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September 21, 2006

From the Park and Recreation Director

I would just like to tell you how much we appreciate your feedback. If you have questions or issues concerning the park please, do not hesitate to email us. I hope you have enjoyed the development of the new landscape, it is an evolving process that one day will provide a much improved, on-site storm water management system. All of those new deep-rooted plants are filtering the water naturally before it enters your lake. Hope you get a chance to take in a free Saturday night movie one of the next two weekends. Don Tripp dmtripp@dmgov.org

Upcoming Special Events

Fall is a busy time for special activities at Gray's Lake Park, including fundraising walks and the Des Moines Marathon. If you're an avid walker you might want to participate in these events, or just be aware that additional people will be on the trail and in the park during the following dates and times: September 23 - ALS Association Walk, around 750 people, 7 a.m. September 30 - Girl Scouts Walk-a-Thon, around 200 people, 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. October 1 - Walk of Inspiration, around 300 people, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. October 7 - Brain Injury Association of Iowa Walk, around 500 people, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. October 15 - Des Moines Marathon will use the trail as a part of its route, around 3,000 people, 9:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Bird Watching

Come for a slow and quiet stroll around the perimeter of Gray's Lake to spot our diversity of birds. On Sunday, October 1st at 5:00 p.m., meet Ellen Pirro, a frequent birder at Gray’s Lake Park, at the northwest boat ramp for a walk around the two-mile course. We will be checking out our permanent residents as well as migratory visitors as they feed at dusk and will talk about the habitat, food, and visitors at different times of year. The walk could take up to an hour and a half, but come for as much or as little as you want. In case of rain or high winds, we will postpone the stroll until the weather is better. Please wear appropriate clothing and bring binoculars if you have them.

August 25, 2006

Free Movies After Sunset

How often do you get the chance to be surrounded by water while you watch a family movie? Join us each Saturday evening in September for free movies on the peninsula. Movies begin at sunset (around 7:45 p.m.) and are not cancelled if there's a threat of rain but only if it starts to rain during the event. Parking is limited at the beach. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and your appetite so that you can enjoy some of the great things available to purchase: pop, popcorn, candy, a hamburger or hotdog, chicken on a stick, Italian sausage sandwich, Tropical Snow, Nachos or a Walking Taco . . . and enjoy! Of course you can also bring your own beverage and food. Sept. 2nd - Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone Sept. 9th - Shark Tale Sept. 16th - March of the Penguins with "Birds of Iowa Program" starting at 7:30 p.m Sept. 23rd - Scooby Doo Sept. 30th - Nanny McPhee

Meredith Trail Closing along George Washington Carver Bridge

The City of Des Moines Engineering Department has scheduled routine inspection, maintenance and repair of the "hangers" on the George Washington Carver Bridge, located on West Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway, just east of Fleur Drive. The project has been underway on the north arch of the bridge this week and work on the south arch will take place next week. The Meredith Trail passes along the south side of the bridge, preventing work from being accomplished from the street and necessitating that the equipment be located on the trail. The segment of the Meredith Trail passing over the bridge will therefore be closed during the time that work is in progress, Monday through Thursday, August 28-31, from 7 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Only vehicular driving lanes will be available and the City strongly discourages use of these lanes by recreational trail users due to the inherent danger. Meredith Trail will reopen daily from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. the following morning while work is in progress. Note that if work progresses ahead of schedule the Meredith Trail may open sooner than Thursday evening and likewise, may extend into Friday in the event of circumstances such as equipment breakdown.

August 17, 2006

From the Park and Recreation Director

Park staff is going to be working on ideas for an improved design of the north side of Gray's Lake around the beach and peninsula. Issues such as parking, swimming access, use of the peninsula, future of the silos will all be considered. We will be working with Gray's Lake/ Meredith Trail Donors and will of course solicit public input. Your thoughts or comments on these or other issues are always welcome and appreciated. Don Tripp dmtripp@dmgov.org

Order Your Gray's Lake Bridge Plaque

Des Moines Parks and Recreation will once again be installing plaques recognizing recent donations to Gray's Lake Park on the railings of the bridge. The plaques are generally installed two times per year due to the criteria of the plaque manufacturer - that there be a minimum quantity of plaques and an average outdoor temperature that is warm enough to allow the plaques to be securely affixed to the bridge rails. Plaque recognition is available year-round with a minimum $100 tax deductible donation to Gray's Lake. Donations are used for future Gray's Lake improvements. Each plaque can contain up to two lines of copy, with a maximum of 17 characters and spaces per line. Grab a brochure from the bridge or visit the Parks website, www.dmparks.org, to obtain a copy of the order form. Donations for plaque installation this fall must be received by October 2nd. The next installation will be just prior to Memorial Day, 2007.

Model Yachts Regatta this Saturday

Rest in the shade on the water's edge while watching radio-controlled model yachts sail through an obstacle course on the lake. The Iowa Model Yacht Racing Club is hosting their annual race this Saturday and Sunday from approximately 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.. View the craftsmanship of the model boats that use all of the same lines and fittings to control sail shape as full-size sailboats. These smaller versions of big yachts deal with many of the same sailing logistics but the races move more quickly, about 20 minutes in length, than a regular yacht regatta that covers several miles during a race. Not to worry if you miss this quiet and relaxing event this weekend; club members practice with their boats at Gray's Lake every other Saturday morning. Contact John Davis at JohnADavis@mchsi.com for a club brochure or practice schedule.

