Ames is growing its recreational offerings and restoring native prairie with the help of Iowa State University.
ISU is leasing 33 acres of university-owned property to the city, while also granting an easement for a future bridge and shared-use path connection.
The 33 acres are at 1915 Scholl Road and are currently operated and managed by the university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The area is bounded by Onion Creek to the northwest and Ioway Creek to the northeast.
Ames will convert the leased land to native prairie with an integrated trail system, ISU senior vice president for operations and finance Sean Reeder said.
The city plans to build a bridge over Ioway Creek, 40 acres to the west, along with a shared-use pedestrian and bicycle path connection between Moore Memorial Park and Scholl Road.
The Iowa Board of Regents granted ISU permission to enter into the agreements with Ames at its June meeting.
Ames will restore native prairie
The 33-acre site is a strong candidate for prairie restoration because the city-owned property to the east includes portions of the Ioway Creek corridor that have been restored to native prairie and incorporated into public park and recreational areas.
ISU will continue to have access to the property for teaching, research, and outreach activities, while Reeder said there may be opportunities for partnerships.
Bridge and path will increase recreation offerings in northwest Ames
The yet-to-be-built Moore Memorial Park bridge is intended to improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between the university, Veenker Golf Course, and the surrounding community.
The land for Moore Memorial Park off of Northridge Parkway was donated to the city of Ames in 1987 by Fern and Bertha Moore.
All construction, maintenance, and associated costs related to the project will be Ames’ responsibility under the agreement.
The city budgeted $75,000 for the engineering and design, earmarked for the 2025-26 fiscal year. An additional $300,000 was budgeted for construction in fiscal year 2026-27.
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: Ames plans prairie, trails with Iowa State University land deal
Reporting by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
