The Ames City Council will discuss the final plans and construction contract of the Intermodal Facility on Tuesday night, which will allow construction to begin for the project.

The council will first vote on the operations agreement with Iowa State that outlines the financial and operational responsibilities of the facility.

If the agreement is approved, Iowa State would assume the daily operation duties of the facility because the university has experience with the Memorial Union parking ramp and CyRide that is similar to what the Intermodal Facility will entail.

In the proposed agreement, the management decisions — such as rates, fees and hours of operation — will be the responsibility of Ames City Manager Steve Schainker, and Iowa State Vice President for Business and Finance Warren Madden.

Because the university would be conducting the daily operation tasks, the revenues and expenditures would be handled by the university, not the city.

The council will also vote to award a construction contract to Weitz Company of Des Moines for $7,155,000, which was the lowest-qualified bid presented for the project. This contract was already approved by the Ames Transit Agency Board of Trustees on Feb. 4.

If the agreement and contract are finalized and approved by the council, construction for the project can begin. Under the grant given to the city by the U.S. Department of Transportation, construction must commence before March 15.

The Ames City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Ave.