Review: Possible new city park
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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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or watch the meeting live on Mediacom Channel 12
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.
- 20. Resolution directing staff to negotiate a purchase agreement for parcels 1 and 2 of Sands-McDorman Property (5658 Ontario Street) in the amount not to exceed $1,146,474 for future city park.
This property was first offered to the City for purchase of a park in 2010, but no action was taken at that time. Now the property owners are offering one last opportunity to sell this land to be dedicated as a park (before considering selling it for development). The 78-acre property is 3 parcels, and the two parcels (50 acres) the City is considering are appraised at $1.14 million. Staff are recommending approval, as the Parks master plan does eventually call for a community park in west Ames.
Council moved to have staff negotiate a purchase agreement for parcels 1 and 2 of the property and to approve the submittal of an IDNR REAP grant application, 6-0. Council then moved to direct staff to explore securing the land along the Creek in what is Parcel 3 to County Line Road, which passed 6-0. Finally, council moved to ask staff to investigate whether any of the buildings on the land can be re-purposed if the city were to purchase the site, which also passed 6-0. - 21. Resolution approving an agreement with Cameron Gray to place artwork/free library in Franklin Park.
An Ames artist, Cameron Gray, has proposed and designed a combination obelisk art installation and free library to be placed in Franklin Park featuring books by black authors and centering the black experience. If passed, this resolution would approve an agreement between the City and Mr. Gray regarding ownership and installation of the exhibit.
Council had a brief discussion about the project and asked staff questions about potential options for preventing vandalism near the structure (options including setting up trail cams, installing lighting, installing permanent security cameras, etc). The motion to approve the agreement passed 6-0, but a subsequent motion for staff to explore the feasibility and the cost of installing security cameras as requested by Mr. Gray failed, 2-4 (Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, and Junck voting nay). - 22. Resolution approving contract with Chevron Renewable Energy Group to supply 99.9% biodiesel (B100) for use in the City’s snowplow trucks and the lease or purchase of REG’s 12,000-gallon biodiesel tank.
This contract represents a renewal of a previous agreement with REG (Now owned by Chevron) for the purchase of biodiesel for the City's fleet of snowplows, which were fitted with devices allowing the use of biodiesel.
Council approved the contract with Chevron REG 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.
- Reiny Friedrich Letter
Council asked staff to respond to the letter writer with the current process for road paving (6-0).
Note, the City Council Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training training and mid-year council goal review is scheduled for 3 to 8 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at the Ames Water Plant, 1800 E. 13th St.
Thanks for reading,
Rachel Junck
Ames City Council, Ward 4