HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - November 9, 2021, Regular Meeting of the Ames City CouncilAMENDED
AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
COUNCIL CHAMBERS - CITY HALL
NOVEMBER 9, 2021
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC: The Mayor and City Council welcome comments from the public
during discussion. If you wish to speak, please see the instructions listed above. The normal process
on any particular agenda item is that the motion is placed on the floor, input is received from the
audience, the Council is given an opportunity to comment on the issue or respond to the audience
concerns, and the vote is taken. On ordinances, there is time provided for public input at the time
of the first reading.
CALL TO ORDER: 6:00 p.m.
PROCLAMATION:
1.Proclamation for “Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week,” November 13 - 21, 2021
CONSENT AGENDA: All items listed under the Consent Agenda will be enacted by one motion.
There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a request is made prior to the time the
Council members vote on the motion.
2. Motion approving payment of claims
3. Motion approving Minutes of Special City Council Meeting held October 19, 2021, and
Regular City Council Meeting held October 26, 2021
4. Motion certifying Civil Service candidates
5. Motion approving Report of Change Orders for period October 16 - 31, 2021
6. Motion approving premise update for Class C Liquor License, Catering Privilege and Sunday
Sales - Hy-Vee Market Café, 3800 Lincoln Way
7. Motion approving premise update for Class C Liquor License, Catering Privilege and Sunday
Sales - Hy-Vee Market Grille, 640 Lincoln Way
8. Motion approving new 5-day (Nov 11 - 15, 2021) Class C Liquor License for Thirsty Pigs at
Comfort Inn & Suites, 603 S 16th Street
9. Motion approving ownership change for Class C Liquor License with Sunday Service - Red
Lobster #0747, 1100 Buckeye Avenue
10. Motion approving ownership change for Class E Liquor License, Class B Wine Permit, Class
C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer) and Sunday Sales - Kum & Go #7706, 2320 Lincoln Way
11. Motion approving renewal of the following Beer Permits, Wine Permits and Liquor Licenses:
a. Class E Liquor License - AJ’s Liquor III, 2401 “A” Chamberlain Street
b. Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer) and
Sunday Sales - Neighborhood Liquor & Smokes, 3505 Lincoln Way Ste 105
c. Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales - Outlaws, 2522
Chamberlain Street Pending Dram Shop Insurance
d. Class B Native Wine Permit with Sunday Sales - Chocolaterie Stam, 230 Main Street
e. Class E Liquor License, Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer) and
Sunday Sales - Kum & Go #7706, 2320 Lincoln Way
12. Resolution approving Supplemental Funding Agreement with Ames Convention and Visitors
Bureau in the amount of $35,000
13. Resolution authorizing staff to reimburse Ames International Orchestra Festival Association
(AIOFA) $9,900 from the Local Option Sales Tax Fund balance for a claim under its FY
2020/21 COTA Annual Grant
14. Resolution stating that terms of 1992 Development Agreement pertaining to 238 Alexander
have been satisfied and releasing property from the Development Agreement
15. Resolution approving renaming Squaw Creek Drive to Stonehaven Drive and direct the City
Attorney to draft the street name change
16. Resolution approving Amendment to Ioway Creek Watershed Management Authority 28E
Agreement to add Hamilton County Board of Supervisors as a member
17. 2020/21 South Dayton Improvement Traffic Signal Poles and Cabinets:
a. Resolution awarding contract for Traffic Signal Poles to JTH Lighting Alliance of Apple
Valley, Minnesota, in the amount of $78,348
b. Resolution awarding contract for Traffic Signal Cabinets to General Traffic Controls, Inc.,
of Spencer, Iowa, in the amount of $80,360
18. Resolution approving Change Order No. 2 with Jetco, Inc., for Ames Water Treatment Plant
Remote Site Radio and PLC Upgrade Project in the amount of $35,879
19. Resolution accepting completion of 2019/20 Multi-Modal Roadway Improvements (Mortensen
Road West of South Dakota Avenue)
20. Resolution approving Plat of Survey for 4909 West 190th Street (Cackler property)
PUBLIC FORUM: This is a time set aside for comments from the public on topics of City business
other than those listed on this agenda. Please understand that the Council will not take any action
on your comments at this meeting due to requirements of the Open Meetings Law, but may do so
at a future meeting. The Mayor and City Council welcome comments from the public; however, at
no time is it appropriate to use profane, obscene, or slanderous language. The Mayor may limit each
speaker to three minutes.
ADMINISTRATION:
21. Presentation of results of “Play Ames: Imagine your City”
PARKS & RECREATION:
22. Staff Report regarding Downtown Plaza Update
23. Resolution approving renaming Squaw Creek Park to Ioway Creek Park
24. Resolution approving allocation of Council Contingency Funds for Community Garden
Development for the additions to the Carr Park Community Garden and the new Community
Garden at the Delaware Avenue site in the amount of $22,837
PLANNING & HOUSING:
25. Review of Draft Request for Proposals for Small Lot Industrial Development:
a. Motion directing staff to proceed with issuing a Request for Proposals to identify a
developer for an industrial park targeted at small scale lots
2
HEARINGS:
26. Hearing on vacating Utility Easement across Red Lobster property located at 1100 Buckeye
Avenue (Continued from October 26, 2021):
a. Resolution approving vacating Easement
27. Hearing on Ioway Creek Restoration and Flood Mitigation Project:
a. Resolution approving final plans and specifications and awarding contract to Keller
Excavating, Inc., of Boone, Iowa, in the amount of $3,327,523.50
b. Resolution authorizing up to $700,000 in unallocated G.O. Bonds
c. Resolution approving contract and bond
ORDINANCES:
DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL:
COUNCIL COMMENTS:
CLOSED SESSION:
Additional Item: Motion to hold Closed Session as provided by Section 20.17(3), Code of Iowa,
to discuss collective bargaining strategy
ADJOURNMENT:
Please note that this agenda may be changed up to 24 hours before the meeting time as
provided by Section 21.4(2), Code of Iowa.
3
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
AMES, IOWA OCTOBER 19, 2021
The Special Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 6:00
p.m. on the 19th day of October, 2021, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark
Avenue. Council Members Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck,
and David Martin were present. Council Member Amber Corrieri and ex officio Member Trevor
Poundstone were absent.
WORKSHOP ON BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE IN AMES: Mayor Haila said staff will
be giving an overview of bike infrastructure planning. He said Council will not be making
decisions or referrals since a consultant will soon be on board for the Bike and Pedestrian Master
Plan.
Traffic Engineer Damion Pregitzer introduced the staff team that created the report for Council.
He reviewed the existing network of trail systems. He told Council that Ames had a Bike
Headmaster Plan before Ames was part of the Ames Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
(AAMPO), and after the 2000 Census, it was absorbed into a Long-Range Transportation Plan
(LRTP), now called Forward 45 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). He said planning
Forward 45 MTP includes an issues and visions workshop, a consultant drafting projects to
address issues and visions, and the Ames Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO)
hosting regional public meetings to allow a wide group of constituents to be a part. Mr. Pregitzer
explained that the Forward 45 MTP must be fiscally constrained, so all projects are not included
in the Plan. Mr. Pregitzer said the purpose of Forward 45 MTP is for federal aid, but it doesn’t
reflect an ideal network. Because of this, he said the City is looking to resurrect the Bike
Headmaster Plan in the form of the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan so all planning can be seen
together.
City Civil Engineer Mark Gansen showed the current Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) shared
use path system expansion projects (2022-26). He said once the CIP is approved in the spring,
design for projects can begin. He gave an update of the current projects. Mr. Gansen walked
through projects by year to show how gaps are being filled in.
Parks and Recreation Director Keith Abraham said a bridge over the Ioway Creek will connect
Moore Memorial Park on the west side of the Creek to the Park on the east side of the Creek and
will eventually connect to Ontario Street. Council Member Gartin asked if the connections
would go all the way from Moore Memorial Park to Reactor Woods. Mr. Abraham concurred.
Mr. Pregitzer said there are three intercity trail connections: to Nevada because of the trail on
Lincoln Way; to Slater by the trail along South Dakota Avenue which connects to other trails;
and to Gilbert when the connection is finished to Story County’s trail north of 190th Street. He
described the connection to the High Trestle Trail from University Boulevard near the ISU
Research Park continuing through Iowa State University (ISU) property to R38, and then from
Slater to the High Trestle Trail.
It was noted that the City of Ames has different purposes and uses for its trails than ISU. ISU
Campus Planner Chris Strawhacker said the density of population on Campus includes many
modes of transportation including pedestrians, bikes, motorcycles, skateboards, scooters, etc. He
said shared use paths and shared streets accommodate everyone. He said expectations for certain
modes are in place for certain areas. Mr. Strawhacker said they receive feedback from the
Transportation Advisory Council and a bicycle advisory group at ISU, the Ames Bicycle
Coalition, and the City of Ames. He showed a map of 109 bicycle parking areas and 3,900
bicycle racks on Campus. Mr. Strawhacker said the condition of paths is being looked at; a
consultant assisted in identifying connections needing improved. He identified areas included in
the ISU Five-Year Bicycle Infrastructure Plan, including Stange Road connecting to University
Boulevard and Osborne Drive and bike parking improvements. Mr. Pregitzer said there is
emphasis placed on planning multi-modal connections because of the importance of transitions
for users going from one mode of transportation to another.
Mr. Pregitzer described the Complete Streets Plan, which includes all transportation modes, land
use types, and street types. Mr. Pregitzer explained a volume and speed chart used that helps
determine where modes must be separated (but still adjacent) and where there must be protection
(curb, barrier, delineators). He said there are many cyclists not comfortable mixing with cars.
Mr. Pregitzer said affected neighborhoods give critical feedback, national standards and
guidelines are used, and the context of the street is considered for facility design. He said when
constraints must be overcome, the Complete Streets Plan can provide guidance. Street types
were reviewed.
Mr. Pregitzer explained the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan goals:
Create a data-driven detailed network evaluation to be used for future implementation of
expansion and infill projects.
Establish a network-wide wayfinding plan which includes both City of Ames destinations
and regional trail connections.
Create a bike facility selection guide to establish the proper infrastructure level in each
corridor.
Create a bike infrastructure framework for growth areas.
Use forecasted revenues and expenses to establish priority tiers for future network build-
out.
Mr. Gansen said staff is currently preparing the Request for Proposals. He said they are referring
to other cities that have already done this to guide them and hope a plan can be finalized in 2022
and the implementation of wayfinding improvements can be completed in 2023-24.
Council Member Gartin asked about signage needed now. Mr. Pregitzer said some things can be
done soon, but some will need to be done later.
Operations Manager Justin Clausen said there are 30-36 weeks available each year for
maintenance on the City’s transportation system. He said with an increased emphasis on multi-
modal transportation, they need ways to prioritize how they maintain. He said visual inspection,
user input (“Ames on the Go” app) which has a category for trail maintenance, and Iowa Data
Bike (part of Des Moines MPO, which allows surface images taken to report roughness), are all
used. He said the shared use path system doesn’t dramatically change quickly. He said there is
$125,000 in the CIP Plan for shared use path maintenance. Mr. Clausen showed examples of
how paths can be repaired using different methods, including concrete, asphalt, crack sealing,
joint repair, asphalt seal coat, and asphalt overlay.
Mr. Gartin asked about snow removal on trails. Mr. Clausen said if a path is near the edge of a
roadway, the clearing of the street can end up on the path and clearing the path ends up on the
street. He said Parks and Recreation focuses on main arterials and then works out toward the
residential areas. Mr. Gartin asked about the Vet Med trail that had more of a pea gravel surface,
and wondered if that surface is planned for any trails. Mr. Pregitzer said that could be considered
in the Plan. He said it couldn’t be used for critical network trails, but could be used in more
natural settings that are not part of the critical network.
Council Member Betcher asked how the data are being collected on cracks. Mr. Clausen said
Iowa Data Bike rides down the center line to gather information, and it’s just a piece of the
puzzle. Ms. Betcher said it seems like $125,000 may not go very far and wonders how long that
has been the amount budgeted. Mr. Pregitzer said the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan has a big
maintenance section focused on methods and costs. He said as the system expands the staffing,
equipment, and who is responsible, and that will be looked at to be sure budgets reflect the
system expansion. Public Works Director John Joiner said the budget and CIP are being
prepared soon, and those numbers are being considered.
City Attorney Mark Lambert explained Eminent Domain as power of the government to take
private property for a purpose and pay fairly for it. He said it is lawful for the City to take land
for trails through Eminent Domain. He said it does not include authority to condemn agricultural
property of ten or more acres.
Council Member David Martin asked if the paths need to be more than just recreational. Mr.
Lambert said a shared use path is recreational.
Mayor Haila asked how input for bike infrastructure was received for the Forward 45 MTP. Mr.
Pregitzer said two open houses including virtual options were held. He said something very
similar will be done for the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan and a collection of all feedback will
be created.
Mayor Haila asked about the $1.2 million for shared use paths. Director Joiner said those funds
are not all dedicated to path expansion. The $1.2 million minimum to the program is over five
years. He said they are spending $1.6 million average right now, and it covers a wide range of
programs. It was noted the $125,000 is in addition for maintenance.
Mayor Haila opened public input.
A member from the public requested to be contacted individually for comments.
Steve Libbey, 708 Brookridge Avenue, Ames, said it’s exciting to see many of the connections
start to take place. He said intersections are important, and he is looking forward to the Bike and
Pedestrian Master Plan.
Jake Hudson, 3612 South Duff Avenue, Ames, said it’s exciting that many trails are being
connected. He said the R38 on-street bike path is without a shoulder; the edges of pavement have
deteriorated, and traffic is high.
Joel Whacker, 5244 Schubert, Ames, said he feels a focus on paths for children is often
overlooked. He said freedom for children and transportation to school is important.
Michael Fellman, 1417 Mayfield, Ames, said he rides with riders of varied experience, and they
use roads to get out of town because it’s unsafe to use shared use trails when going the speed
they travel. He said the Duff Avenue restriping was done to allow for a shared use path, but in
certain areas the trail is so small, it’s more of a shoulder. He encouraged looking at it from a
bicyclist’s perspective. He also mentioned the north end of Duff Avenue to 30th Street.
Jeri Neal, 916 Ridgewood Avenue, Ames, said she would like to see a bike and pedestrian
coordinator position created. She said this would help increase education and outreach to the
community on using and respecting modes of transportation.
Galen Golke, 1504 Golden Aspen Drive, Ames, said transportation modes are multiplying, and
some intersections are dangerous.
Dan Conrad, 1531 Douglas Avenue, Ames, said he would like to suggest a path extending west
out of town on Lincoln Way. He said there isn’t even a paved shoulder so it’s a dangerous place
to ride or walk. He said he feels the path would be used by people living in the apartments and
doing business there.
Kelly Welsh, 1117 Wilson Avenue, Ames, said connecting Skunk River trails to the Heart of
Iowa Trail would be family-friendly, scenic, and a destination trail.
Jeff Thieleke, 926 Idaho Avenue, Ames, said the safety of intersections is very important, as he
was recently hit by a golf court near Coldwater Golf Links. He said he’s hopeful gates or speed
bumps could slow down the golf carts in that area.
Lauren Carroll, 2409 Tullamore Lane, Ames, asked how to request a bike or multi-use trail on
Dayton Avenue.
Jeff White, 1421 Carroll, Ames, said he does as much as possible by bicycle and there are not
very many good north/south trails on the east side of town. He said he hopes the Plan includes
ways to shop and travel by bicycle as a way of life.
Nicole Rasmussen, 2808 Northridge Lane, Ames, said she loves the trail system, but many don’t
connect in a safe way. She said people are coming to Ames to enjoy biking, and that she travels
to run and bike. She encouraged Council think about ways to drive traffic to the downtown area
with clear signage.
Dan Degeest, 1819 Bel Air, Ames said all plans and documents don’t always work together
holistically. He asked how the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan would coincide with the Climate
Action Plan. He also asked if there has been any consideration for how bicyclists can get to the
new aquatic center.
Mayor Haila closed public input.
Council Member Betcher asked how the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan will go with other
plans. Mr. Pregitzer said he’s part of the technical team for creation of the Climate Action Plan,
and data on transportation is being considered. He said plans refer to other plans, and with 15
technical staff involved, in the Climate Action Plan the pieces can be put together.
Mayor Haila asked how the School District is involved. Mr. Pregitzer said all areas are
considered differently, but as an example an elementary school has an intense mix of bikes,
pedestrians, and vehicles. He said the schools and the City coordinate needs to be considered and
a range of what is acceptable. Mr. Pregitzer said with an ideal bike facility in mind, there are
always constraints such as right-of-way, funding, trees, etc., but discussions can take place about
how to make the best facility with what is available. He said giving up on the network because of
constraints isn’t ideal, but the perfect ideal sometimes has to be given up to make sure
connections are made that can work for every skill level.
Council Member Gartin commented on the amazing turnout to this Workshop. He said there is a
growing interest for mountain biking and asked if any amenities have been considered. Mr.
Pregitzer said Parks and Recreation could speak to that during planning of the Bike and
Pedestrian Master Plan. Mr. Gartin said Ada Hayden has a conflict between walkers and bikers
and wondered about having two lanes, one for bikes and one for pedestrians. He said it would be
great to have an off-road trail from S. 16th Street to Ada Hayden. He said the East River Valley
trail is undervalued, but ends at Lincoln Way. Mr. Gartin said the sidewalk going west on
Lincoln Way is not safe, and it would be great if the trail on Lincoln Way could be extended all
the way downtown. He said having a circuit of trails all the way around Ames would be
beneficial, and being able to walk or bike from East River Valley Park all the way to Ada
Hayden would be a good feature. He said working with ISU and Story County to consider some
dirt trails on the east side of the river is an idea. Mr. Gartin said the High Trestle Trail is a great
resource, but riding on R38 doesn’t feel safe.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen said it’s time to bump up the required minimum of what should
be spent annually. She also asked if there’s any way to get ahead of project delays. Mr. Pregitzer
said a downfall of a LRTP is the federal aid does not allow preliminary engineering. To be able
to work on a project, it needs to be programmed in some way prior to the project and that cannot
be done in a LRTP project. Mr. Pregitzer said some of those things could be looked at earlier in
the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan so that when projects are in construction, it doesn’t feel like
a false promise.
Mr. Pregitzer said during plan development things like the High Trestle Trail connection and
other trails can be considered. He said some connections are not perfect, but they are a
connection.
Mayor Haila said the condition of the R38 trail can be noted by Story County. He asked about
the Dayton Avenue area. Mr. Pregitzer said the growth areas are included and the projects that
are development-driven and in collaboration with others can be defined. He said the Bike and
Pedestrian Master Plan allows discussion and direction change when needed.
Critical crossings of intersections were discussed. Mr. Pregitzer said the Vet Med trails will be
clearly marked with signage soon.
DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: None.
COUNCIL COMMENTS: Ms. Betcher said more bike racks may be needed at City Hall.
Council Member Gartin said this meeting was very exciting and said the bike trails are not solely
recreational amenities since many people make lifestyle decisions to make bicycling their main
mode of transportation. He said if that is going to be encouraged it needs to be possible. He
appreciated the staff work to get to this point.
Council Member Junck said this Master Plan will be great for Ames and encouraged cyclists to
reach out if they find themselves avoiding certain trails.
Mr. Pregitzer explained once the consultant is on board that the public communications plan will
be posted on the website as well as an opportunity to sign up to stay informed. He said they hope
to have a consultant on board early in 2022 so staff can prepare for public outreach and start the
process in the spring.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
_____________________________________ ____________________________________
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor
_____________________________________
Erin Thompson, Recording Secretary
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE AMES AREA
METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (AAMPO)
TRANSPORTATION POLICY COMMITTEE AND
REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
AMES, IOWA OCTOBER 26, 2021
AMES AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (AAMPO)
TRANSPORTATION POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING
CALL TO ORDER: The Ames Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO)
Transportation Policy Committee meeting was called to order by Ames Mayor and voting member
John Haila at 6:01 p.m. on the 26th day of October, 2021. Other voting members present were:
Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, City of Ames; Gloria Betcher, City of Ames; Amber Corrieri, City of
Ames; Tim Gartin, City of Ames; Rachel Junck, City of Ames; Linda Murken, Story County
Supervisor; Bill Zinnel, Boone County Supervisor; Jon Popp, Mayor of Gilbert; and Jacob Ludwig,
Transit Board. David Martin, City of Ames was brought in electronically.
Mayor Haila mentioned there was a minor change to the Agenda. The Hearing on the Public
Participation Plan will be discussed after Consent.
CONSENT AGENDA: Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to approve the following items
on the AAMPO Consent Agenda.
1.Motion approving Roadway Safety Targets
2.Motion approving Transit Safety Targets
3.Motion approving Transit Asset Management Targets
Vote on Motion: 11-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
HEARING ON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN: Public Works Director John Joiner thanked
the Mayor for moving this item up on the Agenda. He explained the reason for doing this was
because the Public Participation Plan and the Limited English Proficiency Plan updates were
incorporated into the FTA Title VI Program.
Transportation Planner Kyle Thompson said that the Public Participation Plan (PPP) is similar to the
draft that the Committee saw on September 8, 2021. The PPP details how the Ames Area
Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO) plans to involve the public and stakeholders in its
transportation planning efforts and activities. The six sections of the PPP are: 1) Introduction; 2)
Regulations; 3) Public Outreach Strategies; 4) Public Input Methods; 5) Planning Documents; and
6) Underserved Populations. One of the changes that was made since the draft was viewed in
September was the addition of Appendix C, which breaks down demographic data for underserved
population groups. Staff had previously addressed all the minor comments that were received from
the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Chairperson Haila opened the public hearing and closed it when no one came forward to speak.
Moved by Murken, seconded by Corrieri, to approve the Public Participation Plan.
Vote on Motion: 11-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY PLAN: Transportation Planner Kyle Thompson explained
that all Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are required to have their own Limited English
Proficiency Plan (LEP) since they receive federal funding from the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The LEP Plan was prepared in accordance
with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s requirements and the recent guidelines published by
the Iowa Department of Transportation. The LEP Plan is to ensure that all individuals who have
limited English proficiency have access to the MPOs various planning documents, activities,
meetings, etc. Per the U.S. Department of Transportation recommendation, the LEP Plan follows the
four-factor analysis methodology. The four analysis factors and sections of the Plan are as follows:
1.The number and proportion of persons with limited English proficiency who are
eligible to be served or likely to be encountered by MPO services and programs
2.The frequency with which persons with limited English proficiency encounter MPO
services and programs
3.The nature and importance of the MPO’s services and programs in people’s lives
4.The resources available to the MPO for outreach to persons with limited English
proficiency, as well as the costs associated with the outreach
The LEP Plan lists the following language assistance services and resources that the MPO will
leverage:
1.Oral Interpretation Services - The Big Word, City Staff, Google Translate
2.Written translation of vital documents to Mandarin Chinese, per the Safe Harbor
Provision requirements
3.Bureau of Refugee Services
4.MPO Website - Automatic translation to over 90 different languages
5.Regional Partners - Coordinate with regional agencies and groups such as CyRide
and Iowa State University
Moved by Ludwig, seconded by Junck, to approve the Limited English Proficiency Plan.
Vote on Motion: 11-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
FTA TITLE VI PROGRAM FOR SUBMISSION TO THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION: Transportation Planner Kyle Thompson mentioned that the FTA Title VI
Program is something that all Iowa Metropolitan Planning Organizations’ (MPOs) are required to
submit every three years. This year, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) is requiring that
all MPOs submit their updated Title VI Programs by November 1, 2021. The Title VI Program is
the MPO demonstrating and discussing how it adheres to Title VI requirements. The Title VI
Program prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in any program or activity
that receives Federal funds or other Federal financial assistance. MPO staff prepared the FTA Title
VI Program update in accordance with Federal Transit Agency (FTA) regulation and using the
template provided by the Iowa DOT. Mr. Thompson highlighted that staff included some
2
demographic maps, which show CyRide’s routes, TIP projects, and Long-Range Transportation Plan
projects.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Ludwig, to approve the FTA Title VI Program for Submission to
the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Vote on Motion: 11-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
POLICY COMMITTEE COMMENTS: No comments were made.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Corrieri to adjourn the Ames Area Metropolitan Planning
Organization Transportation Policy Committee meeting at 6:12 p.m.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
The Regular Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 6:15 p.m.
on October 26, 2021, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law.
Present were Council Members Gloria Betcher, Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin,
and Rachel Junck. Council Member David Martin was brought in electronically. Ex officio Member
Trevor Poundstone was also present.
PROCLAMATION FOR “LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH,” NOVEMBER 2021:
Mayor Haila declared November 2021 as “Lung Cancer Awareness Month.” He wanted everyone
to recognize the need for research on lung cancer affecting women and lung cancer health disparities,
and encourage all citizens, to learn about lung cancer and early detection through lung cancer
screening. Jon Sulit, member of the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative was unable to attend
the meeting to accept the Proclamation; therefore, the Proclamation will be mailed to him.
CONSENT AGENDA: Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to approve the following items
on the Consent Agenda.
1.Motion approving payment of claims
2.Motion approving Minutes of Regular City Council Meeting of October 12, 2021
3.Motion approving Report of Change Orders for period October 1 - 15, 2021
4.Motion approving renewal of the following Beer Permits, Wine Permits and Liquor Licenses:
a.Class C Liquor License and Sunday Sales - London Underground, 212 Main Street
5.RESOLUTION NO. 21-545 approving Investment Report for Quarter Ending September 30,
2021
6.Medical Dispatch Quality Assurance Software:
a.RESOLUTION NO. 21-546 waiving Purchasing Policies and Procedures for
competitive bidding of professional services and approving a single-source contract
b.RESOLUTION NO. 21-547 authorizing the Ames Police Department to enter into
an Agreement with Pro-QA for a five-year, fixed cost service in an amount not to
exceed $129,428
3
7.RESOLUTION NO. 21-548 authorizing the Mayor to sign Certificate of Consistency with
City’s 2019-2023 CDBG Consolidated Plan on behalf of Youth & Shelter Services and The
Bridge Home for funding under the State of Iowa’s Continuum of Care Grant
8.RESOLUTION NO. 21-549 approving Change Order No. 4 in the amount of $50,000 to
Professional Services Agreement with B rownW inick of Des Moines, Iowa, for legal services
rendered regarding service territory Ruling from the Iowa Utilities Board
9.RESOLUTION NO. 21-550 approving Change Order No. 3 to Blade Runner
Turbomachinery Services, LLC, of Navasota, Texas, for Unit 8 Turbine Generator Overhaul
project in the amount of $181,357.44
10.Campustown Public Improvements (Welch Avenue):
a.RESOLUTION NO. 21-551 approving Change Order No. 3 in the amount of
($91,687.18)
b.RESOLUTION NO. 21-552 accepting completion
11.RESOLUTION NO. 21-553 accepting completion of the Tahira and Labh Hira Park Concrete
Work
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motions/Resolutions declared carried/adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor,
and hereby made a portion of these Minutes.
