HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - August 16, 2022, Special Meeting of the Ames City Council1
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
AMES, IOWA AUGUST 16, 2022
The Special Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 6:00
p.m. on the 16th day of August 2022, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark
Avenue, pursuant to law. Present were Council Members Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Tim Gartin,
Rachel Junck, and Anita Rollins. Council Member Gloria Betcher was brought into the meeting
telephonically. Ex officio Member Bryce Garman was also present.
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN MASTER PLAN PROCESS KICKOFF: Mayor Haila
introduced the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and the speakers present: John Joiner, Director
of Public Works; Damian Pregitzer, Traffic Engineer; and Adam Wood, Project Manager with
Toole Design.
Engineer Pregitzer stated that the goal of the workshop is to get feedback and direction from the
City Council on the desired outcomes of the plan. He noted that the format of the meeting will
include a high-level orientation on what the scope of the plan looks like. Mr. Pregitzer clarified
that Toole Design completed the Complete Streets Plan for the City of Ames and staff believes
that having Toole Design as the consultant for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is a good
progression of the work they have already done for the community.
Council Member Amber Corrieri entered the meeting at 6:03 p.m.
A series of slides were presented to the City Council by Mr. Wood. He highlighted the elements
or the project, discussed the vision and goals, and reviewed the draft engagement plan for feedback.
Mr. Wood emphasized the project parts:
Part 1 – Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
Task 1: Project Management and Administration
Task 2: Public and Stakeholder Engagement
Task 3: Existing Conditions
Task 4: Network Plan
Task 5: Implementation Strategy
Task 6: Draft and Final Plan
Part 2 – Wayfinding
Task 7: Wayfinding Protocol
Task 8: Prototype Sign Plans
Council Member Beatty-Hansen stated that the public input mechanism seemed mostly focused
on Tasks 1-6 under the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. She noted that it would be valuable to
engage citizens in Wayfinding because Ames citizens have some of the best ideas of where tricky
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Wayfinding spots are located. Ms. Beatty-Hansen stated agreement with the goals presented. She
noted that safety and increasing use were two of the top priorities. She asked Mr. Wood to elaborate
on the results of the Cambridge, Mass. goals. Mr. Wood replied that Cambridge, Mass. set goals
in 2015 and made an update in 2020. Though they did not reach the aspirational goal of 10% of
all trips being taken by bicycle, the number of bicycle trips did significantly increase.
Council Member Rollins asked Mr. Wood if Toole Design does work around culture to help the
community get excited about and want to move towards more bike and pedestrian avenues. Mr.
Wood stated that culture fits in the policy and program aspect of the Plan and agreed that culture
is a critical piece. He highlighted previous work that Toole Design completed for San Jose, Cali.,
where they did a broad literature review to understand where community had success in mode shift
and equity, in particular. The findings indicated that the infrastructure has to be out there, but the
strong cultural piece is in getting representation in who is out there biking and walking. Mr. Wood
shared that Toole Design is looking forward to exploring those pieces. Engineer Pregitzer added
that a member of the Toole Design team had success in a previous project working with elementary
schools and younger audiences to start getting comfortable with biking and walking at an early
age. He noted that building off that positive experience will be good for the Plan.
Council Member Gartin acknowledged that staff is not fully starting from scratch and extended his
gratitude to Director Joiner and Engineer Pregitzer for the investment they have made. He noted
that one of the reasons that he ran for the City Council was the bicycle and pedestrian issue. He
stated that it had been a delight to work with Director Joiner and Engineer Pregitzer and to see
their forward thinking, interest in best practices, concern with safety, and their desire to invest in
capital. Mr. Gartin highlighted that about $1.5 million per year is invested into the bike and
pedestrian infrastructure. He stated that one of the things he is particularly interested in is
assistance from Toole Design in thinking through some of the problem areas in Ames as there are
some great components in the bicycle infrastructure in Ames that have challenges with respect to
connectivity. Mr. Gartin also noted that he’s heard from a number of constituents who are
interested in mountain biking, and he wondered if that is something that can be incorporated into
the Plan. He also asked Mr. Wood to send the City Council plans that were established and
successful for other cities similar in size to Ames for the Council Members to consider.
