Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - May 2025 Monthly Project Highlights Contact the City Manager's Office at 515-239-5101 515 Clark Avenue, Ames, IA 50010 Report compiled by Jeramy Neefus, Principal Clerk City Manager's Office MAY 2025 MONTHLY PROJECTHIGHLIGHTS LIBRARY Free Eye Exams and Glasses: This summer, Ames Public Library is partnering with Vision to Learn to offer no-cost eye exams—and free glasses if needed—to children in grades K-12. Families can sign up for a free eye exam on June 10, July 25, or August 8. Those who need glasses will make a follow up appointment (June 30, August 15, and August 22 respectively) to pick up their glasses and have them adjusted. Sign up at https://vtliowa.intakeq.com/booking. Walk-ins will not be accepted. Free Summer Meals at the Library: Summer can be a time of hunger for many families. That is why Ames Public Library offers free lunches to anyone ages 18 and younger on weekdays 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. all summer long. Accompanying adults may purchase a lunch for $3.50. These meals are sponsored by Ames Public Library Friends Foundation, Chevron Renewable Energy Group, and Mary Greeley Medical Center. Level Up at the Library: It is summer time, and that means a lot of activity at Ames Public Library! • All ages can earn epic prizes by tracking their reading in the Summer Reading Challenge starting June 1! (amespubliclibrary.beanstack.org) • There are tons of activities to keep children and teens busy, engaged, and learning while school is out. (www.AmesPL.org/events) • Adults can also enjoy a variety of programs, from book clubs to workshops on brewing kombucha! (www.AmesPL.org/events) • The Bookmobile will visit a variety of events and camps over the summer. Watch for Library staff at the Ames Juneteenth Celebration, monthly stops at Downtown Ames Farmers Markets, and more! 2 Summer Book Sale: The Ames Public Library Friends Foundation will hold its next Book Sale June 30 – July 3. Proceeds from this fundraiser are used to enhance Ames Public Library’s collections, programs, and services. Get the details on the Library’s calendar at www.AmesPL.org/events. 3 PARKS & RECREATION Ada Hayden Heritage Park Path Replacement Project: City Council approved bid plans and specifications for the Ada Hayden Heritage Park Path Replacement Project. The project includes replacing the 3.2 mile ten-foot-wide asphalt path with a 12-foot-wide concrete path. The plans and specifications were completed by WHKS, Inc., Ames, Iowa. Bids are due back on June 11 and will be presented at the June 24 City Council meeting. The project is expected to be completed this fall. Agility Course at Carr Park: Construction continues on the Agility Course Project at Carr Park. The equipment is in place and the concrete has been poured for the shelter and sidewalks. Rubber surfacing will be installed in late May or early June, weather dependent. Staff will start erecting the shelter in early June with hopes of having the entire project completed by the end of June. Ames/ISU Ice Arena Radiant Heating Project: Converse Conditioned Air, Ames, Iowa, is in the final stages of replacing the radiant heating system at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena. The project includes demolition of the burners and heat tubes, and replacing with new burners, tubing, and a controller. The system is located over the spectator seating and in the lobby. The project was designed by KCL, West Des Moines, Iowa. The project is expected to be completed in early June. Brookside Park Playground: City Council recently approved the purchase of a new playground piece to be installed on the north side of Brookside Park adjacent to the fire truck. The piece will be fire station/truck themed and will also have a three-bay swing set with two tot, two belt, and two generational swings. Pictures of the equipment and the generational swings, the first in the park system, are shown here. The equipment is expected to be installed in August. 