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Home My WebLink About~Master - March 2026 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 MARCH 2026 MONTHLY PROJECTHIGHLIGHTS LIBRARY April Celebrations: Two amazing groups are recognized in April each year: libraries and volunteers! This year, both National Library Week and National Volunteer Week will be celebrated April 19-25. Watch for proclamations by Mayor Haila next month. Library Conferences: Staff members of the Library's Youth Services department will present at Pop YS Con, Iowa's biennial conference for everything related to youth in libraries, in April. Several staff will also attend the annual national Public Library Association conference in Minneapolis. Popular Programs: Ames Public Library had some blockbuster programs in March! • More than 50 teens crowded into the Library's Teen Space for Colorful Crafting and Cupcakes. • Over 200 people come to an opera version of The Billy Goats Gruff for families, presented by the Des Moines Metro Opera and OperaIowa in the Library's Auditorum. • An author event with Pulitzer Prize-winner Art Cullen drew 224 participants in person and another 41 on Zoom. 2 There are some ultra-popular events coming in April, too. The next Ames Repair Café will be held April 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the Spring Book Sale will be April 9 - 12. See what else is coming up at www.AmesPL.org/events, or sign up for the Library's e- mail newsletter at www.AmesPL.org/page-one-newsletter. 3 PARKS & RECREATION Conservation Corps at Ada Hayden Heritage Park: The Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa have conducted work at Ada Hayden Heritage Park during March. The work group, sponsored by the Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park, has removed invasive species in various areas of the park and completed other timber stand improvement tasks. Daley Park Splash Pad Project: TK Concrete, Pella, Iowa, and CRS, Verona, Wisconsin, will be starting the grading and equipment installation at Daley Park Splash Project in early April. City staff will be constructing the mechanical building that will house the mechanical equipment for the project. The project is expected to be completed by June 1, 2026. Homewood Golf Course Hole Nine Improvements: Con-Struct, Ames, Iowa, is in the final stages of completing the necessary work for the Homewood Golf Course Hole Nine Crossing Project in time for the opening of the 2026 golf season. Work yet to be completed includes laying the granular base for the path and the native seeding on both sides of the path crossing. That work is expected to be completed prior to the course opening. The concrete path for the crossing will be installed towards the end of the golf season in October or early November. Below is a picture from the project. 4 As a result of the work that took place to bring in over 5,500 cubic yards of dirt for the crossing, the westernmost asphalt drive at the course was severely deteriorated from heavy equipment traffic. Staff is working with the Public Works Department to develop plans and specifications to remove the asphalt parking/drive and replace it with concrete. The number of parking spaces will be increased as part of the project. Replacement of the westernmost drive will happen as soon as possible with the balance of the work done after the golfing season. Park Maintenance Shop Expansion Project: King Construction, Iowa Falls, Iowa, has completed the bulk of the Parks Maintenance Shop Expansion Project. Work yet to be completed includes all landscape planting and seeding, as well as final punch list items. Parkview Park Playground Replacement Project: The City Council awarded the Parkview Park Playground Project to Play-Pro Recreation, Clive, Iowa, for the installation of a new playground structure and swing s. City staff will be demolishing and excavating the playground site in preparation for the installation. Once the structure and swing are installed, staff will install the engineered wood fibers and concrete border. Work is expected to take place in late April, weather dependent. Right of Way Ash Tree Removal: GCE Trees, River Falls, Wisconsin, will be removing approximately thirty ash trees in the right of way as part of the City’s Emerald Ash Borer Response Plan. Replacement trees are planned for planting this fall. Wellness: Free drop-in fitness classes were offered March 15-21, with 106 participants at the Sixty Forward Center and 325 participants at the Community Center. Food was collected for a local food bank. There were 1,266 visits to the Strength & Cardio Room at the Sixty Forward Center in February 2026. A new session of wellness classes began in March with the number of registrations shown below. Program Registrations Taekwondo 108 Dynamic Aging 5 Beginner Line Dance 20 West Coast Swing 14 Sixty Forward Center Onboarding – Feb. 11 5 PUBLIC WORKS Center Avenue Renamed Chantland Avenue: Center Avenue in Ames, where the existing Resource Recovery Plant is located, has been renamed “Chantland Avenue” in recognition of former Ames Public Works Director Arnold Chantland. Mr. Chantland, who passed away in January at age 98, championed and implemented the Resource Recovery System in the early 1970s. In 1992, the Resource Recovery Plant was renamed in his honor. With the transition from this facility to the new R3C site, Chantland Avenue will serve as an enduring reminder of Mr. Chantland’s legacy. 6 Curbside Recycling Contract Awarded: On March 10, the Ames City Council approved a contract with Aspen Waste Systems to provide a residential curbside recycling collection program. The program will begin July 1. Aspen provided pricing for each of the partnering communities in the Resource Recovery System to obtain similar collection services, at the option of each community. Over 14,000 carts are currently being manufactured and will be delivered throughout June to single-family homes and residential buildings with up to four units. Ames’ new recycling carts will be royal blue! Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus: On March 3, bids were received for construction of the Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus (R3C) project. Bids were solicited for 11 separate bid packages. A total of 28 bids were received. Unfortunately, the bids received exceeded the engineer’s estimate of probable construction costs. However, the project team was able to work with the apparent low bidders in several key bid packages to identify changes that bring the project budget back into balance. The adjustments include 20 separate modifications to the project, with several others remaining pending. City staff is confident that the adjustments will not impact the operation or usability of the facility. On March 24, the City Council awarded the bids and change orders for construction of the project, totaling $18,059,686. A groundbreaking for the new R3C facility is anticipated to take place at 4 :00 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, at the project site, 220 Freel Drive. Partnering Resource Recovery System communities and agencies, haulers, other key stakeholders and the public are invited to attend. A groundbreaking ceremony will follow brief remarks. Learn more about R3C, see reports, and get the most up-to-date information on the Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus project update web page: https://www.cityofames.org/r3c. 7