Story County supervisors review multi‑year CIP; conservation acquisitions, facility upgrades and camera replacement among priorities

Story County supervisors and staff met in a CIP work session to review the county’s draft Capital Improvements Plan for fiscal years 2026 through 2031 and to set a schedule for public input and final adoption.

Sandra King, director of external operations and county services, said the county implemented a new CIP policy in 2024 with scoring criteria (a 175‑point maximum) and that the CIP is a dynamic list of projects ordered by potential completion year. The CIP committee met in January 2026 to review new FY27 applications and scores.

Why it matters: The draft includes bond‑funded park and conservation projects, large placeholder figures for McFarland Park master‑plan construction, multiple conservation land acquisitions, and a series of facility and fleet replacements that could affect county capital spending and grant requests over the next five years.

Major items discussed

Conservation and land acquisitions: Mike Cox, conservation director, reviewed a series of conservation projects and acquisitions. Staff reported the Skunk River Greenbelt Acquisition South Phase 1 (the Cambridge Tract) is about 250 acres with roughly $300,000 remaining of a $900,000 target; Phase 2 (about 120 acres) is being transferred at no cash cost but recorded as a $175,000 in‑kind match related to a previous DNR grant. Cox said deeds are in hand and the county attorney is reviewing them; disposition work on other parcels and related appraisal/survey costs would be covered incrementally as properties move through the disposal process.

Dakins Lake cabin and park projects: Cox said the Dakins Lake cabin construction will be funded with bond proceeds and noted several cost drivers — required fire‑suppression sprinklers (about $100,000), a needed lift station for wastewater, and water‑line upgrades. He said the cabin’s return‑on‑investment was modeled over about 20 years and that routine maintenance is expected to be covered from cabin revenue and the conservation reserve; commissioners asked staff to provide the annual maintenance estimate.

Hickory Grove and water quality work: Staff reported Hickory Grove Park beach and accessibility improvements are in design and that the county is working with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on bacterial (E. coli) mitigation and water‑quality components. King and Cox said DNR technical assistance and grant funding will cover part of design and potentially some construction related to water quality, while other user amenities will require additional funding sources.

Facilities and infrastructure needs: Joe Brogden, facilities management director, highlighted a near‑term need to consider replacement of the Human Services Center roof (about 28 years old, hail damage reported) and continued HVAC work at HSC that may carry into FY27 because some equipment delivery dates are delayed. Brogden described an aging West Ames storage building (estimated ~80 years old) that staff propose appraising and likely replacing; he recommended renaming that CIP line to ‘storage shed replacement’ to avoid confusion about location. He also urged engineering work to explore options for elevator modernization after noting that significant repairs could trigger ADA‑compliance work and substantially higher costs.

Fleet and secondary roads: Secondary roads staff requested tandem axle dump trucks (two trucks, $650,000 total) to catch fleet needs after prior delays; staff expect delivery and payment in FY26/FY27. Commissioners also noted a sheriff’s office request for an emergency response vehicle ($665,000) that currently lacks a defined funding source and is typically handled through countywide vehicle procurement rather than a department‑level capital line.

IT and security cameras: Colin Gers, IT director, and facilities staff proposed replacing county security cameras in FY27 because roughly half of the county’s cameras (outside the justice center) are end‑of‑life or discontinued. Staff recommended moving camera operations under IT for cybersecurity and maintenance reasons, and described a modern system that stores footage on cameras themselves (reducing DVR dependency) with recurring license/support costs and hardware costs to be procured under the county’s purchasing policy.

Costs, grants and funding sources: Staff walked through a mix of funding sources for projects: bond proceeds (multiple park and conservation projects), conservation reserve and trust funds, grants such as US Fish and Wildlife Service and LWCF, and a $100,000 Story County Community Foundation Impact Grant split across projects. King emphasized the CIP document is fluid: engineering estimates will be refined with bids and contracts and staff will re‑estimate carry‑forwards as the budget process continues.

Public input and next steps: King said the CIP lead will compile changes from today’s session and post a draft online; the board expects to review the draft in February, begin a public comment period roughly February–April, review public input in mid‑April, and consider formal adoption in April. Staff said the draft will include project pictures and be announced via the county’s usual channels, including social media.

No formal votes were recorded during the work session; staff and supervisors directed follow‑up actions (appraisals, more detailed funding breakdowns and maintenance estimates) to refine the draft CIP.

What’s next: The board will receive the draft CIP for review in February and a public comment period will follow. Staff will provide the requested clarifying cost breakdowns and the annual maintenance estimate for the Dakins Lake cabin prior to the public drafting process.