Review: Choosing Fitch Family Aquatic Center location
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Rachel's Council Review |
As usual for the review, my comments are red and italicized in the context of the latest Council Preview by Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen.
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Usually some of the agenda items will have a period where members of the public may briefly speak to Council.
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The Ames City Council meets on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The agenda includes the following. Note that you can generally click on individual agenda items below to get the full staff report or other explanation.
- 28. Motion directing staff regarding the location of the Fitch Family Aquatic Center.
At tonight's Council meeting, we will direct staff on the location of the indoor aquatic center. As I'm sure you may already know, location options being considered are the original DOT property site or O'Neil Park. We have received a lot of feedback on this topic, both in person and e-mails, so it is clearly an important issue. The above staff report contains a list of pros and cons for each site that Council has been considering.
Council members each shared their thoughts and what factors weighed most importantly to them in determining the aquatic center site. Many important points were brought up, surrounding costs, sustainability, timing, access to the site, equity, reinvestment district funds, strong neighborhoods, and more. In the end, Council voted to move forward with the DOT location for the Fitch Family Indoor Aquatic Center (5-1, Gartin voting nay). The next step in the process will be for city staff will be to work on the land acquisition agreement for the DOT site. - 29. Staff Report regarding North Dayton Industrial Park TIF Agreement.
The developer of this small-lot industrial park (Hunziker) is asking to modify the parameters to allow for a few more 10-acre sized plots to meet the needs of some potential users of the site.
Council moved to accept the amended development proposal (6-0). - 30. Resolution approving Development Agreement with Summit Agricultural Group, LLC for a new private hangar at the Ames Municipal Airport.
This is a request for a new private hangar lease at the airport. (The request happens to come from the parent company of Summit Carbon Solutions (carbon capture pipeline).)
Council moved to approve the agreement with Summit (6-0). -
33. Hearing on Rezoning, with Master Plan, 3898 University Boulevard from “RI” (Research Park Innovation Zoning District) to “RI” (Research Park Innovation Zoning District) with a Revised Master Plan.
The Ames Fitness Center is planning to expand their facility at the Research Park, so a request for rezoning has been made to facilitate their planned expansion.
Council moved to approve the first reading of the ordinance (6-0).
Communications to Council: The following items are requests and communications to Council that aren't published on the agenda, so we won't deliberate them substantially. This includes staff reports and communications or requests from constituents and developers. Typically, Council will ask city staff for more information, put the item on a future agenda for deliberation and possible action, or just accept the communication, taking no further action.
- Downtown Tax Abatement Program Letter 8-12-22-1.
This is a request from the Chamber of Commerce to consider changes to the downtown facade grant program.
Council moved to ask staff for a memo on the topic and background of the program. The motion passed 6-0.
Thanks for reading,
Rachel Junck
Ames City Council, Ward 4