In an effort to help bring all members of Ames together, the Inclusive Community Task Force opened up to public scrutiny a first draft of the report it’s preparing.

Mayor Ann Campbell said the group was formed in response to a council meeting discussing ‘the changing face of Ames.’

“We usually don’t have 400 people at a City Council meeting,” she said. “We did for that meeting, which indicated that subject needed more attention and research.”

The task force, which has until April 30 to present a final report to the council, was created to help foster greater understanding and better relations within the community.

“This is by no means an all-inclusive committee,” Campbell said. “The people chosen represent different segments of the community.”

In the draft, the task force identifies challenges that it recommends the city address, such as increasing knowledge of city services and increasing understanding between all citizens of Ames. A copy of the report is available on the city Web site, www.cityofames.org.

Before the report will be reviewed by city administrators, however, it went in front of citizens, who had a few things to say.

“Ames is an international community, but I don’t get the sense that that is appreciated,” said Ames resident Jim Davis of Ames. “There should be an event to celebrate the different cultures that live here and what a wonderful community we are.”

Yvette Rodriguez, sophomore in kinesiology and health, agreed.

“I spoke with the mayor of Marshalltown, and their community has a cultural festival,” she said. “I think we should have a multicultural event.”

Rodriguez also shared the results of a survey she helped administer for the task force.

“Lots of people, from ages 18 to 61, thought that community relations should be worked on,” she said. “Also, people said on the survey that there was a lack of things to do in Ames – even the older people.”

Task force member Chris Rehmann, discussed one of the problems that the task force will face in implementing its goals.

“We don’t know how well certain city resources meet the needs of the community,” he said. “I’ve received some e-mails pointing out pressures on some existing services.”

Kim Kosterman has not been a resident for long, and is therefore part of one of the groups the task force is targeting. She said the community has been very accepting.

“My family has been here for two-and-a-half years, and we feel very welcomed,” she said. “I think something that could help with distribution of information about public services would be to recruit a neighborhood ambassador to help spread information. It would help to see a friendly face.”

Not everything at the session was positive, however. Resident Jerry Chase told a tale of high-school acceptance.

“I had a conversation with a high school student who transferred to Gilbert from Ames because they were more accommodating,” he said. “She felt discriminated and bullied primarily because of her economic status.”

Marvin Lewis, director of the Young Men of Integrity group, current resident of Ames and former resident of Chicago, thinks more care could have been put into finding the proper name for this task force.

“The way names sound have a lot of power. If you heard a man named Qurlow Money ask for donations, you’d think it was a hoax,” he said. “But he is an actual priest from Atlanta. If I hear someone from the Community Task Force wants to talk to me, I start thinking if I have to hide anything.”

The task force will hold another public-input session this Saturday in the City Council chambers at Ames City Hall, 515 Clark Ave., from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.