PUBLIC FORUM: Mayor Haila opened Public Forum.
Richard Deyoe, 505-8th Street, #2, Ames, stated he had brought this up before, but felt he may have
to go to the Mary Greeley Medical Center Board of Trustees because he is upset over the way the
community has treated him lately. The Mayor reminded Mr. Deyo that public forum was to discuss
City business and not personal items. Mr. Deyoe commented that he was part of the City.
Bob Long, 3124 Grove Avenue, Ames, said that his reason for coming tonight was to start the
process of making sure that Grove Avenue is never opened for commercial development. He noted
that he had sent a letter earlier this year regarding Grove Avenue, and his request was tabled by the
Council because he was the only property owner asking to rezone a property that he didn’t own. Mr.
Long explained that he understood why that was done. Once a year their Neighborhood Association
meets, and he had spoken to the group regarding his concerns about the zoning. He asked the
Council to pursue the neighborhood’s request to review the zoning.
Darrell Reeves, 3108 Northwood Drive, Ames, explained that he wanted to echo what Mr. Long had
said. They would really like to keep the neighborhood residential. He stated that they do not want
to see the commercial build-out on the other side of Grove turn into a hot-spot of activity. The
neighborhood is nice and would like to keep it that way. Mr. Reeves noted that any help the
Association could get from the City to rezone the area to retain the neighborhood would be
appreciated.
Kyle Krebs, 3109 Northwood Drive, Ames, said that his neighborhood is a nice single-family
dwelling area and he would hate it to turn into something else. The traffic going from North Duff
Avenue to North Grand Avenue gets some high-speeders and he wouldn’t want the traffic to increase
4
in the neighborhood. He asked to keep the neighborhood as single-family homes for families and
children to enjoy.
Mike Lee, 3122 Northwood Drive, Ames, stated he and his wife have lived in the neighborhood
since 1985, and it has always been a nice quiet neighborhood. Their kids went to school at
Northwood. Mr. Lee said he was concerned about the traffic, especially the truck traffic and extra
traffic from any businesses that might come to the area.
Jeani Lee, 3122 Northwood Drive, Ames, mentioned that she and her husband had both grown up
in Ames, been business owners since 1985, and raised their kids in the neighborhood. She stated that
while they appreciate growth in the community it didn’t feel right to have commercial businesses
in the area. Ms. Lee commented that they are already close enough to the traffic on Grand Avenue,
and when Northern Lights was developed, the traffic increased in their neighborhood. In support of
their neighborhood and the community, she felt it would be in the best interest of the City to keep
the area residential.
Larry Brandt, 607 River Oak, Ames, explained that he and his wife have been in the area for a while.
He had previously lived in Orlando and part of Dallas where he had seen businesses move into
residential areas similar to his neighborhood and he doesn’t want to see the additional traffic. Mr.
Brandt mentioned that he didn’t want to see start-ups come in and later become “trashy” strip malls.
Marie Mayer, 607 River Oak Drive, Ames, said the Council was probably aware that everyone
speaking tonight is part of the Neighborhood Association. She noted at a recent get-together it was
brought to everyone’s attention that the previous Mary Kay’s was zoned as high-density that allowed
commercial. Ms. Mayer stated that there are rumors that there is going to be another business there.
A proposal was made within the Neighborhood Association that medium-density would be more
appropriate. It would keep the area residential and allow flexibility with the types of housing in the
area. She noted that the Neighborhood Association is not just a group, but neighbors who care about
each other and take the time to meet each other at gatherings. Ms. Mayer explained that
neighborhood associations are an asset to the community as they enable information to be given to
residents all at once. As a Neighborhood Association, they would like to keep it a “neighborhood”
of people. She loves the house she bought and fell in love with the neighborhood.
Leo Milleman, 3112 Northwood Drive, Ames, pointed out that the area everyone was speaking about
is in North Ames by the North Wal-Mart store, from Grand Avenue south to the river. He is the
Chief Officer of the Neighborhood Association. They have a nice neighborhood and appreciate the
area. During the Neighborhood Association meeting, there were over 35 people present who
commented that they wanted the neighborhood to stay the same. Everyone was surprised when they
looked at a Zoning Map showing that there was a small area between Grand Avenue and Grove that
is zoned high-density. Currently everything along Grove Street is medium-density. They do not want
big trucks coming through the neighborhood at all hours of the day. Mr. Milleman asked the Council
to refer their request to staff to see if the area could be rezoned to medium-density.
5
The Mayor closed public forum when no one else came forward to speak.
The Mayor asked the Council to allow him to take the privilege of moving Disposition of
Communication to Council up on the Agenda to discuss the request from Leo Milleman, to rezone
the west side of Grove Avenue while there were interested parties present.
DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: The Mayor noted that the letter from
Leo Milleman, regarding the neighborhood’s request to rezone the west side of Grove Avenue from
High-Density Residential to Medium-Density Residential was previously sent to the Council.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to place the request from Leo Milleman, regarding the
possible rezoning of Grove Avenue on a future agenda.
The Mayor asked if there was a time frame of when this item might come back to the Council for
discussion. City Manager Steve Schainker mentioned that it would probably be on a City Council
Agenda sometime in November.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Mr. Schainker explained that the next step would be for the item to be placed on an Agenda, and
during that time, the Council will review the Staff Report and any additional information from the
Neighborhood Association and will make a decision at that meeting whether to pursue a Rezoning
or something else. Council Member Gartin inquired if the next step would require any notice
obligation for property owners that might be affected by any change. Planning and Housing Director
Kelly Diekmann advised that typically when the Council refers a Report or a Memo to staff, there
is not a notice requirement. Depending on what the Council decides after reviewing the information,
public notice might be required; it would depend on the Council’s direction.
MOTION APPROVING/DENYING RENEWAL OF CLASS C LIQUOR LICENSE WITH
SUNDAY SALES - NORTH GRAND CINEMA, 2801 GRAND AVENUE: Police Chief Geoff
Huff stated that the North Grand Cinema failed two compliance checks. In the past, staff has been
consistent when an establishment failed both compliance checks to not recommend a renewal of the
liquor license, but he would be in favor of issuing a six-month license. So far, the Police Department
has made recommendations to improve the performance of North Grand Cinema, such as asking for
customer identification, verifying customer age, and utilizing the Iowa Alcohol Beverages Division
(ABD) Age to Purchase mobile application to scan identifications to ensure validity. Additional
training was provided on July 16, 2021, and North Grand Cinema is now requiring all staff working
the bar area to be I-PACT (Iowa Program for Alcohol Compliance Training) certified. They have
also added software to its point-of-sale to scan a customer’s identification to verify age and
expiration.
6
Diane Akin, 2918 Northwood Drive, Ames, stated that she and her husband own the Cinema and she
was present to answer any questions. She said that the employees who failed the compliance checks
are no longer working for the theater.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Martin, denying the renewal of the 12-month Class C Liquor with
Sunday Sales - North Grand Cinema, 2801 Grand Avenue.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Junck, to approve a six-month Class C Liquor with Sunday
Sales - North Grand Cinema, 2801 Grand Avenue.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
AGREEMENT FOR WATER SERVICE OPERATIONS AND TERRITORY TRANSFER
WITH XENIA RURAL WATER DISTRICT: Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips explained
for this item staff is proposing that the City Council adopt a unique arrangement. He explained that
when the Ames Water Utility was established one, of the certainties about being an Ames resident
was that you had access to the Ames Water Utility. For the first 100 years of the Water Utility’s
existence there has not been an impediment to the Water Utility continuing to grow along with the
boundaries of the City. That dynamic changed in the 1990s when rural water providers began to
establish themselves outside of the corporate limits of Ames. Rural water is designed to be a
substitute for well water and drinking water needs and is not set up to handle firefighting in an urban
environment. The law 30 years ago established exclusive service territories for rural water providers.
Rural water providers had to ask permission to serve areas within a two-mile fringe of a city. If a city
denied the permission to the rural water provider, the city would be obligated to serve the area the
rural water provider wanted to serve and would have to have service established within two years.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Xenia Rural Water District asked for permission from the City of Ames to
serve areas to the north, west, and south of Ames. At that time, it made sense for the City to waive
its rights to those areas. Mr. Phillips commented that there are a few areas available that the City can
grow into that do not encroach onto a rural water provider’s territory. The challenge is that the areas
that the City of Ames intends to grow into are primarily Xenia water territory.
Council Member Gartin wanted to clarify if it was in the 1990s when Xenia had requested to serve
within Ames territory. Mr. Phillips explained that it was a series of transactions over time and
believed the first one was in 1990. Some areas were wholesale areas that Xenia had expressed
interest in and some were for specific addresses. Mr. Gartin felt that history was important and
wanted to know why prior City Councils gave up the rights to provide water. Mr. Phillips stated that
many of the areas Xenia wanted to serve were well outside the areas of where the Land Use Policy
Plan Policy indicated that the City of Ames intended to grow. Mr. Gartin asked if there was any
compensation for giving up the rights to provide water. Mr. Phillips commented that the City did not
receive anything. City Manager Steve Schainker explained that there was a lesson to be learned and
it would be hard for any Council to think that far ahead. The Council needs to be able to look longer
than 20 years into the future and that is hard to do.
7
Mr. Phillips noted that the City has no right to provide drinking water to Xenia areas. There may be
some areas where Xenia might be willing to transfer to the City of Ames, and even if transferred,
there are no parameters for setting the transfer price. Secondly, Xenia has no obligation to provide
fire protection service that meets City standards (hydrant spaces, flows) yet. The City has a
responsibility to provide firefighting services if within the City limits. Mayor Haila clarified that it
takes a much larger main to provide firefighting than it would to have water run to someone’s house
to drink. The Mayor said that there are a lot of cost implications for whoever was to install the new
mains. Mr. Phillips stated that the rural water system is designed to serve much smaller volumes over
greater distances. Whereas, the system in Ames is for firefighting, domestic water supply, and
industrial uses.
Mr. Phillips explained the potential approaches were: 1) Grow in alternative areas where Xenia will
sell its service rights; 2) Grow in alternative areas where Xenia does not control territory; 3) Grow
into Xenia territory and allow Xenia to provide drinking water while Ames develops an alternative
fire protection model; and 4) Negotiate with Xenia to install the infrastructure for drinking water and
fire protection, and to allow certain areas to be transferred to Ames. Mr. Phillips stated that staff had
decided to take the fourth approach listed. This will develop the terms that would allow Xenia to
come into future corporate limits of Ames. This approach would also allow there to be two water
providers (City of Ames and Xenia) for Ames residents in the future.
The Agreement that has been developed with Xenia staff accomplishes a number of things. The
Agreement will establish Infrastructure Standards that state that Xenia will install a new
infrastructure in the Ames corporate limits to State-Wide Urban Design and Specification (SUDAS)
standards, and this will include providing fire protection and potable water that meet Ames’
standards. The cost to install the infrastructure will be between Xenia and the developer. Xenia will
design new infrastructure in future Ames annexation areas to meet these standards. There will be no
obligation for Xenia to upgrade existing infrastructure immediately. Mr. Phillips wanted the Council
to know that there had been internal discussions regarding the Agreement with Planning & Housing,
City Manager’s Office, Public Works, Fire, and Water and Pollution Control to ensure that the City
would be able to adequately provide fire service to people who may need it. Per the Agreement the
City of Ames would have the ability to operate Xenia’s hydrants in Ames at no charge for emergency
purposes. Xenia will be responsible for maintaining the hydrants and communicating with Ames
when they are out of service, and the City of Ames would not be obligated to fix the repair as it is
not the City’s infrastructure. Mr. Phillips stated that there are some standards included in the
Agreement that indicate what Xenia’s responsibilities are for maintaining and repairing water main
breaks. It will be Xenia’s responsibility to address a water main break as soon as possible and make
repairs. Xenia must notify affected residents and the City of Ames so the City can address any
inquiries.
Council Member Gartin asked if the City was confident that Xenia would adequately repair any
water main breaks in a timely fashion. Mr. Phillips stated that it had been discussed to possibly put
in performance standards for Xenia, but this was not able to be agreed upon for the Agreement. He
explained as a water provider, if Xenia had a water main break, they would want to fix it quickly as
8
it could be a loss of revenue and a potential risk to the system. Mr. Phillips expected that Xenia
would take any water main breaks seriously. City Manager Steve Schainker mentioned that the City
of Ames has a smaller territory to respond to while Xenia has a huge territory, but Xenia noted that
it felt confident they could handle any problems. Mr. Phillips pointed out that any customer that has
Xenia has the right to vote in Board elections and has the ability to influence Xenia policies.
Mr. Phillips stated that one challenge that the City of Ames has is that it operates multiple utilities
(water, wastewater utility, stormwater utility, and electric). There are efficiencies built in that if a
customer is an Ames water user, the City can calculate the sewer charges based on water
consumption. However, with the new Agreement there will be situations where customers will have
Xenia services for water, but will have the City of Ames for its sanitary sewer and storm sewer.
What has been agreed to is that Xenia will be the water provider, but per the Agreement, they would
not be able to charge higher rates to Ames customers than any other customers in the service area.
Xenia would collect sanitary sewer and stormwater charges on Ames’ behalf. Xenia would be told
what rates to charge and then Xenia would remit those payments to the City of Ames, once a month.
Xenia will also be required to provide records for the City to audit to make sure everything is being
appropriately collected. The Agreement would permit Xenia to charge its customers $1.50/mo./bill
for the cost associated with billing Ames utilities onto its bill; this amount could increase over time,
but may never exceed what is being billed to other communities. The City of Ames would reserve
the right to add additional billing responsibilities to Xenia in the future.
Mr. Phillips mentioned that one of the big issues that the City has had over time is the understanding
of where the territories lie between Xenia and the City of Ames. The Agreement will settle and
clarify where Xenia’s territory is, where Ames’ territory is, and address ten specific properties that
have been affected by different interpretations of the boundaries. The ten properties were requested
by Xenia to be added to its territory, but there is a difference in opinion as to if that request was to
serve the house or to serve the entire acreage that the house is on. The Agreement also identifies a
number of areas within Xenia’s territory that aren’t readily able to be served by Xenia; if those
properties are developed and divided, those areas could potentially be serviced by Ames. It
establishes where those areas are and provides some guarantees that if those areas are requested to
be transferred, Xenia will not object to the transfer. The area is divided into two sub-areas; there are
areas that are well-situated to be served by Ames (right next to Ames), and then there are areas that
possibly could be situated to be served by Ames. The advantage to the Agreement is it will settle any
discrepancies and provide a new territory map. Xenia would sell the territory of those ten affected
properties, and would allow those territories to be bought out and become Ames territory. This
would cap the maximum buyout to three acres per property. The negotiable areas are renewable,
depending on what has changed in the future, for up to 35 years. If Xenia or Ames decided to not
renew another five-year renewal period with each area, a 12-month notice would be required. Mr.
Phillips noted that in the Agreement, there is an option for the City of Ames and Xenia to agree on
other areas to potentially transfer. If there are areas to transfer, there would be a buyout formula that
will be included in the Agreement. Xenia asked for a provision to be added that if for any reason the
buyout option was canceled, Xenia and Ames would need to sit down and discuss buying wholesale
water from Ames to serve those areas. Mr. Phillips pointed out that there are no guarantees that
9
Xenia or the City of Ames will agree to the terms, but would be discussed if it got to that point. The
buy-out formula would be $3,000 per net acre (excluding right-of-way), this would increase every
five years by standards related to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The obligations for the buy-out
areas and the cost formulas will be in effect for a minimum of five to ten years for a maximum of
35 years. All the terms in the Agreement regarding Xenia serving within the Ames Corporate Limits
would last in perpetuity.
Mr. Phillips stressed that since Xenia is a rural water model, its water rates are different from the
water rates of Ames customers. The City of Ames charges by cubic foot (cf) while Xenia charges
by the gallon. An example was given of a small residential customer that used 100 cf (748 gal) with
the City of Ames, the bill would be $15.72 while with Xenia it would be $65.20. It was mentioned
that Xenia’s rates are the same if you are a residential or commercial customer. Xenia has four
industrial customers and those have a different rate structure. Mr. Phillips brought up the rate
differences as it may come up for some customers that move in one of the areas billed by Xenia.
Mr. Phillips said that the draft Agreement has not been approved by Xenia’s Board of Directors. If
the City Council approves the proposed Agreement, Xenia’s Board of Directors will consider
approval of the Agreement. Xenia is also obligated to obtain the consent of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture prior to the Agreement becoming effective.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen asked about Central Iowa Water Association’s (CIWA) territory.
Mr. Phillips noted that currently the City is in the sixth year of a ten-year Agreement with CIWA for
the East Industrial Area. He noted that staff might need to come back to the Council as the
Agreement reaches its expiration date. City Manager Schainker commented that CIWA had already
agreed to sell the area for a certain price. Ms. Beatty-Hansen asked what would happen if the City
put in all the infrastructure and no one developed in the area. She mentioned she was referring to the
areas that were not the East Industrial Area. Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann stated
that staff had a preliminary meeting with CIWA and was told they were willing to negotiate, but no
commitment has been made.
Council Member Betcher asked if there were any ongoing efforts to lobby at the Federal level to
loosen the grip of the rural water districts. Mr. Schainker noted that staff had gone to Washington
D.C., on numerous occasions, gone to the Department of Agriculture, and had talked to Senator.
Staff had been told by the Iowa Senator that unless there are other states, of a larger magnitude, that
get involved, the system will not change. He noted that some credit had to be given to Xenia as it
has been trying to work with the City of Ames. At this time there is no indication of any change
being made by the federal government.
Council Member Gartin noted he is always apprehensive about taking over other water territory’s
infrastructure when areas are annexed. He said that per the Agreement, Xenia is required to install
infrastructure according to certain design standards. He wanted to know if that would be equivalent
to what the City of Ames does. Director Diekmann mentioned that was a big part of the negotiations
to include the correct language to make sure that the City of Ames could fight a fire at a location
10
served by Xenia. He said that Xenia will be meeting SUDAS standards, which are the same ones that
the City of Ames had adopted in its Municipal Code, and there are two local Amendments that the
City has that Xenia will agree to. Mr. Diekmann said that whenever the infrastructure goes in, it will
meet those standards; however, the existing areas are not being upgraded until they need to be
replaced. Mr. Phillips pointed out that the way it is phrased in the Agreement is to follow SUDAS
standards even when changes are made along with any local Amendments by the City of Ames. Mr.
Gartin asked if the Council should be concerned that there are existing areas that have a different
standard of infrastructure. Director Diekmann explained that is hard to deal with as the City has
annexed properties by doing an 80/20 with no upgrade of infrastructure. Those properties stay with
the Xenia service or on a well, and these types of situations are going to happen.
Council Member Gartin mentioned that he is imagining that the Council will be receiving emails
from people who purchased a house that is in the Xenia territory, who are upset by the high price of
their water bill. These customers may state that they were never notified about the pricing. Mr.
Gartin wanted to know how to navigate the disparity in terms of the cost of services. Director
Diekmann stated this would not be any different from other utilities as the City does not disclose
who the electric provider is, what the school taxes are, and a lot of other things that a person would
pay to operate a home. Mr. Schainker explained that there is some responsibility of the potential
home owner and hoped that homebuyers would do their due diligence when moving into a new
home. He mentioned that the City of Ames can put information on its website where the service
territories are, but he is not sure they could educate every home buyer.
Council Member Gartin noted that this situation is not isolated to Ames. He wanted to know if there
had been any discussion with other cities that have similar situations. Mr. Schainker commented that
the City of Johnston had a lawsuit, but their situation is different from the City of Ames. Mr. Gartin
wanted to know if the City of Ames has had conversations with other peer communities. Mr.
Schainker said that there have been several over the years. Mr. Diekmann stated that the law is
clearly in favor of the rural water providers. Mr. Phillips pointed out that this issue is impacted by
two different layers. The first is the state law that provides the rural water territories and the second
is the federal law that protects the rural water territories against encroachment into the territories that
may jeopardize USDA laws. It is clear that the federal pillar is not going to budge. The state law did
change in 2014 to where any rural water provider was to be held to the same standard of providing
water to a property that had requested it, and the service would need to be provided within a certain
period of time or the rural water company would have to give up the water rights to the City. Mr.
Gartin asked if the Agreement before the Council is something that has been done before. Mr.
Schainker commented that it has not. This is the first Agreement that is comprehensive by bringing
everything into one document. Council Member Betcher pointed out that Beacon lists the fire
districts, but not water. It was discussed whether Beacon could add water service territory to its site.
The Mayor asked about Xenia buying water from the City of Ames and wanted to know if the water
main was big enough; and if not, how would that happen. Mr. Phillips mentioned that if that
happened, it would be in the south part of Ames. If Xenia decided in five years that they would like
to have the territory back under their control, it would make more sense for them to buy water from
11
Ames and bring it south to serve the area as opposed to extending infrastructure from the south to
the north. Mr. Phillips mentioned that there had been several discussions about buying wholesale
water. The Mayor asked if the buy-out provisions were limited to the ten- and five-year areas or were
there other areas that could be bought out. Mr. Phillips noted that is correct at this time, but there is
a possibility for changes in the future.
Mayor Haila asked, hypothetically, if Xenia went away what would happen to the customers who
need water. Director Diekmann noted that he couldn’t imagine 10,000 customers would be left
without water. Mr. Gartin stated a receiver would be established and Xenia would be able to
continue to provide service under receivership.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 554 approving the Agreement
for Water Service Operations and Territory Transfer with Xenia Rural Water District.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared carried/adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
DOWNTOWN FACADE GRANTS: Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to adopt
RESOLUTION NO. 21-555 approving the Downtown Facade Grant for 317 Main Street.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made
a portion of these Minutes.
STAFF REPORT REGARDING REQUEST BY ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT TO
DEFINE “TEMPORARY” IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE: Planning and Housing Director
Kelly Diekmann stated that if the Council wanted to move forward it would be appropriate to address
the unique issue of yard waste facilities.
Council Member Betcher questioned if the Council approved Option 1 with the limited Special Use
Permit could be used as a model in the future. Director Diekmann stated that it could potentially, as
Option 1 is saying “this use is eligible for a permit based on a limited duration” similar to the
Temporary Concrete and Asphalt Batch Plants.
Council Member Gartin noted that the City would limit the amount of unintended consequences by
going with Option 1.
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Betcher, to approve Option 1, which is to create a defined Special
Use Permit (SUP) for “Temporary Waste Processing.”
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Mayor Haila recessed the meeting at 7:55 p.m. and reconvened it at 8:00 p.m.
AMES 2040 PLAN PUBLIC DRAFT COMMENTS: Planning and Housing Director Kelly
Diekmann mentioned that this is follow-up from two weeks ago. No additional comments were
received after the last Staff Report on October 12, 2021. Staff would like the Council’s direction on
three issues. The first was regarding the public comments that were received and if the Council
12
wanted to make any adjustments based on those comments. Secondly, there were some staff-
proposed edits to the text as well as map changes. Lastly, there is new information in the Staff Report
that leads to the crafting of the Implementation Chapter that will go into the Plan before it is adopted.
He noted that he will go over what staff is recommending. Staff would like to have Council’s
feedback on any changes or edits that they would like to make.
Director Diekmann said the first thing he would like to address is in the Land Use Chapter (Chapter
2) that talks about the compatibility matrix (Mixed-Use Planning Process); the question is “What
is staff supposed to do with this.” As the draft Plan went through the public comment period, it
didn’t come up as a question, but staff needed to take action to resolve the ambiguity of it. Staff is
recommending that the pages where indicated in the Staff Report (pages 68-74) be used as advisory
guidelines for future land use/zoning changes, and that they are not to be viewed as project specific
requirements with approval of the Plan. When it comes to map designations, there are some
suggestions from staff in the Report regarding how the community commercial retail (CCR) is
explained and where it is affiliated in the zoning tables. If the Council approved staff’s
recommendations for the map changes, those will be addressed.
Another inconsistency in the text is University land. Director Diekmann had been in conversations
with University officials and University land is shown as “Civic University.” He explained that a
discussion was had regarding if the City should show a land use for University land in case it was
disposed of in the future. Staff had decided to make University land on the map blue and wrote a
Text Policy that indicated that University land should default to the RN-3 neighborhood
classification in areas that have an overlay for redirection, but the City never made an overlay for
redirection so the text was left hanging. In conversations with University officials they preferred the
map to show the property as just “University land.” The Text Policy can be adjusted to no longer
reference an overlay and instead explain how future changes to the University land would be related
to the RN-3 neighborhood. City Manager Steve Schainker asked what two areas needed to be
changed on the map. Mr. Diekmann indicated that there were two properties that were shown as RN-
3 the former site for the Healthy Life Center on Ontario and a property on Mortensen and University
( south of Reiman Gardens that is down by the creek). It was indicated that Veenker was discussed
and is shown on the map as open space; it will be left that way. Director Diekmann commented that
he was not going through each map amendment listed in the Report, but if Council Members wanted
to take any action, they needed to make a motion. He noted that, in Attachment B in the Staff Report,
there are a number of changes that staff was suggesting to change on the map. The Implementation
Chapter is intended to guide administration of the Plan. This chapter would include information
providing context to the Policies and Actions as they related to future decision making. Staff had
categorized the priorities of the Implementation Chapter as: 1) Infrastructure; 2) Development and
Zoning Standards; and 3) Plans and Sub-Areas.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to direct staff to make the Mixed-Use Land Use
pages advisory, rather than mandatory for project review.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
13
Moved by Martin, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to ask staff to clarify in the Plan that the Natural Area
label in the future Land Use map is meant as an informational tool.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously
Moved by Martin, seconded by Junck, to remove CCR zone from the Community Commercial/Retail
designation.
Vote on motion 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Junck, seconded by Betcher, to direct staff to edit Page 64 of the Plan under Development
Guidelines (last bullet) in relation to the redirection area text in relation for University Civic Land
Use Designation to remove the overlay concept, and make the corresponding map change to the two
properties (Ontario and University).
Vote on Motion, 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Mayor Haila stated that one recommendation was to approve the changes that were on Attachment
B. Director Diekmann commented that was correct as Attachment B is all of staff’s recommended
changes to the Future Land Use Map, and it does not incorporate all the other map comments that
were received from the public.
