Main Street’s 17 ash trees were given a reprieve when the Ames City Council approved a motion Tuesday night to work with the Downtown Betterment Association in exploring alternative solutions to the problem of birds that roost in the trees and dirty the area with droppings.

The council and the betterment association will investigate different ways of getting rid of the birds between now and the time the trees are scheduled to be removed, which is sometime during the winter.

The motion was passed after an extended public discussion where several Ames residents and affected merchants made strong arguments for and against the resolution to cut down the trees. To help the merchants in the area cope with the stink of bird droppings, the council also passed a motion for the Public Works Department to clean the streets every other day.

Dean Roosa, who owns Memories on Main and Linda Ann’s Ice Cream Parlor, 203 and 205 Main St., said he has been spending 30 to 45 minutes every day washing the sidewalks. He said that it was a “dirty and filthy job” and he felt “victimized.” He said the problem had been under consideration for three years, and “the time for action has come.”

Jim Stone, owner of The Grove Cafe, 124 Main St., said they had been fighting the problem for six years. He said the trees were planted for ornamental purposes but are now a problem because of their size, which attracts the birds. Stone also said that the roots of the trees were cracking the sidewalks.

Other residents of Ames protested the cutting down of the trees. Herman Quirmbach, a professor at Iowa State, discouraged eliminating the trees. He said that the trees were the main competitive point for the shops on Main Street, and provided “ambience.” “Downtown will begin to look like Wal-Mart,” he said, if the trees are cut down.