Our Growing City - By Mayor Fred Scaletta
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In the past two years, the City of Van Meter has seen significant growth and development. Van Meter is a community of approximately 1, 000 residents -- conveniently located just 10 minutes west of Des Moines one mile south of I-80 at exit 113. A large amount of our growth has been due to the annexation of land to the south of the previous city limits. This annexation included existing homes as well as a new subdivision - Crestview Estates - located just south of Highway 90. Crestview consists of 162 residential lots being developed by Beaverbrooke Development Company (Gene Gabus). There are already several homes built and construction of new homes continues. Because of its excellent location, Van Meter provides small town living with access to "big city" amenities. We are a community that prides itself on its quality of life and services provided by local foundations, volunteers and boards. One of the most recent, exciting projects is the Van Meter Recreational Complex. The complex provides a host of resources that currently are not available to our young athletes and families in the Van Meter community. The new complex located on approximately 32 acres bordering the Raccoon River provides youth and adult sport fields for soccer, baseball, softball and football. This is a partnership between the Van Meter Community School and the City of Van Meter. The Van Meter Recreation Foundation, whose membership includes many community leaders, has taken the lead on initiating this worthwhile project. The Van Meter Park and Recreation Board has been working to improve existing parks. Most of their efforts have been concentrated on Johnson Park (located at the end of Division Avenue). The board initiated the construction of a new shelter house, the installation of electricity and water, and beautiful landscaping. The park has playground equipment and a short walking trail with benches that surrounds a small pond. It is a picturesque area that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. In addition to the work involved with the parks, the board also sponsors the Easter Egg Hunt, the city wide garage and plant sale, movie nights in the park - and this year they added Halloween Fun in the park; a Christmas Lighting contest; and a Chili Cook-off Contest. They also sponsor a "golf night" as well as an outing to a Iowa Cubs game. Van Meter is fortunate to have a well trained volunteer Fire and Rescue Department that provides protection/service to citizens within and outside of city limits. They are responsible for sponsoring several community events held throughout the year - including Kid's Day, a street dance, a pancake breakfast and Santa Day. What is a city without a library? The VM Public Library, though small, has a large selection of current titles, as well as audio books, large print books, periodicals, childrens books and movies/dvds. The library staff also has fun activites for the kids as well as a computer for patron use. The library is located next to City Hall and another lovely city park. If you are considering a move to the "suburbs" that offers a short commute to Des Moines and provides your family with a safe and welcoming environment - consider Van Meter. You will enjoy the small town atmosphere while providing your children an execellent educational opportunity. The Van Meter Community School District is committed to developing positive, productive and responsible citizens who are independent thinkers, value themselves and others, and have the knowledge, skills, and desire to be life-long learners. Enjoy your visit to Van Meter, a growing city with a lot to offer. As we continue to grow, we strive to make necessary improvements to our city. Recent projects include - a
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| In the last two years the Van Meter City Boundaries has changed significantly with annexation of southerly land into city limits. |
$1.3 million water/sewer main project and $110,000 in improvements to the lift station. Two major capitol improvement projects were just completed. A grant was received from the Iowa Department of Transportation for 80% of the cost to replace the "school bridge" on Wilson Street - the new structure provides for pedestrian walkways on each side of the bridge - and will accomodate two-way traffic. It is quite an improvement, and the project is scheduled to be completed spring/summer of 2008 after the sidewalk on the west side is completed. The city also partnered with Dallas County to replace the Raccoon River Bridge. The city received a $1 million dollar grant to use toward this improvement, and the structure was completed sometime in November. The county also resurfaced north on R16 to the interstate intersection. If you like what you've read so far and want to be informed of what's happening within our City - then visit the different sections of the website. We have more information on the various boards and departments. Didn't have time to attend the last council meeting? Find the minutes on the website. Want the most current information? Read the newsletter online. We have many helpful links to get you more information. Check back often as we try to have more new and exciting information posted regularly. As always, if you have questions or want to talk to a person, call City Hall at (515)996-2644 or email us at vanmeter@ecity.net Thanks for visiting and come back soon!
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