The city of Johnston is a northern suburb of Des Moines experiencing enormous growth, doubling in size the past decade.
Johnston History
The Johnston area got its start in 1846, when Ezekiel Hunt "came west” with his family and established a sawmill near NW 58th Street and NW Beaver Drive. Over the years, the area had names such as Beaver Creek Settlement, Ridgedale, and Huntsville.
In 1906, Johnston Station was established as a stop on the interurban railway between Des Moines and Perry. The city was later named for the railway's freight supervisor, John F. Johnston.
Modern Development
Incorporation did not come until the fall of 1969 when area residents worked together to incorporate the City of Johnston. Because state law prevented the formation of a town within three miles of another city from incorporating, the original city boundaries did not include the Johnston Station area. In April 1970, Johnston and Urbandale reached an agreement that allowed Johnston to annex the Johnston Station area.
Johnston's Merle Hay Road Gateway Area is on its way to becoming unlike any other area in the Des Moines metro. The Johnston City Council has voted to approve a redevelopment plan that will set the stage for a dramatic transformation to the front door of the City.
Kayak to your favorite restaurant. Pop in to a new hotel with an ecological theme. Make your home in a luxury rental property with access to natural amenities and trails. Spend time at a destination community park with unique elements that could include a skate park, BMX track, dog park and trailhead. These are all part of the vision for the Merle Hay Road Gateway Area.
The Gateway Area is 123 acres total and is defined as generally south of NW 55th Avenue along both sides of Merle Hay Road to Interstate 35/80. As one of only two gateways into the City from Interstate 35/80, this area is a recognizable and critical area of the City.
The master plan sees an opportunity to expand recreation and tourism with the addition of more canoe/kayak launches along Beaver Creek to provide more opportunities to get on the water.
A planned outdoor recreation retailer could even use portions of the creek to test equipment and provide training and educational opportunities for those interested in water sports on the creek or nearby Saylorville Lake.
It will be a development that is truly a destination, either as a specialized retail destination, new hotel and conference center or a corporate office headquarters that would serve as a catalyst for transformation.
Social Media Policy:
Definition and Purpose
The City of Johnston recognizes the impact and opportunities of new and evolving technologies for communicating with the community, as well as in its operations. In an effort to reach the many audiences who seek city information, various communications tools will be used, including social technologies and other web-based tools.
Social technologies are defined as any web application, Web site or account created and maintained by the City of Johnston for staff to share opinions and information about City operations and events. Examples of social technologies include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Four Square, Pinterest and YouTube.
These communication tools will be used in a manner similar to the e-mail system currently used to share information regarding City operations – to publicize events, promote new City services, and provide important notices. On occasion, these tools may also be used to collect public comment and information.
This policy refers to social media accounts established for the City of Johnston and does not apply to personal social media accounts. In addition, this policy does not govern personal use of social media Web sites during work hours as this behavior is addressed in the city’s Electronic Communications Technology Policy.
Facebook Message:
Important: The City of Johnston Government Facebook Fan Page is intended to be used for informational purposes only. If you wish to contact City Council or to request City services, please visit the City's official website: www.cityofjohnston.com.
This site is maintained and moderated by the City's Communications Specialist to ensure that posted comments are constructive and suitable for all readers while respecting a range of opinions and points of view. Moderation will take place during city hall's normal business hours. We will reply to comments in a timely manner, when a response is appropriate. Posted comments must comply with the following regulations:
Personal Conduct
• Comments must be civil and may not contain slanderous, libelous, malicious, offensive, threatening, profane, or insulting language.
• References to the personality of individuals or personal attacks will not be permitted.
• Comments must be within the scope of the topic under discussion. Repetitive or duplicate posts will be removed to maintain equity and ease of use for others.
• Comments containing links to other web sites or pages must be relevant to the topic.
• Comments cannot represent a person other than the one posting the comment.
• Participants are responsible for what they post. Comments must not breach any law, confidentiality, or copyright. Give credit to appropriate persons when required.
• Always think before posting; if it causes you to pause or question if it is appropriate, it most likely should not be posted.
Topic Guidelines
• As a community information resource, the City of Johnston's Facebook page is politically neutral and therefore does not allow petitions, endorsements, advocacy or other political messages to be published in this space.
• Advertising or promotional announcements are not permitted.
• Non-profit organizations that exist to directly support City facilities, functions, operations and personnel are permitted to use this space for fundraising, public awareness and community outreach.
• Comments cannot include personally identifiable information, such as an address, phone number, social security number or other sensitive information.
• The Communications Specialist will limit the number of posts, photo albums and status updates each day. The purpose is not to overload our users with too much information. In the event of a severe weather event, crisis or emergency, the Communications Specialist may post as many updates as warranted.
Anyone posting comments contrary to this Terms of Use policy may be prohibited from future participation. The City of Johnston reserves the right to update these Terms of Use.
Photo Policy
The City of Johnston does NOT permit the reproduction or redistribution of photos (in partial or whole) from its Facebook page for resale use. City of Johnston photos may, however, be shared on other Facebook pages.
Disclaimer
The City of Johnston does not warrant or make representations or endorsements as to the quality, content, suitability, accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links and other items contained on this server. Such materials have been compiled from a variety of sources, and are subject to change without notice from the City of Johnston. Except to the extent required by law, commercial use of the materials is prohibited without the written permission of the City of Johnston.
Some of the links on this page and subsequent pages may lead to resources outside the City of Johnston municipal government. The presence of these links should not be construed as an endorsement by the City of Johnston of these sites or their content. The City of Johnston is not responsible for the content of any such external link. The City of Johnston specifically disclaims any and all liability for any claims or damages that may result from providing the City of Johnston website or information it contains, including any websites maintained by third parties and linked to the City of Johnston website. The responsibility for content rests with the third party organizations who are providing the information.
By posting content, the user agrees to indemnify the City of Johnston and its officers and employees from and against all liabilities, judgments, damages and costs (including attorney's fees) incurred by any of them which arise out of or are related to the posted content.
The City of Johnston reserves the right to monitor content before it is posted on all of its social media web sites and accounts, and to modify or remove any messages or postings that it deems, in its sole discretion, to be abusive, defamatory, in violation of copyright, trademark right or other intellectual property right of any third party, or otherwise inappropriate for the service. The City of Johnston also reserves the right to edit or modify any submissions in response to requests for feedback or other commentary. Notwithstanding the foregoing, City of Johnston is not obligated to take any such actions, and will not be responsible or liable for content posted by any subscriber in any forum, message board, or other area within the service.
If any user does not agree to these terms, they are not to use the service, as violation of the terms can lead to legal liability.