Council Member Martin mentioned that he was looking at Attachment B and wanted to know if the
Council approved the recommended changes whether staff would bring the Plan back to Council
again before the public hearing. Mr. Diekmann noted that his intent is to go straight to public
feedback unless the Council wanted something to come directly back to them first. Mr. Martin stated
that on the map there is a box labeled “West if County Line as Core” and asked for clarification. Mr.
Diekmann explained that it should say “West of County Line as Core.” He mentioned that there was
a large compilation of small areas that are Commercial and Mixed Use and it is the recommendation
to put a Core designation in that area instead of the Commercial Community Retail. It was also noted
that the area could stay NC-MU as that would accomplish the same purposes, but it doesn’t indicate
how much housing could go there. Mr. Martin then questioned the map box that stated “Intended
mix of uses is confusing as represented. Modify to NC-MU and expand RN-3,” and asked for further
information on that recommendation. Director Diekmann indicated that there are too many layers
and the main NC-MU block (darker pink on the map) would stay and the lighter pink would become
yellow for RN-3.
The Mayor stated that he had a conversation earlier with Mr. Diekmann and wanted clarification on
how it would be handled if more school land was needed in the southeast. Director Diekmann
commented that in the past the City has not shown school or potential school ownership options on
the Land Use Map. The text mentions that there might need for parks and schools in areas as growth
areas build out. In conversations with the School Districts, it is hard for them to respond to
something ten years into the future. Mr. Diekmann mentioned that his recommendation, at this time,
is to not put a Land Use “blob” down for a school, but to keep in contact with the School District.
14
Council Member Betcher inquired what would go into the area if “delete RN-5 south of Ioway
Creek” was removed, as recommended. Director Diekmann explained it would go back to an open
space designation. The question was asked if the comments from the public on Page 2 of the Staff
Report were listed on the map. Mr. Diekmann mentioned they were not as the map showed staff’s
recommendations, but did not list any recommendations from the public. He wanted the Council to
decide if any other changes should be made. Haverkamp Properties West Towne Apartments at 4820
Mortenson is requesting a RN-5 designation rather than Neighborhood Commercial Mixed use (NC-
MU). Mr. Diekmann stated that the Haverkamp area should be CCR, not NC-MU, based on the
patterns in the area. Council Member Gartin asked if there was a downside to changing the area to
RN-5. Director Diekmann commented that it would take a subsequent rezoning step in order for the
Haverkamp property to get to its ultimate goal.
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to change the area referenced by Havekerkamp’s letter to
be designated at RN-5.
Council Member Martin stated he was opposed to the motion as it is too big of a change and didn’t
feel that there was enough deliberation to make that change. Mr. Gartin asked what other information
would be needed as the Council has the information on how the property is going to be used. Mr.
Martin mentioned that he would rather put the request on an Agenda for discussion than to make a
change based on one person’s request. Director Diekmann explained that the request is about later
details opposed to the Comprehensive Plan designation. He said his recommendation still stands that
either designation allows for mixed use on the property in the future. Council Member Junck noted
that the Staff Report said it was the recommendation to change this area to CCR or RN-5. Mr.
Diekmann stated that as an Ames 2040 Plan document the request from Haverkamp is beyond the
scope of where they are with the Plan tonight and noted if the Council is not comfortable with the
specific details then he would recommend putting the request from Haverkamp onto a future
Agenda.
Vote on Motion: 1-5. Voting Aye: Gartin. Voting Nay: Betcher, Beatty-Hansen, Corrieri, Junck,
Martin. Motion failed.
Council Member Betcher commented that they just left the property hanging and wanted to know
if the Council will automatically return to the request as a Plan Amendment. It was noted that the
Council would need to give staff further direction.
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to place Mr. Haverkamp’s letter on a future agenda.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Martin, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt the edits as indicated on the map in the Staff
Report (Attachment B).
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
15
Director Diekmann explained that if the Council is comfortable with the list as described in the Staff
Report for the Implementation Chapter, he would recommend a motion directing staff to move
forward with Attachment C in preparation of the Implementation Chapter.
Council Member Martin mentioned on Attachment C under Plans and Sub-areas there is a bulleted
item that said, “Initiate new South Lincoln Mixed Use Sub-Area Plan from Cherry Street to Walnut
Avenue,” and he didn’t remember discussing this area previously and wanted a reminder as to what
the idea was for that area. Director Diekmann explained that 3rd Street runs through the area and goes
from Walnut up to Lincoln Way and over. The area is shown on the map as a redirection area and
staff is recommending prioritizing this particular redirection area for a new Sub-Area Plan.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Junck, to Adopt Attachment C from the Staff Report.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
PLACEMENT OF AGILITY COURSE EQUIPMENT IN CARR PARK: Parks and Recreation
Director Keith Abraham noted that Parks and Facility Superintendent Joshua Thompson has taken
the lead on this project and will be sharing the project information. Mr. Thompson stated that staff
has received requests to diversify the parks. A few examples were shown of the different types of
equipment that could be used for an agility course. It was mentioned that the City of Davenport has
an agility course it ha received a lot of positive feedback to the point where it is already planning on
installing another one. The Parks and Recreation Commission reviewed the following criteria to be
used to review potential sites: Not in a flood plain, visible from the road, fits with parks philosophy,
space is available, is a relatively flat space, parking is available, safety, community/park equity, and
accessibility. The parks that best fit the criteria were: Brookside Park (east of Ioway Creek), Moore
Memorial Park, Carr Park, Northridge Heights Park, Emma McCarthy Lee Park, and Tahira and
Labh Hira Park. A table was shown from the Staff Report that compared the potential locations with
the identified criteria. Mr. Thompson explained that there were four opportunities for the public to
provide feedback. It was brought up that the Carr Pool bathhouse would be demolished as the
building is becoming dilapidated. Future plans for Carr Park include adding 14 raised garden beds
and a water source for the gardens in FY 2021-22. Additionally, a shelter and restroom building will
be constructed in FY 2023-24. The sidewalk along Meadowland Avenue is not continuous and has
resulted in a mid-block crossing and ped-ramp in front of a house, which eliminated some on-street
parking. As part of the project, staff will install a portion of sidewalk making the sidewalk
continuous and eliminate the mid-block crossing and ped-ramp. The Parks and Recreation
Commission recommended approval of the placement of the Agility course in Carr Park.
Council Member Gartin asked for more information on parking. Mr. Thompson explained that
currently the parking lot has 32 spaces with two accessible spots. It was mentioned that staff will be
reviewing the parking lot layout to see if there is a better, more efficient use for the parking space.
Staff felt the parking lot was adequate for the amount of traffic that comes to the Park. The trails
across East River Valley are very popular along with the cross-country ski trails. Staff will continue
to evaluate the parking over time to see what adjustments need to be done. Mr. Gartin stated his only
concern was long-term and if the parking is going to be enough. He pointed out that if the trail
16
farther north is expanded, he feels that the trail is going to be very heavily used. Mr. Gartin was
concerned with the trail expansion and if the Council should be concerned about the location of the
community gardens. Mr. Thompson mentioned that is something that staff could discuss to see if
there is a better location within Carr Park for the gardens, but he would need to talk to Planning and
Housing about the possibility of adding additional parking. City Manager Steve Schainker
commented that the current parking lot has been grandfathered in and if the Council wanted to
expand the parking lot, there would be additional costs. Director Abraham stated that there are other
parking options available that are close to the trails. He felt if they could educate the public as to
where those areas are located, that it would be beneficial.
Council Member Betcher wanted to know if there was going to be any equipment that would be
usable for citizens who are in wheelchairs that want to do upper body workouts. Mr. Thompson
mentioned that during the neighborhood input sessions it was asked if there would be any equipment
that could be accessed from the ground. He noted they are going to meet with manufacturers to see
what can be provided.
Mayor Haila inquired if there would be bike racks. Mr. Thompson indicated that there would be.
Council Member Martin asked if staff felt confident that the revenues that have been established
were adequate to maintain the equipment over a long period of time. Mr. Thompson said that the
budget is able to maintain all playground equipment. The playground equipment is made and
manufactured to hold up for a long period of time. Most of the park equipment is in place for 20
years, and with the warranties on the equipment, any repairs are done easily.
Mayor Haila opened public input and closed it when no one came forward to speak.
Moved by Junck, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-557 to approve Option 1,
which is to approve the placement of the Agility Course Equipment in Carr Park.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes
HEARING ON VACATING UTILITY EASEMENT ACROSS RED LOBSTER PROPERTY
LOCATED AT 1100 BUCKEYE AVENUE: City Attorney Mark Lambert asked the Council to
continue the hearing as staff had not received the signed easement from Red Lobster.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Betcher, to continue the hearing to November 9, 2021.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously
ORDINANCES: None.
DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: All items were addressed earlier in
the meeting.
17
COUNCIL COMMENTS: Ex officio Poundstone mentioned that October 27, 2021, would be the
Joint Student Government and City Council meeting. He will be meeting with a Senator regarding
a couple project ideas that he will mention at the next meeting.
Council Member Gartin stated a comment had been made by Reiny Friedrich regarding Adams
Street. It is a side street that comes off Dawes that has not been paved. He stated that the City
currently has a Policy that they expect the adjoining property owners to pay for the paving, but he
is concerned about short portions like this one. The cost of the pavement would be excessive for the
adjoining property owners; therefore, the area will never get paved.
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to put the comment from Reiny Friedrich on a future
agenda to look into further.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Mayor Haila encouraged everyone to go out and Vote on November 2, 2021. He noted that the
Climate Action Plan Town Hall Meeting was held on October 25, 2021, and the meeting was very
engaging.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Betcher to adjourn the meeting at 9:02 p.m.
______________________________________________________________________
Amy L. Colwell, Deputy City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor
__________________________________
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk
18
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION AMES, IOWA OCTOBER 28, 2021 The Regular Meeting of the Ames Civil Service Commission was called to order by Chairperson Mike Crum at 8:16 a.m. on October 28, 2021. As it was impractical for the Commission members to attend in person, Commission Chairperson Mike Crum and Commission Members Harold Pike and Kim Linduska were brought in telephonically. Also participating telephonically was Human Resources Director Bethany Jorgenson. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 23, 2021: Moved by Crum, seconded by Linduska, to approve the Minutes of the September 23, 2021, Regular Civil Service Commission meeting. Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. CERTIFICATION OF ENTRY-LEVEL APPLICANTS: Moved by Pike, seconded by Linduska, to certify the following individuals to the Ames City Council as Entry-Level Applicants: Mechanic - CyRide Earl (Mark) Peterson 94 James (Jim) Johnson 82 Scott Hassler 80* Daniel Rekemeyer 78 *Includes preference points Police Officer Daniel Simcox 88 Noah DeVenney 80 Jeannie Boro 73 John Hopper 70 Power Plant Auxiliary Operator Kenneth King 85* John Russell 76 Rick Lowe 76 David Crawley 73 Dylan Safly 73 *Includes preference points Process Maintenance Worker James Hammen 86* Tim Seemann 82 Brian Lewis 79 Christian Pitt 78 Carson Burchland 73 Thomas Miller 72 *Includes preference points Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. REQUEST TO REMOVE NAME FROM POWER PLANT MAINTENANCE MECHANIC CERTIFIED LIST: Human Resources Director Bethany Jorgenson advised that the Entry-Level List consisting of two candidates for the Power Plant Maintenance Mechanic was certified by the Commission on August 26, 2021. The reason for the request to remove a name from that Certified List is due to one candidate accepting an offer with the City of Ames and the other viable candidate declining the City’s
Offer of Employment on September 28, 2021. Therefore, there are no candidates remaining on the List. Moved by Linduska, seconded by Crum, to approve the request to remove a name from the Power Plant Maintenance Mechanic Certified List. Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. COMMENTS: Director Jorgenson informed the Commission that it will see more requests to remove candidates from Police Officer Certified Lists and certify new Lists. She noted that the City is trying a new tactic in an effort to fill the ten vacant Police Officer positions. Ms. Jorgenson explained that the City will be running monthly written and agility testing. At the inquiry of Chairperson Crum as to the testing process, Director Jorgenson advised that those who pass the written and agility tests are interviewed. Each candidate’s Civil Service score is determined by the interview. The agility and written tests serve as hurdles and determine who will be invited to interview. To receive a passing score, a candidate must score 70% or higher on the Civil Service Exam. According to Ms. Jorgenson, the Background Check is extensive and takes a lot of time; however, staff is trying to get those done faster. Commission Member Pike asked if the applicants have become better or worse with the political climate across the nation. Director Jorgenson replied that Human Resources is seeing really good candidates, and those who make it through the process seem to have good qualities that align with the City’s values. Chairperson Crum asked if police officers were subject to a residency requirement. Ms. Jorgenson stated that the Union Contract does require police officers to live within so many miles from Ames; however, it is not limited to just the boundaries of Ames. The Commission members were reminded that, at their September meeting, they had approved moving the Regular Meetings in November and December up a week (to November 18 and December 16, 2021, respectively) due to City Hall being closed for the holidays. Therefore, the next Regular Meeting of the Ames Civil Service Commission is scheduled for November 18, 2021, at 8:15 a.m. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 8:29 a.m. __________________________________ _______________________________________
Michael R. Crum, Chairperson Diane R. Voss, City Clerk
REPORT OF
CONTRACT CHANGE ORDERS
General Description Change Original Contract Total of Prior Amount this Change Contact
Electric
Services Overhaul Turbomachinery SV
Company
Period:
Item No. 5
Page 1 of 2
Applicant
NAME OF LEGAL ENTITY
Hy-Vee, Inc.
NAME OF BUSINESS(DBA)
Hy-Vee Market Cafe
BUSINESS
(515) 292-5580
ADDRESS OF PREMISES
3800 Lincoln Way Cafe Area
CITY
Ames
COUNTY
Story
ZIP
50014
MAILING ADDRESS
5820 Westown Pkwy
CITY
West Des Moines
STATE
Iowa
ZIP
50266
Contact Person
NAME
Morgan Beier
PHONE
(515) 267-2871
EMAIL
mbeier@hy-vee.com
License Information
LICENSE NUMBER
LC0041487
LICENSE/PERMIT TYPE
Class C Liquor License
TERM
12 Month
STATUS
Submitted
to Local
Authority
EFFECTIVE DATE
Feb 24, 2021
EXPIRATION DATE
Feb 23, 2022
LAST DAY OF BUSINESS
SUB-PERMITS/PRIVILEGES
Class C Liquor License, Catering, Sunday Service
Item No. 6
Page 2 of 2
Status of Business
BUSINESS TYPE
Privately Held Corporation
Ownership
NAME CITY STATE ZIP POSITION % OF
OWNERSHIP
U.S.
CITIZEN
Randy Edeker Urbandale Iowa 50322 CEO, President 0.00 Yes
Michael
Jurgens
Des
Moines
Iowa 50312 Vice President, Secretary 0.00 Yes
Michael
Skokan
Waukee Iowa 50263 CFO, Treasurer 0.00 Yes
Jeffrey Pierce Waukee Iowa 50263 Ass't Treasurer, Financial
Reporting
0.00 Yes
Insurance Company Information
INSURANCE COMPANY POLICY EFFECTIVE DATE POLICY EXPIRATION DATE
DRAM CANCEL DATE OUTDOOR SERVICE EFFECTIVE
DATE
OUTDOOR SERVICE EXPIRATION
DATE
BOND EFFECTIVE DATE TEMP TRANSFER EFFECTIVE
DATE
TEMP TRANSFER EXPIRATION
DATE
Page 1 of 2
Applicant
NAME OF LEGAL ENTITY
Hy-Vee, Inc.
NAME OF BUSINESS(DBA)
Hy-Vee Market Grille
BUSINESS
(515) 232-1961
ADDRESS OF PREMISES
640 Lincoln Way Market Grille
Area
CITY
Ames
COUNTY
Story
ZIP
50010
MAILING ADDRESS
5820 Westown Parkway
CITY
West Des Moines
STATE
Iowa
ZIP
50266
Contact Person
NAME
Kelly Palmer
PHONE
(515) 267-2949
EMAIL
kpalmer@hy-vee.com
License Information
LICENSE NUMBER
LC0045762
LICENSE/PERMIT TYPE
Class C Liquor License
TERM
12 Month
STATUS
Submitted
to Local
Authority
EFFECTIVE DATE
Aug 20, 2021
EXPIRATION DATE
Aug 19, 2022
LAST DAY OF BUSINESS
SUB-PERMITS/PRIVILEGES
Class C Liquor License, Sunday Service
Item No. 7
Page 2 of 2
Status of Business
BUSINESS TYPE
Privately Held Corporation
Ownership
NAME CITY STATE ZIP POSITION % OF
OWNERSHIP
U.S.
CITIZEN
Randy Edeker Urbandale Iowa 50322 CEO, President 0.00 Yes
Michael
Jurgens
Des
Moines
Iowa 50312 Vice President, Secretary 0.00 Yes
Jeffrey Pierce Waukee Iowa 50263 Asst Treasurer, Financial
Reporting
0.00 Yes
Insurance Company Information
INSURANCE COMPANY POLICY EFFECTIVE DATE POLICY EXPIRATION DATE
DRAM CANCEL DATE OUTDOOR SERVICE EFFECTIVE
DATE
OUTDOOR SERVICE EXPIRATION
DATE
BOND EFFECTIVE DATE TEMP TRANSFER EFFECTIVE
DATE
TEMP TRANSFER EXPIRATION
DATE
Page 1 of 2
Applicant
NAME OF LEGAL ENTITY
Thirsty Pigs LLC
NAME OF BUSINESS(DBA)
Thirsty Pigs
BUSINESS
(515) 203-0773
ADDRESS OF PREMISES
2601 East 13th ST
CITY
Ames
COUNTY ZIP
50010
MAILING ADDRESS
1489 Quill Avenue
CITY
Madrid
STATE
Iowa
ZIP
50156
Contact Person
NAME
Jay Kennedy
PHONE
(515) 203-0773
EMAIL
info@thirstypigs.com
License Information
LICENSE NUMBER LICENSE/PERMIT TYPE
Class C Liquor License
TERM
5 Day
STATUS
Submitted
to Local
Authority
EFFECTIVE DATE EXPIRATION DATE LAST DAY OF BUSINESS
SUB-PERMITS/PRIVILEGES
Class C Liquor License
Item No. 8
Page 2 of 2
Status of Business
BUSINESS TYPE
Sole Proprietor
Ownership
NAME CITY STATE ZIP POSITION % OF OWNERSHIP U.S. CITIZEN
Jay Kennedy Madrid Iowa 50156 Owner 100.00 Yes
Insurance Company Information
INSURANCE COMPANY
Aegis Security Insurance
Company
POLICY EFFECTIVE DATE
June 25, 2021
POLICY EXPIRATION DATE
June 25, 2022
DRAM CANCEL DATE OUTDOOR SERVICE EFFECTIVE
DATE
OUTDOOR SERVICE EXPIRATION
DATE
BOND EFFECTIVE DATE TEMP TRANSFER EFFECTIVE
DATE
TEMP TRANSFER EXPIRATION
DATE
Page 1 of 3
Applicant
NAME OF LEGAL ENTITY
Red Lobster Restaurants, LLC
NAME OF BUSINESS(DBA)
Red Lobster #0747
BUSINESS
(515) 232-2922
ADDRESS OF PREMISES
1100 Buckeye Avenue
CITY
Ames
COUNTY
Story
ZIP
50010
MAILING ADDRESS
ATTN: Licensing PO Box 6508
CITY
Orlando
STATE
Florida
ZIP
32802
Contact Person
NAME
Joyce Leonardi
PHONE
(407) 734-9652
EMAIL
jleonardi@redlobster.com
License Information
LICENSE NUMBER
LC0041047
LICENSE/PERMIT TYPE
Class C Liquor License
TERM
12 Month
STATUS
Submitted
to Local
Authority
EFFECTIVE DATE
July 28, 2021
EXPIRATION DATE
July 27, 2022
LAST DAY OF BUSINESS
SUB-PERMITS/PRIVILEGES
Class C Liquor License, Sunday Service
Item No. 9
Page 2 of 3
Status of Business
BUSINESS TYPE
Limited Liability Company
Ownership
NAME CITY STATE ZIP POSITION % OF
OWNERSHIP
U.S.
CITIZEN
Horace G. Dawson III Maitland Florida 32751 EVP, Secretary & LLC
Manager
0.00 Yes
Red Lobster
Management LLC
Orlando Florida 32801 Owner 100.00 Yes
Douglas Wentz Winter Park Florida 32789 VP and Treasurer 0.00 Yes
Norma Rivera Windermere Florida 34786 VP, Assistant
Secretary
0.00 Yes
Joel Chick Winter
Garden
Florida 34787 President 0.00 Yes
Insurance Company Information
INSURANCE COMPANY
ZURICH-AMERICAN INS
COMPANY
POLICY EFFECTIVE DATE POLICY EXPIRATION DATE
DRAM CANCEL DATE OUTDOOR SERVICE EFFECTIVE
DATE
OUTDOOR SERVICE EXPIRATION
DATE
Page 3 of 3
BOND EFFECTIVE DATE TEMP TRANSFER EFFECTIVE
DATE
TEMP TRANSFER EXPIRATION
DATE
#$%%%&'#( !)**+,#$%%%&-.-(/-*0,1/243%%:;<% 6=>.+5 " >?"$ %=!@<A4-++./'3%%C>" '>?!67>?%!D;A4-+5+24L&-.-(/-*0,1/2 968>7?>?MN ;7BO!P8!
F#3 "%U43 4"9;??6V !@68>7?>3.1!7=W %$%% X 6==>B=!!8;9 =W!@6=<'[43''>8\Z1+1.%' #$%%%
Item No. 10
&'( )#*&4567 6163 859 9+ 565+0 :+;+<03= >59 ?@ @4565830 F F!DG( *!D (H# IJKJL MH*!B NJJOJJ !D! F!DG( *!D (H# IJPJL 'M JOJJ !D$!%% F!DG( *!D (H# IJPJL !RB! #B& JOJJ !DF!DG( *!D (H# IJPJL 'SM JOJJ !DF!DG( *!D (H# IJPJL 'MM JOJJ !D W5-V
'MG X M 'SS'YFX M 'Z TXMFX FX MFMMTTY'SS'YFXMFMMTTY'Z TXMFX
Smart Choice
515.239.5133 non-emergency
Administration
fax
To: Mayor John Haila and Ames City Council Members
From: Lieutenant Heath Ropp, Ames Police Department
Date: November 2, 2021
Subject: Beer Permits & Liquor License Renewal Reference City Council Agenda
The Council agenda for November 9th, 2021, includes beer permits and liquor license
renewals for:
•AJ’s Liquor III (2401 A Chamberlain St) - Class E Liquor License
•Kum & Go #7706 (2320 Lincoln Way) - Class E Liquor License, Class B Wine, Class C
Beer Permit (Carryout Beer) and Sunday Sales
A review of police records for the past 12 months found no liquor law violations for the
above locations. The Ames Police Department recommends the license renewal for the
above businesses.
Item 11a and 11e
Smart Choice
515.239.5133 non-emergency
Administration
fax
515
The Council agenda for November 9th, 2021 includes beer permits and liquor license
renewals for:
•Neighborhood Liquor & Smokes (3505 Lincoln Way Ste 105) - Class E Liquor License
with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer) and Sunday Sales
A review of police records for the past 12 months found one liquor law violation for the
above business. During a compliance check on March 26th, 2021 an employee sold
alcohol to a minor and was cited accordingly. A follow-up compliance check was
completed, and no violations were recorded.
•Chocolaterie Stam (230 Main St) - Class B Native Wine Permit with Sunday Sales
A review of police records for the past 12 months found one liquor law violation for the
above business. During a compliance check on April 16th, 2021 an employee sold
alcohol to a minor and was cited accordingly. A follow-up compliance check was
completed, and no violations were recorded.
The Police Department will continue to monitor the above locations by conducting
regular foot patrols, bar checks and by educating the staff through trainings and quarterly
meetings. The Ames Police Department recommends license renewal for the above
businesses.
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
Item No. 11b and 11d
Smart Choice
515.239.5133 non-emergency
Administration
fax
To: Mayor John Haila and Ames City Council Members
From: Lieutenant Heath Ropp, Ames Police Department
Date: November 2, 2021
Subject: Beer Permits & Liquor License Renewal Reference City Council Agenda
The Council agenda for November 9th, 2021 includes beer permits and liquor license
renewals for:
• Outlaws (2522 Chamberlain St) Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service & Sunday
Sales
A review of police records for the past 12 months found 13 liquor law violations.
Twelve individuals were cited for being underage on premise and 3 of those individuals
were in possession of a fake ID. During a compliance check on March 25th, 2021 an
employee sold alcohol to a minor and was cited accordingly. A follow up compliance
check was completed and no violations were recorded.
So far, the Police Department has made recommendations to Outlaws management to
improve their performance by providing additional staffing and utilizing the Iowa ABD
Age to Purchase mobile application to scan identifications to ensure validity.
Management acknowledged these recommendations and will put these additional
measures in place.
During this 12-month period, The Police Department will continue to monitor the above
location by conducting regular foot patrols, bar checks and by educating the bar staff
through trainings and quarterly meetings. The Ames Police Department recommends
license renewal for the above businesses.
1
ITEM # _ 12___
DATE 11-09-21
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: ACVB SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING AGREEMENT
BACKGROUND:
The Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) receives a substantial portion of its
operating revenue from Hotel/Motel taxes. Five-sevenths of the City’s Hotel Motel Tax is
transferred to the ACVB for the purpose of investing in events and activities that draw
people to Ames.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hotel revenues in Ames decreased substantially ($16.5
million from March to November 2020 compared to the prior year). This, in turn, caused
a significant decrease in the funding going to ACVB for its operations. At ACVB’s
request, the City Council included $35,000 in its FY 2020/21 adjusted budget for a one-
time supplemental payment to ACVB. This amount would come from the City’s
Hotel/Motel Tax Fund.
An agreement has prepared to administer the payment of these funds. Upon approval,
the City would remit the $35,000 to ACVB, provided that ACVB agrees to use the funds
to pursue events and conferences to be hosted in Ames, and for incentives to support
groups already committed to holding events in Ames (where ACVB is contractually
obligated to provide such incentives). ACVB would submit a report by June 30, 2022 to
the City outlining the actual expenditures made with this supplemental funding.
Separately, the City Council allocated funds in its budget to provide ACVB with a loan in
the amount of $75,000. ACVB has not yet determined whether this loan will be
necessary. As ACVB completes its budgeting process in the coming months, the
organization will notify the City whether the loan is necessary or if ACVB will
forego the loan.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve the attached supplemental funding agreement with ACVB in the amount
of $35,000.
