MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
AMES, IOWA SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
The Special Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 6:00 p.m. on the 15th day of September, 2020. The Mayor announced that it is impractical to hold an in-person
Council meeting due to the Governor of Iowa declaring a public health emergency because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this meeting is being held as an electronic meeting as allowed by
Section 21.8 of the
Iowa Code
. Council Members Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber
Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, and David Martin and e
x officio
Member Nicole Whitlock joined
the electronic meeting. The Mayor described the options available to those who wanted to offer public
input.
RESOLUTION SETTING DATE OF PUBLIC HEARING AS SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 FOR
VACATION OF PUBLIC UTILITY, STORM SEWER, SURFACE WATER FLOWAGE,
SHARED USE PATH, AND OPEN SPACE EASEMENTS ON OUTLOT P, SUNSET RIDGE
SUBDIVISION, 5
TH
ADDITION (5521 ALLERTON DRIVE):
Moved by Betcher, seconded by
Beatty-Hansen, to approve the Resolution setting the date of public hearing as September 22, 2020 for vacation of public utility, storm sewer, surface water flowage, shared use path, and open space easements on Outlot P, Sunset Ridge Subdivision, 5th Addition (5521 Allerton Drive).
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
DISCUSSION OF âTHE ARTS IN AMESâ:
Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips introduced
Mike Sulzberger, a member of Story Theater Company Board of Directors, who had requested a
workshop dedicated to the arts in Ames. He said Mr. Sulzberger and others will present regarding
the arts.
Mr. Sulzberger said he has lived in Ames about 25 years and is a producer for NBC News, but his
passion is working with Story Theater Company. He said he enjoys being a patron of all arts in
Ames. He thanked the Council for scheduling this meeting. Mr. Sulzberger said the possibility of
Stephens Auditorium closing is just the latest warning sign of the condition of the arts in Ames.
Mr. Sulzberger said in the 1980's and 1990's Ames was a hub for arts and culture. He said reliance
on Iowa State University (ISU) for arts and culture in Ames is no longer serving Ames well, as there
is less focus on arts and culture. He said the Ames Chamber of Commerce estimated over 20,000
people per day are commuting to Ames to work. He said the property tax base could be improved
if even a small percentage of those people moved to Ames.
Jill Klindt, Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer at Workiva, told Council she has been an
Ames resident since 1994. She said Workiva headquarters in Ames is able to recruit people to work
in Ames from many places such as southern California and Hong Kong. Ms. Klindt said those people
are fine with working in Ames but they donât settle in Ames; they live in Ankeny, Des Moines, or
West Des Moines. She said they donât find enough activities and amenities to live in Ames even
though they are happy to work here. She living in Des Moines or Ankeny puts them much closer to
arts and culture.
Mr. Sulzberger said the problem is affecting businesses. He introduced Jennifer Drinkwater,
Assistant Professor in the Department of Art and Visual Culture at ISU. Ms. Drinkwater said she is
an artist, has lived in Ames since 2007, and teaches drawing at ISU. Ms. Drinkwater told Council
of the ways she has been involved in the arts in the Ames community.
Ms. Drinkwater reviewed how arts impact economies, how Iowa and Ames compare to other areas,
and how creative culture in Ames can be strengthened. She said this is the best time in the world to
be a creative professional. She said as people work from home they are investing in artwork. She said
Ames is very fortunate to have ISU (which has the largest public art collection in the United States),
the ISU College of Design, a thriving Theater department, and a thriving English department. She
said many of her students leave Iowa due to lack of opportunities and the cost of living. She said it
would be wonderful to create an environment where graduates see creative opportunities and want
to stay in Ames.
Ms. Drinkwater said the community has hitched its train to ISU for arts and culture. She urged Ames
to step up and invest in the arts. She said creators are entrepreneurs and small business owners. She
told Council that each dollar invested in the arts leveraged up to $9 based on studies by Americans
for the Arts. Ms. Drinkwater said the arts and culture sector comprises 4.2% of the Gross Domestic
Product. She said in 2019, Stephens Auditorium brought in over $4 million to the Ames economy.
Ms. Drinkwater told Council that Minnesota Legacy Funds were created by the Legacy Amendment,
which increased the state sales tax by three-eighths of a percent making the amount spent on the arts
$7.22 per capita compared to Iowaâs 32 cents per capita.
