Last night, Amanda, Owen and I attended a celebration party at Colby Park* in Windsor Heights to celebrate the City of Windsor Heights’ new Zip Code: 50324. This is the result of many years work by city officials to make life a little easier for the folks here in town. The event in the park was very well attended, and had a good amount of media coverage. Thanks to everyone who has made the event a success. Beverages were provided by the Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce, and food was available from the Windsor Heights Hy-Vee.
Before today, the city of Windsor Heights was covered by three different Zip Codes, which was the source of frequent confusion. For example, my old zip code, 50322, was the same number used for Urbandale. It was awkward to tell someone that their store computer was wrong and that I did in fact know the correct name of my city.
Last night, I had the opportunity to attend the Clive YMCA Healthy Living Center Grand Opening reception. This is an amazing facility that is going to be a tremendous addition to our community. The YMCA Healthy Living Center is a partnership between the YMCA of Greater Des Moines and Mercy Medical Center is a facility that offers an integrated approach to wellness, bringing medical and fitness professionals under the same roof.
Opening: Monday, June 15th.
Address: 12493 University Avenue, Clive, IA
Phone: (515) 226-YMCA (9622)
Thanks to my friend Dr. Chad Carlson from Stadia Sports Medicine for showing me around and introducing me to community leaders who made this project possible.
State Auditor David Vaudt released his review of the FY 2010 budget today. The following is a YouTube video discussing the state’s budget situation. This is an updated summary of the presentation that he has been delivering around the state. Auditor Vaudt does a terrific job of providing a clear, sobering look at the spending crisis in our state.
Saturday morning was the Windsor Heights Fire Department’s annual pancake breakfast. Amanda and I look forward to this every year because we like to visit with our neighbors and eat pancakes. Owen likes it because the fire trucks are really cool. I was impressed by the number of people that attended, it seemed like a higher turnout than last year.
Our thanks go out to Chief Christopher Cross and the rest of the members for a great breakfast!
This evening, before the regular meeting of the West Des Moines School Board, there was a reception to thank the members of the board for their service. This week is School Board Appreciation Week, in honor of all of the hard work and sacrifice from our board members. Serving on the school board is a tremendous investment of time and energy, and these people should be commended for their service.
Amanda, Owen and I are excited to be participating tomorrow morning in the Walk for Life to support Ruth Harbor.
From their website:
Ruth Harbor is a 6-8 resident home located in Des Moines. It provides young women who are alone and facing unplanned pregnancies a truly viable option — a safe harbor — by providing housing, education, counseling, health care, parenting training or adoption assistance, spiritual support and more for the duration of their pregnancies.
We would love to see you there to support this great cause.
Date: Saturday May 9, 2009 Time: 9:30 a.m. Place: Meredith Trail (near Principal Baseball Park, Des Moines)
The Windsor Heights Police Department is currently gathering contact information for area residents who may be interested in participating in a women’s education and self defense course called Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.). Dates of the course have not been determined yet as we are still measuring interest, but prospective students could expect the course to be offered sometime this summer: one night a week for four consecutive weeks from 6:30 – 9:30 pm. Attendance at all classes will be required to complete the program successfully. There will also be a one-time registration fee of $25 due prior to beginning the first class.
The RAD program for women’s basic self defense is the largest nationally recognized women’s self defense organization in the world. Classes encompass twelve hours of education and awareness topics mixed with hands-on, active self defense techniques and strategies. The last class in the series is a culmination of the material presented where three separate, active simulation scenarios are given to students to apply what they have learned in the classroom. Participation in this course does encourage a moderate level of activity; however, women of all ages and abilities are encouraged to attend. The philosophy of RAD instructors is that this program should be easy to learn, easy to retain, and relatively easy to employ during real confrontational situations. Captain Dennis McDaniel of the Windsor Heights Police Department, and long-time certified RAD instructor states, “The objective of the basic RAD program is to develop and enhance the options of self defense so that they become viable options for a woman who is attacked. We work with our students to educate them on general awareness issues and also work to create confidence in the application of some basic self defense techniques.”
Interested women, high school age and above, may contact the Windsor Heights Police Department during normal business hours at (515) 277-4453 to be placed on a contact list for the next available class. Prospective students may also contact Captain McDaniel via e-mail at dmcdaniel@windsorheights.org.
The 2009 regular session of the 83rd Iowa General Assembly adjourned at 5:03 a.m. on Sunday morning, April 26th. The House had been gaveled in for 38 of the final 44 hours, making for a very long weekend.
The last bill passed in the House was SF 478, the standing appropriations bill which appropriated over $450 million dollars from various state budget funds. The standings bill also served as a catch-all bill for a wide range of policies that did not survive the regular committee process. Last-minute items included a 5% city franchise fee on utility bills, an interim study committee on puppy mills, and increased fees for out-of-state deer hunting licenses.
A lot of high-profile legislation failed in the final days. No labor bills were brought forward and there was no change to federal deductibility. I will continue to oppose forced unionization, mandated wage rates and any attempt to take away most Iowans’ largest tax deduction. Majority leadership also blocked all attempts to allow the people of Iowa a vote on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
Despite falling tax revenues, economic trouble and massive overspending in previous years, this budget will be the largest in our state’s history. To facilitate this extra spending, the receipt of federal stimulus money was used to “backfill” many of our ongoing spending obligations. While this avoids making some painful cuts this year, we are facing a much larger budget gap once the stimulus money runs out. We will soon be looking out over the cliff of a budget disaster.
We must do a better job of prioritizing our spending. I will continue to offer suggestions of how we can fully fund the most essential functions of government while protecting Iowa taxpayers.
It continues to be a great honor to serve. Over the interim, I look forward to spending time in the community, listening to your thoughts and ideas on how government can better reflect the will of the people.
Thanks to my friend 