2. Direct staff to modify the terms of the supplemental funding agreement.
3. Do not approve the supplemental funding agreement.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
2
The City budget contains the $35,000 to be provided to ACVB under this agreement.
ACVB will be required to use these funds to further its objectives to attract and retain
events and conferences in Ames, which will benefit the Ames community by stimulating
the local economy.
Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt
Alternative No. 1 as described above.
1
SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE CITY OF AMES, IOWA
AND
AMES CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU, INC.
THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into the ___ day of _____________, 2021, by
and between the CITY OF AMES, IOWA, a municipal corporation organized and existing
pursuant to the laws of the State of Iowa (hereinafter sometimes called “City” or “City of
Ames”) and AMES CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU, INC. (an entity organized and
existing pursuant to the laws of the State of Iowa and hereinafter sometimes called “ACVB”);
WITNESSETH THAT:
WHEREAS, the City of Ames and ACVB have partnered since 1987 to encourage and
promote the Ames community as a location for conventions, conferences, entertainment, events,
and recreation; and
WHEREAS, the City transfers 5/7ths of the annual proceeds from Hotel/Motel Tax
revenues to the ACVB to finance its operations; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decrease of over $16,500,000 in
hotel revenues from March to November 2020 compared to the same period in the previous year;
and
WHEREAS, this decrease in hotel/motel revenues has caused a significant negative
impact on ACVB’s operations; and
WHEREAS, the City of Ames desires the ACVB to effectively carry out its mission to
recruit visitors to the Ames community for the benefit of the local quality of life and economy;
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto have agreed and do agree as follows:
I
ONE-TIME SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING
1) Within 30 days of the execution of this Agreement, the City of Ames agrees to remit
to ACVB the sum of $35,000 from the City’s Hotel/Motel Tax Fund balance.
2) ACVB agrees to utilize this amount:
a) to pursue events and conferences to be hosted in Ames; and
b) for incentives to support groups already committed to hold events in Ames,
which incentives ACVB is contractually obligated to provide.
2
3) No later than June 30, 2022, ACVB shall furnish the City a report detailing the uses
of the funds provided under this Agreement.
II
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING AND ADMINISTRATION
1) All monies disbursed under this Agreement shall be accounted for by the accrual
method of accounting.
2) At such time and in such form as the City may require, there shall be furnished to
the City such statements, records, reports, data, and information as the City may require with
respect to the use made of monies disbursed hereunder. ACVB may dispose of such documents
only after a period of five years from their creation.
III
DURATION, TERMINATION, AND AMENDMENT
1) This Agreement shall be in full force and effect from and after the date first
written above.
2) This Agreement shall be terminated upon verification by the City that a final
report has been received and all other terms of this Agreement have been met.
3) This Agreement may be amended only by mutual written consent of the parties.
IV
DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITED
In accordance with Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code, no person shall, on the grounds of age,
race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex
be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination
under any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds made available under this
Agreement.
(Signatures follow on next page)
3
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have, by their authorized representatives,
set their hand and seal as of the date first above written.
CITY OF AMES, IOWA ATTEST:
BY______________________________ __________________________________
Authorized Representative Diane Voss, City Clerk
AMES CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU, INC.
BY______________________________
Authorized Representative
1
ITEM # ___13__
DATE 11-09-21
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: REQUEST FROM AIOFA TO DRAW DOWN FY 2020/21 COTA
ANNUAL GRANT FUNDS
BACKGROUND:
The Ames International Orchestra Festival Association (AIOFA) was allocated $9,900 in
funding through the FY 2020/21 Commission on the Arts (COTA) Annual Grant funding
process. A contract was signed between the City and AIOFA, which expired on June 30,
2021. AIOFA completed the activities required to receive payment under the grant
contract.
AIOFA representatives submitted a final report to the City Manager’s Office at the
conclusion of the fiscal year as required by the grant contract but did not submit any
requests for reimbursement to the Finance Department prior to the conclusion of the
grant period. Therefore, the $9,900 in allocated funding was not drawn down, and was
retained in the Local Option Sales Tax Fund.
On November 1, City staff received a letter from AIOFA, indicating that an oversight
resulted in the reimbursement request not being submitted prior to the conclusion of the
grant contract term (Attached). Because the contract term has already concluded, City
Council approval is required to release funds from the Local Option Sales Tax Fund
balance to the agency.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Authorize staff to reimburse AIOFA $9,900 from the Local Option Sales Tax Fund
balance for a claim under its FY 2020/21 COTA Annual Grant.
2. Do not approve the request.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
An oversight resulted in the drawdown request for AIOFA not being submitted to City
staff prior to the deadline for FY 2020/21 claims. Because the final report and the
reimbursement requests are typically sent to different City departments, City staff and
AIOFA were unaware that the reimbursement was not being processed. Since FY
2020/21 claims have been closed out, funding to approve this request would need to be
provided from the Local Option Sales Tax Fund available balance.
Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt
Alternative No. 1 as described above.
Caring People Quality Programs Exceptional Service
515.239.5146 main
fax
Legal Department
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
A development agreement and Establishment of the Ames Community Park Tax
Increment Finance (TIF) District was approved for the property at 238 Alexander
(and other nearby properties) on June 1, 1992. The agreement specified a time
frame by which the developer had to construct speculative buildings and also
established minimum assessed valuations in order to finance the public
improvements within the subdivision.
The property has been sold by Circo Enterprises, LLC, to B Squared LLC, and
the buyer has requested that the Ames City Council release the property from
the agreement. The City’s Finance Director has verified there is no outstanding
TIF debt for this District. The agreement has been in effect for more than 21
years and the covenants contained therein are expired per Iowa law. However,
the parties are requesting the release from the terms of the agreement in order
to clear up any issues on the property’s title.
The Council has previously approved a similar release for a nearby property.
ALTERNATIVES:
1.Approve a resolution stating that the terms of the 1992 development
agreement, as they apply to 238 Alexander, have been satisfied and that
this property is released from the development agreement.
2.Deny the request.
Item No. 14
3. Refer this item back to staff for further information.
RECOMMENDATION:
Because this TIF district is fully developed and the debt issued to pay for the
infrastructure improvements has been paid off, there is no need for the City to
retain the property owner’s participation with the terms of the agreement.
Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Attorney that the City Council
approve Alternative #1, acknowledging that the terms of the development
agreement as they apply to 238 Alexander have been satisfied and approving
the release of this property from the development agreement.
1
ITEM#: 15
DATE: 11-09-21
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: PROPOSED STREET NAME CHANGE FOR SQUAW CREEK DRIVE
BACKGROUND:
Earlier in 2021, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names changed the name of Squaw
Creek to Ioway Creek in response to a citizen’s request. This name change was
supported by City Council and the Story County Board of Supervisors. The creek
signage has been updated to reflect the new name. At the time the name change
became official, staff was directed to identify additional features within the City of Ames
that have “Squaw” in the name; One such feature is Squaw Creek Drive.
The City has adopted an Administrative Program for Street Naming and Addressing.
This program and its standards are designed to name and number streets and
addresses in a manner that assists emergency service agencies, the United States
Postal Service, and the public in the timely and efficient provision of services.
Using the standards in that policy, City staff has identified two potential alternative
street names for City Council to consider:
2
1. Stonehaven Drive is a continuation of the existing north-south Stonehaven Drive
that ties into the east end of Squaw Creek Drive. This option would create an “L”
shaped street. The segment lengths meet the criteria for “L” shaped street names
found in the City’s Administrative Program for Street Naming and Addressing.
2. Ioway Creek Drive is consistent with the creek name change to Ioway Creek,
which is named after a local tribe of indigenous people. The Parks & Recreation
Commission, in a separate action, is recommending that the City Council change
the name of Squaw Creek Park (approximately ¼ mile southwest of Squaw
Creek Drive) to Ioway Creek Park.
Under both options, the existing address numbers can still be utilized. The parking
ordinance will also have to be updated to reflect the new street name.
FEEDBACK FROM PROPERTY OWNERS AND EMERGENCY STAFF:
Staff has reached out to the five owners of property along Squaw Creek Drive for input.
Four owners prefer the option of extending Stonehaven Drive. One has not responded.
Staff also reached out to 9-1-1 personnel for input regarding how a street name change
may affect emergency response. The Fire Chief has indicated that either name is
acceptable, but favors Stonehaven Drive since it is a continuation of a current road.
The Police dispatch supervisor recommends Stonehaven Drive, as there is an existing
street called “Iowa Avenue,” which could be confused with “Ioway Creek Drive” in an
emergency. The address range of what is now “Squaw Creek Drive” does not overlap
with the address range of Iowa Avenue; however, if Squaw Creek Drive was renamed to
Ioway Creek Drive and was extended to the west, an address overlap is possible with
Iowa Avenue. This could increase potential confusion about the location of an
emergency.
NEXT STEPS IN NOTIFYING PROPERTY OWNERS:
Street name changes require Council to approve a City ordinance before the name
change becomes legal. Once that is complete, staff will send change of address letters
to all affected property owners informing them of the new street name change. Copies
of the letter are sent to various City departments, the Post Office, Story County offices,
and utility companies so they are aware of the change. If the property is a rental, the
property owner is responsible for notifying any occupants of the address change. If the
property owners request, staff is willing to assist with notifying occupants of the change.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve the renaming of Squaw Creek Drive to Stonehaven Drive and direct the
City Attorney to draft the street name change and corresponding changes to the
parking ordinance for future approval by the City Council.
3
2. Approve the renaming of Squaw Creek Drive to Ioway Creek Drive.
3. Retain the name of Squaw Creek Drive.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
In light of the offensive nature of the term for the existing street, and since the creek it
references has also been renamed, it is appropriate to rename Squaw Creek Drive to a
more suitable name. Staff has developed two alternatives using the adopted street
naming policies. After consultation with property owners and emergency services,
Stonehaven Drive appears to be the preferred renaming option in creating an L-
shaped street. Using this name also avoids potential confusion that might arise
by naming the street after Ioway Creek.
Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt
Alternative No. 1, as described above.
ITEM#: 16
DATE: 11-09-21
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: AMENDMENT TO IOWAY CREEK WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
AUTHORITY 28E AGREEMENT TO ADD HAMILTON COUNTY
BACKGROUND:
The City of Ames is a founding member of the 28E Agreement (created in 2012) which
formed what is now the Ioway Creek Watershed Management Authority (WMA), along
with other cities, counties, and soil and water conservation districts from the watershed.
The mission of the WMA is to engage, educate, and encourage all citizens to improve
the health, stewardship, and resiliency of our watershed resources.
The purpose of this amendment is to accept the Hamilton County Board of
Supervisors as a collaborator on the Ioway Creek Watershed Management
Authority. Attached is a letter from the current Chair of the WMA requesting an
amendment to the 28E Agreement with this purpose.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve a resolution confirming the affirmative vote to accept the Hamilton
County Board of Supervisors as a collaborator on the Ioway Creek Watershed
Management Authority.
2. Suggest different members to be considered for this WMA.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Including Hamilton County in the Ioway Creek WMA will be a positive addition to the
group. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council
adopt Alternative No. 1, as noted above.
Representative Name
Organization
Address Line 1
City, State, ZIP
July 15th 2021
Dear Ioway Creek Watershed Management Authority Collaborators,
This letter on behalf of my organization will act as confirmation of a certified resolution, affirming our
vote to amend the 28E agreement.
The purpose of this amendment is to accept the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors as a collaborator
on the Ioway Creek Watershed Management Authority.
As stated in Section 11 of the 28E agreement, the amendment process will include the following steps:
11.1 This agreement may be amended at any time by an affirmative vote of the governing bodies of all
cooperators. Any cooperator desiring an amendment shall notify the other cooperators of its desire, and
the reasons for the request.
11.2 Such a request shall be in writing to the other governing bodies of the cooperators, and shall be
considered by their governing body without reasonable delay and within no more than 90 days of receipt.
11.3 If the request is agreed to by the other cooperators, each cooperator shall prepare and submit to the
others a certified resolution confirming the affirmative vote of the cooperator's governing body.
11.4 The amendment shall take effect 10 days following receipt of the last such resolution by the other
cooperators. Amendments shall be filed and recorded as required by Section 16 hereof.
Sincerely,
Representative
Representative’s Organization
1
ITEM # 17
DATE: 11-09-21
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: 2020/21 SOUTH DAYTON IMPROVEMENTS
BACKGROUND:
The South Dayton Gateway area has experienced an increase in traffic congestion over
the last several years. Economic growth in the South Bell Avenue industrial district, as
well as along SE 16th Street, has contributed to this congestion. The completion of the
northbound to westbound fly-over bridge at the Interstate 35 and US Highway 30
interchange has made mitigating the congestion on South Dayton Avenue a priority.
In order to address this congestion, capacity improvements are needed at the SE 16th
Street and South Dayton Avenue intersection, and signalizing is necessary at the ramp
terminals at the South Dayton Avenue and US Highway 30 interchange. To reduce the
impact of long lead times for traffic signal poles and cabinets, staff has solicited
bids on the poles and cabinets prior to letting the construction of the project.
On October 28, 2021, bids were received for the traffic signal poles and signal cabinets
as follows:
Traffic Signal Poles
Bidder Total Bid
Engineer’s estimate $67,000
JTH Lighting Alliance $78,348
Valmont Industries $94,988
Traffic Signal Cabinets
Bidder Total Bid
Engineer’s estimate $75,000
General Traffic Controls, Inc. $80,360
Staff has evaluated the bids and determined that the low bid from JTH Lighting Alliance
for the traffic signal poles and the bid from General Traffic Controls, Inc. for traffic signal
cabinets are both acceptable.
The engineering, construction administration, and construction budget for this project is
currently programmed with $700,000 in G.O. Bonds and $400,000 in U-STEP Grant
Funds for a total of $1,100,000. Awarding the traffic signal pole and cabinet bids
2
results in $941,292 in available funding for the remainder of the project. The current
construction cost estimate is $722,000 for the remainder of the project.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. a. Award the Traffic Signal Poles purchase to JTH Lighting Alliance of Apple
Valley, Minnesota in the amount of $78,348.
b. Award the Traffic Signal Cabinets purchase to General Traffic Controls, Inc. of
Spencer, Iowa in the amount of $80,360.
2. Reject the bids and direct staff to purchase equipment at the time the bids are
solicited for the construction of the roadway improvements.
CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Proceeding with these purchases will make it possible to receive these signal components
in time for 2022 construction year.
Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt
Alternative No. 1, as described above.
FEET
6030
SCALE
O
August 2020
US HWY 30 & SE 16th St
2020-21 S. Dayton Improvements
G.2
FEET
6030
SCALE
O
August 2020
US HWY 30 & SE 16th St
2020-21 S. Dayton Improvements
G.2
SE 16th Street
S Dayton
Ave
US HWY 30
SE 16th Street
S Dayton
Ave
US HWY 30
1
ITEM # ____18__
DATE 11-09-21
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: CHANGE ORDER 2 - WATER TREATMENT PLANT REMOTE SITE
RADIO AND PLC UPGRADES
BACKGROUND:
The Water Utility uses radios and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to monitor and
control conditions at the various remote sites operated by the utility. These sites include
water towers, pump stations, and wells. Some of this equipment had been experiencing
ongoing communication problems, necessitating a replacement project to ensure
reliable operation.
On January 12th, 2021, the City Council approved preliminary plans and specifications
and issued a Notice to Bidders for the Water Treatment Plant Remote Site Radio and
PLC Upgrades. Jetco, Inc. was awarded the project for $45,340 on February 19, 2021.
As the project has progressed, items have been identified that need to be addressed
and would result in a change to the contract. One previous change has been
authorized by the Department Head in accordance with the City’s Purchasing Policies,
for an increase of $1,215.
Staff is recommending the replacement of five additional radios and PLCs for the
SAM and NADC pump stations. Since the project began, there have been
additional communication failures with other remote sites. The pump station
equipment was not included in the original project scope because they were still
working at the time and were expensive to replace. Staff recommends their
replacement be incorporated into the project due to the ongoing problems, long
equipment lead times, and high costs associated with obsolete repair equipment.
With the completion of this project, over 90% of the PLCs will be interchangeable within
the Water Plant and provide redundancy for future repair situations.
Below is a breakdown of Change Order 2.
DESCRIPTION COST
Additional Radio Equipment: 5 Radios + accessories $8,909
NADC Pump Station PLC Upgrade $13,695
SAM Pump Station PLC Upgrade $13,275
Extend project completion date to 6/1/22 due to equipment lead times
TOTAL AMOUNT - CHANGE ORDER #2: $35,879
2
The budget for this change order includes in part the unused contingency for this project
that will not be needed. The additional funds needed will come from savings from the
FY 2020/21 Automatic Meter Reading CIP project. The funding summary is shown
below:
Change Order Budget
Unused Contingency Funds $ 22,751
Automatic Meter Reading CIP Savings 13,128
Change Order Amount $ 35,879
The revised project budget has been adjusted to include this change order.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve Change Order 2 in the amount of $35,879 to Jetco, Inc.
2. Do not approve the Change Order at this time.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
The Water Treatment Plant monitors and controls all remotes sites via data telemetry
radios and programmable logic controllers. Replacement of this equipment will ensure
that Water Plant personnel can efficiently and reliably communicate with the remote
sites associated with treating drinking water. The ability to monitor and control the
groundwater wells, pump stations, and water towers is essential to the water treatment
process.
Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt
Alternative No. 1 as described above.
(This action)
Revised Contract Amount $82,434
ITEM #19
DATE:11-09-21
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: 2019/20 MULTI-MODAL ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS (MORTENSEN
ROAD WEST OF SOUTH DAKOTA AVE)
BACKGROUND:
Multi-modal transportation refers to the various modes used by Ames residents to travel
throughout the community. This program is aimed at improving the roadway to create a
safer interaction between modes through enhancing crossing visibility at intersections,
bike detection, and on-street facilities (e.g. bike lanes, sharrows). This project installed
new accessible ramps at the intersections of Mortensen Road & Miller Avenue and
Mortensen Road & Poe Avenue and also removal of the old Cy-Ride turnaround at
Miller Avenue including the construction of standard intersection corners at this location.
On August 25, 2020, City Council a warded the project to Con-Struct, Inc. of Ames, Iowa
in the amount of $65,495.95. Two change orders were administratively approved by staff
in the amount of $12,613.39 to reflect final measured quantities which included adding
the reconstruction of the ramp at the NW corner of Mortensen and South Dakota,
bringing the final construction cost to $78,109.34.
Revenues and expenses for this project are shown below:
Funding Sources Expenses
Total $110,000 Total $96,809.34
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Accept the 2019/20 Multi-Modal Roadway Improvements (Mortensen Road, west of
South Dakota Ave) project as completed by Con-Struct, Inc. of Ames, Iowa in the
amount of $78,109.34.
2. Direct staff to pursue modification to the project.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
The project has now been completed in accordance with the approved plans and
specifications. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City
Council adopt Alternative No. 1, as described above.
ITEM # _ _20__
DATE: 11-09-21
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: PLAT OF SURVEY FOR 4909 WEST 190TH STREET IN STORY COUNTY
BACKGROUND:
The City’s subdivision regulations are found in Chapter 23 of the Ames Municipal Code.
These regulations include the process for creating or modifying property boundaries and
for determining if any improvements are required in conjunction with the platting of
property. The regulations also describe the process for combining existing platted lots or
adjusting the boundary lines of existing tracts. These regulations also apply to divisions
of land or boundary line adjustments in unincorporated Story County, except where the
Urban Fringe Plan’s 28E agreement has delegated authority to the County. In this
situation there is joint authority with Story County over the proposed Plat of Survey.
Land owner, Ells and Elizabeth Cackler, are seeking a boundary line adjustment for
property currently identified as 4909 West 190th Street in rural Story County within 2 miles
of the Ames City limits. The existing three parcels are located on 83.46 acres along the
west side of Ioway Creek. The majority area of the parcels are within the flood plain of the
Ioway Creek. (See Attachment A). The owners currently reside in a home on the middle
parcel. (See Attachment B)
The City Council discussed options related to dividing the Cackler’s property at its
August 24th meeting. It was determined at that time by Council the owners should
pursue a boundary line adjustment in conformance with the Ames Urban Fringe
Plan.
The proposed plat of survey (Attachment C) creates two parcels from the existing
three parcels. The new parcels will be under the same ownership. The proposed new
north parcel has no direct street frontage. The creation of two parcels (Parcels H & G) out
of the existing three parcels is being done in order to construct a home on the new north
parcel (Parcel H) in the future. The owner is providing access easement from 190th street
to the new north parcel (Parcel H) as it will otherwise have no street frontage. This
approach is consistent with Story County lot standards for A-1 zoning within the County.
The Urban Fringe land use designation in this area is Natural Area. This land use applies
to environmentally sensitive areas, significant natural habitat, parks and open spaces and
greenways. Much of the land in question is within a designated floodplain with a mixture
of nearby woodlands and grassland. The Natural Area designation policies prevent
subdivisions for new non-farm residential development but may include farm and non-
farm residences existing at the time of adoption of the Urban Fringe plan.
This proposal creates one less lot after the boundary line adjustment and as a
result is not creating any new developed lots that were not already developable
under County regulations. The reduction of parcels in this case is seen to be within
the development rights that the property owner currently has according to the
County. One additional home can be built on the south parcel of the existing
property now. The proposed Plat of Survey creates no net gain of new residences
here and instead shifts the buildable area from the current south parcel of the
property to the new north parcel.
Story County subdivision regulations would permit the creation of this parcel by a Plat of
Survey as a result of it being created from a legally created parcel. Staff has consulted
with the Story County Planning Department and have been informed the proposed
Plat of Survey meets Story County requirements. Story County will act to approve the
proposed Survey after City of Ames review and approval.
Staff finds that the proposed plat of survey does not permit for more residential
lots than can already be developed currently and therefore does not conflict with
the intent of the Natural Area designation in the Ames Urban Fringe Plan.
Additionally, as a Boundary Line adjustment there are no required public infrastructure
improvements associated with the proposal per City of Ames Subdivision standards. No
waivers of subdivision requirements are requested and no covenants for future
annexation are required.
Approval of this plat of survey will allow the applicant to prepare the official plat of survey
and submit it to the Planning and Housing Director for review. The Director will sign the
plat of survey confirming that it fully conforms to all conditions of approval. The prepared
plat of survey may then be signed by the surveyor, who will submit it for recording, along
with the resolution of approval in the office of the County Recorder.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. The City Council can approve the resolution approving the plat of survey if the City
Council finds that the requirements for plats of survey as described in Section 23.308
and 23.309 have been satisfied.
2. The City Council can deny the proposed plat of survey if the City Council finds that the
requirements for plats of survey as described in Section 23.308 and 23.309 have not
been satisfied.
3. The City Council can refer this back to staff and/or the owner for additional information.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff has determined that the proposed plat of survey satisfies all Code requirements and
meets the intent of the Ames Urban Fringe Plan in rural Story County and has made a
preliminary decision of approval. No infrastructure improvements are required consistent
with the Urban Fringe Plan as no additional residential lots are created.
Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council
accept Alternative #1.
ADDENDUM
PLAT OF SURVEY FOR 4909 WEST 190th STREET
Application for a plat of survey has been submitted for:
Conveyance parcel (per Section 23.307)
Boundary line adjustment (per Section 23.309)
Re-plat to correct error (per Section 23.310)
Auditor’s plat (per Code of Iowa Section 354.15)
Other. County division to create a parcel for conservation purposes.
The site is located at: 4909 West 190th Street in rural Story County in the Ames Urban
Fringe
Owners: Ells & Elizabeth Cackler
Parcel ID: 0518400405
0518400100
0518200305
New Legal Descriptions:
Public Improvements:
The preliminary decision of the Planning Director finds that approval requires all public
improvements associated with and required for the proposed plat of survey be:
Installed prior to creation and recordation of the official plat of survey and
prior to issuance of zoning or building permits.
Delayed, subject to an improvement guarantee as described in Section
23.409.
Not Applicable, as a boundary line adjustment
Attachment A- Location With Existing Parcels
Attachment B- Existing Conditions
Attachment C- Plat of Survey
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
1st community engagement festival in Ames, Iowa
September 25, 2021
FINAL REPORT
Course: CRP 455/555 Smart and Sustainable Cities, Fall 2021
Participating students: Shiva Afshari, Jacob Bolten, Max Gula, Jake Hall, Hailey Holder, Zachary
Huggins, Thomas Kosacz, Anna Mullen, Robert Pechman, Marco Perla, Brock Radke, Emily Rizvic,
Andrew Snyder, Jeev Sodhi, Kaleb Stevens, Madison Stolen, Daunte Thompson, Spencer
Thompson, Timothy Tobin, Sarah Walker, Noah Watson, Eli Wilson, Amber Wittrock, Benjamin
Woeber, and Nicole Yi Wen Yap.
Team leaders: Stella Schroeder, Natalie M. Jacobson, Fatema Nourin, Vishnu Priya Sairamesh
Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alenka Poplin
Funding: City of Ames and Community and Regional Planning Department Collaborative
Interdisciplinary Fund, College of Design, Iowa State University
Item No. 21
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Dear readers,
It is our pleasure to be able to present this report to you. It summarizes our experience organizing
the first community engagement festival Play Ames: Imagine your City. The festival was organized
on September 25, 2021 in the City of Ames. It was the result of the collaboration between the City
of Ames and the Community and Regional Planning Department, College of Design at Iowa State
University. In January 2020, the City of Ames and Iowa State University agreed on a collaboration
which was summarized in the document titled Request for Assistance (RFA). The City of Ames is
represented by Steve Schainker, City Manager, and Dr. Gloria Betcher, City Counselor. The
Community and Regional Planning Department (CRP), Iowa State University (ISU) is represented by
Dr. Alenka Poplin. Play Ames: Imagine your City community festival was developed as an idea based
on the work accomplished by the previous classes:
• Spring 2020, DSN564 Interdisciplinary Option Studio. Report: Sustainable Mobility for Smart
Cities: Studies of Ames, Iowa
• Fall 2020, CRP532/432 Community Planning Studio. Report: Engaging Residents in Urban
Planning: Focus on Ames, Iowa
The main ideas of the festival were to:
• Create a series of playful learning engagement methods and techniques to engage residents
and that may engage underrepresented and marginalized communities
• Bring engagement into the neighborhoods
• Evaluate the implemented engagement methods and techniques
The festival was organized at four different locations in the City of Ames. For each of these locations
a student team leader was responsible for the generation of ideas, organization and implementation
of the engagement activities. They worked closely together with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alenka Poplin, ISU
instructor. The team leaders for the respective locations were:
• Reliable street: Stella Schroeder, a PhD candidate and specialist in place-making at the PhD
candidate at University del Bío-Bío, Concepción, Chile
• Franklin park: Vishnu Priya Sairamesh (graduate student). Sensory urbanism as an
engagement method
• East 7th Street: Fatema Nourin (graduate student). Engaging residents with spatial thinking
and mapping
• 5th Street and Burnett: Natalie M. Jacobson (undergraduate student). Engaging residents
with creative painting and learning about painting techniques
This festival would not have been possible without their dedication, hard work, inspiration and
positive spirit! Thank you to all!
