Filed under: Press Releases
The Windsor Heights City Council will have a meeting on Monday, June 4th at 6:00 p.m.
Filed under: Press Releases
Beautifully landscaped yards and lovingly cared-for gardens take center stage on Sunday, June 24 from 1 – 4 p.m. during the 6th annual Windsor Heights Garden Tour. Sponsored by the Keep Windsor Heights Beautiful Committee, the tour features a wide variety of selected gardens and yards throughout the community.
Highlights from the tour include:
· A unique and creative yard featuring recycled and upcycled materials, including wine-bottle edging along the landscaping. The yard also includes a barn-style shed, a chicken coop, and other charming elements.
· A two-acre backyard wildlife habitat with nearly 100 varieties of native plants, trees, and shrubs.
· A peaceful, quiet setting amid suburban life in a garden enhanced by flowing water and a wide variety of plants, colors, and textures.
· A small space bursting with colors, including the newest colors in coneflowers and countryside flowers.
· A cottage garden surrounded by a whimsical fence and featuring yard art, unique flowers, and a peaceful space for reflection.
Maps and tickets for the Garden Tour are available at the Windsor Heights Hy-Vee and Bankers Trust. Advance ticket sales are $8, or tickets can be purchased at any of the gardens the day of the tour for $10.
After touring the gardens, visitors are invited to Lions Park in Windsor Heights for a community gathering, featuring refreshments to be enjoyed while listening to the music of old-time bluegrass band, “Meat’s Cookin’.” Visitors can also shop for yard accents from local vendors, and register for door prizes at the Lions Park celebration.
Filed under: Press Releases
The Most Beautiful Yard contest, sponsored by the Keep Windsor Heights Beautiful Committee, recognizes well-kept properties. All residential yards within the city limits are eligible. Nominations are being accepted now. Nominate yourself or a neighbor by mail or deliver the nomination form to Windsor Heights City Hall, 1133 66th St., Windsor Heights, IA 50324. Nominations can also be email to jheggen@windsorheights.org. The nomination must include your name, address and phone number plus that of the property owner. Include a short summary describing why the property deserves recognition. The first-prize winner will receive a stepping stone valued at $150. Two runners-up will each receive a $50 gift certificate from Wild Birds Unlimited. The deadline for entries is 5 PM, Friday, June 15.
Filed under: Press Releases
The City is now accepting nominations for “Citizen of the Year”. Guidelines and nomination forms may be picked up at City Hall or can be downloaded here. The Citizen of the Year award is a great opportunity for the city to recognize those who make our city great! Applications are due Friday, June 1. They can be dropped off at city hall or emailed to tlevine@windsorheights.org.
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We are excited to have the return of the Takin’ it to the Streets program in 2012. This award winning program started four years ago and involves the city holding a city council meeting in the various neighborhoods. Our first Takin’ it to the Streets meeting will be on June 18th on Hunter Circle. If the weather is poor, we will move inside back to City Hall. Following the meeting we will have cookies for everyone to share and get to know their neighbors a little better. As always, the meetings will start at 6:00 p.m. Please remember to bring your lawn chair.
Filed under: Press Releases
Congratulations to Mayor Jerry Sullivan, who was honored with the Greater Des Moines Partnership Affiliate award for 2012.
GDMP President Jay Byers, announced the award in May, 2012 during the annual Partnership trip to Washington, D.C. Byers also attended the May 21st Windsor Heights City Council meeting to express the Partnership’s gratitude to Mayor Sullivan for his ten years of support for regional priorities.
Mayor Sullivan thanked Byers for this honor. “I could not find anything more gratifying than being part of an effort that has accomplished so much for Windsor Heights and the greater Des Moines region. We attribute the designation of a Windsor Heights zip code to the work done on this trip for several years. We have also benefitted through funds received for roads and trails..’ Sullivan was honored for being involved in the D.C. trip and for being instrumental in the development of the Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce.
‘I had the pleasure of working with former mayor, Ned Miller and Council Member Diana Willits to meet with area business leaders and work together to establish a chamber. I am excited to see the business leadership’s success. I also love seeing “Windsor Heights” on the banners during various partnership events,’ said Mayor Sullivan.
