What Des Moines Iowa Needs

(Photo credit: The Des Moines Register)

I've been thinking on this post a long time.

First off, let me say that Des Moines, Iowa is one of the most "together" cities in one of the most "together" states in our country. Iowa is doing a decent job of managing its fiscal house, and Des Moines is like the gigantic heart that keep the whole thing beating and moving forward.

Des Moines is my birthplace, my homeland, my North Star. I have a lot invested in the success of this city and state. I was raised here, got married (twice) here, raised my kids here, worked here, walked my dog here, drove the roads here and paid taxes here for 43 years now.

Without further ado, here is my Top Ten Recommendations for what Des Moines needs to make it an even better place to live:

1. Earthpark: Yes, that Earthpark. Ted Townsend had a bold vision for the future. Many towns in Iowa went through the initial vetting process to be the chosen place. Des Moines was too chicken to support the vision. Too bad. It would have been awesome tourist attraction, research facility and educational institution for years to come.
2. A LARGE downtown hotel adjacent to Wells Fargo Arena and Vets. If you've ever been to a "big city" for a conference, you know that a large hotel, connected to conference facilities, is absolutely essential to attracting convention business to the city. We'll never be the "showcase city" we want to be without this feature. I'm not saying we should try to be Vegas or Chicago. Just be able to attract mid-sized conventions. That's all.
3. Better public transportation: The bus system we have now should be expanded to include two or three hubs so that people don't have to go all the way downtown to switch routes. We could use smaller buses for inter-route transfers and such. If the suburbs don't pay their share, then let them figure out their own public transportation. That brings me to my next point:
4. We need a county-wide government. Des Moines should not be competing with its own suburbs for new companies. We're all in this together. Plus, we have a ton of common interests that tie us together, for example: transportation, water use, the landfill, economic development and suburban sprawl just to name a few. This was a real movement here a couple years ago, and its an idea that bears looking into again, especially because of the recession.
5. Higher student achievement standards: In some schools, more than 50% of kids who start as freshmen do not graduate on time. Who do you think is paying for that down the road?
6. Fewer chain restaurants. We have so many great local places, why eat a Mc-anything???
7. A tollbooth on each end of I-235. Yes, I am suggesting that visitors to our fair city help us pay for all the non-profit organizations we support.
8. A public policy "Think-Tank." I would prefer a liberal one, of course. Due to our Iowa Caucus "First in the Nation" status, it could be a very prominent one. We have several excellent public policy shops in the area, but a major think-tank could attract academics, news-types, and a whole host of smart people to Des Moines.
9. A Social Media Club. We have "CIB," (Central Iowa Bloggers) but I'm feeling the need for something a little more formal and educational. If you're interested in helping get the club off the ground, let me know.
10. Something for the teenage crowd to do. Think Des Moines Social Club, only for those under 18. And without the bar. My daughter tells me only nerds would do something like that, but I say, great. I like nerds. I've always told my daughters to be very nice to nerds, because one day they will be your boss.

What do you think Des Moines needs? Or are we perfect the way we are? :~)

Comments

[Sincerely, Jenni]

I think you've hit every single one of these suggestions dead on. Maybe you should run for City Council? :-)

Looking forward to meeting you at the I_Blog Conference this weekend!

[desmoinesdem]

I agree with most (except for the Earthpark). Not worth the amount of money it would cost to build it.

I would also like to see a decent Ethiopian restaurant in Des Moines.

[Mike Templeton]

I'd love to see a Social Media Club chapter in Des Moines as well. It's something I've been thinking about for some time and even brought up with a few people, but I think it would really help push social media forward in Des Moines.

Providing a professional organization for practitioners in the space to participate in makes everything about the industry more valid, especially in the eyes of those who aren't quite sure about it yet.

I would love to chat with you and find a few more individuals to take a leading role in setting up the chapter. I've been combing over the guidelines for the past week or so.

[Brett Trout]

I would be interested in helping with a Social Media Club.

[AdMavericks]

#11. This is more Iowa than Des Moines, but Des Moines leads the charge: Change the "Welcome to Iowa" signs on the interstate to the new Iowa Life Changing logo (and by new, I mean the one that is nine years old but still newer than the "Fields of Opportunity" stuff that creates brand confusion.)

On the signs, under the IDED Life Changing Logo: The Social Media Capital of the World!

Another options could be: Birthplace of Claire Celsi

Just sayin.

[Christine]

Claire, Got any ideas or suggestions on raising student achievement? One of the reasons we have such a high rate of dropouts or others who do not graduate "on time" is that DMPS has been raising the requirements to graduate. Currently it is up to 23 credits. If you fail something freshman or sophomore year, it is nearly impossible to get back on track. Twenty-three credits is significantly higher than when we were in school. Also, there are a small but real number of students who graduate early, but are not counted properly because they did not graduate in four years.
I liked your overall thoughts however. Thanks for linking it to facebook!

[Claire]

Jenni, I will be running for office someday, but probably not city council! :~)

Mike and Trout, word on the social media club. Looking forward to seeing it blossom.

Des Moines Dem: would love to taste some ethiopian food.

Christine, I think it's a matter of making adult mentors available from K-12, making sure every class has an assistant, reducing class sizes. I also strongly believe that crappy teachers need to be shown the door. I have run into a few who were burnt out or underperforming for some reason and their attitude wore off on my child. You're doing the right thing in dedicating yourself to your children during their formative years, but there are so many moms who do not have either the time nor inclination to help their children.

Then it really comes down to the curriculum. For so many years, parents and teachers have transmitted the idea that the only acceptable post high school experience is a 4-year college, when actually we need other skills too. So I would hire 10x more career counselors whose job it would be to identify where a child falls on the spectrum and design a plan for them. At some of our largest high schools there are 1-2 college guidance counselors for 500 kids. That is not even trying. We are failing our kids.

[Christine]

Claire, thanks for responding. That is some very expensive wishful thinking! I would love to see more mentors available. At Callanan, I have 9 mentors available to me in the program I run. We have more than 600 students at our school. Obviously this is a tiny portion of the Des Moines school district.

I think class size is a bit of a red herring. Clearly, class size needs to be manageable. However, allowing buildings to designate their own staff distributions (which is good), sometimes makes it looks like some schools have large classrooms, when in fact they've chosen to use their allocations in pullout programs to better serve their population. That said, it is extremely frustrating when staff is the first thing that gets cut in tough times.

Iowa ought to strengthen its university education majors and not let it be a fallback option for those who can't do anything else. You're right, unions need to let schools get rid of lousy teachers. And reward top-notch teachers.

Not only are there parents with neither the time nor the inclination to prepare their children for a positive, worthwhile school experience, there are many who have no idea what they're missing. I mean, I'm working with a second grader who doesn't know the difference between before and after. This is basic interaction with your children. I've suggested to school board members that they should offer parenting classes and workshops, not only on working with your child, preparing him/her for school, promoting good habits, but also navigating the opportunities available in the school system. (I actually suggested this to Narcisse in an email conversation, and instead of his usual multi-page rant reply, I got nothing!)

There are many many opportunities already available in DMPS. But there is no comprehensive way to find them. When Felipe Gallardo was running for school board, I was asking him about what he'd do to lower the dropout rate (his area of expertise); he told me that he asked the superintendent for a list of dropout prevention programs currently in the district. The superintendent's secretary said it would take her several days to put that information together. That is very unhelpful. Yet, the school board wants to add more dropout prevention programs when they don't even know what they have!

You have a lot of good ideas and any of them would be a great boost to student achievement. Sadly, I don't see it happening, with everyone panicking about the pending budget crisis.

Thanks for the thoughtful ideas and exchange.