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
An event like that cannot be organized without an amazing support from many people who we thank
for their dedicated work, inspiration, generation of ideas, and financial support. The students
enrolled in the Fall 2021 CRP455/555 course Smart and Sustainable Cities were amazing. All thanks
goes to them for the excellent implementation of these ideas.
The inspiring students that significantly contributed to the success of the festival were: Shiva
Afshari, Jacob Bolten, Max Gula, Jake Hall, Hailey Holder, Zachary Huggins, Thomas Kosacz, Anna
Mullen, Robert Pechman, Marco Perla, Brock Radke, Emily Rizvic, Andrew Snyder, Jeev Sodhi,
Kaleb Stevens, Madison Stolen, Daunte Thompson, Spencer Thompson, Timothy Tobin, Sarah
Walker, Noah Watson, Eli Wilson, Amber Wittrock, Benjamin Woeber, and Nicole Yi Wen Yap.
Climate Change Action Theater and ISU FLEx Forward Learning Experience mobile STEM program
were amazing collaborators. Thank you to Vivian M. Cook for her passion for climate change and
theater and to Peter Evans and Yamille X. Perez for their dedication to virtual reality, STEM
education and women in science.
Special thanks go to the students engaged in the CRP Undergraduate Club including Joshua
Stephens, Michael Blank, Matthew Smith, and Christopher Craig. Their help was essential for the
success of the festival. Two additional wonderful and very helpful volunteers at the festival were
two students enrolled in the CRP251 Fundamentals of GIS, Keegan Haines and Imran Maszeri. Thank
you to Maria Freeman for the language improvements of this text. ISU Alumni, Kishor Kumar Sridhar,
contributed great pictures – thank you!
Thank you also to Prof. Dr. Francis Owusu for his continuing support. With his help, the festival was
funded by the CRP Collaborative Interdisciplinary Fund which combined with the funds from our
RFA provided by the City of Ames made this festival possible.
Our immense thanks go to the representatives of the City of Ames. Steve Schainker, the city
manager, and Dr. Gloria Betcher, city councilor, were our amazing collaborators and were very
inspiring and supportive. They provided the needed information regarding the city and its needs
and regularly met with us to provide the information and support needed for the success of this
project! Thank you also to the mayor of Ames, John Haila, for his enthusiasm about the project and
genuine interest in its success.
Lastly, thank you to the residents – end specially to the kids - of the City of Ames for your courage
to participate and your interest in sharing your experience, visions, and ideas with us. You were our
inspiration! Thank you for the opportunity!
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alenka Poplin
Community and Regional Planning Department
Iowa State University
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 6
1. Play Ames: Imagine your City festival | Locations and Activities 12
1.1. Location 1: Reliable Street 12
Guerrilla gardens. Creating green cities 13
Origami. Wishes and ideas for your city 15
Urban planning board games. Playful learning 17
Highlights and recommendations 19
1.2. Location 2: Franklin Park 23
Breathing Game. Sense the city, sense yourself 24
Barefoot Path. Sensory exploration 27
Climate Change Action Theater 27
Highlights and recommendations 30
1.3. Location 3: East 7 th Street 34
Digital mapping. Benches 35
Paper mapping. Unsafe places 39
Pop-Up Van. Virtual reality 42
Highlights and recommendations 44
1.4. Location 4: 5 th Street and Burnett Avenue 46
Art Alley. Paint by number mural 46
Highlights and recommendations 49
2. Evaluation of the Implemented Engagement Methods 50
2.1. Photo Ethnography 52
2.2. Engagement Survey: Methodology 66
2.3. Engagement Survey: Results 68
2.4. Kids-Friendly Survey 77
2.5. Highlights of the Festival as Perceived by the Participants 78
2.6. Demographics of the Participants 79
2.7. Conclusions and Recommendations 81
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
3. Lessons Learned 82
3.1. Engagement activities 82
3.2. Engaging underrepresented/marginalized residents 87
3.3. Selected locations 88
3.4. Children and families 90
3.5. Involving city officials and urban planners 91
3.6. Advertising 92
3.7. Critical reflection 93
4. Visions for the Future 94
4.1. Mobile pop-up van community engagement festival 94
4.2. Topical festivals 94
4.3. Families, kids and students friendly Ames 95
4.4. Students for the city and with the city 95
4.5. An organization and a budget 95
4.6. Strategic plan for a successful engagement 96
5. Conclusions 96
Appendixes
Appendix A: Advertising Materials 99
Appendix B: Example of the Engagement Survey 100
Appendix C: Example of the Kids-Friendly Survey 102
Appendix D: Barefoot Path Questionnaire 103
Appendix E : Example of Instructions: Breathing Game 105
PS: All pictures included in this report were taken by ISU students. They were taken at Play Ames: Imagine
community engagement festival. The pictures should not be shared or reproduced. They can only be used for
the internal report and cannot be published in any other publication without the participants’ consent.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
COLLABORATION: THE CITY OF AMES AND IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY (ISU)
In January 2020 the City of Ames and Iowa State University agreed on a collaboration which was
summarized in the document titled Request for Assistance (RFA) as follows: “describes a mutually
beneficial relationship between the City of Ames and classes taught by the Iowa State University
Department of Community and Regional Planning and the College of Design. The circumstances of
the RFA will enable the City of Ames to enhance its community engagement strategies to better
solicit the involvement of residents while the students and faculty of the College of Design
participate in a living lab experience in the City of Ames that will enhance learning and research
opportunities.” The City of Ames is represented by Steve Schainker, City Manager, and Dr. Gloria
Betcher, City Counselor. Iowa State University is represented by Dr. Alenka Poplin.
The main focus of this collaboration is on developing, implementing, testing and evaluating
community engagement methods, strategies, and technologies. The main goals of this collaboration
can be summarized as follows:
• Explore methods, strategies, and technologies of engagement with the community
• Focus on underrepresented and marginalized groups
• Develop novel methods, strategies, and technologies of community engagement
• Test and evaluate methods, strategies, and technologies of engagement
• Give feedback to the City of Ames about successful engagement methods,
strategies, and technologies
The work accomplished so far in two previous ISU studio courses was summarized in the following
reports shared with the City of Ames:
• Spring 2020, DSN564 Interdisciplinary Option Studio. Report titled: Sustainable Mobility for
Smart Cities: Studies of Ames, Iowa
• Fall 2020, CRP532/432 Community Planning Studio. Report titled: Engaging Residents in
Urban Planning: Focus on Ames, Iowa
The work planned for the Fall 2021 semester was accomplished within the CRP 455/555 Smart
Cities course and three additional Independent Studies. The three Independent Studies were
completed by the following students in Community and Regional Planning:
• Natalie M. Jacobson (undergraduate). Engaging residents with creative painting and learning
about painting techniques
• Fatema Nourin (graduate). Engaging residents with spatial thinking and mapping
• Vishnu Priya Sairamesh (graduate). Engaging residents with sensory urbanism and sensory
path methods
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Additionally, Stella Schroeder, a PhD candidate and specialist in place-making at the PhD candidate
at University del Bío-Bío, Concepción, Chile joined the team in the phases of project preparation and
implementation.
OBJECTIVES AND GOALS
The main objectives were to:
• Develop engagement methods, strategies, and technologies which may attract and engage
underrepresented or marginalized communities to participate in the discussions about their
city and urban planning activities
• Test the developed and implemented engagement methods, strategies, and technologies in
the selected neighborhoods
• Develop criteria for the evaluation of the implemented engagement methods, strategies,
and technologies
• Evaluate the engagement methods in order to provide feedback to the City of Ames about
the most promising and successful engagement methods, strategies, and technologies they
can use in the future
• Target neighborhoods specifically with underrepresented or marginalized groups of
residents. In the previous work these groups were identified as follows:
LGBTQ, Senior citizens, Racial minorities, Cultural minorities, Gamblers,
Substance abusers, Youth, Kids, Persons living in poverty, Previously incarcerated
people, People with disabilities, Rural communities, Homeless, College students,
Renters, Domestic abuse survivors, and Indigenous
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research concentrates around three main research questions:
• What is the most adequate method, strategy, and/or technology for engaging
underrepresented or marginalized residents in urban planning?
• How well are the playful engagement methods, strategies, and technologies accepted by the
residents? Do they feel attracted to participate? Who participates? For how long? Which
activities are the most interesting for the residents?
• How can the implemented engagement methods, strategies, and technologies be
evaluated? According to what criteria? How can success be defined and measured? Can
technologies, such as Photovoice, be used as an evaluation tool?
INNOVATION IN THE SUGGESTED APPROACH
The main idea is to engage residents in a playful way following the idea suggested by Poplin (2012)
in her journal publication titled Playful Public Participation. The engagement strategies suggested
for the Play Ames community engagement festival aim to bring joy, fun, and enjoyment to the
residents. Through the playfulness, trust and connections are established, and one can also talk and
discuss more serious topics after or during the playful activities which are designed to engage all
residents. We suggest organizing a festival to implement and test a set of engagement methods,
strategies, and technologies at the selected locations in the City of Ames. An important component
in all the activities is playful learning.
PLAN FOR THE FALL SEMESTER 2021 | PLAY AMES: IMAGINE YOUR CITY FESTIVAL
The main idea for the Fall 2021 semester was to organize a city festival on September 25, 2021 titled
Play Ames: Imagine your City. The festival targeted underrepresented and marginalized
populations in the City of Ames. It concentrated on a set of experimental activities at four selected
locations. The locations and planned experiments are listed below and described in more detail
within this document.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
IMPLEMENTED PLAYFUL ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES WITH LEARNING COMPONENTS
Location 1: RELIABLE STREET
Guerilla gardens. Creating green cities
->Learn about gardening, seeds, plants, and perennials
Origami. Wishes and ideas for your city
-> Learn about engagement, planning, and the city
-> Share visions for further development of the city
Urban planning board games. Playful learning
-> Learn about urban planning
Location 2: FRANKLIN PARK
Breathing game. Sense the city, sense yourself
-> Learn how to breath and learn about yoga
-> Learn about meditations and expressing emotions
Barefoot path. Sensory exploration
-> Learn about different senses
-> Experiment with senses
Supporting activities: Yoga program, Climate Change Action Theater
Yoga. Practice mindfulness
-> Learn about meditation, breathing
-> Learn about basic yoga poses
Location 3: EAST 7TH STREET
Digital mapping. Benches
-> Learn about scale and resolution
-> Learn how to map with mobile devices
-> Learn how to think spatially
Paper mapping. Unsafe places
-> Learn about maps and how to map
-> Map places that evoke images, memories and emotions
Supporting activities: Pop-up van with virtual reality
Pop-Up van. Virtual reality
-> Learn about novel technologies
Location 4: 5th STREET AND BURNETT AVENUE
Art Alley. Paint by number mural
-> Learn about colors and painting
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Smart City talks. City officials and urban planners were present at the first three locations which
targeted underrepresented and marginalized populations. Residents were able to talk with them,
ask questions, communicate with them, get to know them and express their wishes for future
changes in the city.
SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION RESULTS
An important goal of the festival and the planned experiments was to test the implemented
engagement methods, strategies, and technologies. Two amin evaluation methods were developed
for this purpose: Photo ethnography, Engagement survey. Additionally, a Kids-friendly survey was
added to gain some responses from the kids. They were applied across all engagement methods,
strategies, and technologies. The main idea was to apply the same evaluation methods to all
engagement activities.
This report summarizes the main results gained by organizing Play Ames: Imagine your City, the first
community engagement festival in Ames. Below is a very short summary of the experience.
The key-findings:
• The festival brought positive atmosphere, engagement, and playful learning opportunities
to the residents
• Residents that participated enjoyed the engagement activities
• The most successful engagement activities were activities that were creative and enabled
the participants to see the results of their creation: painting mural, painting stones, and
origami
• Experiential activities were also very successful as they enabled participants to gain new
experiences: barefoot path, paper-mapping, digital-mapping, Spot-the-Differences game,
and yoga
• The locations that were smaller, and locations placed into the neighborhood (rather than
into the “outskirts”), attracted more underrepresented and marginalized communities to
join the festival
• Neighborhoods we visited more often in person before the festival, and in which we invited
the resident to join us at the festival in person, attracted more local resident
• The ISU students felt more integrated with the city, gained lots of new knowledge, and were
fully present at the festival
ORGANIZED IN COLLABORATION OF
• City of Ames
• Community and Regional Planning Department, College of Design, Iowa State University
• Community Engagement Living Lab
Guests and collaborating partners: Climate Change Action Theater, ISU extension STEM program
FLEX Forward Learning Experience, and Yoga teacher Michelle Flattery
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
BUDGET
Dr. Poplin acquired $5,000 from the CRP Collaborative Interdisciplinary Fund. There was also
approximately $1,000 left over from the agreement (RFA) with the City of Ames. This money was
spent on the visit of Stella Schroeder and the materials needed for Play Ames: Imagine your City
festival.
ADVERTISING
Advertising was very important. We created a website, a dedicated Facebook and Instagram page,
print flyers, announcements in Iowa State Daily about our activities, and organized festival T-Shirts
and stickers. The poster below was created by Stella Schroeder.
Please check out our new website at: https://www.communityengagementll.net/
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Four different locations in the City of Ames were selected for Play Ames: Imagine your City, the first
community engagement festival in Ames. Several engagement activities were implemented, tested,
and evaluated at each of the selected locations. They are described more in detail in the rest of this
document. The four selected locations were: Reliable Street, Franklin Park, East 7th Street and
Downtown Ames.
1.1. Location 1: RELIABLE STREET
Led by Stella Schroeder, PhD candidate at University del Bío-Bío, Concepción, Chile
Email: stella.schroeder@gmx.de
Engagement activities and students involved:
• Guerilla gardens (Jacob Bolten, Amber Wittrock)
• Origami (Madison Stolen and Nicole Yi Wen Yap)
• Urban planning games (Zachary Huggins and Brock Radke)
Evaluation:
• Photo ethnography, Engagement survey, Kids-friendly survey
Present at the site:
• City officials and urban planners
1. PLAY AMES: IMAGINE YOUR CITY | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FESTIVAL
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
OBJECTIVE
Guerrilla gardens aim to green up drab spaces in local environment, engaging neighbors
Heightening the
LOCATION AND SPACE NEEDED
Location: Reliable Street, Lockwood Café. Part of the sidewalk of the café was
garden area. The goal was to improve the sidewalk and the existing green area around
WHAT
Urban gardening with native and winter-resistant plants. Activity included explanation on
GUERILLA GARDENS. CREATING GREEN CITIES
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
HOW
A small area for the garden activity was prepared and resident could participate in planting bulbs
g were daffodils and crocuses. The activity was
of all ages to take part.
s.
A second activity was connected to the gardening. This activity focused
t
s to indicate the bulb the
LEARNING COMPONENT
Residents learned about plants, urban planning, green spaces, and planting in general
hey could adopt a plant which encouraged them to take care of the plant after the activity. It wa
residents share a certain space of the garden.
ake them feel like part of the city and to take responsibility for the urban green spaces. A
ve material was provided to inform people about local plants.
TIME NEEDED
The preparation time took about four hours. We had to till
so the ground was prepared for planting during the festival.
PREPARATION
Included selection of the urban gardening area and preparation of the area, o
d plants, design of the instructions, and printing information with
PERMISSIONS
No permission on the past of the city was needed. Coordinated
lanting on their property.
MATERIAL
• Table and small plates
• Bulbs and clay
• Water
• Gardening tools
• Stones, colors, and brushes
COMBINATION WITH CITY PLANNING
City officials and urban planners were present on the site during the duration of this activity.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
information table, a desk with maps,
city officials and urban planners. It can also be combined with a
residents feel positive emotions, places they like in Ames
to visit more often, and what the characteristics of such places are.
OBJECTIVE
Origami aims to engage neighbors and the residents of Ames by expressing the
implementation of these changes for the city. Increases sensitivity
LOCATION AND SPACE NEEDED
Location: Reliable Street, Lockwood Café. An area was needed for a
ORIGAMI. WISHES AND IDEAS FOR THE CITY
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
WHAT
The residents contributed their ideas about the City of Ames. These ideas were written on the
colored papers and folded into an origami. Four folded papers formed an origami flower that was
then placed in the planted garden. They created a garden of dreams, visions and ideas that can later
be given to the city officials and urban planners.
HOW
Collection of ideas: A set of three questions were selected, each using paper in a different color
• What is your favorite place within the city?
• What can be improved in the city?
• What is your vision for the city of Ames?
Origami sidewalk of dreams. Through this
re folded into paper flowers. The installation of a colorful paper flower garden
LEARNING COMPONENT
Residents learned about creativity, urban planning, and could reflect upon their city. In
participants, they could learn about their collective experience. They
, and how
s to involve everyone – children, adolescents, and adults – in a collective reflection
opportunities and possibilities in the City of Ames.
TIME NEEDED
Time needed for task (write idea and fold origami): 10 minutes.
PREPARATION
• Coordinated with Lockwood café and identification of local institutions.
• Prepared origami exercise
• Learned about origami (shapes)
• Printed colored paper with different themes
PERMISSIONS
We got all the needed permissions needed by Lockwood Café.
MATERIAL
• Paper (120g) different colors
• Pens and markers
• Wooden sticks
• Tape, glue, tables and chairs
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
COMBINATION WITH CITY PLANNING
City officials and urban planners were present on the site during the duration of this activity.
: City officials and urban planners may organize sessions titled
” City planners from the City of Ames can be part of the origami creation process
residents, introduce themselves to them,
city and its developments.
also engages in a
displays.
OBJECTIVE
Urban planning games can bring urban planning and development challenges together in a fun
interactive way.
and get to know one another. Playing urban planning games can teach them about
.
LOCATION AND SPACE NEEDED
Area at Lockwood Café with tables and chairs. The wooden structure combined with a table
URBAN PLANNING BORAD GAMES. PLAYFUL LEARNING
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
WHAT
People were invited to use the board games and play together.
assisted and explained the rules of the games. Participants were able to gather
large groups without a time limit.
TIME NEEDED
Each board game has a duration of around 45-60 minutes.
COMMENTS
The team leaders had to learn how to play the game. They tested the game play and the way
ts while playing. Outside spaces are not
n the future it would be better
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
by Stella Schroeder
The engagement activities planned at Reliable Street worked well together and complemented each
other. There was a great atmosphere created by having these activities combined at the
site. Residents of all age groups participated.
Stone painting was a definite highlight. The participants liked seeing the immediate results. Kids and
adults painted rocks and put them into the garden close to their bulbs. Residents got engaged very
quickly, it was an easy activity, and it was easy to quickly see results. Similarly, the colorful flowers
of the origami activity had a nice effect in the garden. Participants enjoyed the fact that their ideas
will be given to the city after the festival.
Because of the autumn season, bulbs were used and were not visible immediately. Fall is not the
best season for participatory and community engaged gardening. The ground needs to be well
prepared otherwise planting is very hard. We recommend preparing a choice of different flowers
and trees. It is important have a good mix, and that people can see the immediate results of their
community engagement activity.
Regarding origami, on the one hand, the questions about favorite places in the city were easily
answered by everybody. On the other hand, kids usually do not have specific ideas about what to
change or visions for future developments of the city. More adults responded to these two
questions. For future activities, we recommend choosing origami figures that can be created with
only one paper, instead of four. The questions on the origami papers should be more
concretely related to what the residents would like to change in their city.
We also learned an important lesson about playing board games outside. The activity of playing
board games seems to be too long for the participants as there is a substantial time that needs to
be invested when learning how to play the game. It does not seem adequate for an outdoor
community engagement festival. Participants prefer shorter activities and seeing immediate results
of their creativity.
We also highly recommend involving the local residents before the festival to strengthen their
interest in the activities. It is important to have a very visible location for the activities. The best
option would be to choose locations inside the neighborhood, or in a park, or a street that are
located inside the targeted neighborhood.
Highlights
Gardening • Stone painting was the highlight. The people like to see immediate results.
• Kids and adults painted rocks and put them into the garden close to their
bulbs.
Origami • Have flowers with four leaves and put them into the garden. Participants
enjoyed the fact that their ideas will be given to the city after the festival.
RELIABLE STREET: HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
• Colorful flowers had a nice effect in the garden. Good color choices
were used (yellow, red, and blue).
• Participants got engaged very quickly, it was an easy activity, easy to see
results.
• Activity for everybody, both kids and adults.
General • Activities Origami and Gardening complemented each other.
• Great atmosphere to have the activities together and not separated.
• Nice, cozy area, and quiet area. The
activities.
• Participants from all age groups.
Observations
Gardening • Bulbs are not visible immediately.
• Ground was very hard, not easy to plant. The activity needs to be well
prepared.
• Fall is not a good season for gardening.
Origami • Questions about favorite place in the city were easy for everybody to
answer.
• Kids did not have ideas about
more adults responded to these two questions.
• Not all kids knew how to write.
• The prepared description on how to create an origami flower did not work
well; it was better to explain how to fold the paper.
• 4 leaves are too many, people would like to see an immediate result.
• It was not easy to glue leaves together with a tape, another solution would
have been better.
• 4 leaves were needed for a flower, but only three questions and three
different paper colors were prepared.
Planning
board games
• Too long. People do not want to stay for such a long time and play a game.
They prefer shorter activities.
• Too windy, did not work well outside in the sun and wind.
General • Not a lot of interaction with neighborhood. The last row of houses faces
away from location and built a barrier between neighborhood and location
of the event.
• Few participants were from the neighborhood.
• Residents that participated came from other parts of the city or visited the
Café.
• The Café is not connected with the neighborhood; it is somewhat isolated
and offers activities that attract people who do not live in the area.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
• On the other side of the location is a railway track, building a barrier as well
(city ends).
• Short and quick activities work well.
• After 3:30pm, only few participants joined the festival. Lockwood café
closes at 3pm.
What could we do differently?
Gardening • Have different flowers and trees. It is important to have a good mix, so that
people can see the immediate results of their activities.
Origami • Flowers could be bigger. It would be great to have flowers which can be
folded with only one paper to see quick results.
• Bigger sticks and figure out a better way of piecing papers together and on
the stick.
• Questions on the origami papers could be more concrete; for example,
would residents would like to see changed?
Planning
board games
• Needs an area which is protected with shade and good furniture.
• Needs more advertising.
General • Always need a minimum of two leaders per activity. It’s important to work
as a group, not as separated activities.
• Have shade.
• Not depend on café or local businesses to attract participants.
• Be located more inside neighborhoods, at a more visible location.
• Instead of all
neighborhood.
Visions for the future
Gardening • Gardening is better in the spring.
• Seed Bombs: seed bombs can be prepared and people can “bomb” the city.
• Creation of community gardens that benefit the whole community. Fruit
trees can be included.
Origami • Installation of origami garden at night and put lights on.
• Different origamis and different questions.
• Have some of the origamis done before the event with the local community
that can help motivate neighbors to come to the event and works as
advertising.
Planning
board games
• Create more simple short games, games that do not take so long to play and
to learn.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
• More playful and more participatory games. Maybe a mapping activity or
games on the ground would be more successful.
General • Another location more integrated in the neighborhood could work better in
attracting more underrepresented and marginalized communities.
• An active and strong advertising of the planned activities before the festival
within the neighborhood
work very well. Think about going to local school or local sports clubs,
churches, or other organizations.
• Neighbors do not come to us; we have to go to their neighborhoods.
Activities in a more central and visible location aid in this endeavor.
• Organize a neighborhood-focused festivals and the focused neighborhoods
can change each year.
• Start coordinating with the community early on to understand their needs
and understand the people in the community.
• Festival for kids might work very well and can potentially bring lots of
parents and families to the festival.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
1.2. Location 2: FRANKLIN PARK
Led by Vishnu Priya Sairamesh, ISU Community and Regional Planning graduate student
Email: svpa@iastate.edu
Engagement activities and students involved:
• Breathing game (Anna Mullen, Marco Perla)
• Barefoot path (Eli Wilson, Jack Hall)
Supporting activities: Yoga program, Climate Change Theater Action
Evaluation:
• Photo ethnography, Engagement survey, Kids-friendly survey
Present at the site:
• City officials and urban planners
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
OBJECTIVE
The objective was to explore the senses, the breathing, and
exercising different breathing techniques. Feeling the body. Different stops on the game path
encouraged participants to engage in a variety of activities.
LOCATION AND SPACE NEEDED
We needed a space for the game experience and a separate space for the yoga experience.
BREATHING GAME. SENSE THE CITY, SENSE YOURSELF
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Participants were encouraged to learn, practice, and implement deep breathing and explore its
effects on their bodies. The breathing game included some fun activities as well. The breathing
game was combined with yoga exercise and experiences. Yoga was led by the
Michelle Flatter. The program for yoga was as follows:
• 12:30 pm Body scan
• 1:00 pm Walking meditation
• 2:00 pm Mindfulness eating
• 2:30 pm Gratitude meditation
• 3:00 pm Kids meditation
HOW
The Breathing game was designed as a combination of 10 activities. Each activity encouraged the
participant to understand their Breathing pattern through an exercise, to connect their breathing
and the sense of self with the sense about the city. The activities were:
1. Sit, relax, and meditate
2. Jumping Jacks (increased the heartbeat)
3. Sitting or standing, the participant had to close their eyes and report what they heard
around them (encouraged the participant to sense what they don’t see but rather hear or
feel)
4. Spin Clockwise and Anti Clockwise, each 5 times
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
sense of ‘balance’)
6. Go around the park and find materials that they could imprint on a piece of paper with
paint, they could
surroundings)
7. Write on a piece of paper what their favorite and least favorite place in Ames were
8. Showcasing a set of images of the city, participants were asked what they felt when they
saw a specific picture
9. Skipping or Blowing balloons (this is to again increase the heartbeat)
10. Finally there was a swing for kids and 1 for adults (this is for the participants to float, their
feet not touching the ground, where they can hear their own heartbeat because of the
exercise they performed previously)
LEARNING COMPONENT
This experiment was created to bring awareness of breathing, sensing the self and one’s
TIME NEEDED
20-30 minutes to complete the whole cycle.
materials or would like to paint more than one picture.
PREPARATION
We needed to design the activity, purchase materials, chose pictures to be displayed and get them
printed along with preparing the posters elaborately explaining the process, with images of each
PERMISSIONS
No specific permissions were needed.