4 Furman Aquatic Center Lazy River Leak: Upon filling the lazy river at the Furman Aquatic Center, staff noticed an apparent leak and needed to drain the lazy river to identify the leak. Pleva Mechanical, Woodward, Iowa, assisted with finding and fixing the leak. Staff completed filling the river and will balance the chemicals to ensure it is ready for opening day on Friday, May 30. Please note that opening day was delayed due to the unseasonably cool weather. Homewood Golf Course: As of May 26, 2025, Homewood Golf Course has had 7,268 rounds played. By that date last year, Homewood had 6,827 rounds played. Homewood opened on March 11 in 2024 and on March 28 in 2025. The Sixty Forward Golf League began on Monday, May 5, with eight teams of two registered. A special promotion on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11, allowed moms to play free with a paying customer. A total 12 mothers took advantage of this offer. The table below shows the current clubhouse rental hours and revenue amounts compared to the same time frame last fiscal year. July 1, 2023 – May 2, 2024 July 1, 2024 – May 26, 2025 Paid Event Hours 149.25 162.25 Revenue from Paid Events $15,376.25 $16,838.25 Non-Paid Event Hours 221.75 133.50 Miracle League: The Miracle League season began on May 10 with four teams and a total of 66 participants. Community groups, such as the Gilbert High School Baseball Team shown in the left picture below, volunteer their time to be “buddies” for all the athletes during a game. Buddies help players hit, run the bases, field balls, and offer plenty of encouragement throughout the game! Parks and Recreation Maintenance Facility Expansion Project: City Council approved bid plans and specifications for the Parks and Recreation Maintenance Facility Expansion Project. The project includes constructing a cold storage facility and renovating the current Parks Maintenance 5 Facility employee break room. Plans and specifications were completed by SVPA+ Architects, Inc., West Des Moines, Iowa. Bids are due on June 11 and will be presented at the June 24 Council meeting. The project is expected to be completed later this year. Splash Pad at Daley Park: Construction plans and specifications for the Daley Park Splash Pad Project were approved to be sent out for bid by the City Council at its meeting on May 13. The work includes site grading, installation of utilities, all concrete work, and final seeding. Bids are due on June 11. A Request for Proposals (RFP) has been distributed for the Splash Pad equipment and installation. The Splash Pad will be approximately 5,000 square feet of wet area with multiple in-ground spray features, as well as above ground equipment such as a dump bucket. It is anticipated that construction could begin in late fall 2025 and be completed in spring 2026 with the splash pad opening in summer 2026. Stuart Smith Park Playground: Staff completed the concrete sidewalk, grading, and seeding around the new playground that was recently installed at Stuart Smith Park. The photos below show the completed project. Wellness: The first summer session of all fitness classes began Monday, May 19, at both the Community Center and the Sixty Forward Center. Classes continue to be offered both in person and virtually. Twenty-two people attended onboarding at the Sixty Forward Center, and 1,088 visits to its gym were logged in the month of April. May classes had the following registrations: Program Registrations Community Center 334 Sixty Forward 136 Virtual 25 Outdoor Bootcamp 16 Balance & Strength (Ada Hayden) 11 Yoga (Roosevelt Park) 9 Tae Kwon Do 116 6 PLANNING & HOUSING Legislative Changes in Variance Standards: The state legislature adopted a new standard for area and dimension variances based upon “practical difficulties” for beneficial use of a property versus a current threshold of financial hardship that deprives someone of reasonable use of their property. The intent is to make variances easier to approve by the Zoning Board of Adjustment for dimensional issues. City staff will draft an ordinance to update Chapter 29 to incorporate these new requirements and return to the City Council for approval of the ordinance later in the summer. Manatt’s Rock Crushing South Dayton Rezoning: Story County recently considered a rezoning request from Manatt’s to Heavy Industrial zoning in order to make their temporary rock crushing site at S Dayton Avenue and US Highway 30 permanent. Staff wrote a letter opposing the rezoning stating the proposal would be inconsistent with Ames Plan 2040 since it is a commercial gateway and natural area designation. The Board of Supervisors held a hearing on May 20 and approved the rezoning on first reading subject to a condition that Manatt’s enter into an annexation agreement with the City and to delay the rezoning process until such agreement has been approved by the City. At this time there has been no meeting with Manatt’s representatives to discuss the Supervisors’ condition. City Council would have to approve any future agreement if Manatt’s proposes an annexation agreement per the Board of Supervisors’ condition.