Additional information on the affiliate award is available at: http://www.desmoinesmetro.com/partnership-newsroom/displayArticle.asp?idNewsroomArticle=1790&idNewsroomWebsiteSection=1.
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Throughout the summer and fall months, street sweeping will occur throughout Windsor Heights. Street sweeping this year is scheduled to happen the week of June 11th, August 27th and November 12th. During these weeks, please avoid parking on the street during the day as much as possible.
Filed under: Press Releases
Recycling, yard waste, and garbage will not be collected on Monday, May 28, in honor of Memorial Day. Regular collection will be delayed one day for the remainder of the week, with regular Friday collection delayed to Saturday.
Filed under: Press Releases
Need some fresh ideas for cooking at home? Check out the set of cooking classes at the Windsor Heights Community & Events Center. Chef Glenda Reiling will offer one class a month, starting in June and continuing through August.
The June 20 class will focus on fresh summer cooking ideas for a three course meal with salad, entree, and a healthy light dessert option. Time is 6 – 8 p.m. Students participate in a hands on cooking demonstration/ $45.00 a person/ $5.00 discount for pre-booking by May 31.
The July 17 class will show you how to grill and smoke like a pro. Chicken, steaks, fish, lots of side options and cast iron baked desserts on the grill. Time is 6 – 8 p.m. Students participate hands on cooking demonstration/ $45.00 a person/ $5.00 discount for Windsor Heights residents.
The August 14 class will be for kids, ages 8 and older. Instruction preparing easy items together, and learn about different foods that are healthy and taste good. Hands-on class for kids in groups with chefs, to help them prepare fun snacks and become helpers for Mom in the kitchen. Time is 10 a.m. – noon. $20.00 per child/ $5.00 discount per child for day care
groups of 6 or more.
The public may sign up for classes by going to Hello@GlendaReiling.com. All major credit cards are accepted. A minimum of 12 students will be needed for the “hands on class” to be offered. Pre-registration is required. For more information, please call 729-0084.
Glenda Reiling has been a professional chef for 26 years, working for several corporate dining facilities, throughout Des Moines, Kansas City, Omaha, and Minneapolis. Teaching culinary classes is her favorite part of being a chef. Glenda has taught classes for Farm Bureau, Principal, Des Moines Schools, and privately. She is a graduate of the Culinary Arts program at DMACC and continues education at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
Glenda’s business, Rent a Chief was started a year ago. As with her classes she enjoys helping people learn to cook, prepare for parties, and meet new clients. Cooking with fresh quality ingredients is the key to great food and memories. Check out Glenda’s website at GlendaReiling.com.
Filed under: Press Releases
Join Windsor Heights resident and international volunteer, Mark John Conley, as he shares photos and personal reflections of his work and travels throughout rural Cambodia. Affected by corporate downsizing in 2010, Mark has taken that opportunity to volunteer for a Cambodian nonprofit dedicated to helping the country’s most vulnerable citizens. In his 45-minute slide presentation, Mark will share accounts of his travels as well as living and working with Buddhist and Cham Muslim communities. He will also share thoughts on how Cambodia’s troubled past continues to shape its current social and political dynamics. This event will be held on Tuesday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Windsor Heights Community & Events Center in Colby Park. A sampling of Cambodian delicacies will be served. This event is free and open to the public.
Filed under: Press Releases
What: The public is invited to a series of 10 open houses this month to get newly completed bus schedules and ask staff questions about the significant service changes that take effect Sunday, June 10. In addition, DART has launched new web pages about all of the 2012 service changes, which can be accessed at www.ridedart.com/june-2012-service-changes.cfm.
Why: The open houses and web pages are designed to help customers transition into some very significant changes to the bus network. DART is implementing in 2012 the Year 1 recommendations of the recently approved DART Forward 2035 Services Plan, which is a plan for expanding service throughout Greater Des Moines. Changes include a 13 percent overall increase in service, some routes being rerouted, others having significant schedule changes, and, in a few cases, routes being partially or wholly discontinued.
