Ames City Council approved a funding partnership with Iowa State for renovations to the Ames Municipal Airport at Tuesday’s council meeting.

The City Council voted to approve an agreement with Iowa State providing an additional $250,000 in financial contribution, but a source for the remaining $250,000 needed for the project is still in debate. Originally, monetary values were to be provided from the local sales-tax fund, which is responsible for funding human services.

Suzie Dobbs, resident of Ames, stated her concern that the funds being taken out of the local option sales-tax fund would affect amenities for the mental-health system, and she said that the mental health system needed all it could get. 

The council voted not to use the funding from the fund, following councilman Matthew Goodman’s motion to take the money from the city’s hotel/motel tax fund. 

“There’s an available balance, and it’s a one-time use, and it’s an area that could see return from funding the airport,” said Steve Schainker, city manager.  

The council approved taking the $250,000 from the hotel/motel fund and also approved a contract with Absolute Concrete of Slater, Iowa, in the amount of $772,499.10 for the first phase of the site work. 

Damion Pregitzer, Ames traffic engineer, also presented a traffic study on the crosswalk by Hyland Avenue and between Oakland Street and Sheldon Avenue. 

“When you look at it in the 25 miles per hour speed limit, we had around a 9 percent of those cars that are going at least 10 miles over the speed limit,” said Pregitzer.

Some community members also added their concern with the crosswalk at that location. 

“I cross that street many times,” said Sue Ravencroft, resident of Ames. “I think the problem with the signage is that drivers see the speed going up right after the crosswalk. I would suggest making it 25 miles per hour further away from the sign.” 

The council voted to install a rapid-flashing beacon at the east-to-west crosswalk at Hyland Avenue and Oakland Street and Sheldon Avenue, which will cost around $10,000. The funds will come from the 2015-16 Accessibility Enhancement Program. 

City Council discussed the use of storefront windows on the new Kingland building on the corner of Lincoln Way and Welch Avenue. With a new CVS pharmacy under construction, Kingland asked the council to install display cases on two of the windows to cover up the view of the back of food coolers.

The council approved the use of the two graphics that CVS will install on two of the windows facing Lincoln Way.