City Infrastructure & Services

Environment (79 Responses)

• Healthy, clean, friendly, safe, “cutting-edge,” attractive place to work and live
• Well-maintained homes, buildings, landscape and streets
• Attractive entrance to West Des Moines (EP True Parkway), beautiful city hall
• Community support for public improvements
• Tight knit, caring, small town atmosphere with community pride
• Strong neighborhoods
• Great place to raise children and retire

City Services (52 Responses)

• High quality city services: fire, rescue, police protection, emergency medical services, public works, water works, human services, animal control and trash removal
• Citizen Police Academy
• Police and fire facilities and staff
• Recycling program
• Good water and sewer infrastructure
• Strong central organization of services provided by Human Services
• Clive’s one-contractor trash collection system
• Great job done by cities and schools
• Fire department assistance on child safety

Parks and Recreation (41 Responses)

• Good planning for and maintenance of parks, trails and swimming pools
• Great system of trails for walking, jogging and biking
• Nice neighborhood parks, playgrounds and green spaces in good locations
• Cut offs on walkways
• Raccoon River Park

Transportation (39 Responses)

• Easy to get around: good roads, signage and short commute
• Good snow removal, accessibility, street repairs and new bridges
• Good West Des Moines transportation services

Collaboration (33 Responses)

• History of strong collaboration, sharing of resources and partnerships
• Strong willingness and open-mindedness to collaborate in meeting community needs
• Proactive, coordinated and positive efforts in many areas among local communities and school districts for community betterment and cost efficiency
• Strong collaborations among service providers, agencies, cities, schools, businesses and churches
• Partnerships between school, business and city
• Sharing of services among the suburbs
• Resource sharing between city and school district
• Strong Community Education Advisory Council with history of involvement

Growth (24 Responses)

• Large but manageable population, several communities within bigger community, large city nearby
• Creative energy of fast economic and population growth
• Unlimited potential for growth in whole area, not landlocked
• Commitment to growth, good planning for resources, economic development and future growth
• Proactive and progressive while maintaining small town feel

Planning (22 Responses)

• Long-range planning by city and schools resulting in solid infrastructure, stability, forward movement
• Easy navigation, convenient (everything is close), new buildings, good roads, open areas and parks for recreation
• Efforts to provide better access and sidewalks
• Use of technology that is not always available in other areas
• Strong community commitment to maintaining health of community, investing in future, staying current with needs
• Community wellbeing is put before individual needs

Employees (8 Responses)

• Quality service providers who manage city well and focus on greater good
• Economic development and growth
• Friendly, professional fire and police
• Law enforcement people who care about people, especially youth
• Professional and compassionate ambulance service
• Wonderful, unique human services

Housing (4 Responses)

Availability of quality and diverse housing, wide selection of different living areas