A five-year capital improvements plan was presented to City Council.

A new water treatment plant is part of the 2014-2019 capital improvement plan. The design is nearly complete for this project.

“This was cheaper than what I expected,” Peter Orazem said.

It is estimated that this project would be completed by spring of 2017. This is a $74.5 million project.

The water treatment plant that exists now uses concepts from the mid-1920s. There is concern about the condition of the structure of the facility, as well as a need for additional capacity.

“While these projects are expensive, the updating of facilities would be much more expensive,” said John Dunn, director of the Water and Pollution Control Department.

According to the department of water and pollution control, this is the most appropriate, cost-effective way of meeting the community’s drinking water needs over the next 20 years.

“This is the great, big project we have been working on for a while now,“ Dunn said.

A traffic-calming program for Hyde Avenue also as known as Grant Avenue to Bloomington Road will be put in place in 2015-2016.

“I know when Des Moines added bike paths to their streets it worked for traffic calming,” council member Gloria Betcher said. “Would that work for Ames as well?”

This will be put into place after concerns about speeding in this area. Specific measures that will be taken are being determined.

John Joiner, public works director, said the bike paths would add to traffic calming because of the added caution that is needed.

A multi-modal roadway improvements project will include East Lincoln Way from Freel Drive to Dayton Avenue for the 2014-2015 year.

This would be the addition of a bike lane designated by striping, signing and pavement markings for the exclusive use of bicyclists.

CyRide route pavements improvement plan is the annual program for pavement improvements to streets that are or were bus routes according to the capital improvements plan.

The 2014-2015 year plan includes improvements for 24th Street from Union Pacific Railroad tracks to Northwestern Avenue and Bloomington Road from Eisenhower Avenue to the west 500 feet.

The 2016-2017 year plan includes improvements to South 3rd Street from Grand Avenue to South Duff Avenue and South 4th Street from Squaw Creek to Grand Avenue.

The celebration of Ames’ sesquicentennial was the theme for this year’s capital improvements plan.

The Ames Historical Society and the Ames Public Library provided many historic photographs of the Ames community.

The City of Ames was established in 1864 with a population of 636 people. The Ames population has now expanded to 58,965.

The second passage of the 2012 Editions of Internal Building, residential, fire, existing building, mechanical, plumbing and fuel gas codes, with local edits was adopted.