Capacity & Commitment

Iowa State University has extensive interactions with the City of Ames, the Ames Chamber of Commerce, and local service organizations and constituencies. In return, the University is well supported by the local community. Numerous partnerships have been forged between the University, the city, and the business community, several of which are discussed below. The Vice President for Business and Finance meets regularly with city officials regarding shared facilities and services. Utility infrastructure, law enforcement, safety and transportation issues are coordinated with the City. The University’s land use planning is sensitive to the local community. University personnel are represented on and actively contribute to numerous community governing bodies and commissions. Examples include:

• Special Olympics National Games Planning Committee
• City of Ames University Impacted Area Zoning Study
• Ames Area Transportation Plan Committee
• Cy-Ride Board of Directors
• Ames Economic Development Commission Board of Directors
• Ames Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
• Cy-Ride Building Committee
• Story County Land Use Policy Steering Committee
• Ames Land Use Policy Plan Code Review

The University also has facilities, primarily agricultural research facilities, located outside of Ames. The Agriculture Experiment Station is responsible for managing outlying farms and has been responsive to the needs of local communities, e.g. relocating or modifying facilities to avoid potential conflicts with neighboring land uses. For example, the dairy program research facilities are currently positioned in the midst of a rapidly growing suburban community near Des Moines. Under the leadership of the Vice President for Business and the Dean of the College of Agriculture, the University is working to relocate the dairy farm to a more appropriate location and to make the existing site available for commercial sale and development. The University has also been a partner in a multi-institution effort to build an education center in an urban redevelopment area east of downtown Des Moines.

In the provision of utility services, our town and gown relationships have been comprehensive, significant, and mutually beneficial to Iowa State and the City of Ames. The University collaborates with the City of Ames for such services as domestic water supply, sewer collection and treatment, fire protection, and refuse collection and processing. With respect to electrical generating capacity, we jointly plan to meet the needs of the City of Ames and the University. This allows each party to take advantage of the reserves of the other party and to avoid unnecessary capital expense associated with maintaining required reserve margins. Under these agreements the two systems exchange power with each other. University officials meet with the City of Ames several times throughout the year to identify current and future issues and opportunities.

The Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau is another successful university/community partnership. The University participates in managing and staffing the Convention and Visitor Bureau, which is housed in the Scheman Building on the Iowa State campus. University services and facilities are an important factor in attracting major conferences and events to Ames. Events can attract over 10,000 participants for multi-day periods, which is a major economic impact for the city and the region. These events would not be possible without cooperation and coordination between the University and the community. University facilities provide essential venues for large conferences and events. For example, the Special Olympics National Games will be held in Ames during the summer of 2006 and will bring 5000 participants and up to 10,000 attendees to Ames. Iowa State athletic, recreational, and housing facilities will be used and thousands of hours of Iowa State staff time will be volunteered to make the event possible.