Ames Council Approves Land Purchase for Water Plant

A  that would allow the city of Ames to build a $64 million water treatment plant was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Ames City Council.

The city will buy two parcels northwest of the from H.R. Holdings, LLC for $825,000 and trade the land for 40 acres the disease center owns on 13^th Street east of the Skunk River. The city would build a new plant on the site, replacing a 1924 structure on the other side of the river.

It's a project city officials have been working on for two years.

“I'm very excited to finally bring this forward for action tonight,” said John Dunn, director.

The city had originally tried to buy the land outright, but was unable to because of federal laws. This land swap meets the city's needs without taking anyone's land through eminent domain.

“Hard work and (persistence) pays off in the long run,” Ames City Councilman Riad Mahayni said.

The cost of the new plant is being paid for through a series of water rate increases that have already begun.

The city increased rates by 28 percent over the past two years, bringing the average Ames residential bill to $20 a month, Dunn said.

Dunn anticipates two more water rate increases of 6 to 8 percent in the summer of 2012 and 2013, bringing the average Ames residential water bill above $22 a month.

A public hearing on the land swap and a $11.4 million design loan for the plant will be held Jan. 24.