Philip Burrell (on the left) and Matthew Untrauer (on the Right) have joined the Polk City Police Department. They replace Jeremy Christensen, who resigned in March and Adam VanderLeest who resigned in April. With the hiring of Untrauer and Burrell this brings the department back to a six-man force.

The Four Seasons Festival is organized and sponsored by the City of Polk City, the Polk City Chamber of Commerce and the Polk City Development Corporation. For more details visit the Chamber website at www.polkcitychamber.com.

The big parade will be Saturday July 25th at 10:00 am and the kiddie parade is Friday July 24th at 6:00 pm. You can download the big parade entry form or the  kiddie parade entry form here.

An open house was held at on June 7th to celebrate the completion of the restoration of historic City Hall. A ribbon cutting ceremony was  conducted by the Polk City Chamber of Commerce. Press Release.

The Society has also announced the 2009 schedule for the Museum.

The museum was closed during 2008 for restoration. With the restoration project being completed the museum will be open on the second Sunday of each month from 1-3 PM beginning on June 14. The museum contains Big Creek area history and artifacts. Programs will be announced that will be held in the museum during the 2009 season.

“Community Connections” is the name of a new group formed to organize, promote, and support volunteerism and community involvement in Polk City. The group is headed by Sandra Meeks and Barbara Pothast. Since February of 2009 they have held informal meetings with leaders in the community.

After obtaining information, ideas, and opinions from community leaders, we believe that there is support for an expansion of volunteerism and community involvement in Polk City to help support the needs of its citizens and connect individuals and groups.

Background information and a survey form are available. You may fill out the survey and attach it to an email to Barb Pothast at arbaraahri@gmail.com

Polk City Police Officer Dustin Bjornson is shown explaining how to disassemble and reassemble guns. Other things discussed were gun ergonomics, safety, transportation, local laws and hunting areas. The program was held on May 4th and everyone in attendance received a free gun lock.

The US Census Bureau is currently conducting field operations throughout the nation. You may see a census worker in your neighborhood carrying a GPS device. They are verifying addresses ahead of the 2010 census. The Census Bureau also has a press release.

The council has discussed removing the two open burning periods.

The City now provides alternatives to burning with the recycling center taking both brush and leaves year round. The Council will have on the agenda, open burning of landscape waste twice a year on August 24, 2009 to allow time to inform the public. Any citizen who is for or against open burning is encouraged to contact City Hall.

Starting July 1 carts will eliminate the need to sort recyclable items and carry the bin to the curb. All recyclable items, including cardboard can be put into a cart. The carts can be wheeled out to the curb.

You may contact Metro Waste Authority at 515-323-6514 or www.recycleandroll.com/

Polk City’s collection day for Curb-It will stay on Friday, but collections will be every other Friday. With the old bins collections were made every week. The first collection with the new carts will be July 10th. The last collection using the old bins was June 26th

Residents have had their carts for a while, from now on put out your cart instead of the bin. For a list of materials that can be recycled, check out the sticker on the lid of your cart or go to http://www.mwatoday.com/residential/curb_it.aspx. 

For missed picks up, cart exchanges and replacements, or any other cart issue, call Waste Management at 24-GREEN (244-7336). Cart placement is important.  Be sure to keep three feet between your recycling cart and your garbage cart, yard bags, mail box or any other permanent structures.  The arm on the automated collection truck needs this space to pick up your new Curb It! recycling cart.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Metro Waste Authority at 244-0021. Metro Waste Authority (MWA) is an award-winning regional government agency that coordinates recycling programs for its member communities and is a leader in many environmental issues in Central Iowa.

The Polk City Home Improvement Program “PCHIP” was created to help home owners make repairs to their homes. This is a city-funded program. Your home must be located within the city limits and you must own your home. There are property value and income limits. Contact City Hall 984-6233 with any questions. You may want to view the flyer or download the application.