News from Downtown
Read all about it.
The Downtown Community Alliance/Downtown Events Group is seeking a full-time Program Manager to help produce Downtown Des Moines Events.
Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree in related field and a minimum 3 years experience in festival and event planning industry or equivalent.
Job Duties include, but are not limited to:
· Develop and execute the programmatic elements of all DCA/DEG owned and contracted events-entertainment, volunteers, activities and programs, and special events.
· Coordinates Volunteers for all DCA/DEG events and serves as liaison to Corporate Recruiters in recruitment and placement of all volunteers.
· Schedules, prepares and manages volunteer Leadership Team meetings.
· Assembles and manages distribution of exhibitor and vendor applications, confirmation packets and supporting materials.
· Manages select special events within the DCA/DEG cadre of events including Interrobang Film Festival, Non-Profit Program, Nurturing a Student’s Vision, and others as assigned.
Qualified applicants should forward their resume via email to Executive Director Stephen King at sking@downtowndesmoines.com.
| Center Street Bridge Grand Opening |
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The Principal Financial Group® Invite you to celebrate the grand opening of 7:45 p.m. Ribbon Cutting and "First Crossing" Food vendors available 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. |
Be one of the First to Cross the
Eight individuals will get the chance to be the first to cross the bridge.
Those historic eight will be selected from the eight "crossing" categories
which include: running, biking, pushing a stroller, walking a dog and more.
Sign up for your chance now!
Take a Glimpse into the Future of the Skywalk System
The City of Des Moines, Operation Downtown and the Skywalk Association are currently reviewing possible improvements to the downtown Skywalk System. Signage and way-finding concepts have been developed and will be displayed in a full scale mockup on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Kaleidoscope Mall, 555 Walnut St., Des Moines (near the escalators to the food court ) for public viewing and feedback.
The proposed signage improvements and new informational kiosks have been designed based on the feedback received from more than 3,000 responses to last month’s online skywalk survey. The results of this survey can be found here.
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY ALLIANCE NAMES NEW PRESIDENT
Glenn Lyons TO LEAD DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT
Downtown Community Alliance Co-Chairs Mary O’Keefe and John
Ruan III join Greater Des Moines Partnership CEO Martha Willits in announcing that Glenn Lyons has accepted the position of President of the Downtown Community Alliance. Lyons is currently Executive Director of the Downtown Development Corporation for Tucson, AZ. He was selected from a large and talented field by a search committee of the Downtown Community Alliance Board of Directors. He will begin leading downtown development in Des Moines on May 17, 2010.“Glenn has thirty years of experience in downtown work,” said Mary O’Keefe of The Principal Financial Group. “That experience covers the gamut from a downtown association, public and private sectors as well as academia. His qualifications far surpass what the search committee defined as an acceptable candidate. He is exactly the candidate we hoped to find.”
While working in Tucson, Glenn Lyons was credited with developing the community’s first private-sector initiated downtown revitalization plan, including pedestrian street improvements and historic preservation projects. Prior to that he was a principal with Lyons, Venini and Associates, Ltd.; an urban, corporate and strategic planning consulting firm; and a partner with Newell Group, a property tax consulting firm that worked with groups in Calgary, Edmonton, Regina and Winnipeg, Canada. During the late 1970’s through the mid 1990’s, Lyons worked with the City of Calgary in the Planning and Building Department and later as the Executive Director of Calgary’s Downtown Association.
Lyons was credited with the success of Calgary’s revitalization strategy and crime prevention plans. During this period, he also served as an Adjunct Professor of Planning for the University of Calgary and a seasonal instructor on entrepreneurship with Mount Royal College. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Lyons received his Bachelors of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Windsor, his Masters of Environmental Design and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Calgary.
“I am very excited about the prospect of moving to Des Moines and continuing the good work of the Downtown Community Alliance,” said Lyons. “Downtown Des Moines is an amazing asset and I am committed to doing my part to make it the best Downtown in America.”
The Downtown Community Alliance is a non-profit organization in association with the Greater Des Moines Partnership, with a mission to achieve a shared vision for the future of downtown Des Moines through leadership, advocacy and partnership. Programs include business, residential and economic development, event management, marketing and promotion and Operation Downtown, an initiative to keep downtown clean, safe and beautiful.
Media inquiries should be directed to Amy Baker, (515) 286-4919 or abaker@downtowndesmoines.com
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Des Moines Arts Festival® Volunteer Opportunities
Downtown Farmers’ Market Announces Opening Day
DOWNTOWN DES MOINES – The Downtown Community Alliance is pleased to announce opening day for the 2010 Downtown Farmers’ Market season will be on Saturday, May 1, 2010. The Market spans nine city blocks and is held in the Historic Court District in Downtown Des Moines, every Saturday, from May 1 – Oct. 30, 2010. Hours are 7 a.m. – noon.
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About the Downtown Farmers’ Market
The Downtown Farmers’ Market is produced by the Downtown Community Alliance. The regular market season runs every Saturday, May – October from 7 a.m. – noon in the Historic Court Avenue District and also produces a Winter Season Market in November and December. The Downtown Community Alliance, in association with Greater Des Moines Partnership, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to achieve a shared vision for the future of Downtown Des Moines through leadership, advocacy and partnership. Programs include business and residential and economic development, event management, marketing and promotion, and Operation Downtown, an initiative to keep downtown clean, safe and beautiful. For more information, call Amy Baker at 515-286-4919 or visit www.desmoinesfarmersmarket.com.
Walnut Street Receives Major Improvements
DOWNTOWN DES MOINES – You may notice Walnut Street looks a little differently – that’s because some very visible improvements have been taking place over the past two weeks. Operation Downtown is in the process of painting all maroon crosswalk poles, light poles, utility stations/newspaper corrals, and bus shelters from a very dated maroon paint to a modern black satin. In addition to the new paint, benches as well as the bus shelters will be sanded and refinished.
“Operation Downtown is proud to be leading this effort. The new paint and refinished benches and bus shelters have made a tremendous beautification impact to the Walnut Street corridor,” says Kent Mauck, Operation Downtown Board President.
Work began on the corridor during the first part of September and is scheduled to be completed in the next two weeks. This beautification effort is a joint project of Operation Downtown and Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority.
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About Operation Downtown
Operation Downtown, also known as Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID), is responsible for safe, clean and beautiful services in downtown Des Moines. Managed by the Downtown Community Alliance, Operation Downtown is funded by a one dollar per thousand dollars of assessed value tax on property within the boundary. For more information about Operation Downtown visit www.operationdowntown.com.