Council Member Junck expanded on what Council Member Gartin said about connectivity, noting
that connectivity, not just within the City of Ames, but within Iowa State University, Story County,
and the whole regional network should be a big goal.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen commented on the funding dedicated to active transportation and
asked if there was advice available in terms of a percentage of the overall transportation system
funding that should be dedicated to it. Mr. Pregitzer explained that one reason the City Council
and staff decided to pursue a Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan outside of the Municipal Planning
Organization (MPO) was that the MPO has a fiscal constraint process which staff believed to
eliminate potential options. With how the Plan is structured, there are no financial constraints, and
the City Council may consider the percentage option that will best work with the budget. Mr. Wood
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elaborated that there is a fundamental relationship between how much is spent and the number of
active trips, which Toole Design can price out.
Council Member Gartin noted that the work for the Plan will be done after the budget cycle. He
stated that the City Council may want to think through if the budget for infrastructure should be
increased in the next Capital Improvement Plan. Mr. Gartin also mentioned that when discussing
bike infrastructure, it is often in terms of the blacktop or concrete, but there is also an important
role for lighting. He discussed lighting that Iowa State University added to Mortensen Road and
noted their vital involvement moving forward with the Plan. Council Member Beatty-Hansen
asked if Iowa State University would be specifically included in the feedback process. Engineer
Pregitzer replied in the affirmative.
Council Member Betcher noted that she heard a lot about bicycle infrastructure and not nearly as
much about pedestrian aspects of the planning process. She stated that the pedestrian infrastructure
would be more challenging as sidewalks are the responsibility of the property owner and hoped
that for the community, recommendations on ways sidewalk infrastructure could be enhanced
would be included. She inquired about the policy review that would take place as part of the Plan
regarding sidewalks and wondered if recommendations would be made for pedestrian sign
protocol as well. Mr. Wood replied that the project team already has some really good data to help
identify where sidewalk gaps are located and prioritizing closing some of those sidewalk gaps is
certainly in the scope of possibility for the Plan. He noted that Ames has a lot of sidewalks relative
to most American cities, and where the challenge will lie is in getting across the street as that is
where the safety concerns are. One of the tasks that will be performed, as explained by Mr. Wood,
is to have an evaluation of intersections to locate the ones that are likely to be less comfortable so
that improvements can be prioritized. He elaborated that the project team will review code
requirements to evaluate in terms of installation and who is responsible for different parts of
infrastructure. He also confirmed that the Wayfinding will include pedestrian use.
Mayor Haila asked for clarification on whether an inventory of the current sidewalk infrastructure
will be included as part of the planning process. Engineer Pregitzer replied that staff has provided
the consultant with planometric data which distinguishes between grass and hard surfaces. Staff
has done this through lidar image so robust GIS data is available for analysis. Mayor Haila inquired
if the project team would identify areas where there aren’t sidewalks and provide a
recommendation on locations where sidewalks should be added. Mr. Wood noted that the data
referenced by Engineer Pregitzer is good quality data in which Toole Design can complete an in-
depth analysis to identify where there are street segments that do not have a sidewalk. He
elaborated that the analysis can be compared with data such as population density and destinations
nearby to identify which segments may be more critical gaps in the network.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen stated that she sees many audience members that have already
provided comments to the City Council on safety elements in different parts of town, sidewalk
health, and Wayfinding. She asked if the project team has a record of those comments. Engineer
Pregitzer stated that there have been three long range plan processes, during which staff hosted an
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“Issues and Visioning” workshops. Those workshops generated a summary of present issues in the
bike and pedestrian network that can be shared with Toole Design for this project. Mr. Pregitzer
highlighted that some of the issues gathered from those workshops have already been completed
in other projects but emphasized that past feedback paired with future feedback on the Plan will
illuminate areas of priority that still need to be fixed. Mr. Wood added that in a previous project
for Iowa State University, Toole Design created an online interactive map and asked community
members to identify barriers, opportunities, and connections they would like to see. He noted that
some of the data from that project would be applicable to the planning process.
