes, several The North Face Endurance Team athletes will attend, including 50K national trail champion Kami Semick, 50-mile national trail champion Nikki Kimball, and 25-time Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run finisher Tim Twietmeyer. Many other runners are expected to embrace The North Face Endurance Challenge as an opportunity to complete a distance they have never previously covered.

You might remember in 2006, Karnazes ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days for the The North Face Endurance 50. Over the course of the event, thousands of runners from across the country and around the globe took part, many running farther than they ever had. The Endurance 50 helped inspire The North Face to challenge all athletes to seek their own definition of endurance. Many other runners are expected to embrace The Endurance Challenge as an opportunity to complete a distance they have never previously covered.

As part of its commitment to community and conservation, The North Face, in partnership with The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero program, will be planting trees to zero out the carbon emissions of this event, including set-up, break down, and transportation.

Walking to the monthly meeting of the Friends of Iowa Women Prisoners
(FIWP), I looked down at the Des Moines River from the Locust Street bridge.
My mind pulled up memories of ocean-covered beaches until I realized I was
seeing the sidewalk that runs alongside the river. It has been so long since
the water level was low enough to see the sidewalk that I momentarily forgot
it existed. The weeks of high water have taken their toll on the retaining
walls.

I was looking for something to drink beside the water that I had with me
when I remembered the Brenton Skating Plaza serves lunch. When I stopped to
see what the options were, I learned that the site offers numerous
activities during the summer.

The FIWP meeting featured a woman from Des Moines Area Community College
(DMACC) who talked about an ex-offender re-entry program designed to reduce
recidivism. Also attending the meeting was a person from Iowa Workforce
Development who talked about POETS, which stands for “Providing
Opportunities for Ex-offenders To Succeed.” It meets every Tuesday, from
8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at 430 East Grand. The course curriculum helps
ex-offenders, both those on parole and those who have completed their
sentences, to present their past so employers will hire them, bankers will
give them home loans, and landlords will rent to them. No reservation is
needed to attend the classes. This program helps the community because
employment is a significant deterrent to committing crimes.

After the FIWP meeting, I walked to Union Park to ride the Heritage
Carousel. Along the way, I discovered Des Moines has a traffic circle! It is
located at Buchanan and East 12th Streets.

The Heritage Carousel is now open Tuesdays through Sundays during the
afternoon and evening. It costs 50� for children to ride and $1.00 for
adults. The ride lasts long enough to get over the initial disconcerting
motion and to enjoy the view. One rotation lasts 15 seconds. There are
t-shirts, magnets, and posters for sale to help provide for maintenance of
the carousel. The #5 bus goes past Union Park. The #3 bus stop at Birdland
Park is a pleasant 10-15 minute stroll away. The #4 bus along East 14th
Street also is within walking distance of the park.

FIWP meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 12:00 noon at Wesley United
Methodist Church, 800 East 12th Street. Leading Voices: Iowa will have a
write-up of the June meeting in its June 27 issue.

Brenton Plaza mostly offers basic grill food and munchies from 11:00 a.m. to
1:00 p.m. weekdays from May to August. Friday nights in June there are free
movies at 9:00 p.m.. (”Happy Feet” on June 22 and “Flipper” on June 29.)
Friday nights have roller skating, but you must provide your own skates.
Karaoke is offered both Fridays and Sundays. Saturday nights there is
Dancing Under the Stars for $8.00.

Guest Author: M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.

The adult amateurs started their triathlon early on the morning of Sunday, June 17, as part of the festivities surrounding the Hy-Vee World Cup Triathlon held in Des Moines. The athletes swam in Gray’s Lake, then bicycled into West Des Moines and back into downtown Des Moines for the final run. I caught some of the bicycle action along Grand Avenue late into the race.

A few people came out to enjoy the weather and to cheer along the bicyclists. The large, easy to read road closure signs apparently drove home their message effectively.

Law enforcement officials were allowing motorists to cross Grand at 42nd Street. Emergency response teams also used that intersection as a stand-by base.

Hy-Vee donated plenty of donuts, bagels, coffee, and juice for residents who were not able to get out and about for their regular Sunday morning activities due to the road closure. One of the departmental managers at a West Des Moines store staffed this particular site. She was in place before 5:30 a.m. and still standing at 9:30. She patiently answered a nosy person’s questions. The first bicyclist rode past about 6:45 a.m., well ahead of the pack. Hy-Vee employees came from all over to help out, including a store manager from Cherokee who was nearby.

(I have to apologize for the quality of this photo. I neglected to check my camera’s auto setting. I wanted to include the picture, however, to thank Hy-Vee for thinking of the residents, as well as the triathletes.)

Guest Author: M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.

People in Des Moines and West Des Moines may have heard that a major sporting event called the Hy-Vee Triathlon will be run in the city on Sunday, June 17, with associated competitions and activities being held on Saturday, June 16. From past experience, I know that people who visit Des Moines on those days for reasons other than the race will have no idea about the road and other closings. Heck, even people who live here and don’t travel the same route every day, and only that route, will be shocked by the closings. Thus, I am offering this public alert.

Des Moines won’t really shut down for the triathlon, but at times it might seem that way. The information I have as to what will close and when it will be closed is very minimal. (Here is West Des Moines information.) I know the central library will be closed on June 17. The local buses will be re-routed and delayed at least part of June 16. The State Historical Building has information on its web site about parking when the streets around it are closed. Even the majority of Grand Street from around the state capitol into West Des Moines will be closed for four hours the morning of June 17. Triathlon races begin at Gray’s Lake, so expect early congestion around that area.

Non-triathlon events are still planned throughout the city. As far as I
know, the downtown farmers market will be open on June 16. Music Under The Stars kicks off June 17 at Roosevelt High School. Locally-owned stores and restaurants throughout the city would still appreciate your business. If you are out and about Des Moines, please drive, walk, run, bike, and swim safely and expect detours and delays.

Guest Author: M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.