City of Clive offers 50-50 soil‑restoration program for homeowners; A+ Lawn and Landscape to perform work

City of Clive staff described a Soil Quality Restoration (SQR) program for homeowners that pairs municipal cost‑share funding with contracted lawn services to reduce runoff and creek erosion.

The city offers a 50‑50 cost share for participating properties, with the municipality paying up to $1,000 toward treatment on very large yards, city staff said. "We do a 50-50 cost share with our residents," the presenter said, and noted a specially funded subarea in the Walnut Creek Hills neighborhood that uses a different cost‑share rate.

Why it matters: compacted, poor soils keep rainwater at the surface and increase runoff volume and speed into storm drains and creeks, contributing to erosion and water‑quality problems. The SQR approach the city presented combines deep‑tine aeration to relieve compaction, a compost topdress to restore organic content, and optional overseeding to re‑establish turf.

How the program will work: city staff said the SQR package requires at minimum two on‑site visits — a deep‑tine aeration pass and, about 48–72 hours later, a compost spreading pass — with overseeding offered as an optional additional service. A+ Lawn and Landscape, the contractor selected through competitive bidding, will contact homeowners about overseeding options and pricing. Ken, the contractor representative, said the crew aims for three‑inch plugs and generally three‑to‑six inches of tine penetration depending on soil hardness.

Costs and schedule: the city will cover half the cost up to a $1,000 cap for very large yards. Staff walked through example measurements by square footage and said aerial imagery (the city’s most recent flyover was March 2024) is used to calculate treatment area; homeowners who have built pools or other permitted structures since that date should notify staff for recalculation. The presenters said they hope to finalize offers and routing soon, with a target treatment window beginning in the last weeks of August and crews finishing in early October.

Signing, payment and access: homeowners must submit a signed easement/permission form and payment to allow contractor crews onto private property. Staff said several residents had submitted payment without an easement or vice versa and asked that those residents resolve the missing items; incomplete submissions will be returned. The city asked homeowners to flag private utilities (irrigation heads, pet fencing, visible wiring) and to use one‑call locators for public utilities when appropriate. Staff and the contractor said crews will avoid flagged areas and that the easement document explains how the city and contractor handle accidental damage when lines are properly marked.

Operational details and homeowner options: A+ Lawn and Landscape will notify participants twice — a general notice explaining the process, then a crew‑timing notice that gives a date range for a yard visit. Typical daily productivity estimates provided: aeration/seed crews 10–11 yards/day; compost crews 4–5 yards/day. Overseeding is recommended but not included in the base SQR cost share; homeowners may opt to overseed independently between aeration and composting but the city cannot guarantee exact timing if owners seed themselves.

Quality and safety: the contractor said the compost product is produced east of the Des Moines metro, is a fine particulate spread by specialized equipment, and is heat‑processed so it should not introduce weed seed. The crew will make cleanup passes to remove clumps and avoid leaving large debris on lawns.

Signups and capacity: staff reported 70 spots already on the worklist (42 in the regular cost‑share queue, 18 in the Walnut Creek Hills special slots) and urged homeowners to submit complete paperwork and payment by the posted Monday deadline to secure a spot. The city said funding and available compost quantities limit total capacity.

Next steps: city staff will finalize routing and begin contractor outreach; A+ Lawn and Landscape will contact participating homeowners directly with pricing for optional overseeding and with day‑of scheduling details. The city asked residents with measurement questions or recent construction to contact staff so offers can be recalculated.

"The aeration tines go — the goal for the aeration is three‑inch plugs, three to six inch," the contractor said when asked about depth, and staff confirmed they will provide the application window and take questions by email and phone.

The session ended with staff and contractor offering follow‑up help and confirming they would reach out to the signups to finalize scheduling.