Council Member Betcher shared that additional data that was collected by the Community and
Regional Planning Program students that partnered with the City of Ames on community
engagement to locate areas in Ames where people did not feel safe and a report from one of the
Smart Cities classes that looked at safety of some of the intersections are also available for
reference.
Council Member Gartin stated that there were many members present at the meeting from the
Ames Bicycle Coalition and asked Mr. Wood to discuss how Toole Design has worked with
bicycle advocacy groups in other communities. Mr. Wood noted that there are a few different
approaches that Toole Design uses depending on the size and scale of the advocacy group, if there
is more than one advocacy organization, and the overall structure of stakeholder engagement. He
noted that Toole Design wants to get diverse engagement and making sure that they’re receiving
feedback from members of the disability community, AARP organization, and various other
similar organizations. Mr. Wood emphasized that there is a lot of value in having organizations
intermix when providing input to cross-pollinate when sharing concerns and issues because there
tends to be various points of common ground, which is a powerful way of informing the plan and
strengthening the roles of organizations and how they engage with each other.
Mayor Haila asked for clarification on if the Wayfinding is strictly limited to bicycle and
pedestrian travel. Mr. Wood replied in the affirmative. Mayor Haila stated that in his opinion, he
believes that the Ames community suffers from Wayfinding in not just bicycle and pedestrian
travel but as a City in general. He asked that as the Plan moves forward, for the project team to
think to improve that wholistically so that the City is linked together. He also asked for Mr. Wood
to talk about micromobility and how it ties into consideration with the term “bicycle.” Mr. Wood
noted that micromobility is an area of change and innovation, which means that it is difficult to
categorize. He discussed concerns involving micromobility noting that enforcing speed limits on
bicycle lanes is an incredibly difficult challenge. Mr. Pregitzer added that the Ames recreation and
transportation network works for a wide range of speeds and uses, providing an overlap of those
areas. He noted that he’s interested in exploring what thresholds need to exist and managing the
separation between bicycles, pedestrians, and micromobility.
Mayor Haila inquired about recreation and tourism potential and asked if that is woven into the
Plan. Mr. Wood noted that it is an important consideration. He explained that the ability to bike
and walk is an amenity that residents and tourists look for in a community, not only in terms of
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health and recreation but also convenient travel options. Mayor Haila also asked about bike racks,
service areas, and end of trip facilities. Mr. Wood noted that when looking at biking from a
transportation perspective, if community members do not have a safe place to lock their bike, then
they are not going to make the trip. He stated that Toole Design has worked with numerous
communities to identify parking standards for bicycles and can provide basic guidance and
recommendations on that piece as part of the Plan.
The Three Phases of the Public Engagement Process were presented by Mr. Wood and Mr.
Pregitzer, as well as the of the Public Input Outline. They explained the Role and Representation
of the Technical Advisory Committee before reviewing the Purpose, Engagement Period, and
Proposed Representation for the Community Advisory Committee.
Engineer Pregitzer discussed how the Community Advisory Committee would be formed upon
Mayor Haila’s request and Mayor Haila clarified that staff will be the party who ultimately
determines the committee make-up. Mr. Wood added that recruiting will be important and one
potential approach is through sending out an email to an already established email list and
requesting that interested persons fill out a brief survey.