Meetings: Each meeting will include a presentation on the finalized service changes taking effect in June, as well as group and individual question-and-answer sessions with DART staff members.
MONDAY, MAY 21
- Noon – 1:30 p.m., Des Moines Central Library, 1000 Grand Avenue, Des Moines
- 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Urbandale Public Library, 3520 86th Street, Urbandale
- 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Clive Public Library, 1900 NW 114th St., Clive
TUESDAY, MAY 22
- 3 p.m.– 4:30 p.m., Des Moines Central Library, 1000 Grand Avenue, Des Moines
- 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m., Des Moines South Side Library, 1111 Porter Avenue, Des Moines
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23
- 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Johnston City Hall, 6221 Merle Hay Road, Johnston
- 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., West Des Moines Library, 4000 Mills Civic Pkwy., West Des Moines
THURSDAY, MAY 24
- Noon – 1:30 p.m., Des Moines Central Library, 1000 Grand Avenue, Des Moines
- 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Ankeny City Hall, 410 W. First St., Ankeny
- 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Altoona City Hall, 407 8th St. SE, Altoona
Services: Language and transportation services are available at meetings upon request. For requests, please call DART Schedule Information at 515.283.8100.
Filed under: Press Releases
The Windsor Heights Special Events Committee has plants for sale to help raise money for 4th of July Fireworks. Plants include Hydrangeas, Pink Blueberries, white roses for $5 and other assorted plants for $3.00. A complete list is below. Checks and cash may be used for purchases, with checks made out to the City of Windsor Heights. Please email Tracy Levine or call her at tlevine@windsorheights.org or 645-6821 if you are interested in the plants.
Phlox, $3/container
‘Candy Store’
‘Grape Lollipop’
‘Coral Crème Drop’
NEW! Phlox Candy Store® Trio to attract butterflies and huming birds
We love the snap of bright color these beauties bring to the summer border. From the Netherlands, this hardy series was bred specifically for their compact habit, attractive leaf and flower coloration, and good disease resistance. Plant these delectable varieties throughout your borders.
Hydrangea, $5/ per shrub
‘Vanilla Strawberry’
Hydrangea paniculata Vanilla Strawberry™
Award winning Hydrangea produces large flower heads starting in midsummer. They begin creamy white but turn pink two weeks later and then become strawberry red or even burgundy, retaining that shade for about 3-4 weeks. New flower heads continue opening into late summer, so plants display all three color stages at any one time. Give this easy-care Hydrangea full sun to partial shade and average garden soil. It will grow 6-7 feet tall
Pink Blueberry bush, $5/per bush
‘Pink Lemonade’
The First Ever Pink Blueberry!
‘Pink Lemonade’ is creating quite a stir among backyard gardeners, eager for clusters of bright pink berries with a mild, sweet flavor and powerful antioxidants. This attractive shrub adds ornamental value year round to sunny gardens and foundation plantings. Light pink, bell-shaped blossoms appear in spring, followed by dappled pink fruit that turns deep pink in summer. The glossy green leaves turn from yellow to orange in fall, and in winter, the bare, reddish brown stems reveal their interesting framework.
Hummingbird Sampler: $3/container
Monarda, red
Columbine, white
Nepeta, blue
Aquilegia (Columbine), $3/container
goldenrod
white
cardinal
Roses, $5/container
Low climbing, white
Astilbes $10 for a box of 12 assorted
Few perennials combine the beauty and durability of Astilbes, which will glorify a shady spot and render carefree service for your lifetime and beyond. Our Astilbe collection, contains 4 varieties, 3 each of a white, two different pinks, and a red for a total of 12 bareroot plants. These hardy plants make a superb ground cover, bloom over a long period, and never need staking. They will cover about 27 square feet and are labeled only by color.
Filed under: Press Releases
Kids, ages 7 – 12 years old, are invited to sign up for a “Cultural Caravan Camp” presented by Cultureall, a local not for profit organization dedicated to connecting young people to multi cultural experiences through hands on learning. This four day camp will be held at the Windsor Heights Community & Events Center, 6900 School Street in Windsor Heights. The dates and times are July 9th through the 12th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm with kids attending daily.
