The Ames City Council will consider approving a number of city maintenance contracts, including the contracts to continue the removal of ash trees, at Tuesday’s meeting.

The council will determine whether or not to pass the approval to award contracts for the Emerald Ash Borer Response Plan. The plan approved by the City Council in December outlined that the removal of trees larger than 18 inches in diameter at breast height, the stump grinding, the treatment to selected ash trees and the planting of replacement trees were all to be bid as contract work.

The ash trees are being taken down as a preventative measure before they are killed by the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. 

On Tuesday, the City Council plans to motion the approval to award the removal, stump grinding, and treatment to LawnPro, LLC, of Ames in the amount of $99,234.37, and the awarding of the ash tree replacement to Country Landscapes, Inc. of Ames in the amount of $87,777.80.

The council will also discuss the replacement of the Ames Power Plant cooling towers.

In January, the City Council approved plans and specifications to replace the cooling towers, a process that would involve the demolition of the existing cooling towers and erecting new fiberglass towers on the existing concrete basins. If approved, the contract to carry out the project will be awarded to EvapTech, Inc. of Lenexa, Kan., in the amount of $2,810,000. 

The closure of some streets in Ames for an event hosted by the Iowa Wildlife Center will be discussed. The Iowa Wildlife Center hopes to host an “All Species, One Earth” event co-hosted by the Ames Public Library and the Parks and Recreation Department. 

The event, scheduled for April 25, is designed to promote biodiversity and awareness of the interconnection of plants and animals. 

If the request is approved, Fifth and Sixth Streets and Burnett Avenue will be closed from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Douglas Avenue will be closed from Fifth to Sixth Street from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m in preparation for a parade. 

Approval for water main and sewer construction for the ISU Research Park will also be discussed. Shive-Hattery Engineering was hired by the city to design the utility and roadway improvements.

Roadway improvements will be paid for by the Revitalizing Iowa’s Sound Economy grant. The utility work will cost a total of $1,528,200 with $890,000 allocated for water mains and $480,000 for sewer mains.