Ames residents see the massive structure at the end of Main Street and most recognize it as the Ames Municipal Power Plant, part of Ames Electric Services. It’s been there in some form since 1896, reliably...

A July 4 deadline was standing between Ames and millions of dollars in federal savings on a proposed airport solar farm, but city leaders acted to meet that deadline. The Ames City Council voted Tuesday to set a public hearing for May 12 on a revocable lease that would allow the developer to use portions of James Herman Banning Ames Municipal Airport for the solar project.

Updating Ames’ aging power plant could cost $190 million, more than double early estimates and every electric customer in the city would help pay for the project through annual rate increases stretching to 2057.

Ames is moving forward with hiring a Chicago-based engineering firm to design new power generating units and a building to house them.