Ms. Drinkwater discussed City funding spent on the arts in Ames. She said Dubuque was recently
a pilot study for the American Center for the Arts, and now has a full-time Arts and Cultural Affairs
Department Coordinator. She said arts and culture aid in increasing inclusivity and strengthening the
economy, and said a full-time arts coordinator position should be created. After hiring this person
in Dubuque, that city has received over $50,000 in grants for art and cultural funding for Dubuque.
Examples of partnerships were reviewed by Ms. Drinkwater, including an artist relocation program
in Paducah, Kentucky, where they invested $12 million into the community. She said 60 artists
moved to Paducah, and there was a $10 million increase in tourism, and $14 million was infused into
construction industries. Ms. Drinkwater also told of Oil City, Pennsylvania, where the local economy
was reinvented after several oil companies left that city. It restructured zoning and invested $175,000
for six years, which created an estimated $1.3 million in revenue. She also described The Fertile
Ground Project (Jackson, Mississippi) funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge.
Mr. Sulzberger said Ames is spending $268,000 and peer cities are spending over $1 million
annually. He said post-COVID-19, companies may realize they donât need such expensive real
estate, and if people can live anywhere to do their jobs, then Ames would be competing with every
city to attract people. He said Ames will have to be the best place to live in Iowa. He said there are
already great parks and great schools to attract people here, and if a thriving arts and culture
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community is added, people will be attracted to Ames. Mr. Sulzberger said hiring an arts and culture
director would be the best place to start, and ideally this position would supervise the Auditorium,
Bandshell, and possibly the School District Auditorium as well as be the contact for Commission
on the Arts (COTA) and a liaison to the Ames Community Arts Council. He said this person would
be available to answer questions about arts and culture. Mr. Sulzberger said there are grants that only
cities can apply for, so this person would also look for and apply for grants. He said this person
would not belong to the Parks & Recreation Department, but would be its own department. He also
said having an initial pool of funds between $50,000 - $100,000 available for seed money is
important, and the amount spent on the arts every year must be increased.
Mr. Sulzberger wondered if a portion of the increase in sales tax funds because of internet sales
could be considered for the arts. He said the additional sales tax approved a few years ago included
community enrichment funds, and noted Polk County passed an additional tax and has an amount
earmarked for the arts. He also suggested a portion of the Hotel/ Motel Tax collected going to Ames
Convention and Visitors Bureau could be directed toward the arts.
Mr. Sulzberger said he has heard three ideas recently: Story Theater Company moving to the Radical
Hospitality model, having a film festival, and using vacant storefronts to house pop-up art
installations. He said he knows preparing the budget is even more uncertain than usual, but feels the
arts budget should be looked at as a blank slate.
Mayor Haila thanked Mr. Sulzberger and Ms. Drinkwater for their preparation and suggestions. Ms.
Beatty-Hansen wondered if there are zoning changes that would be beneficial. Ms. Drinkwater said
low-cost studio space for artists is in high demand in Ames. She said Reliable Street has opened a
few very low-cost studio spaces, and if graduates from ISU had access to low-cost studio space, they
would be more likely to stick around. Mr. Sulzberger said an arts and cultural director is the first
thing Ames needs. Ms. Drinkwater said that new person could start researching things like zoning
and available property. Mayor Haila said it would be helpful to understand what roles that person
would be playing. Mr. Sulzberger said the person would be in charge of the Auditorium, Bandshell,
and possibly the Ames High School Auditorium; head of COTA, and liaison to the Ames
Community Arts Council and any new arts initiatives. Ms. Drinkwater said, in Dubuque, the arts and
cultural director coordinates the $250,000 budget dispersed to programs, builds liaisons with private
investment, writes grant applications, and starts new programs. She said that person has done so well
beefing up economic development that they will be moving her into the health and wellness area to
utilize art. Mayor Haila asked about public/private partnerships to creatively begin this position. Ms.
Drinkwater said sheâs sure there are communities doing that and anything is better than nothing.
Mr. Sulzberger said Craig Kaufman, Manager of the Bandshell, Auditorium, and Community Center,
would be a possibility for this new position. Ms. Drinkwater said Mr. Kaufman would be great for
the position. Council Member Gartin thanked Mr. Sulzberger for all he has done for the arts in
Ames. He said Story City Theater Company has done a phenomenal job at making sure all kids have
an opportunity to experience the arts. Mr. Sulzberger said Story Theater Company has never turned
anyone away who wants to be a part. He said Boys and Girls Clubs of Story County has partnered
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with them, and their work and outreach with the LGBTQ community has benefited many children.
Mr. Gartin said heâs thankful for the many attendees following this meeting on Zoom.