MATERIAL
• Posters explaining each activity in the game
• Wooden Beam
• Paint, Brushes, Paper
• We need to select and print the pictures
• Board to pin up the pictures
• Sticky notes for people to write upon
• Swings, skipping rope
• Tables, chaires, beverages
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Vivian M Cook. Graduate student in CRP and Sustainable Agriculture coordinated the activities
organized by Climate Change Action Theater. They performed twice at the site and attracted great
audience. Vivian works as a member of The EcoTheatre Lab and the Ames Climate Action Team. She
is also a co-producer of Focal Theatre Lab and ISU’s One Day Plays, and volunteer for
The Community Academy.
Charissa Menefee, professor of English and theatre and the production’s director this year, cast and
ensemble of Iowa State students and alumni. During early rehearsals, the team reflected on skills,
stories and experiences they can contribute to the international Climate Change Theater Action
inciative and how to engage the community in contributing those same types of resources to local
climate action planning.
OBJECTIVE
Sensory Urbanism calls for greater exposure of residents to their senses. They can observe how
the city looks and experience how it feels, smells, and sounds. In the end, sensory urbanism is
about delving deeper into what makes up a “city's texture.”
increasingly similar but feel different as the residents experience them by walking, cycling, or
driving through them. In this experiment, the residents were asked to walk through a barefoot
COMBINATION WITH CITY PLANNING
City officials and urban planners were present at the location. The mayor of the City of Ames
visited our location as well.
BAREFOOT PATH. SENSORY EXPLORATIONS
CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION THEATER
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
sense - pictures, pebbles, water of varied temperatures, grass, pavement, etc. along with activities
to be done separately or together with other participants.
LOCATION AND SPACE NEEDED
A neighborhood with underserved or marginalized community populations.
WHAT
In this activity, residents were involved through the use of a sensory experiment of Touch. They
were instructed to walk on a set of pre-selected materials and then asked a series of questions to
help them identify the materials and recall memories associated with them.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
HOW
We first evaluated and selected the materials that symbolized various textures of the city we
encounter on a daily basis. They ranged from Industrial and Playful (bubble wrap) to Construction
(brick, rubber mulch), Farmland (hay, grass), Nature (sand, a combination of pebble and water),
and a box of Playful material for the conclusion (Orbeez/water beads).
LEARNING COMPONENT
The barefoot path concentrated on exploring experiences in a city through many different senses.
We asked questions related to the memories connected with the materials and the feelings about
the experienced materials. The learning component was related to learning more about the
perception of the city by the participants and also about the materials used and their likability.
We also asked the participants about their experience in the City of Ames, what they like about
Ames, and what they would like to be improved.
TIME NEEDED
Time taken per individual was roughly 10 - 20 min.
PREPARATION
Selection of the materials and design of the order of the materials. Purchase of the Barefoot path
materials. Preparation of the barefoot path at the site. Set up the site with tables, chairs, and
beverages.
PERMISSIONS
No city permissions were needed.
MATERIAL
• Bubble Wrap
• Stone Brick
• Rubber Mulch
• Hay
• Sand
• Pebble and water
• Orbeez
• Wet towels
COMBINATION WITH CITY PLANNING
The activities can be used to inform people of the various public services within the city. To
educate and attain views on how the city could be designed to be more efficient.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
by Vishnu Priya Sairamesh
Highlights
Barefoot path •
times.
• The transition of textures in the game worked well.
• There were many playful suggestions for varied textures that
people wanted to try out in the future.
Breathing game •
explored the park with different materials and were very excited
to make something colorful that they could take back home.
Talk with your city
planners
• There were 3 city officials at the site. They were very
approachable and helpful.
Yoga for all •
stretching, meditation, etc. Participants explained how refreshed
they felt after finishing with a session and many said they would
be happy to sit again for more if they had enough time.
Virtual Reality •
set up, it gave the chance for participants to explore the
technology.
Climate Change Action
Theatre
• Very educational and creative. The talented group did 3 sets of
performances. They talked about climate change and how we as
the public need to understand the importance of it and can act
upon it. A petition was requested to be signed by all interested in
the support of the climate action plan. During their break, they
also happily participated and explored the other activities.
Observations
Barefoot path •
much / as playful that they would do it again. There was more
excitement and suggestions from kids than from adult
participants. The majority of the participants enjoyed the Bubble
Wrap and Orbeez the most.
FRANKLIN PARK: HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
•
try the barefoot path.
Breathing game •
completely by 7/10 participants, others went directly to the
painting or the swing.
• Many enjoyed exploring the park, finding something
to sketch with paint on a piece of paper. Many suggested
their favorite place to be parks, which tells us how important
Franklin Park was for the community even though it was not
crowded most of the time.
• At times, it seemed that the game did not attract many
participants. The instructions were written on the posters. We
would need a few people being engaged in entertaining the
participants and showing them different postures. This would
attract more people to try the prepared exercise.
Talk with your city
planners
• I did not recognize if the people who visited benefitted from this.
This was an excellent idea to have them on site. But it felt like
there needed to be an icebreaker.
Yoga for all •
enjoy it. I got feedback saying how some participants feel content
after the session.
Virtual Reality •
the chance for participants to explore the technology.
• At times the station seemed to be empty. More energy needs to
be created around a small setting like that. Big posters or a more
entertaining approach so that the participants can see the benefit
of trying the equipment.
Climate Change Action
Theater
• I felt the theatre group or the public in general would have been
even more benefited if we were able to get more locals to
participate in the event.
What would you do differently?
Barefoot path •
interesting, I would probably redesign the activity, add more
playful textures that people can touch with their hands, that
could taste, etc.
• And have a board where people could use a sticky notes or draw
their vision for the space (in this case Franklin Park).
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Breathing game •
The painting, breathing game, and swing were all good and
people enjoyed it, but some skipped the questions regarding the
city. How can we improve the game such that people are more
aware of their breathing? Maybe having just yoga & painting
would have sufficed? This needs to be re-evaluating and testing
of these activities beforehand.
Talk with your city
planners
• Maybe request a set of city planners to walk around and merge
with the population while also asking them questions.
Yoga for all •
from this.
Virtual Reality •
people questions related to the future development of a space.
• Reaching out more to the locals and including the VR in
advertising, whether it was a small or large set up. It is important
to acknowledge the efforts of the people in charge and the
amenity.
Climate Change Action
Theater
• Advertise beforehand, reaching out and inviting people.
• Having a discussion or feedback on climate change
session.
Many local residents noticed the activities but were not aware that they were “welcome” to the
event. We were trying to meet with the local community leaders (if any) and people in the
community personally. Creating awareness of the initiative beforehand may help local residents
understand and participate more.
Visions for the future
Barefoot path •
well as how these ideas interact and are beneficial.
• Using the experiment to raise awareness while also asking
participants questions about the city.
Breathing game •
• The breathing game and Yoga for all was supposed to make
people more aware of their breathing patterns of self and the
relation of breathing to a space.
Talk with your city
planners
• It is important to understand and concentrate on one major goal.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
•
development of a space (Franklin Park). We could have 8-10
people gather and have a discussion together.
Yoga for all •
• Creating a good habit through such engagement strategies would
be truly fruitful for the public and for organizations that teach or
represent the same habits.
Virtual Reality •
questions in people's minds regarding the future development of
the space and its relation to their lives.
Climate Change Action
Theater
• Creating awareness on climate change and the importance of
shifting to sustainable and renewable strategies in daily life – solar
roofs, vegetable gardens at home, etc.
• Awareness on city level and house level of climate problems and
possible solutions would be very educational and useful. Having a
small discussion session with the city officials regarding the
Climate Action Plan of the city would also be good.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
1.3. Location 3: EAST 7TH STREET
Led by Fatema Nourin, ISU Community and Regional Planning Graduate Student
Email: fnourin@iastate.edu
Engagement activities and students involved:
• Digital mapping of benches (Timothy Tobin and Jimmy Pechman)
• Paper-mapping of unsafe places (Thomas Kosacz and Max Gula)
Collaborators: ISU Pop-up van with Virtual Reality equipment
Evaluation:
• Photo ethnography, Engagement survey, Kids-friendly survey
Present at the site:
• City officials and urban planners
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
OBJECTIVE
The main objective was to engage the residents of East 7th Street to
information systems, the possibility to use an online application for data collection, and to learn
how to map benches through digital mapping. Additionally, the objective was to explore spatial
representations.
LOCATION AND SPACE NEEDED
The dedicated location is at East 7th Street, Ames, Iowa. Specifically, we were
intersection of the East 7th Street and Carrol Street to be visible to the residents.
It is important to be seen by the residents so that it wa
community. All the space we needed for the activity was one table, where we created our mini
DIGITAL MAPPING. BENCHES
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
needed a few chairs for some of our elderly participants.
WHAT
We used a table as a “prep station” where we initiated the paper mapping task with the Spot-the-
Differences game. We used three versions of the game: 1. different representation of the same
location, 2. different scales for the same area, and 3. different layers. We showed the pictures as
part of the preparation for the digital mapping activity and
representation, scale, and accuracy. In the last picture, showing two layers vs. one layer
discussed that in the next step, we are going to create a layer of benches. Then, we passed around
the QR code used to access the digital mapping tool. We provided a short demonstration about
how to deal with the mapping component and the questionnaire component. The participants
then walked to the bench, mapped the location into the digital map and inserted the attributes
into their mobile device. At the end as a reward for the completion of the task, we offered candies,
fruits, balloons, and inflatable globes to the participants, depending on the age of the participant.
HOW
1. Explaining spatial scale: We prepared two paper maps. One with a scale of 1:100,
another with a scale of 1:10,000. The participants had the task to observe on which map they
could see more detail and why.
2. Explaining spatial accuracy: What is the meaning of accuracy and why it varies.
3. Teach them about ArcGIS Survey 123.
4. Teach them how to use ArcGIS Survey 123; how just one tap can demarcate a bench location
and how they can take a picture so that they can contribute to creating the inventory whenever
they have time.
5. Take them around the neighborhood to map the benches.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
LEARNING COMPONENT
In the Play Ames festival, the residents perceived the digital mapping as learning opportunity. So
the parents wanted their kids to participate and learn about scale and accuracy. We also observed
that some participants were intimidated by the learning component, so they explored the other
activities on the East 7th Street instead.
The participants knew their favorite places in the neighborhood, where they liked to spend time
with their friends and family, and where they think needs some improvements. They can use their
outdoor time by contributing to the neighborhood resource inventory through digital mapping.
TIME NEEDED
We conducted the activity on September 25th as an ongoing activity from 1:00 PM to 4:45 PM
instead of conducting the activity in cycles as the scale of the event was small. But for the future,
the recommended time would be about three hours at the duration of this activity at a festival.
Time needed for one cycle of the tasks (teaching about scale, accuracy and how to take pictures
of a bench): around 10 minutes, but if we walk a bit more around the neighborhood, it will take
longer. Also, it is recommended to conduct this activity with a small group of people instead of
conducting it with individuals for increased efficiency.
PREPARATION
Fatema Tuz Johra Nourin, Timothy Tobin, Robert Pechman put together six GIS maps as pictures
for the Spot-the-Differences game. The ArcGIS Survey123
participants could access it on their mobile devices. They were able to access it through the QR
code given to them. 100 copies of QR codes were printed and given to the participants. Also, the
graphical steps were printed in paper to be able to show them to the participants.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
PERMISSIONS
We needed the permission and help of the city of Ames to close the intersection for our
engagement activities.
MATERIAL
• Paper maps represented as the Spot-the-Differences game.
• Pen and paper for a tally of the participants.
• Smartphones, both ours’ and the participants’.
• QR codes to access the digital mapping tool.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
•
COMBINATION WITH CITY PLANNING
Digital mapping can help city planning in many ways:
• A festival can act as preparation to teach the residents how to participate in a digital
mapping activity. These residents can help the city to create inventory of roadside
resources of benches, poles etc.
• Electronic inventory can help to indicate which resources require maintenance.
• Updated inventory can help the help the city to plan ahead which resources to repair
OBJECTIVE
The objective was to collect the locations and descriptions of unsafe places; places at which the
residents do not feel safe. We concentrated on the City of Ames.
PAPER MAPPING. UNSAFE PLACES
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
LOCATION AND SPACE NEEDED
The location identified for this activity was East 7th Street. We needed a table and some chairs for
this activity.
WHAT
The idea was to invite the residents to share their personal experiences with places in Ames. We
were particularly interested in places they consider unsafe. Additionally,
describe these places and also select the emotions they feel at these places from a list of emotions.
HOW
We used a big paper map covered with a transparent layer that allowed it
Additionally, there were paper questionnaires available to be filled out. Each questionnaire was
associated with a number and the same number was given to the selected unsafe places indicated
on the map. This data was then be inserted into a GIS database in order for the team to be able
to visualize the gathered results in a GIS map. The pictures above show the locations of unsafe
colors. We collected 46 places and intend to continue with the experiment in order for us to gather
some more data and be able to start noticing some patterns.
LEARNING COMPONENT
The residents learned how to use a paper map and how to navigate and search for places on a
paper map. They could also share their experience and learn about other residents’ experiences
with safety in the city in which they live. They learnt to orient and navigate in their imagination
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
emotions and affects related to their selected unsafe places.
TIME NEEDED
The activity took about 30 minutes for the participant to engage with the paper map and fill out
the questionnaire.
PREPARATION
• Printed a paper map
• Bought a transparency and pens to write on it
• Designed a questionnaire
• Printed paper questionnaires
• Selected the location for the festival/activity
• Organized a desk and chairs
• Organized little giveaways for the participants
PERMISSIONS
The city had to allow us to organize this activity in the middle of an intersection.
MATERIAL
• Printed paper map
• Transparency and pens to write on it
• Printed questionnaires
• Pens and pencils
COMBINATION WITH CITY PLANNING
A city councilor was present at the site with a painted bike. She gave rides to the participants, and
it was fun and enjoyable. Several city officials and urban planners joined the site. Also, there was
a police officer/chief at the site. The topic of safety engaged many participants and residents of
the neighborhood, and it was nice to see them in a conversation with the police officer and city
officials. This is a good topic and may open up doors for collaboration, discussion and sharing. It is
important to everyone to feel safe and appreciated in their own city.
The activity can also encourage discussions about places the residents really like, things they really
like in the City of Ames and perhaps talk about the opposite; the issues and problems they see.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
OBJECTIVE
• Demonstrate the new, virtual reality technologies.
• Talk about planning and novel technologies.
LOCATION AND SPACE NEEDED
The initial location was at East 7th Street, Ames, Iowa. However, any location with a possibility to
park a van, enabling access to the van by the residents, would be appropriate.
WHAT
Flex Forward Learning Experience. FLEx
technology benefitting 3rd through 12th grade students and beyond in a 21st century paradigm.
Structured around STEM, design thinking, 21st Century skills, and University Constructs (4 C’s),
this environment extends distant educational offerings by delivering full-
virtual visualization, digital to real prototyping, circuit bending and visual programming.
Iowa State University design outreach program for Iowans, FLEx can vi
POP-UP VAN. VIRTUAL REALITY
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
complement the learning environment and event.
HOW
By using the pop-
about virtual and augmented reality.
LEARNING COMPONENT
• Learn about novel virtual reality
• Test virtual reality equipment
• Optional: Play an online game
• Optional: Learn about urban planning
TIME NEEDED
Participants can stay as long as they wish, but should also be aware of other and give them the
opportunity to participate in the activity.
PREPARATION
Contacted Assist. Prof. Pete Evans (https://www.design.iastate.edu/faculty/pmevans/),
Coordinator for FLEx (Forward Learning Experience) – a mobile design & STEM outreach program.
PERMISSIONS
Permissions to park the van needed by the City of Ames.
MATERIAL
FLEx program opportunities:
• Interactive Virtual Reality
• 3D Printing
• Augmented Reality
• Immersive visualization with Oculus Rift
• Circuit Bending with Little Bits
COMBINATION WITH CITY PLANNING
Connect with mapping experience and talk about places in Ames. Combine with a questionnaire.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
by Fatema Nourin
Highlights
• Getting participants from the Eastwood apartments to attend. In person invitations were
effective.
• Getting participants from all age groups.
• Both younger and older participants were fascinated by the virtual reality.
• More younger participants participated in the digital mapping and the Spot-the-Differences
game.
• A major number of participants mentioned “Stange Road” as one of the dangerous paces for
biking.
• The giveaways - balloons, candies, fruits, inflatable globes - worked well as a reward for
participation.
Observations
• Some older people were intimidated by the “digital mapping,” so they let their younger
family members participate. They were perceiving digital mapping as a learning tool for their
younger family members.
• In general, people did not seem to be very interested in creating a data inventory of the
city and helping collect data.
• Generally, they were rather interested in knowing how they can be benefitted from this
activity in the future.
• People like to know that “we care“ about them rather than getting another task that they
should care for or about (for example, building a bench inventory).
• They perceived the paper mapping of “unsafe places” as a notion that we care about their
safety.
• Being on the street made us “seen” and approachable, which could be one of reasons for
better turnout at this location.
What would you do differently?
• I believe, instead of hosting events in 4 different parts of the city, the festival could have
benefitted if located in the same vicinity (at least in the nearby blocks) by the laissez-
faire effect.
EAST 7TH STREET: HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
• We got a suggestion from one of our participants that some fun transport like the man
pulled cart that the city of Ames provided (even paid), would be a fun way to transport
people from one activity booth to another activity booth.
• The 5-hour long activity was very tiring. I recommend preparing people in groups for
maximum 2-3 hour to be on the site.
• A large digital display (easily visible) of the live digital mapping (through a laptop or projector
or any digital displayer), would make the task less intimidating and more interesting and
inspiring for the participants.
Visions for the future
• Hosting this festival “yearly” as people like to use opportunities like this to express
their opinions about the city and where they want to see changes - for example, many
people mentioned that they feel unsafe on Stange Road.
• Each year, there could be a different location with a different theme.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
1.4. Location 4: 5th STREET AND BURNETT AVENUE
Led by Natalie M. Jacobson, ISU community and regional planning undergraduate student
Email: nmjake@iastate.edu
Engagement activities and students involved:
• Art Ally (Jeev Sodhi, Kaleb Stevens, Hailey Holder)
Supporting activities
• Local Artist Siricasso
Evaluation
• Photo ethnography, Engagement survey, Kids-friendly survey
OBJECTIVE
The main objective was to bring the residents together in a collaborative painting activity. This
location consisted of an interactive paint by number mural the residents of Ames filled in. The
usage of collaborative art in this setting gave insight to the unifying front
communities. This was an exercise in place making and the power of art to bring people of all ages
together in one space. This location also provided an educational exper
ART ALLEY. PAINT BY NUMBER MURAL
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
of the paint colors.
LOCATION AND SPACE NEEDED
The location selected was in the downtown of the City of Ames on the east side of the buildings
on 5th Street and Burnett Ave. Since it was on private property, the business owner worked closely
with the team to strategize and alleviate any potential hazards of the working site. The building
owner gave us permission to design and execute the mural.
WHAT
The main idea was to establish an art alley concept for the City of Ames. Different locations around
the city can be given to artists students to organize collaborative paintings and engage residents
in this exciting and creative endeavor.
Inspiring examples of other cities:
• Rapid City: https://www.artalleyrc.com/
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
•
museum
• South Dakota: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/art-alley
• San Francisco: https://www.sftravel.com/article/guide-san-francisco%E2%80%99s-
mission-district-murals
HOW
For the first experiment in Ames:
1. The base coat needed
numbering of the design in sharpie.
2. A color sheet was presented so participants knew which color corresponded with each number.
3. Participants were able to select the color of their choosing and a worker would fill their cup with
a small amount of paint.
4. Brushes and aprons were set out for participants to use.
LEARNING COMPONENT
By actively participating, the residents received hands on experience in painting a mural. When
they finished, they understood the process and skill level needed to paint and were able to feel
accomplished when they saw the finished product. During this time, students and artists were
available to answer questions and provide information about murals, paintings, color theory, and
different art styles.
TIME NEEDED
The time it takes to complete the mural depended on the number of participants
engagement in painting. It also depends on the size of the mural. We started the event at noon
and were finished with the majority of the painting by 2:30 pm. The finishing touches were then
applied and the mural was completed by 4:30 pm that same day.
PREPARATION
Included:
• Purchasing paint and equipment
• Securing mural location
• Priming the wall
• Preparing the outlining and numbering of the mural design
PERMISSIONS
Permission of the owner of the building was needed.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
COMBINATION WITH CITY PLANNING
This time, city officials and urban planners were not present at the site throughout the activity.
They did stop by briefly to watch the process and see the final result.
Possible topics for the next time: Talk about beauty, colors, things they like and enjoy. What do
the residents like? Which places do they like? Why? Where do they like going in Ames? Where
would they never go? How can we, together, create an Art Alley in the City of Ames?
by Natalie Jacobson
Highlights
Following the day of the event, seeing everyone, regardless of age, smiling and participating in
painting the mural was honestly very fulfilling. We received a lot of compliments about how much
fun and how accessible the event was. By far my favorite comment that we got was “Thank you so
much for doing this. You made it very accessible and not intimidating to be a part of. You all were
so welcoming and engaging.” Which made every single obstacle my team and I had to work through
all worth it. At times, this project was stressful and had its bumps in the road; however, seeing my
team members being excited and really working towards making this event the best we possibly
could was a rewarding highlight all in its own.
Observations
• A great atmosphere, everybody seemed to be in a good mood, good music
• Very enjoyable collaborative activity
• Lots of participants from Farmers Market
o Handed out flyers during set up hours (11:00-12:00)
o Some didn’t even know and were just walking through to get to their cars
• Great place making and opportunity for conversations
o Some of the people did not want to participate but their friends did, yet even as they
were sitting there was always conversations being held
o Some with strangers who were sitting on the chairs nearby just watching the process
o Some were sitting with our team members
• The flow of participants seemed chaotic at times
• People were in and out in 15 minutes, so a short turnaround time
What would you do differently?
If I were to go back and do this project again, I would first take more time explaining to the students
what exactly it is we are doing and what we are trying to accomplish. I just jumped into the event
and planning because I assumed they had gotten a clear picture of the festival when that was not
5th STREET AND BURNETT AVE: HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
the case. Secondly, I would spend more time, overall, laying out logistics. Some things fell apart as
we got closer to the start and finish time and there was a lot of confusion on whose role was what.
Where does this go? How should we set this up/layout the event? Who is picking up what? When
are they going to be here to do so? When my team asked me these questions, I had no clue what to
say. So personally, having a better game plan and clear timeline is essential to a successful and well
put together event. With the timeline, I would also make sure that the marketed events can be
realistically implemented in the time frame, and if not voicing the time concerns and how that will
not fit into the scope of the project. Live music was a great idea; however, with no money to pay
the bands not many people were willing to come and play. On top of that we did not give them
enough notice as many bands and people like to have a month or so to prep and pull together a set
list before performing. Thirdly, having more activities at the site to enable participants to hang
around a little longer would be beneficial. Like I noted in my observations there was a
quick turnaround time and so while they were having good conversations.
Visions for the future
With the positive feedback we received, I think this has potential to be very useful in gathering
people for quick information checks. Participants did not hang around all that long, so having more
there for participants to do would increase time for conversations and civic engagement. Whether
that be live music, an open mic where residents can just walk up and showcase their talents, smaller
side crafts, or even more artists out there creating and showcasing their work, all would be very
beneficial to the overall turnout of the event. I would love to see this being done in other cities. I
feel it is a great way for the public to feel connected to their community. Residents drive by and
point out “hey I helped make that” and feel like they have made their mark on the city they call
home.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Evaluation of the methods used is a fundamental part of this festival. The goal was to establish
evaluation methods that may help identify which engagement methods work for which activities,
locations tasks and residents. We decided to experiment with Photo ethnography and an
Engagement survey to get feedback about the engagement methods and their acceptance by the
residents of the City of Ames. Additionally, a kids-friendly survey was developed for the kids to be
able to express their preferences and share their experience with us.
• PHOTO ETNOGRAPHY
A research group of four students explored the method of taking pictures and studying them for the
purpose of engagement and involvement of the residents into the activities presented to them at
each location.
• ENGAGEMENT SURVEY
A research group of four students designed an engagement survey and surveyed participants at the
four locations. The survey consisted of a set of questions related to the likability and playfulness of
each of the engagement activities.
• KIDS-FRIENDLY SURVEY
Additionally, a kids-friendly survey was designed with the aim to ask kids about their preferences
and their experience of the engagement activities.
2. EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTED ENGAGEMENT METHODS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
By Ben Woeber, Andrew Snyder, Noah Watson, Sarah Walker
The main goal of our research was to better understand the demographics of the members of the
community who participated in the Play Ames community engagement festival. By taking pictures
of participants throughout the festival we were able to identify the demographics of those at the
different festival locations and those partaking in the various activities. We hope future community
engagement events in Ames can use our data to make more informed decisions about where sites
should be located throughout the city and which activities should take place to better attract a more
diverse segment of the population or targeted groups. To achieve our goal, we took photos of
community members participating in different activities throughout the event and developed
a spreadsheet with a set of categories participants would be divided into to see which categories
are the least or most representative of the overall group of participants in the festival.
The categories we divided participants into included their age range, gender, race, whether they
came to the event with family members, their level of engagement in the activities, which activity
they were participating in at the time of the photo, the type of apparel they are wearing such as
casual, dress up, or athletic wear, and if they interacted with the planner on site. Some of these
areas of evaluation allow for more confidence in the accuracy of the data than others. For example,
age can be difficult to gauge from a photo. To try to solve this problem age was divided
into broad categories but some degree of inaccuracy still exists. Other areas such as gender, race,
and apparel type are easier to be sure of but can still contain misidentifications. For example, those
who are not gender binary, of mixed races, and wore a combination of apparel types.
Additionally, family members and planners may be standing away from an activity which is
being photographed making it difficult to tell if individuals are part of a family or if they interacted
with a planner.
Reliable street: by Noah Watson
At Reliable Street, I received little backlash on involvement in photos and it was a pleasant
experience overall. There was a family that preferred no photos and a couple of
families that preferred to have the photos remain purely analytical, but mostly participants were
eager to offer up photos of their engagement.
In the following analysis of Reliable Street, I will cover the basic attendance, demographics, and
engagement of participants located at the site. I will provide a few photos for reference as well
as some charts to give visual comparisons of the data collected.
2.1. PHOTO ETNOGRAPHY
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Reliable Street had a successful turnout of about 39 people throughout the day. This was great
considering the location was quite far away from the other sites. Within these 39 people, we saw a
variety of ages, genders, and engagement, but not a lot of variation in race, with participants being
predominantly white/Caucasian. In the graph below, you can see the divide between races amongst
the participants.