Council Member Corrieri asked if the project team is relying on the Community Advisory
Committee to gather feedback from their constituency groups. Mr. Wood clarified that it is not the
intent. Ms. Corrieri elaborated that some of the hardest populations to meet or to get feedback from
are the more vulnerable populations. With that, she stated that she believes it will be difficult for
persons in those populations to have the time to serve and be able to serve on a committee. She
wondered how to reach those groups of people if there is not necessarily a good conduit through
the Community Advisory Committee. Council Member Rollins furthered that thought and asked
how the project team would think about the language piece and ensure that the members of the
Committee who don’t speak English at home are included in the conversation and an environment
is built where good dialogue can happen. Mr. Wood and Mr. Pregitzer discussed ideas to facilitate
involvement, pointing out that the City of Ames has access to thebigword for interpretation
services and can reference federal guidelines. Mayor Haila noted that the Ames Human Relations
Commission can be a resource as well.
Mayor Haila asked for clarification on the engagement schedule. Mr. Wood discussed the intention
behind the engagement schedule and highlighted the milestones of the draft Plan where the project
team will seek feedback. Mayor Haila emphasized the value of in-person meeting to gather
feedback from the Community Advisory Committee. Mr. Pregitzer explained how the first part of
the Public Engagement process is a collection of experiences to educate the consultant of the
knowledge and concerns within the community, while the latter half of the process goes to taking
that feedback to analyze and put into the Plan.
Mayor Haila noted that the engagement schedule calls for a group bike ride and pop-up event
between the months of November and January and mentioned that he wondered about robust
participation. Mr. Wood noted that when first developing the engagement plan, Toole Design had
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the second phase of engagement primarily online; as discussion furthered, the team wanted to leave
open the possibility to get out into the community. He stated that value comes from those events
through understanding winter maintenance, because if a shift in mode share is desired, facilities
for bicyclists and pedestrians will have to be accessible in the winter.
Council Member Rollins stated that she hopes the engagement events provide the opportunity to
think creatively because some community members aren’t in a position economically to be on
social media or they may not be website savvy, so the pop-up event might be an opportunity to get
in with some of those populations where they are.
Council Member Betcher agreed with Council Member Rollins, noting that the process outlined
seems to be heavily weighted towards virtual and online engagement. She stated that she hopes
more creative ways to bolster the in-person engagement are included for those who are least likely
to provide the input on social media and the website but are most likely to need the sidewalk
connectivity in the community. She asked about how Toole Design is going to measure if they
have succeeded in getting enough participation from those underrepresented groups. Mr. Wood
discussed ways in which Toole Design could collect demographic information during the
engagement process and noted the challenges in getting proportional representation in public
processes.
Council Member Gartin noted that a lot of community members are now using CyRide with th eir
bicycles and wondered if the project team intended to work with CyRide to understand the way in
which CyRide passengers are using bicycles as part of the trip planning process. Mr. Wood
clarified that CyRide staff is represented in the Technical Advisory Committee and discussed
working with CyRide to include the data staff has collected in the data analysis. Council Member
Gartin asked about the Wayfinding portion of the Plan noting that most trip planning is done
electronically on an app and if Wayfinding is limited to just physical signs. Mr. Wood discussed
the methods other cities have taken when it comes to a custom application for mapping. He
highlighted that there is a customer comfort with known apps and he is aware of opportunities to
provide input and edit Google Maps. Director Joiner noted that the City of Ames has a talented
GIS group so mapping is something that staff could potentially work on in-house. Council Member
Gartin agreed and stated that there are many running groups in Ames that would also be able to
provide good data points to offer as they are familiar with the trails.
Council Member Junck inquired about how the size of the Community Advisory Committee was
determined and asked if the proposed representation was attainable, noting that the Supplemental
Input Committee for the Climate Action Plan has 27 members. Mr. Wood noted that the size of
the group is flexible, but the goal is to keep the size manageable so that each member feels like
they are in a body of people trying to work together towards a common goal.
The Touch Points with the City Council were reviewed by Mr. Wood as part of the project
timeframe. Mayor Haila asked when the City Council could expect to receive a summary of the
meeting discussion. Mr. Wood noted that the City Council could expect a summary in the next two
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weeks. Council Member Rollins asked how the budget is incorporated into the plan. Mr. Pregitzer
explained how staff plans to collaborate with Toole Design to communicate the capital budgeting
levels and process.
