$10.5 million Ames fire station bond issue on November ballot

Ames residents will vote in November on spending up to $10.5 million to build a new fire station for the city’s west side. The city wants to replace Fire Station No. 2 with a bigger station on land at 601 State Ave. that Iowa State University will let the city use for free.

The Ames City Council voted to place the matter on the November ballot during a special meeting on Tuesday. Council member Tim Gartin was the lone no vote.

Rationale for a new station: The current station at 132 Welch Ave. in Campustown was built in 1966. Officials say fire trucks have trouble getting in and out of the station because there’s no drive-through access. When trucks come back from emergency calls, they must back into the station while cars and pedestrians are nearby on the busy street.

Officials say the station is also too small at 5,500 square feet and three bays. Fire equipment such as the reserve engine, incident command trailer and fire prevention trailer have to be stored outside because they don’t fit in the building. Keeping expensive equipment outside in the weather damages it and makes it wear out faster, they say.

City officials say moving the fire station to State Avenue would improve response times across the city. City planning experts used computer models to study response times. They found that the new location would help firefighters reach about 120 more emergency calls within their target response time compared to last year. The new location is projected to especially help the west side of Ames, where the city plans to grow in the future.

The new station would have four bays instead of three, giving firefighters room to store all their equipment indoors. Firefighters could also do maintenance inside. Based on preliminary design estimates, the new station would be 12,925 square feet.

What it would cost: The total project cost is estimated at $10.5 million. This includes $8.9 million for construction with energy-efficient “net zero ready” features, plus $1.6 million for design fees, testing, furniture and other costs. The city hired Brown Reynolds Watford Architects to design the station and estimate costs.

For property owners, the new station would cost about $11 per year for every $100,000 their property is worth. Business owners would pay about $97 more per year for every $500,000 their property is worth. These amounts would be added to regular city property tax increases.

Land deal with ISU: Iowa State would let the city lease 29 acres of land at the State Avenue address for 52 years at no cost. ISU President Wendy Wintersteen supports this plan. The Iowa Board of Regents must approve the lease agreement, which is expected to happen in November after the vote.

This isn’t the first time the university and Ames have worked together on the fire station. In 1966, Iowa State helped pay for half the cost when the station moved from the university to Welch Avenue. Under a 1981 agreement, if the city sells the current station, Iowa State receives half the money, which it plans to put toward the new station project.

How to pay for it: The city would sell bonds to pay for the new station. After it is built, the city would sell the Welch Avenue property and use that money to pay down some of the debt. However, city officials don’t know how much the property will sell for, so they’re applying that money into reducing the property taxes financing the project.

The city must follow state law for bond elections. This means mailing notices to all registered voters and publishing information in the newspaper. The mailing will cost about $21,000.

Getting the word out: The city has a plan to help residents learn about the fire station project before they vote, including flyers, fact sheets, videos, media interviews, social media, event presentations, CitySide magazine and a website with project information.

Fire department workers will set up information tables at community events such as an open house at Fire Station No. 2 in early October and the annual Fire Station Open House at Fire Station No. 1, 1300 Burnett Ave., on Oct. 11. Residents can also tour the current fire station to see it for themselves.

Officials say they want to make sure all residents understand the project before the November vote.

In other business

The council authorized the mayor to sign a certificate of consistency on behalf of the Bridge Home, an Ames nonprofit providing housing services, so it can continue to receive funding from the Iowa Balance of State Continuum of Care Program and apply for renewed funding from the state’s Emergency Solutions Grant and Shelter Assistance Fund.
Next time: The next regularly-scheduled meeting of the council will be Sept. 23.