August 10, 2006

Walk the Meredith Trail

A 2005 trail addition connecting to Gray's Lake Park is the Meredith Trial, which connects the Gray's Lake Kruidenier Trail to downtown Des Moines via a segment along Fleur Drive and a segment along Thomas Beck Road. This trail has many features including lights, emergency phones, an overlook close to SW 9th St with benches and a people/pet water fountain, great views of the Raccoon River as well as two pedestrian bridges over the Raccoon River. A walk from the Gray's Lake southeast parking lot to the first bridge, at Jackson Street, and back is about the same distance as a loop around the lake, which is 1.9 miles. And, likewise a walk from the northwest parking lot along Fleur and the Raccoon River to the intersection of ML King Parkway and 14th Street and back...so get a change of scenery and see what the Meredith Trail has to offer!

New Turning Lane to Alleviate Gridlock at North Entrance

To help alleviate frequent congestion of vehicles exiting Gray's Lake Park at the north entrance, construction to add a dedicated right turning lane onto Fleur Drive will begin soon. The addition of teh 150-foot approach and turn lane will accommodate up to four northbound cars, allowing a quicker exit for motorists heading north, by turning right on a red light after stopping. Not only will this allow more traffic to proceed north, more cars headed south can get through when the light changes. At no time will the entrance be closed, but the traffic will be reduced to one lane for short periods of time. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

July 5th, 2006

From the Park and Recreation Director

Horticulture staff at Gray's Lake are working very hard to get prairie areas established throughout the park. Not only will this be very visually appealing one day, but it isalso smart to use it as landscape around the lake to catch and clean water that drains to it. We need your help!The establishment of prairie calls for lots of hand-pulling of weeds. We'd like to start a volunteer crew that, with training , could help us with this effort. If you can help please write me an e-mail. Also, we have a new on-site manager's phone that you can call if you notice something that needs attention at the park. . . the phone number is 208-0254. We always appreciate the extra eyes and ears at Gray's Lake Park and on the Meredith Trail. Don Tripp dmtripp@dmgov.org

Renovated Restrooms

The Parks Department is always looking for ways to improve customer service in our parks and nothing can be more important than the level of care given to our restrooms. In the past several months, improvements have been made to the restrooms at the Terrace and will be made to the those at the northwest and beach areas in the next few months, not only enhancing the aesthetics of the spaces but also making the facilities easier to clean. Restroom maintenance consists of staff checks every two hours and a deep-cleaning every night. Please call staff if you see anything that needs attention.

New Plantings at the Terrace

Over 1000 native trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers have been added to ornamental areas at the Terrace this spring. Using plants native to Iowa provides a new palette of plants and color to showcase in our ornamental beds and also leads to fewer disease problems, a need for watering only in times of drought, and no fertilizing.These plants also provide more food and habitat for a diverse population of insects, birds and other wildlife. To view the landscape plan, with names and pictures of the plants at the Terrace, visit our website www.dmparks.org.

June 6th, 2006

From the Park and Recreation Director

Grays Lake has been very popular as a peaceful open space with areas of recreation. But, initially, most of the use was on the trails. We are seeing a big increase in people using the lake through rental of our boats. But, did you know you can bring your boat to the lake too? No power boats of course, but your sailboats, canoes, kayaks and electric motor fishing boats are welcome. Enjoy your lake! Don Tripp dmtripp@dmgov.org

Rowing Club Docking Up

A new dock will soon be installed in the southwestern part of Gray's Lake. Sitting 6 inches off of the water surface, the dock has been uniquely designed for the Des Moines Rowing Club. Park visitors will soon enjoy seeing rowers in one-two-four-and eight-person boats practicing their technique on the lake weekday evenings or Saturday mornings starting June 19th. For more information, visit www.desmoinesrowing.org.

Set Sail

A series of five, 3-lesson sailing sessions are being offered on Monday and Wednesday evenings starting in June, with the final session offered in August. Persons 14 years of age and older can sign up; life jackets and sailboats are provided at $25/person/session; no experience is necessary. Call 237-1386 or go to www.dmparks.orgfor more information or a registration form.

May 5th, 2006

Urban Prairie: Back to our Roots

Gray's Lake visitors have no doubt noticed many dead-turf areas around the park. Last fall those areas were sprayed and burned to prepare the way for spring planting of native grasses and wildflowers. Seeding of these new prairie and savanna areas was completed in early May and you'll see seedlings emerging. Gray's Lake Park is already host to a great diversity of deep-rooted native plants that create a unique habitat for wildlife, help slow down and filter storm water, and decrease maintenance. Since most of a prairie's infancy is spent below ground, developing a strong root system, occasional mowing of the prairie areas for the next two summers will be necessary to keep weeds from competing with the natives. Please be patient;soon park visitors will be able to enjoy year-round native beauty that is part of Iowa's natural heritage.

Paddle or Peddle Your Way Across the Lake

View the park from the middle of the lake by paddling around in one of our new catamaran kayaks. The one and two-person boats are great for beginners or intermediate-skilled kayakers, due to the unique catamaran-style hull and superior stability. Two and four-person peddle boats, canoes, and sailboats are also available, all at the rate of $4 per half hour . . . life jackets are included and required. All people 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older when using the rental watercraft. Rent a boat, grab some ice cream treats or quench your thirst at the Gray's Lake Overlook Terrace Concession, which is currently open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.- weather permitting.

Gray's Lake e-news is sent out occasionally to provide park patrons quick updates regarding grounds, programs, development, etc. of the park and Meredith Trail. Email GraysLake@dmgov.org to be added to the recipient list. To review past e-news items, visit our website at www.dmparks.org.

We appreciate your feedback about Gray's Lake and any other Des Moines park or Parks Department facility.

Des Moines Park and Recreation Department 3226 University Avenue Des Moines, IA 50311 Phone: 515-237-1386 www.dmparks.org