In terms of participation, 31 of the 39 total participants were white. This was very disappointing to
see since the goal of this festival was to engage people from all ranges of backgrounds. When we
take a minute to look at age and gender, we can see a little more variation. In the following graphs,
you will see age ranges of participants as well as the gender distribution.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
As you could see in the previous graphs, the ages varied relatively evenly across the board except
for those who were 70+ years old. More people aged 18–30-year participated than any
other group, which was perfect for our activities. The goal of the origami activity was to gather
feedback for the future planning of the city, and individuals falling into this age range can sometimes
be the hardest to reach. When looking at gender distribution, you can see that there was only a 3-
person difference between male and female participants which was exciting to see. Overall, our site
had diversity except when it came to the race of participants.
When collecting this data, I initially attempted to do a 15-minute round to each activity, but this
strategy was quickly abandoned for a different one. Instead, as people would make rounds to
activities, I would simply follow and capture their involvement. As new participants showed up, I
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
would switch to them and ensure I captured a photo of their engagement. Thankfully, all
activities used the most at Reliable Street took some time and allowed me to run between them
with ease.
Two of the three activities located at Reliable Street received a lot of attention and those were
origami and gorilla gardening. The board games, on the other hand, received little love except for
one family (pictured below) that decided to sit down and learn. Volunteers at the site concluded
that it would be best to switch this activity next time in favor of a more hands-on and creative
activity.
By the end of the festival, every volunteer at Reliable Street seemed happy with the result. We did
not receive the diversity that we were hoping for, but for the debut of the event there was a good
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
turnout. Many of the participants who came were actively conversing with the students, planners,
and each other, which displayed to me the genuine interest they took in this event. Those who
chose to come participate left with smiles on their faces and a new perspective on the city of Ames.
The photos captured during the event will provide a good insight into what has been done right and
what can be improved upon for the future events and I am excited to see what comes next.
Franklin Park: by Andrew Snyder
Franklin Park attendees were very open and engaged when participating in the activities at the
location. Although there weren’t as many participants as we were hoping for, those that
did come were all relatively open to being photographed and surveyed. When
photographing participants, I tried to ensure that it attempted to capture the categories for analysis.
Some pictures however weren’t able to answer these things, such as if they interacted with the
planner at each site or their level of engagement in the activities. There were many pictures that
were able to help us better understand who was attending the festival and whether or not they
were enjoying their time at the festival.
I will highlight five photos that encompass the feelings and attitudes of the festival goers thoroughly.
The first photo shows what looks to be two children participating in the sensory walking path
attending the festival with what looks to be their parents or grandparents. The kids look to be
between the ages of 7-10 and their guardians look to be between the ages of 40-60. The kids look
to be very engaged in the activity while the parents are standing to the side, which seemed to be a
trend throughout the whole day. The man has his hands in his pockets indicating that he is unsure
or hesitant about something, possibly participating in the activity.
In the second photo we see a presumably teenage girl also participating in the walking path activity.
This photo captures many different people who appear to be of a variety of different races, which
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
is what the festival intended to achieve. The girl participating in the walking path appears to be
either Asian or Latina, hard to tell because she is not facing the camera. There is what looks to be 2
Indian men on the left side of the photo. The two individuals on the far left of the photo are showing
no engagement in the activity, which seemed to be a trend at the walking path and breathing game.
Only children and teenagers seemed to have an interest in participating in those events.
In the third photo we see a presumably teenage Latino male participating in the breathing game
activity. The painting portion of the breathing game seemed to be the most popular section
of Franklin Park, but most participants skipped the remaining portions of the activity. This individual
specifically was one of the only festival attendees that was a person walking by that decided
to participate. Many of the festival goers seemed to have some prior knowledge of the festival,
because most people who attended drove there rather than stumbled upon it just walking by. The
main goal of the festival was to attract people from these neighborhoods, and I am not sure if there
were many participants from the Franklin Park neighborhood.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
In the picture above we see two children who are participating in the painting. In this activity,
participants were tasked to paint with objects found in the park, so the boy in the picture is seen
with what looks to be a pinecone. There is also a person in the background of the photo who appears
to be holding several previous paintings, showing that these children had made multiple paintings
already. This activity seemed to appeal very much to children because it let them express
themselves through colors and objects from the park.
The last photo I will assess is of festival attendees watching the climate change action theater show.
This show ran twice during the festival and took a lot of attendees' attentions away from the other
activities. Everyone in the photo is very engaged with the show, and there is no one in the
background participating in the other festival activities. The two times the show ran, there was no
engagement in the other festival activities which was an issue that was not prepared for. Although
the theater actors also participated in the festival activities between shows it was hard to tell who
was there from the theater crew and who came to the festival out of their own will.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
An additional photo I included just because it captured enjoyment of the festival activities. Although
there were not as many people as some expected, the people who did attend seemed to really enjoy
the activities that we had.
Overall, the festival was a success because it was intended to draw in minorities from
underrepresented communities. Although I’m not sure how many of the people that attended the
festival at Franklin Park were from the neighborhood, there were a lot of people from diverse
cultural backgrounds. It felt like there were people of all different social classes and income
brackets. There were also a lot of encouraging words from people who attended saying that they
really enjoyed the festival activities, which was very encouraging.
Some things that could be improved are that the activities could appeal to both children and adults.
It seemed like most of the parents of the children did not want to join or did not see the point of
the activities. I’m not sure exactly why that was, but one possibility was the fact that in most
activities you had to go barefoot. From what I remember, only one parent participated in the
sensory path activity, and that is likely due to them not wanting to take their shoes off. I also noticed
that the VR station at Franklin Park didn’t get much usage, which surprised me because it is a
popular technology that appeals to most people.
A few things that I would do next time to improve the overall experience and quality of the festival
would be to place it close to a major road or walking path. The issue with our location is that it was
too secluded from any road, so we were not able to attract many people passing by. There were
only a couple people that came up who had no prior knowledge of the festival, and they were there
at the park to play basketball. I also wouldn’t have the theater section next time because I felt like
it took away from the engagement of other festival activities. I remember one specific instance
where I was trying to encourage someone to participate in the breathing game and she told me she
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
was only there to watch the climate change theater. Lastly, I think one location rather than
four separate locations would be beneficial to attract more people overall. I’m not sure about every
other site, but Franklin Park did not have that many people attend, which was because of multiple
reasons, but one being that there were three other locations with a variety of different activities.
I liked my role in the group, but I feel like the survey and photovoice groups should have been one
large group from the start. There was much communication between the groups before the festival,
and Spencer (from the survey group) and I found out that there was a lot of overlap between the
two groups' work. Overall, the festival was an immense success and I think with a few changes it can
continue to grow and be highly successful in the future.
East 7th Street: by Sarah Walker
At the East 7th Street location, the activities revolved around GIS mapping and technology. There
was a surprise activity brought by one of the Ames City councilors that was a bicycle with a rickshaw
type seat. This activity was popular with both children and adults who came to the site.
The other activities at the East 7th Street site were divided in appeal between adults and children.
The mapping activities were predominately completed by adults while the virtual reality and 3D
printing were the activities the children were interested in. With the exception of 2 white
men both over the age of 50, 2 white women both over the age of 50, and 2 African American
women both between the ages of 18-30, all adult participants engaged in all of the activities
provided at the East 7th Street location. Of those who did not participate in all activities, 1 of the
men only participated in taking the engagement survey and the virtual reality simulation. He
did however watch his wife participate in all of the activities. The other man who did not do all the
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
activities only did the virtual reality simulation. Both the 2 white women and the 2 African American
women only did the safety map activity. Of the children who participated, 2 white male children
participated in the safety map activity, but no female children participated. For the GIS simulation
activity, 6 white male children, 1 African American male child, and 1 Asian male child as well as 2
white female children, and 1 Asian female child participated. Demographically, more
women participated in the site activities and the overwhelming majority of participants were
white.
While there was a good turnout at the site, the length of the activities allowed me to photograph
each participant at each activity. This created multiple photos of the same participants making
analysis of data difficult to code. The planned methodology was to rotate every 15 minutes between
activities. However, the setup of the site resulted in all the activities being very close together or
sharing a table space. As a result, I did not have to move around to see all the activities and could
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
photograph each participant at each activity. The setup was at an intersection with tables on 3 of
the 4 sides. The engagement survey and the city planners were at a table directly perpendicular with
the table for the safety map and GIS similarity map activities. Across the intersection was the virtual
reality van and 3D printer table. This setup was conducive for the participants to talk with the city
planners since the planners were there striking up conversations with the participants as
they waited to do an activity or as the next progression in the line of activities for the participants
to complete.
While the setup at the site was well designed to accomplish discussions with the city planners and
had a good flow to direct participants to each activity, the location was somewhat out of the way.
It was not easily seen by passing motorists or pedestrians who were not already on the street of the
location. It was suggested to me by some of the participants I spoke with that food trucks or music
would improve the site’s appeal for participants. There were also multiple comments about 2 sites
that had virtual reality activities being located too far apart and the desire to not want to drive that
far to participate in the activities.
5th Street and Burnett Avenue: by Ben Woeber
At the mural painting located near the intersection of 5th St. and Burnett St. in downtown Ames, it
was difficult to take pictures of participants that would yield the most helpful data since they were
turned toward the wall and had their backs to the camera. Determining which age category the
participants fell into was especially difficult when they were facing away from the camera. To
mitigate this, I tried to take pictures of participants as they walked to and from the mural and when
they were getting painting supplies.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
When looking at the pie chart below, which shows the gender makeup of participants at the 5th
Street and Burnett Street mural, we can see the majority of participants are female at 69%
compared to 31% which are male. This is perhaps due to the proximity to the Ames Farmers Market
where two groups of college females had come from previously as well as the pervading sentiment
that painting and art in general are more feminine activities, which I don’t agree with but
unfortunately is a viewpoint I know exists.
The race of participants who painted a section of the mural, shown below, was
overwhelmingly White/Caucasian with 32 of the 42 people photographed being white. The rest of
the racial groups do not exceed five participants.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
The chart above represents the broad age ranges of those who participated in painting the mural.
It shows that two age groups, those aged between 18-30 and those between 30-50, were the most
represented at the location. Perhaps this is also representative of the same age ranges who
attended the farmers market or are likely to shop downtown?
The other categories were much more homogenous in terms of the results. For example, at the
mural location the planner was not present for very long so almost no participants interacted with
her. The participants who painted a section of the mural were generally enthusiastic about the
painting while those who were not were not photographed as much since they were
not participating in the event. However, it can be difficult to determine enthusiasm from pictures
as well. Only one family participated in the mural painting. Additionally, most participants had
casual clothing on, with a few participants wearing athletic apparel, and none in business clothing.
Overall, the participants at the mural painting near 5th St. and Burnett St. were mostly female, white,
and between the ages of 18-50. The 18-30 age category was higher than it otherwise might have
been due to classmates inviting their friends to participate in painting the mural. Those
who participated in painting a section of the mural were enthusiastic and enjoyed it. By dividing the
mural into sections, it made it very accessible to people of all skill levels, which made people feel
more comfortable and willing to participate. A longer more horizontal mural also allowed multiple
participants to paint at once. The music being played at the site was helpful at getting people to
come and check out the mural, especially since it was not in the most visible location.
In the future, time lapse photography may be useful in gathering images of participants in events.
This would be less labor intensive and allow an additional person to engage with participants as
opposed to being on the side taking pictures. Getting closer to the wall and taking more side view
photos would also have been helpful in being able to better identify participants’ characteristics.
This may however require more participants to sign photo consent forms since their faces would be
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
more visible. Filling out forms would also take time away from the photographer and add to
the amount of forms/questionnaires participants are asked to fill out.
I really enjoyed my role in the group. I liked making graphs and charts from the excel spreadsheet I
made with the data about individual participants. I also like how the graphs were able to show
visually the disparities between groups of participants and show what can be improved upon in the
future. By making graphs and charts using the data I collected on individual participants I was made
more aware of the disparities that exist in the groups of participants and it helped me notice things
I did not while at the festival.
by Emily Rizvic, Shiva Afshari, Daunte Thompson and Spencer Thompson
2.2.1. Introduction
The Play Ames: Imagine your City festival represented an opportunity for the City of Ames to
connect more deeply and closely with the city's neighborhoods. Our research aimed opinions and
perspectives of participants about the festival and the engagement activities. The original purpose
of the Play Ames idea was to engage underrepresented communities in Ames and to get them to
feel more comfortable vocalizing their opinions to community leaders. Without formally collecting
data, it becomes almost impossible to try and evaluate the success of the festival. That is why an
engagement survey is so necessary to this sort of project. Using the data that we collected, we were
able to access the opinions the participants expressed about the festival. Their feedback will be
helpful to the future festivals in Ames or in other places.
2.2. ENGAGEMENT SURVEY: METHODOLOGY
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
2.2.2. Methodology
The research methodology consisted of the following parts:
1. Developing a standardized paper questionnaire which utilized Likert scale questions
and open-ended questions
2. Developing a kids-friendly, picturized survey which was utilized to provide responses
to activity enjoyment and focused on kids
3. Surveying participants at all four locations with the help of a dedicated team-member
4. Evaluating and analyzing the results
5. Summarizing the results in a report
Additionally, we developed a Kids-Friendly survey that targeted the young participants of the
festival. Participants were asked to respond to a survey at each festival location. The survey was
developed to capture the participants’ demographic information, their interactions with city
officials, and their overall experience, engagement, and learning from the activities. With their
responses, our group could analyze participation by different age ranges and different racial and
ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, responses allowed to analyze participant enjoyment and
engagement with the activities and their interactions with city officials.
With the demographic information, we could evaluate the overall participation in the festival
activities by analyzing the number of participants from each demographic group and their
percentage of the total number of participants. In order to evaluate the engagement and enjoyment
of each activity, analyzed the scoring of each activity by the participants using the Likert scale. This
report compiles all the Likert scale responses for each activity and reports the number of
participants who fell into each section on the Likert scale, providing an overview of the activity. We
also evaluated the engagement of each participant with city officials by providing the number of
participants who indicated they spoke with at least one city official present at their festival location.
• Paper questionnaire
The one (1) page, front and back, paper questionnaire was provided to participants at all four
locations to those who were willing to take the survey. A total of fifty-six (56) paper questionnaires
were received. A copy of the paper questionnaire is provided in Appendix B. The form included
questions regarding the following topics:
1. Level of engagement and enjoyment of activities provided at the festival locations
2. Interactions between participants and City of Ames staff members and councilmembers
3. Demographic information of participants
4. How close participants lived to the festival location
5. Festival highlights
Participants were more willing to fill out the survey after an activity or after conversing with other
participants. Additionally, participants were more likely to talk to City of Ames staff and council
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
members after encountering Question #2 “Did you talk to City Officials? How was that experience?”
as at this point, participants were likely to ask the surveyor where the city staff members were
located.
• Kids-Friendly Survey
The picturized survey allowed kids to indicate their enjoyment of the festival's activities. There were
four different attitudes represented and they could place a sticker in the box for each activity
indicating how they felt. Similarly, if they did not participate in an activity, they could indicate that
by placing a sticker in a “Did not participate” box. The point of this survey was to implement an
alternative method to a paper survey, which may not be accessible to all persons, particularly
children. Each of the locations had the activities listed in the survey and the level of likability of the
activity indicated with the emoticons in different colors. Below is an example developed for Franklin
Park.
Reliable Street
Of the eight (8) paper survey respondents from the Reliable Street location, a majority indicated
that they “sort of” enjoyed the activities or “really” enjoyed the activities. Respondents indicated
that they enjoyed the Origami and painting a rock for the Guerilla Gardening activity. Figure below
shows two younger participants of the event creating origami at the Origami Sidewalk of Dreams
2.3. ENGAGEMENT SURVEY: RESULTS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
table. Participants in the festival ranged from younger populations such as two (2) and up to
participants over the age of sixty-five (65). Participants of all ages indicated in the survey that they
had enjoyed the activities that were present at the festival.
Participants were given the following statements and asked to indicate whether they agreed or
disagreed with the statements:
“I felt engaged”
“I enjoyed the activity”
“I learned something new”
Respondents were given a scale between one (1) and four (4). Respondents also were able to
indicate if they did not participate in the activity. It should be noted that board game activities were
cancelled due to the wind.
Reliable Street Activity Assessment
Disagree Agree Participate
Guerilla
Gardening
I felt engaged 0 0 2 3 3
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 2 4 3
I learned something new 1 1 2 1 3
Sidewalk of
Dreams
I felt engaged 0 1 1 4 2
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 1 5 2
I learned something new 0 1 0 5 2
Games
I felt engaged 0 0 1 1 6
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 1 1 6
I learned something new 0 0 1 1 6
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Participant Interactions with the City of Ames
Of the eight (8) paper survey respondents from the Reliable Street location, only two (2) indicated
that they had met with and spoken to a representative of the City of Ames. These two responses
indicated that the experience was good and that they learned something interesting. One (1)
participant specifically stated that they met with councilwoman Rachel Junck.
At Reliable Street, councilmembers and City of Ames staff were provided a table with four (4) chairs
and some brochures. Visibility for the City of Ames at the event could possibly be improved by
bringing tablecloths with the City’s logo or having a standing poster. Interactions between
participants and the City of Ames could be boosted by having a potential activity involving council
members and staff from the City moderating those activities. This might encourage conversations
to organically form between residents of Ames and City Officials.
Franklin Park
The Franklin Park location for the Play Ames festival was in a public park located rather deep within
a neighborhood. The overall theme of the location was to engage participants in playing with their
senses and to get them to get in touch with their environment. The primary events were: a 10-step
breathing game, a barefoot sensory path, climate change action theater, and yoga. There was not a
large number of people who volunteered to take the survey, but those who did complete the survey
overall seemed to quite like the activities. Residents who participated in the activities really seemed
to enjoy them.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Franklin Park Activity Assessment
Disagree Agree Participate
Breathing
Game
I felt engaged 0 0 1 2 0
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 1 2 0
I learned something new 0 1 1 1 0
Path
I felt engaged 0 0 0 1 2
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 0 3 2
I learned something new 0 0 0 1 2
Yoga
I felt engaged 0 0 0 1 2
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 0 2 2
I learned something new 0 0 1 0 2
Change
I felt engaged 0 0 1 0 2
Theater
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 1 1 2
I learned something new 0 1 0 0 2
Participant Engagement
Overall, at Franklin Park, we faced a unique challenge that most of the other locations did not have
to deal with as much, which was a lack of overall activity participation. We decided to make the
threshold for surveying to either approach someone who had completed one full activity all the way
through, or someone who had partially participated in multiple activities. With this bare minimum
set, that actually quite limited the amount of people we could actually complete the survey (less
than 15). On top of this low number of qualifications, we had multiple people say no to filling out
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
the survey and those who did volunteer only filled out minimal details about the festival. Only 3
surveys were fully filled out and the data collection from them was quite limited.
However, the one area that excelled at with surveying at the Franklin Park location was the kids-
friendly survey. Due to the way the events were set up, we placed the sticker-based survey next to
the art station in the breathing game. This section of the breathing game was VERY popular with
children and, just by chance, we think the location ended up inviting the children into taking the
survey. The event set them in a very arts-and-crafts mood and the survey followed that vibe so the
children were much more willing to participate, granted unknowingly, in a formal survey about their
opinions of the festival.
East 7th Street
This festival was located on East 7th street. This location can be described as a neighborhood
surrounded by residential homes. Although some participants heard about the activities through
friends, social media, and posters, many had joined the event after noticing it on their routine walk
through the neighborhood. There were three activities in East 7th Street, which included: 1) Digital
Mapping; 2) Paper Mapping; and 3) Virtual Reality.
For the digital mapping activity, a combination of participants’ phones and correlated paper maps
to get participants acquainted with the GIS and Mapping activities was used. The non-digital
mapping activity included a large printed map accompanied with a printed questionnaire. The focus
was on mapping unsafe places. The virtual reality and 3D printing activities were provided through
a pop-up van.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Participant Engagement
The East 7th Street location had more than fifty (50) participants and twenty-six (26) paper surveys
were collected. The majority of responses indicated that the activities were enjoyable, engaging,
and informative. Children who participated in this location indicated that they were primarily
interested in the virtual reality and digital mapping activities.
21 of the 26 surveyed participants indicated that they “somewhat agreed” or “agreed” that they
were engaged by and enjoyed the Digital Mapping activity. It is noticeable that the other 5 people
indicated that they didn’t participate in this activity which means that “all” the people who
participated and filled out the paper survey enjoyed and were engaged by the digital mapping. For
the part of learning something new from this activity, 18 of the 26 “agreed” that they learned
something, 3 participants “disagreed” or “somewhat disagreed,” and 5 people didn’t participate.
For the activity of Mapping, similarly, 21 of 26 surveys “agreed” or “somewhat agreed” with the
enjoyment of and engagement by the Mapping activity. Regarding learning something new, 20
participants said they “agreed” or “somewhat agreed,” which matched the digital mapping activity
assessment based on participant rate but was more informative in the distribution of responses.
Lastly, for virtual reality, 14 of the 26 surveys indicated that the participants “somewhat agreed” or
“agreed” that they were engaged, enjoyed the activity, and learned something new. The other 12
survey participants did not actually participate in this activity. Compared to other activities, it
showed lower participation rates, but all of the participants rated it as enjoyable, engaging and
informative.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
East 7th Street Activity Assessment
Disagree Agree Participate
Digital
mapping
I felt engaged 0 0 3 18 5
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 3 18 5
I learned something new 1 2 7 11 5
mapping I felt engaged 0 0 2 19 5
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 6 15 5
I learned something new 0 1 6 14 5
Reality
I felt engaged 0 0 1 13 12
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 3 11 12
I learned something new 0 0 4 10 12
Overall, at this location, there was a great participation and communication of participants with city
officials and students
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
5th Street and Burnett Avenue
This festival was located in downtown Ames on the wall of a business located at 5th Street and
Burnett Ave. A block over from this location, the Ames Farmers Market was taking place at the same
time. The group at this location handed out flyers for the festival while the farmers market was
happening, which resulted in the people leaving the farmers market and those who received the
flyers to stop by to participate. This location was advertised to have three activities: 1) Mural
painting by number; 2) Live music from local artists; and 3) Artists meet and greet.
Participant Engagement
All 20 surveyed participants of the mural at this festival indicated that they “somewhat agreed” or
“agreed” to enjoying the activity. They all indicated that they “somewhat agreed” or “agreed” to
being engaged with the mural, and 14 of the surveyed participants “somewhat agreed” or “agreed”
to having learned something new. 16 of the 20 surveyed participants indicated that they “somewhat
agreed” or “agreed” to enjoying the activity for the music part of this festival location. Of the 20
total surveyed, 16 of them “somewhat agreed” or “agreed” that it was engaging, and 16 of the
surveyed participants “somewhat agreed” or “agreed” that they learned something new. Lastly, 19
of the 20 surveyed participants indicated that they “somewhat agreed” or “agreed” to having
enjoyed the activity. Those same 19 also indicated that they “somewhat agreed” or “agreed” to
finding this activity engaging, and the same portion indicated they “somewhat agreed” or “agreed”
to having learned something after participating.
Overall, this location seemed to be well received by all participants. This festival location benefitted
from occurring at the same time and in proximity to the farmers market happening that morning.
However, this resulted in the mural being finished in the first few hours of the festival, bringing
another suggestion to make the mural larger. It should also be noted that this festival location had
no city officials present after the festival's grand opening and that there was not a sticker and picture
survey offered.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
5th Street & Burnett Ave Activity Assessment
Disagree Agree Participate
Mural
painting
I felt engaged 0 0 0 20 0
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 0 20 0
I learned something new 0 0 6 14 0
I felt engaged 0 2 3 13 2
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 2 16 2
I learned something new 0 2 6 10 2
and greet
I felt engaged 0 0 3 16 1
I enjoyed the activity 0 0 2 17 1
I learned something new 0 0 4 15 1
Collaboration with city officials and urban planners
Question 2. When asked if participants talked to officials from the City of Ames, only 27% of
respondents indicated that they had. Of those, respondents described the experience with city
officials as the following:
1. “Fine. Interesting.”
2. “Very brief”
3. “Very engaging and nice to touch base
with them again”
4. “Feel good”
6. “Helpful”
7. “They were friendly and encouraging”
8. “Rachel”
9. “Good”
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
The following is the complete results for the kids-friendly survey. The data was not collected for 5th
Street and Burnett Ave festival site.
Reliable Street
this Activity Enjoy this
Activity
this Activity this Activity Participate
Guerilla Gardening
Origami
Urban planning games
Franklin Park
Breathing game
Barefoot path
Yoga
Climate Change Action
Theater
East 7th Street
Digital mapping
Paper mapping
Virtual Reality
2.4. KIDS-FRIENDLY SURVEY
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Question 4. Participants of the festival were asked what the highlight of the festival was for them
and if they would attend the festival again in the future. The following are full written responses
from participants:
I didn't want to take my shoes off for
activities
2. Loved the creativity. I would come to a
festival like this in the future
3. Painting rocks and talking to Zach
(Volunteer)
4. Enjoyed the origami craft & chatting with
folks
5. Talking to everyone about why they are
here & learning the cause - Yes i'd come
back!
6. The guerilla art was cool, would love to
come again
7. I liked my friends being involved in the
program which is why I attended
8. I enjoyed seeing people of all ages
interacting and participating in civic art
on a sunny day
9. Yes - I enjoy participating in city
activities. It is especially nice to have
something happening in West Ames as
there aren't many activities, etc. in this
area which can be very frustrating and
isolating
10. Yes - It was fun and relaxing. Good vibes!
11. People were friendly and engaging. The
paint by numbers was simple and still
fun. I would come to something like this
again
12. So engaging
13. Enjoyable and come again
14. Engaging
15. I like GIS mapping
16. I love it. way to highlight the concepts of
city planning
17. great outdoor activity
18. I love virtual reality
to another festival like this in the future.
Thank you for doing this! :)
23. Loved meeting the students, painting and
meeting other residents of Ames.
24. The local art
25. Fun activity for a weekend, enjoyed painting
with friends and meeting others. Yes, I
would come to a festival like this in the
future. It was very engaging and a good way
to meet people in the community.
26. Loved the local artist. YES!
27. Very fun! Would love to come paint again =)
28. Yes! -outdoors + paint = a really good time
29. Learning the culture of different states
30. Yes, would come again. Friendliness of
painting/activity.
31. So fun! It will be cool to drive by and see it!
Yes!
32. Yes! It was so sweet to feel like I got to
engage with my community and contribute
to my home!
