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Ames reviews recreation budget with focus on scholarships, new Fitch facility and outreach
Summary
City staff told the council the parks and recreation budget for 2025–26 emphasizes program access through scholarships and donations, advances planning for the new Fitch facility, and expands partnerships and services at the 60 Forward center and other sites.
The Ames City Council on Feb. 5 heard a Parks and Recreation presentation that emphasized program access, volunteer support and planning for the new Fitch recreation facility. Parks staff told the council they plan to rely on a mix of fees, scholarships, donations and friends groups to preserve access while expanding services.
City parks director Keith (name as spoken in the meeting) said the department employs about 29 full‑time staff and roughly 400 part‑time and temporary employees over the year, and highlighted that the department’s per‑capita parkland and cost‑recovery metrics compare favorably with national numbers from the National Recreation and Park Association.
Staff described scholarship and outreach efforts to keep programs affordable. Keith said scholarships totaled “less than about $7,000” across scholarships and season swim pass assistance in 2023–24, and noted 32% of Ames Community School District students qualify for free or reduced lunch; Story County figures representing roughly 3,000 students were described as a 5.7% increase from the prior year. Parks staff said they are pursuing endowment additions, round‑up donation options on program registrations, fundraising events (Doc Derby) and other donations to expand the scholarship pool.
Council heard details on facilities and program changes. The budget includes $100,000 to start a fieldhouse procurement (an RFP will follow), funding for two new full‑time equivalent positions tied to Fitch (an aquatics coordinator and a principal clerk), and a plan to operate certain classes and programs across city facilities to maximize staffing efficiency. Staff said swim lessons currently operate at the ISU gym while Fitch construction continues with program revenue and expenses in the 2025–26 budget modeled at 65% of a full year of expenses and 50% of expected revenue.
The presentation listed active partnerships and “friends” groups that support parks operations: Roosevelt Park, Friends of Brookside, Ada Hayden Heritage Park and an emerging Ontario Park friends group. Staff highlighted the 60 Forward Center programming (senior programming, duckpin bowling leagues and intergenerational events), new activity room conversions for gymnastics and Taekwondo, and fitness onboarding technology (eGym bracelets) at city fitness locations.
Parks maintenance and forestry work were also discussed: staff described a multi‑year emerald ash borer (EAB) response plan that began with an inventory of identified ash trees and said the department had removed more trees than originally planned and expects to finish the plan earlier than scheduled with federal forestry grant assistance.
Councilmembers encouraged staff to compile utilization and benchmarking data to demonstrate program participation and economic or tourism impacts; staff mentioned they have discussed cell‑phone based visitation estimates with a vendor and shared an example where the Miracle Park’s measured visits increased from about 27,000 pre‑amenity to roughly 130,000 after improvements. Council asked staff to explore including park usage questions in the upcoming citizen satisfaction survey.
Ending: Staff said they will continue outreach on scholarships and partnerships, bring a fieldhouse RFP and Fitch staffing plan forward, and pursue grant and endowment options to expand financial aid for programs.
