The Ames City Council met Tuesday night for the first meeting of the new year.

The first issue of the meeting was the announcement of Steve Osguthorpe as the new planning and housing director for the city. Yesterday, he took over for Bob Kindred, who has served as the planning and housing director for the last several months. Kindred is currently serving as the assistant city manager.

Following the brief announcement, the meeting followed the set agenda.

The controversy of the night revolved around the aquatic center proposed by the Ames Department of Recreation. The main concern is whether there is a desire in the community for this kind of project.

Nancy Carroll, Ames park and recreation director, spoke on behalf of the issue.

The issue is whether the city of Ames should go ahead with an outdoor aquatics center on its own, and what locations would be appropriate, Carroll said.

One of the locations being considered for this project is near the Ames Middle School, Carroll said.

She said they would like to have four to six weeks to get more resident feedback. There are many questions surrounding the issue, however, there is a very important question that must be asked.

“What do residents of Ames want, and what are they willing to pay?” Carroll asked.

Some of the activities in the proposed aquatic center include swimming lessons, water aerobics and lap swimming. One of the issues facing its approval is that in order to pass such a motion, there needs to be 60 percent approval from the council.

“To pass the bond there has to be a supermajority,” Carroll said.

The skepticism from the community comes from residents who would be paying for the center through taxes, said Susan Gwiasda, public relations officer for Ames.

The bond issue is a way for cities to get loans from banks that they would have 12 to 20 years to pay back, Gwiasda said.

The approximate amount for the proposed aquatic center will be announced at the Jan. 23 council meeting.

Another item under discussion was the motion to approve a fireworks permit for a display at the Iowa State Center on Jan. 20. This was approved with the restriction that the display must be finished by 10 p.m.