A project to replace a nearly 60-year-old Campustown fire station in Ames may appear on the November ballot.
Ames Fire Station No. 2 at 132 Welch Avenue, is outdated, and its location at the corner of Welch Avenue and Chamberlin Street, in the heart of a busy bar and restaurant district on the Iowa State campus, has created operational challenges. The city plans to replace it with a more modern facility in a new location.
In a 5-1 vote on Tuesday, Sept. 9, the Ames City Council agreed to schedule a special meeting to consider placing the fire station project as a bond referendum on the November ballot
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City staff has consulted with Iowa State University to explore sites along State Avenue near the Baker Subdivison. The site will require a longterm lease and must be coordinated with Iowa State.
The project is expected to cost $10.5 million.
Council members consider waiting for bond referendum
Ward 2 Rep. Tim Gartin, who cast the lone dissenting vote, was concerned there won’t be enough time to educate the public about the ballot measure.
“I don’t think this is good governance on our part to run something through with such short notice,” Gartin said.
He also noted that because this year’s election will likely have several uncontested races, there may be a low voter turnout.
Ward 3 Rep. Gloria Betcher was also concerned about low voter turnout, but felt the city has done enough outreach since the project has been in the works for a few years.
At-Large Rep. Amber Corrieri said the city has made the fire station a priority, suggesting that educating the public would be simple.
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“People have very short attention spans, and I sometimes think the longer you drag things out it doesn’t (pay off),” Corrieri said. “I think when you draw things out for a long period of time, it loses it’s impact.”
Corrieri noted that the Story County Water and Land Legacy bond had a short campagin in 2024 and had no problems passing. The $25 million bond received support from 77% of the 44,419 votes cast in the 2024 election.
Ames Fire Station No. 2 is pictured on Welch Avenue in Ames, Iowa.
Nearly 60-year-old campustown fire station no longer meets needs
Ames’ Fire Station No. 2, built in 1966, is a single-story, 5,500 square foot, three-apparatus bay station.
The station is at the intersection of Welch and Chamberlin Street, adjacent to several popular student bars, apartments, and eating establishments, as well as a heavily-trafficked convenience store.
The outdated facility faces significant operational challenges, including difficulty accessing the fire apparatus. The size of the lot and the corresponding design of the station don’t allow for drive-through access.
The Ames Fire Department often needs to navigate a congested Welch Ave. to go east or west, which impacts response time.
Ames Fire Chief Rich Higgins said one of the most asked questions he gets when speaking to Ames residents is ‘When are you going to move Fire Station No. 2?”
Higgins said the fire department’s response times continue to drop, and moving the Welch Avenue station will have “a real impact to the community.”
Ames’ other two fire stations are located at 1300 Burnett Avenue near the Mary Greeley Medical Center and 2400 S. Duff Avenue near the Hunziker Sports Complex.
The city is also considering building a fourth station to better serve the city’s north side and is exploring future land opportunities.
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What would the new campustown fire station look like?
The new fire station will be a single-story, four-bay fire station in order to also accommodate an aerial platform apparatus.
Preliminary designs allow for quick access to the apparatus and give staff the ability to decompress after calls.
Architectural firm Brown Reynolds Watford Architects is developing a conceptual design and construction cost estimate for a contracted amount not to exceed $78,800.
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Will relocating Ames’ Welch Ave. fire station appear on 2025 ballot?