During Camp, participants will get to travel around the world without leaving home. Trained cultural ambassadors will be the guides to show how people dance and live in India, how the drums from Africa talk to people, what a mid eastern bazaar in Iraq is like and much more. Campers will sing, dance, create visual arts and learn about ancient and modern traditions and customs from around the world.
Each camper is asked to bring a lunch each day and a snack for the afternoon. Campers can be dropped off at 8:45 am and picked up at 3:00 pm at the Windsor Heights Community & Events Center. All presenters will be professional Cultureall Ambassadors. Cultureall is a catalog of ambassadors who educate and advocate for and about world culture through interactive workshops and performances. These ambassadors work in schools, businesses, Universities, with festivals and cities.
The cost of the four day “Cultural Caravan Camp” is $100.00. Children of Windsor Heights residents receive a 15% discount, making it $85. The Camp is limited to 30 kids with a minimum of 12.
You may sign up by going to www.Cultureall.org, by calling Cultureall at 515/681-5185 or 515-273-8569 and by e-mailing Maureen@Cultureall.org or Vista@Cultureall.org.
Filed under: Press Releases
Windsor Heights residents can dispose of their household hazardous waste (HHW) just outside their door. The City of Windsor Heights has teamed with Metro Waste Authority for a new collection program for items such as lead and oil-based paints (not latex*), chemicals such as insecticides, poisons and solvents, lawn products, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), sharps and cleaners.
Windsor Heights residents can sign up on an as-needed basis at City Hall, where they must pick up 12-gallon bins, specific handling instructions and a list of accepted and not accepted items. The cost of collection is $25 for up to two bins.
Once you fill your bins, call Metro Waste at 515-333-4434 to schedule collection. Metro Waste collects on the second Friday of each month. The collected material is taken back to the Metro Waste Hazardous Drop-Off in Bondurant where it is recycled or safely disposed. Emptied bins are returned to City Hall for future “check-outs” by residents.
Filed under: Press Releases
The 2012 Windsor Heights Music in the Park schedule has been set. Sponsored by the Windsor Heights Foundation, the 10 concert series in Colby Park begins Tuesday, June 12. The Ralph Zarnow Orchestra, directed by Dan Hartzer, will open the series which will also feature a 20 piece German brass band on July 31.
All concerts are held, with one exception, on Tuesday nights, starting at 7 p.m. The schedule:
June 12, Ralph Zarnow Orchestra (big band sound)
June 19, Java Jews
June 26, Sacred Heart Sax and Brass
July 1 (SUNDAY), 3 p.m., Hot Club of Des Moines
July 10, Party Gras Classic Jazz Band
July 17, Urbandale Community Adult Band
July 24, Hold On
July 31, Brass Band from Altenmedingen, Germany
August 7, Greater Des Moines Community Band (includes Night Out Against Crime activities)
August 14, Free Style
Concerts are free and will include free beverages provided by Bankers Trust; free snow cones by the Windsor Heights Lions Club; free popcorn, Windsor Heights Foundation. There will be door prizes.
Note that because of July 4th activities, a Sunday afternoon concert is scheduled for July 1, 3 p.m.
The 20 piece brass band from Germany is on a tour which includes some Iowa stops, and will be a highlight of our concert series. A German supper, starting at 5 p.m., will precede the concert. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $6 at Music in the Park concerts; $8 at the door.
Dan Hartzer will provide a “reprise” of the Ralph Zarnow Orchestra big band sound, using music played by that renowned group.
Music in the Park is being underwritten by donors to the Windsor Heights Foundation annual fund, the Windsor Heights Lions Club, and grants from Prairie Meadows Community Betterment, Polk County Community Betterment, and BRAVO Greater Des Moines, with in-kind support from the City of Windsor Heights.
If ban weather is forecast, call 991-8682 for questions of cancellation.
Donations to the Windsor Heights Foundation will be gratefully received at any time.