CHANGE ORDER NO. 1 RELIANT FIRE APPARATUS INC. (PIERCE) IN THE
AMOUNT OF $142,608 TO REFURBISH LADDER TRUCK #3: Assistant City Manager
Brian Phillips reviewed that the City of Ames recently purchased a new tower truck that will serve
as the frontline apparatus, replacing Ladder Truck #3 that has been in operation for two decades.
When the tower truck was purchased, staff sent Ladder Truck #3 to the manufacturer for
refurbishment. $125,000 was included in the Capital Improvement Plan for that refurbishment.
The manufacturer conducted an inspection of the truck and found quite a few components that are
worn and corroded. In order to achieve the goal of returning Ladder Truck #3 to the Fire
Department in a reserve role for another 15 years, staff believes that it is worthwhile to approve
the change order that will add an additional $142,608 to the contract which will allow the
manufacturer to completely dismantle the truck, address the corrosion, fix worn parts, and put the
truck back together, explained Mr. Phillips. The estimated timeframe for the refurbishment is
approximately five months. Mr. Phillips discussed the funding sources to be able to finance the
refurbishment. City Manager Steve Schainker reviewed the normal process to purchase fire trucks
and explained that because of the high cost, the City does not depreciate fire trucks like other
vehicles.
Moved by Junck, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-462 approving Change
Order No. 1 Reliant Fire Apparatus Inc. (Pierce) in the amount of $142,608 to Refurbish Ladder
Truck #3.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
DISPOSITIONS OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: Mayor Haila noted that there
were four items to consider. The first item is a concern from Erv Klass regarding a developer’s
request for a Conservation Overlay Waiver within the Ada Hayden Park Watershed. City Manager
Schainker explained that the City Council has already voted to deny the waiver and no action was
required.
Mayor Haila stated that the second item was from Tami Ryan regarding the return of VEISHEA.
He explained that President Wintersteen’s office at Iowa State University had already responded
to the item and no action was taken.
The third item was from Paul Shao regarding a proposal for an American Eagle Memorial honoring
Dan and Susie Zaffarano at Ada Hayden Heritage Park. City Manager Schainker informed the City
Council that Keith Abraham, Director of Parks and Recreation, is following up on the proposal
and no action was taken.
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Mayor Haila noted that the fourth item was from Ames Bicycle Coalition (ABC) Steering
Committee stating support and ideas for the Ames Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan.
Moved by Junck, seconded by Rollins, to provide the letter from Ames Bicycle Coalition to the
Bike/Pedestrian Master Plan project team.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
COUNCIL COMMENTS: Ex officio Garmin stated that school is starting on Monday for Iowa
State University students. He hoped now that the Local Affairs Committee will be able to meet,
the Committee can move forward with things to do. Mayor Haila replied that the City Council is
looking forward to the joint meeting with Iowa State University Student Government this fall.
Council Member Junck welcomed Iowa State University students back to Ames and hoped that
everyone has a safe and respectful Welcome Weekend.
Council Member Gartin provided a reminder that the City Council will be taking up the location
of the Fitch Family Indoor Aquatic Center on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.
CLOSED SESSION: Mayor Haila asked City Attorney Mark Lambert if there was a legal reason
to go into Closed Session. Mr. Lambert replied in the affirmative, citing Section 21.51 (1)c, Code
of Iowa, to discuss items presently in or threated to be in litigation.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Junck, to go into Closed Session.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
The City Council entered into a Closed Session at 8:03 p.m. and reconvened in Regular Session at
8:15 p.m.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to authorize the settlement agreement as per the
attached settlement agreement and release document.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
ADJOURMENT: Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Junck, to adjourn the meeting at 8:16 p.m.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
__________________________________ ____________________________________
Carly M. Watson, Principal Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor
__________________________________
Renee Hall, City Clerk