Ms. Betcher asked what impact closing Design on Main has had on the arts community in Ames. Ms.
Drinkwater said many were heartbroken because thereâs nothing else like it. Graduate students loved
being Downtown and now they have to work in a basement or their apartments. Ms. Betcher said one
of City Councilâs goals is to increase civic engagement and outreach, and Council approved an
allotment of $10,000 to the arts community with the idea of pop-ups or start-up funding. Mr. Phillips
said those funds were added to the adjusted budget for 2019/20 and will be carried over. He said it
has not yet been determined what the money could be used for. Mr. Phillips said it will need to be
determined if COTA would administer the funds. Ms. Betcher asked if ideas could be sent before
the purpose of the money is determined. Mr. Phillips concurred.
Council Member Martin mentioned the comment regarding Ames relying too much on ISU for the
arts and said he would like to quantify that. Ms. Corrieri said many of these discussions happened
during the Healthy Life Center discussions. She said the Council desires to make Ames even more
special. Ms. Junck said the economic development position is a partnership between the City and
the Chamber and maybe a similar partnership is possible since art is essential to keeping young
people in Ames.
Ex officio
Council Member Whitlock said thereâs a lot to do in Ames for children,
but not much to do for adults, and not many opportunities for ISU students to connect with the
community.
Mayor Haila asked what would attract employees of Workiva or other companies to Ames. Music
venues, performing venues, event/performative spaces, and anything to do after work, such as
looking at art, going to concerts, and listening to live music at restaurants were mentioned. Ms.
Drinkwater said the Music Walk was great. She said Reliable Street is huge in Ames and is a great
model of an organic community building if itâs made easy for people to initiate ideas. Ames
Collaborative Art was also mentioned. Ms. Drinkwater said for things to get started, a little money
is needed as well as community members saying yes to certain spaces. Mr. Sulzberger said there has
to be a reason for people to come Downtown after work.
Ms. Betcher said, when looking at population demographics, Ames has a much lower median age
than Dubuque. She said 47% are college students who may not have much disposable income, which
makes it challenging to see whatâs needed for entertainment. She suggested leveraging local money
in Ames could be more like in a small community since the percentage of residents working and
building wealth is smaller. Mr. Sulzberger talked about Perry, Iowa, and the amazing things going
on. Ms. Drinkwater said there is a huge grassroots effort happening in Perry as they recognize how
the arts community has attributed to the recent growth. Mr. Sulzberger said a point person for arts
and culture is key. Mayor Haila asked what kind of investment is needed for an art plan. Ms.
Drinkwater said sometimes communities get tired of the effort that goes into creating a plan and end
up with a massive document.
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Ms. Betcher asked if the role of the City should be creating an environment and getting out of the
way, or trying to guide what is happening in the arts. Ms. Drinkwater said a little of both is ideal. Mr.
Sulzberger agreed both roles are appropriate and said currently organizations need to know what is
going on a couple years in advance to apply for funds, so if someone gets an idea for something to
do in the next couple months then funding is a problem.
Mayor Haila asked how the arts community would spend $250,000 with a portion of that amount
going toward salary. Mr. Sulzberger said it would be spread out and used to encourage a film festival
and become a co-producer to bring shows to the Auditorium. Ms. Drinkwater said funds could go
to theaters, music festivals, existing arts organizations, Ames Community Arts Council space, and
to better fund Maximum Ames. Mr. Sulzberger said an emphasis on getting people to Ames and
getting people Downtown is important.
Mr. Sulzberger requested this conversation continue to move forward. Ms. Betcher said she hopes
the Council will vote to put more money into a grant program to create more opportunities for art.
Council Member Gartin said this presentation had been very helpful.
DISPOSITIONS OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL:
City Manager Steve Schainker said
an email was received regarding speeding on Ash Avenue; that could be reviewed by the traffic
engineer.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to request staff to look into the speeding on Ash
Avenue.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Mayor Haila said a letter was received from Chamber of Commerce CEO Dan Culhane regarding
the City of Amesâ sponsorship of the 2020 Virtual Symposium on Building Inclusive Organizations.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to put this item on a future agenda.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Mayor Haila said he wrote a letter to Dickson Jensen to thank him for the generous offer to donate
gift cards relative to the Face Coverings Ordinance.
COUNCIL COMMENTS:
None.
ADJOURNMENT
:
The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m.
__________________________________
____________________________________
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk
John A. Haila, Mayor
____________________________________
Erin Thompson, Recording Secretary
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