Ames City releases 60% design for Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus; staff outline costs, operations and timeline

City staff presented a 60% design update on Nov. 25 for the Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus that will replace and expand Ames’ existing transfer and processing operations, saying the facility is designed both to improve operations and to plan for future growth.

“We are at a 60% design phase,” Justin said, summarizing key site features including a raised transfer station to avoid flood elevations, a half‑height transfer tunnel, separate routes for commercial haulers and resident car‑line customers, and a larger operations and education space.

Staff described several major equipment and configuration decisions. The team recommended purchasing a new shredder rather than reusing the current machine after finding stress fractures and noting the existing unit has more than 30,000 hours of use. Justin said staff estimated the current shredder would need about $500,000 in refurbishment, while a new unit would cost roughly $1,000,000. The design also includes reuse of one existing nonferrous separator and the addition of a second unit, and staff are evaluating a preload compactor intended to increase load density and squeeze moisture out of bales before hauling to Carroll County Landfill.

Council members pressed staff on operational details, including truck queuing, public access and security, multimodal circulation, and the potential for future expansion. Justin said the car‑line and customer drop‑off area are intentionally separated from commercial hauler routes and are designed to allow multiple vehicles to load simultaneously; the public drop site will be secured outside operating hours to reduce contamination.

Councilors raised questions about weight limits on haul routes if the compactor is used. Justin said state DOT limits and local bridge restrictions (staff noted two bridges of concern, one in Greene County and one in the city of Carroll) could constrain loaded axle weights and that staff are still evaluating whether the compactor’s benefits outweigh potential routing or permitting constraints. “We believe there’s a lot of value in this compactor and reason to do it,” Justin said, adding that staff will complete load‑weight and routing analyses before a final recommendation.

On finance and schedule, staff reiterated a target opening tipping fee of $95.11 per ton and a current construction estimate of $16,800,000. Justin said that estimate excludes paving of the adjacent free‑drive and procurement of trucks and trailers; those costs will return to council later. The project timeline includes 90% drawings in late December, issuance for bid in January 2026, bidding in February and construction starting likely in late March–April 2026 with operations thereafter.

Staff described redundancy measures for operations: alternate conveyors and transfer options if the compactor or shredder is down, axle‑scale checks before trucks leave, and plans to run trucks over site scales to avoid overweight violations. Mark, representing frontline operations staff, said workers have been engaged in design reviews and “very much so” have had meaningful input.

Staff also outlined outreach and procurement plans: HDR Engineering and Story Construction are on the project team; staff have met with 20 partner communities and plan a biweekly e‑newsletter to keep regional partners informed. Justin said staff will use a construction manager approach and divide work into multiple bid packages to encourage competition and draw specialized bidders.

The presentation closed to questions; council did not take action but will receive procurement, paving and mobile‑equipment requests at future meetings.

The council’s next formal procurement steps are scheduled for early 2026, and staff asked partner communities to indicate their participation in the project in January 2026.