33. Socializing
34. Live music, food, art
35. The mural painting and live music was very
fun! I would come again.
36. So engaging
37. I love virtual reality
38. So engaging
39. Integration of isu with the community is
great
40. Proud of the City
41. Had fun
42. VR was a big interest
43. Good student communication
44. VR and mapping were great
2.5. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FESTIVAL AS PRECEIVED BY THE PARTICIPANTS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
20. Learning new stuff
21. Kids were active and I love the local
The graphs below summarize the demographics of the participants of Play Ames: Imagine your City
community engagement festival.
2.6. DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE PARTICIPANTS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
How did you find out about the festival?
Question 3. Participants were asked how they found out about the festival. A majority indicated
that they found out about the festival from word-of-mouth techniques (e.g. friends, family, or
volunteers of the event). Posters and flyers used to market the event were the second highest
indication of how individuals learned about the festival.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Conclusions
Comparing the four locations illustrate that there was greater participation at the East 7th Street
and 5th Street locations compared to the Franklin Park and Reliable Street locations. This may be
attributed to nearby activities that were already taking place, such as the Downtown Ames Farmers
Market near 5th Street. Another example includes that Reliable Street was located outside of
Lockwood Café, so those making purchases at the café had noticed the event taking place.
Based on survey results, it can be concluded that overall the activities present at the festivals were
enjoyable and engaging. In contrast, survey results were mixed on whether or not participants were
learning something new. For example, the Origami Street of Dreams activity received more feedback
that participants had learned something new whereas those participating in the Guerilla Gardening
activity did not feel the same way.
Overall, it seemed that participants enjoyed the festival and that they would participate in such a
festival again. Group members collected a few recommendations for future execution of similar
events that may improve the experience generally or may specifically improve the surveying portion
of the event.
Recommendations
The following is a list of recommendations that our group puts forward which may improve survey
engagement and response collection or may improve overall participation in the festival activities:
1. Develop a surveying methodology that breaks away from standardized survey taking and is
more playful and fun, similar to the Origami Street of Dreams. Alternative surveying methods
may look like having a large surface area where participants can write down an idea or
thought.
2. Focus on having one festival location with designated times and plan to move the locations
to the targeted neighborhoods throughout the day or week.
3. Encourage more activities and events within West Ames.
4. Ensure visibility of the City of Ames city council members and staff during the event. This
may look like setting them up with a specific activity or having dedicated signage. This might
also include having a tablecloth with the City of Ames logo.
5. Consider having City Officials assist in moderating activities to encourage organic
conversation to occur between participants and the city officials.
2.7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
by Alenka Poplin
3.1. Engagement activities
3.1.1. Creative engagement activities
Creative activities were activities that engaged the residents by creating something which resulted
in a visible product. These activities were very attractive for many of the participants. They included:
• Painting stones
• Creating origami
• Paintings with the help of local materials from nature
• Collaborative mural painting
These activities were very beloved. The participants felt a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction
in seeing their creativity. Some also resulted in a product that could be taken home with them and
keep as a memory. Creating their own products brought a sense of achievement, a sense of
satisfaction upon seeing a stone you painted on your own, a beautiful piece of origami, a picture
made with the help of leaves and materials from the local park. The activity that asked participants
to go to the park and find materials with which they could paint was particularly well received.
Collaborative painting while enjoying the sun and good music was found to be very enjoyable. The
atmosphere at these locations was amazing and residents felt naturally attracted to join the activity.
Observing participants:
“ A little girl painting the stones for her mom as her mom couldn’t join the festival”
Another participant is sharing with us:
“Look what I did. I created this picture right here at the festival. What do you think?”
3. LESSONS LEARNED
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Gardening had the potential to be one of these activities but planting the bulbs did not result in a
visible change of the environment. A visible change from planting leafy plants or trees would result
in even more happiness for the residents. Planting plants or trees would be a more effective activity
in the spring than in the autumn.
3.1.2. Experiential engagement activities
Experiential engagement activities are those that enable participants to gain some specific
experience, try something, experience it. These engagement activities included:
• Barefoot path
• Yoga, breathing and mindfulness
• Spot-the-Differences game
• Virtual reality
• Digital or paper mapping
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Participants were immersed into trying out different materials and feeling them on their feet
(barefoot path), experiencing mindfulness under the guidance of a yoga teacher, were immersed in
a roller coaster in the virtual reality pop-up van, experienced spatial thinking experiments in Spot-
the-Differences game, and engaged in digital or paper mapping. All these activities were very well
accepted by the participants.
3.1.3. Technology enhanced engagement activities
Engagement activities based on technologies attracted participants that were open to novel
technologies. They included the following two engagement activities:
• Digital mapping
• Virtual reality
Most of the families suggested to their younger members to engage with these activities. These
activities can be used to target younger populations of residents and those that are curious to try
something new. Generally, they should be combined with non-digital methods to be able to engage
all participants that visit the site. Using just technology-based engagement activities would exclude
many potential participants.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
3.1.4 Engagement activities focused on participants’ perception
These were engagement activities that were designed to inquire about participants’ opinions,
perceptions and ideas. These activities included:
• Origami
• Paper-mapping experiment with unsafe places
The origami activity asked participants the following three questions: What is your favorite place
within the city?; What can be improved in the city?; What is your vision for the city of Ames? The
participants were happily answering these questions about the city and were very engaged in
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
creating origami. Next time, the origami task should be designed in a way that one origami
represents a final product already instead of four leaves forming a flower. In this way the
participants will see an immediate result. Mapping unsafe places was also very inspiring.
Participants enjoyed sharing their experiences of the city, the places they felt to be unsafe and how
they perceive places in Ames. Sometimes the paper-map is just a tool that helps to initiate a
discussion and involves participants in thinking about the city. More such engagement activities
should be developed in the future and connected with the real-world issues city officials and
planners are facing at that moment.
3.1.5. General observations about engagement activities
• Engagement activities need to be short, active and well displayed and presented.
• Engagement activities should be easy to grasp and learn. Those that take too much time to
learn and master do not work best for a community engagement festival. Board games were
not successful as they would have taken time to learn how to play the game and then also
taken time to actually play. Next time, the games should be designed in a simple and easy to
learn way.
• Engagement activities need to be simple and creative. Too complicated activities did not
attract big audience. Those with a steep learning curve require more time and attention for
them to be executed. Breathing games involved too complicated instructions, not enough
clarity, too many steps and not enough guidance by the leaders. More assistants should be
assigned to engagement activities with more steps to accomplish. Board games require a
longer investment into learning and most of the participants prefer to move to the next
activity fairly quickly.
• Some engagement activities can be better performed outside and some others inside.
Playing board games is easier inside; inside spaces are quieter and allow for more
concentration and an exchange among the actors. Strong winds can also prevent participants
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
from playing. Some parts of board games may get lost in an outdoor space. Mural painting,
on the contrary worked well, but also because of the wonderful weather.
3.2. Engaging underrepresented/marginalized residents
A one-time festival cannot result in a miracle. It represented a first step towards establishing more
connection and trust with residents. It is a first step on a longer path towards co-creation and
collaboration. No relationship was established by meeting just once; one has to continue meeting
to get to know the other person/party/organization. Long-term planning and continuity is needed
to declare this process successful. We are making baby steps and this was one of our first steps. This
baby needs nourishing, care and continuing communication.
We experienced many interesting participants, but not necessarily from the targeted
neighborhoods. The set-up of the locations had an immense impact on the success of attracting
local underrepresented and marginalized communities. The most successful location in this respect
was East 7th Street which managed to attract many local residents. It was located at the entrance to
the street, very centrally in the neighborhood. We visited the location several times, posted
postcards several times, and also talked to the local residents and gave them the cards in person.
This was very successful. The site at the festival was relatively small, concentrated, and well-
advertised with posters and fliers placed all around the site. Franklin Park was a big site and not
easily accessible. The festival was organized in the middle of the park and most visitors did not feel
invited to join. There was a certain disconnect to the neighborhood. The same happened with the
Reliable Street location.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
The most valuable lessons and take-aways gained from the 1st community engagement festival in
Ames:
• Personal visits to the neighborhoods and personal talks with the residents before the festival
were very helpful. All whom we met in person in their neighborhoods came and joined the
festival. They felt appreciated and invited. Additional visits to the targeted neighborhood
before the festival are highly recommended for a stronger presence of the local residents at
the festival and therefore greater success in engaging underrepresented and marginalized
residents.
• Developing activities together with the neighborhoods would be a wonderful idea. Getting
them involved in the festival as organizers or co-creators could be something interesting to
try.
• Work closer with the neighborhoods after the festival. Develop action projects together with
the neighbors and help them beautify and improve their neighborhoods. Help them clean it,
plant flowers, plant edible plants or trees, paint walls, create playgrounds for children, draw
games on side-walks, etc.
• Develop place-making ideas together with the residents of the targeted neighborhoods.
Prepare a plan to engage them. Select targeted neighborhoods and work with them over a
longer period of time.
• Think about establishing infrastructure for representing the neighborhoods: leaders of the
neighborhoods. Leaders of the neighborhoods are trustworthy and respected residents that
talk with their neighbors and represent their wishes and opinions. They are the link between
the residents and city officials and urban planners. They can get connected in a network, a
grid across the city, and exchange ideas in their meetings. Perhaps a beginning of the direct
democracy for the city.
• Options of direct democracy and successful case studies – such as examples seen in
Switzerland – need to be studied in more detail to be able to understand what worked well
for them and what could potentially be implemented in our cities as well.
• Work with the neighborhoods longer, more intensely, and much earlier in the process in the
weeks leading up to the festival. Small events can be organized in the neighborhoods, a pop-
up van may visit the neighborhoods several times before the festival so everyone feels
invited, heard, and respected.
• More work needs to be done on a continuing basis to establish the trust of and work with
the neighborhoods.
3.3. Selected locations
There was something special about this festival. All locations were very alive, engaging, and the
students involved were very optimistic and contributed beautifully to the festival. This is something
to think about for the next festival. A festival like that could also be solely organized by the students
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
in a collaboration of the Undergraduate and Graduate Urban Planning Students’ Clubs. This could
be a fantastic opportunity for the students to get more integrated with the City of Ames.
Observations:
• All locations were alive. The students were present and in a good mood.
• The students generated a lot of positive energy around the festival.
• The grand opening worked very well. It created a wonderful start and motivation for the
festival. The invited speakers were very encouraging and gave a broader perspective to this
collaboration which additionally motivated students in their work at the festival. Coffee and
cookies were a good idea as well and the sunny weather was very helpful.
• Everybody made a great/huge effort to make this work. It is because of the dedicated work
of all the students that this festival was so successful.
• All locations were wonderful in their own way! Everything planned was also executed in a
practical way. It was wonderful to see it in reality.
• The students created enthusiasm, positive energy, and great opportunities to meet, mingle,
talk, and exchange ideas.
Specifics about the locations:
• Locations placed in the neighborhoods enabled an easier access to the underrepresented
and marginalized populations (East 7th Street). The closer a location is to the heart of the
neighborhood, the more the residents felt invited to take part in the engagement activities.
• Locations which we visited more often and met some people in person prior to the event
attracted more underrepresented and marginalized populations from that neighborhood
(East 7th Street).
• Locations distant from the actual neighbors (with natural or artificial barriers) did not attract
as many participants from the neighborhoods (Reliable Street and Franklin Park). The festival
was organized in the middle of the park and not close to an entrance or a street. This created
a certain invisible barrier and was not close to the neighborhood. The Reliable Street event
was organized in front of the Lockwood Café. The café seems to be more like an isolated
island in the neighborhood and the local residents do not seem to visit it very often. The
population gathering there seemed to be more ISU staff and students rather than local
underrepresented residents with families.
• Big locations (Franklin Park) may be just too big and the residents may not feel invited to be
part of it or dare to come closer. Smaller and more contained locations (East 7th Street and
Reliable Street) worked better as they were more connected and integrated. Activities that
are closer are easier to accomplish by the residents, they give the feeling of connectivity,
integration, and ability for the participants to mingle, talk, and exchange idea in a smaller,
contained space.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
• Parks can work well if they are not too big. It is also important to think about placing activities
close to the entrance or the street. This enables an easier access to the site for the
underrepresented and marginalized groups of participants.
Thinking about locations is fundamental for the success of a community engagement festival. The
preparatory work in advance and placing the activities directly into the neighborhoods seem crucial
for the success of a festival like this, especially when targeting underrepresented and marginalized
communities.
3.4. Children and families
Two groups seemed to particularly enjoy the activities: families with children and students. Children
were quickly immersed into the creative and experimental activities. They loved all of them and
were very enthusiastic about them. Students brought their optimism, ideas, and positive energy and
were very involved in the preparation and implementation of the activities. This brought good
feelings and atmosphere to the locations as one could feel the enthusiasm and immersion of the
kids in the activities. The children felt safe and engaged which also gave parents time to chat with
other participants, urban planners and officials, and the organizing students. The organizers may
think about the next festival being dedicated specifically for families with children.
Observations:
• Children really enjoyed the engagement activities, mostly the creative engagement activities
and the experiential engagement activities. The barefoot path was a highlight. Several of
them were very willing to share during kids-yoga experience. They got immersed in
gardening, painting stones, and painting with the help of the local materials such as flowers
and leaves. It was a pleasure to observe them getting so enthusiastic about all these
activities.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
• The City of Ames is asking how to engage underrepresent and marginalized populations.
Students represent almost half of the population in Ames. A festival like this is an
opportunity for the City of Ames and the students to collaborate and jointly work towards
common goals. Together, they can work towards integrating the residents, preparing,
executing and implementing activities. Ames can become a very vibrant integrated and
connected community.
3.5. Involving city officials and urban planners
City officials/councilors and urban planners had a strong presence at three of the locations: Reliable
Street, Franklin Park and East 7th Street. They were very visible, open and ready to talk with the
participants of the festival and the organizing students. One of the council members brought a
colorfully painted bike-ricksha to the East 7th Street location and drove participants around the site.
This was a very fun way of promoting the work of the city council and many participants really
enjoyed it. Also other city officials were very engaged and showed lots of interest for the festival
and contributed to its success. We have to mention the very active support of the City Manager
Steve Schainker who helped organize the closing of the streets leading to the East 7th Street location
and was present and visible at several locations. City Councilor Dr. Gloria Betcher not only supported
the process of organizing of the festival, but also actively contributed to the success of the festival
by being present at all locations and available to talk with the residents and organizing students.
The Mayor of the City of Ames, John Haila, was enthusiastic about the opportunities this festival can
offer to the residents, students and to the city. He visited all locations of the festival and actively
talked with the students, residents, other city officials and urban planners. It was nice to see his
enthusiasm and experience his positive energy.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Recommendations:
• Better integrate city representatives with the engagement activities.
• Design engagement activities with the goal to help with topics of interest to city officials and
urban planners.
• Design engagement activities with the goal to help with topics of interest to the residents.
Conduct activities in the neighborhoods before the festival to identify those together with
the residents. Develop a common plan, in collaboration with city officials and urban
planners, of the topics of interest and engagement activities planned to engage
underrepresented and marginalized communities in Ames.
3.6. Advertising
We advertised in many different ways. Here just some examples: a digital screen at the College of
Design and a poster created for the neighborhood advertising.
In a very short time, we created the following:
• A logo for Play Ames: Imagine your City
• Community Engagement Living Lab and its logo
• Website for the project Play Ames: Imagine your City and the Community Engagement Living
Lab. The website can be viewed here: https://www.communityengagementll.net/
• We selected the color identity and presence with bright and vivid colors.
• We organized a Facebook pages for Play Ames: Imagine your City and for the Community
Engagement Living Lab and actively advertised on these platforms
• We got connected with the Climate Change Action Theater group
• Designed postcards and distributed them in the selected neighborhoods and at ISU
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
• Designed posters and fliers and distributed them in the selected neighborhoods and at ISU
• We got connected with event organizers at ISU and distributed the information through the
channels of ISU
• City of Ames placed the event in their event calendar and advertised it on their website
• Iowa Stat Daily and Ames Tribune prepared articles before the festival and after the festival
• We placed advertising posters around all neighborhoods
3.7. Critical reflection
A community engagement festival is a good start in building trust and connection with the residents.
It would be more helpful when and if it becomes a tradition. In this case the residents will get used
to it, will be more open to come and better informed. A word of mouth will spread around and there
will be more knowledge about it available in the community. It will build on the experience from the
previous years.
Things we could do differently next time:
• One could think of fewer locations at one time. This would give the students the opportunity
to enjoy all locations as well, see them, try them and enjoy the. It would be easier to
organize. It all depends on the budget for the festival and staff dedicated to it.
• An interesting approach would be to have these activities spread around the same
neighborhood. This may work very well; to concentrate on one neighborhood with several
“stations” of activities in the same neighborhood, located not too far away from each other.
• More concentrated on one, max two locations at a time may work better.
• Advertise earlier and more extensively.
• Use more of social media for advertising.
• Create specific street posters that can be re-sued for several years, but big and visible to
everyone
• Prepare an IRB and conduct some useful research to be published
• Combination with the class dedicated to another topic was not optimal. Students were
stressed in the phase of preparation. A whole class needs to be dedicated to place-making
and the festival. A studio class would also be a good option which will give more time to
everyone to be able to develop the activities and their connection with the selected sites. At
the end all worked well and it seems that the students learned a lot and enjoyed the festival
as well.
• Possibly create a dedicated course/ studio for the festival and place-making and
engagement. Offer it in spring to support the festival in spring.
• Get a more substantial funding for the festival and hire staff that can help with the logistics
of the festival. There is a substantial logistic involved in the organization of a festival like that.
Also, there is cost connected to it. The cost is mostly the cost of the materials needed for the
engagement activities.
• Involve schools and other organizations and form partnerships with them.
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Advertising:
• Start advertising earlier
• Organize a more aggressive advertising campaign
• Visit neighborhoods more often and earlier in the process and talk with the neighbors in
person inviting them in a personal conversation
• Grow our social media presence intentionally and gain more subscribers on our social media
platform
• Record more videos, life streaming on youtube, social media and Instagram, or other
selected platforms
by Alenka Poplin
The festival was an inspiration for many people. We believe it should continue, get refined and
repeated in the improved version of it. There are a few things that come to mind when thinking
about the future of community engagement in Ames and in particular to the expansion of the idea
of a community engagement festival. Below is some food for thought, a list of ideas about how this
festival could look like in the future.
4.1. Mobile pop-up van community engagement festival
A mobile version of a community engagement festival could be developed. The way we envision it
would be with the help of a well-equipped pop-up van. We call it a Mobile Community Engagement
Festival. The pop-up van could be equipped with simple equipment such as colored paint, stones,
pencils, origami, plants to be planted, etc. These materials will help to get the residents engaged in
specific, dedicated topics. It could additionally involve high-tech equipment for quick visualizations,
rapid design of the alternative developments for residents and teach them how to use this
equipment for the benefits of experimenting with alternative designs of their neighborhoods for the
future. This pop-up van could then visit different neighborhoods at different days and park directly
in the neighborhood.
A combination with a food and coffee truck may be of interest as well and would additionally bring
some services to neighborhoods that have no or very little services on their own. The same activity
can be repeated in several neighborhoods. The engagement activities can be specifically designed
around specific topics of interest to the City of Ames. Additionally, this would give the residents the
opportunity to share their concerns, issues, and inspirations. It could be a fantastic way of regular
communication of the City of Ames with the residents of the city.
4. VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
4.2. Topical festivals
The festivals could branch into more topical festivals, dedicated to one particular group of
unrepresented and marginalized residents or dedicated to a particular topic of interest. We could
envision a festival dedicated to families with children: Ames Family Festival or Ames Children
Festival. This would be a wonderful opportunity to envision or declare Ames to be “family-friendly”
city and dedicate a festival to promoting this message.
Other possible topics that could be selected as a topic of the yearly festival could be:
• Sidewalks
• Climate change
• Sustainability, etc..
A similar topical festival is organized yearly in Munich, Germany. Their main topic is sustainability
and vendors come from across the whole state to share sustainability ideas. More research can be
invested in other similar examples of such festivals. Similarly, the City of Ames could select a specific
topic for each year and dedicate the whole festival to this specific topic. The topics could be related
to the city plan, transportation plan, climate change action program, or other topics of interest to
the City of Ames.
4.3. Families, kids, and students friendly Ames
Declaring Ames as a family and student friendly city could be one of the strategies the leadership
may consider. It seems natural to advertise and promote it this way. We strongly believe in the
success of a festival like Play Ames: Imagine your City geared for families and children. Organized by
the students of ISU, it could lead to a better integration of these groups of residents. We envision
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
this wonderful flow of knowledge and experience from students to the kids and families. And
flowing back from the families and kids to the students and consequently to the City of Ames public
officials and urban planners. There are many exciting ways in which kids can be involved. As well
there are many exciting ways in which these activities could be prepared by the students in
collaboration with the city officials and urban planners.
4.4. Students for the city and with the city
A festival like this could also be solely organized by the students in a collaboration of the
Undergraduate and Graduate Urban Planning Students’ Clubs or even in a collaboration with other
student organizations or clubs. This could be a fantastic opportunity for the students to get more
integrated with the City of Ames and showcase what they know and have learned at ISU. It could be
a great opportunity for an exchange and a lively celebration of accomplishments. It can be very
rewarding for the students, residents, and the public officials and planners.
Supporting classes could also be organized that enable students to develop and implement ideas
related to place-making and tactical urbanism. Alternatively, studio options may be designed
specifically to support the collaboration of ISU with the City of Ames. One could think of formalizing
these ideas in a form of a continuing collaboration, perhaps a 5-year plan of collaboration with a
bigger budget that would help to develop additional activities and would be predictable for both
involved parties.
Similar community engagement festivals can be implemented in other cities. The City of Ames can
serve as an example of successful implementation.
Additional research in different engagement strategies, methods and technologies should be
dedicated into festival evaluations. Grants for such research can come from a variety of foundations
or even National Science Foundation (NSF).
4.5. An organization and a budget dedicated to the festival
Similar to the Octagon Art Festival, one could think of establishing an organization that would
organize an annual festival like that around city planning. To be successful and professionally
organized, one could think of enabling such an organization to hire staff and be able to pay for
organizational and logistic services. Hiring a festival coordinator seems like a wonderful idea and a
necessary step if the city decides to follow up with the idea of an annual festival.
A dedicated budget would be helpful in terms of assuring the continuation of the project. This is just
another option which could be developed as a vision for the expansion of community engagement
in the City of Ames.
4.6. Strategic plan
Strategic plan and strategic decisions would be helpful in providing consistency for the City of Ames,
its residents, students, and ISU staff. A collaboration on the topic of community engagement seems
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
like a wonderful idea. A strategic plan may define levels and topics of collaboration. Clearly defined
goals of engagement and also the festival are crucial for its success. Further development of this
vision and the vision of the festival may involve additional local partners such as other ISU
departments, schools, and perhaps even food trucks. The collaboration and involvement of City of
Ames staff and urban planners should be prepared ahead of time and well in advance. We
recommend a vey food integrations with other activities.
Overall Play Ames: Imagine your City was a great success. It inspired students, residents and city
officials and urban planner. It expanded the idea of community engagement and created playful,
learning, experimental, and creative opportunities for all residents. The opportunity for everyone
involved is to build on the existing ideas and develop a more comprehensive plan of community
engagement in the City of Ames. The City of Ames can become an exemplary city and serve as a
role-model for community engagement across the US.
It is our pleasure and honor to be able to create this opportunity for everyone. We hope that this
report can inspire future implementations of a festival like that.
Many people helped us to make this festival happen. The location leaders – Stella, Vishnu, Fatema,
and Natalie – were very dedicated to make this festival a successful story. They were not only
involved in preparing the ideas and designing the festival engagement activities – they also practiced
their leadership skills. They coordinated the implementation of the ideas and led groups of students
5. CONCLUSIONS
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
from the CRP455/555 class, instructing them how to implement these ideas. This festival would not
have been possible without their dedication, focus, hard work and inspirations the brought to the
team.
Thank you to all who supported the festival and thank you to all students who invested their time
and creativity in making this festival happen. They brought their positive spirit, their innovative
ideas, and very good energy and substantially contributed to the success of this festival!
Thank you for this wonderful experience, that we created!
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Appendix A: Advertising materials
Play Ames: Imagine your City Logo: all credits for the design and implementation to Natalie
Jacobson, and help with generation of ideas to Vishnu
Community Engagement Living Lab logo: all credits for the design and implementation go to Natalie
Jacobson
Community Engagement Living Lab website: all credits for the design and implementation go to
Fatema Nourin, and help with the initial set up to Vishnu Priya Sairamesh:
https://www.communityengagementll.net/
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Postcards and posters were designed by Stella Schroeder
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Appendix B: Example of the Engagement Survey
Play Ames: Community Anonymous Survey – Reliable Street
Activity Question Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Did Not
Participate
Guerilla
Gardening
I felt engaged 1 2 3 4 *
I enjoyed the
activity
1 2 3 4 *
I learned
something new
1 2 3 4 *
Origami of
Dreams
I felt engaged 1 2 3 4 *
I enjoyed the
activity
1 2 3 4 *
I learned
something new
1 2 3 4 *
Board
Games
I felt engaged 1 2 3 4 *
I enjoyed the
activity
1 2 3 4 *
I learned
something new
1 2 3 4 *
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
•
Media
• •
friends
• •
Participant Information (all voluntary)
Age(Circle One): Gender(Circle One): Race(Circle One): Did you come with anyone?
• Under 18
• 19-30
• 31-50
• 51-65
• 65 and over
•
• Female
• Non-binary
• Trans
• Other • White
• Black or
African
American
• Asian
• Hispanic
• Native
American
• Pacific
Islander
•
• Family
• Alone
• Other
with?: __________
What street do you reside on? ________________________________________
Additional Notes
What were the highlights of the festival? Would you come to a festival like this is the future? Why/or why
not?
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Appendix C: Example of the Kids-Friendly Survey
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Appendix D: Barefoot Path Questionnaire
Male/ Female : Age (Roughly):
What do you think this material is? What does it remind you of / an experience associated
with it ?
1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4.
5.
Which material did you ‘enjoy’ the most? Why? Would you like to see that in public spaces
to play with?
What materials would you like to see next ?
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
What development do you see for Franklin Park in future?
List of Materials Used
1. Bubble Wrap
2. Stone Brick
3. Rubber Mulch
4. Hay
5. Sand
6. Pebble and water
7. Orbeez
8. Wet Towel
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Appendix E: Examples of Instructions/Posters: Breathing Game
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report
Play Ames: Imagine your City | 1st community engagement festival | September 25, 2021
Final report