After four months of separate committee meetings, Des Moines community leaders gathered together again Dec. 3 to hone collectively perspectives for the city’s future.

This was the second Leadership Summit meeting held in response to Mayor Bob Sheckler’s request for economic coordination to make Des Moines a better place.

The first meeting last August was attended by more than 50 community residents and business owners who brainstormed about driving the local economy forward by coordinating their efforts.

Eight committees were organized and since then have been meeting to discuss ideas related to their particular area of focus.

Following the Dec. 3 meeting, Sheckler said, “ I have to admit that when we talked about it afterwards, many of us were surprised by the results that came out of that.

“What we thought might be a high priority didn’t turn out to be as high as we thought with some other issues that were higher.”

The top priority of participants was a focus on the city’s permitting process.

Some said city staff should be held more accountable to residents and developers throughout the process.

A suggestion was also made to revisit some of the permitting codes for possible revisions.

Public safety -- listed as the number one priority during the first meeting -- remained high on the list as the participant’s second priority.

Many hope to see more funding for the police department, since the property tax levy lid lift aimed at restoring police officers to 1999 levels was shot down by voters last month.

The public safety committee, moreover, will look into special projects, such as a crime-free rental-housing program.

They will also try to coordinate an Emergency Management Plan with other jurisdictions.

Another priority was connecting downtown Des Moines with the Marina.

“There has always been a north/south connection, noted one participant.

However, it was observed that an east/west connection is needed. Equally important, residents said, is the need for additional sidewalks to make the city more pedestrian-friendly.

A suggestion was also made to hang sailboat lights from Highway 99 to South 216th Street to create an illuminated driving route into downtown Des Moines.

The next priority was the creation of a city web page in an attempt to bring community organizations together.

“The biggest challenge with this is finding a webmaster to coordinate and find time to manage it,” said participant Kevin Hall, curator for the Des Moines Historical Museum.

Many agreed that despite challenges, a web page is the best way for individuals and organizations to communicate within the city -- and the least expensive.

Also discussed by participants at the first meeting was the importance of the beautification of the city to draw people to the city.

The youth and senior committee suggested that the city provide more intergenerational opportunities.

These could include home-economics type projects, such as knitting or auto repair that seniors could facilitate. In return, youth could teach seniors how to operate a computer, for example.

More publicity for youth and senior events and activities was also suggested.

“People don’t know what groups are involved in the city,” said Hall.

Some noted that the Des Moines Activity Center needs more publicity for volunteer opportunities, while others said that youth groups, such as the Boy Scout, should be made better known.

“[The Boy Scouts] cleared out Hillgrove Cemetery -- a place that was designated as a local historical site -- by clearing out weeds and mending a fence that was falling down,” pointed out Hall, who said that many community residents are unaware of things like this.

As before, community leaders will take these newly crafted priorities specific to their committees and meet independently to come up with possible strategies to meet goals and expectations.

Then they will then come together at the next Summit meeting, which will be determined by Sheckler in the near future.

“This is one of the most exciting events that I’ve participated in a long, long time, and some wonderful ideas have come forward out of it,” Sheckler added.

Carrie Wood can be reached at newsdesk@robinsonnews.com or by calling 206-444-4873.