The Fitch Family Indoor Aquatic Center will break ground later this spring, bringing to Ames a facility that will meet the indoor swimming needs of the community. The new 38,900 square foot facility will be located on Lincoln Way, west of Grand Avenue, across from the Iowa Department of Transportation headquarters, built on the property of the old St. Cecilia Church and School. Prior to March 2022, the Municipal Pool, located at Ames High School, provided indoor swimming opportunities for the school district and Ames community. That facility was closed and demolished in spring 2022 as the new Ames High School was opening. This left the community without an indoor swimming option. “For years, Mayor Haila and the Ames City Council have explored options to provide year-round indoor aquatics to residents,” said Parks and Recreation Director Keith Abraham. “From planning to location to funding, moving this project from concept to implementation has taken determination, creativity, collaboration, and leadership. The new facility will fill a significant recreation and wellness void for Ames.” Fundraising for the project began in 2021 and was led, in part, by Ames Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Dan Culhane. “When we started talking about this project to prospective donors, the response was tremendous,” said Culhane. “The business and community leaders were quick to support this project because they all knew that it was an amenity that our community needs not only for today, but for our future growth.” In February 2023, the Ames City Council thanked the 42 donors who gave a total of $10.4 millions for the project. Rich and Mary Fitch, who own Furman Realty in Ames, and their family gave $3 million toward the project. The Fitch Family Indoor Aquatic Center is being planned to take advantage of the State of Iowa’s Reinvestment District Program (RDP). This program allows new state sales and hotel/motel taxes generated by new developments constructed within a City Council-created Reinvestment District to be rebated back to a municipality over a 20-year period. The Ames City Council created a Reinvestment District that includes the aquatic center property along Lincoln Way, much of Downtown Ames, and new development proposed on property north of Lincoln Way from Clark to Kellogg avenues (called “The Linc”). The City of Ames has submitted an application to the Iowa Economic Development Board to receive a rebate of up to $10 million based on any new revenue generated by the proposed development. The facility's base bid was estimated at just under $28.4 million. The city has $20.5 million set aside for the construction, which has been estimated to cost just under $20.3 million. A handful of multi-purpose rooms and a walking area were added to the blueprints for an additional $1.5 million, bringing estimates to the $32 million mark. In December 2023, the project was awarded a $500,000 Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) Grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. When complete, the project will provide year-round recreational swimming opportunities in the community. It will support aquatic education classes and include a lap pool, recreational pool with play structure, have a current channel, and an indoor/outdoor water slide. Construction for the aquatic center will start in the spring of 2024, with the official opening expected for 2025. Demolition of the existing buildings on the property is already underway. Construction will continue through October 2025 with the grand opening taking place in November 2025.
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If your new year’s resolution is to hit the pavement more often to get in shape for that upcoming 5K, or simply with a renewed interest in getting back in shape, then you should get to know Seth Kilborn at Fitness Sports. “Our goal with Fitness Sports – Ames is to support and grow the running community in Ames,” said Kilborn. The new store, located in Downtown Ames, opened in July 2023, and is quickly positioning itself as the center of the running community. Kilborn has been a runner nearly his entire life and it continues to be his passion. “To me, running is a way for me to push myself, stay active, and it’s a great way to socialize,” said Kilborn. “I have met a lot of great people through the sport. Running is so simple. All you need is a good pair of shoes and a sidewalk to take you places you never thought you could go.” Fitness Sports specializes in getting customers the perfect pair of shoes for their walking or running interests. “What makes us different from other shoe stores is our expertise and the specificity of what we do,” said Kilborn. Customers can receive a free gait analysis that looks at the arch height and width of a foot. “We look at how your ankles and knees move when you run and make a shoe recommendation based on that analysis.” The store caters to both walkers and runner with about 65% of sales to those interested in walking. “While we are known as a running store, we also serve a lot of walkers,” said Kilborn. “We believe it is just as important to be in the correct shoe when you’re walking as it is when you’re running.” Kilborn attended and competed for Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa and Grand View University in Des Moines. “I was lucky to be able to travel to meets all over the country and meet a lot of great people,” said Kilborn. He continues to be an active runner. In October 2023, he placed sixth at the IMT Des Moines Marathon with a time of 2:39.48. In November, he embarked a 50-mile race at Jester Park along with his running friend Clayton Mooney, powered by Clayton Farms Salads. He had to withdraw from the race due to an injury after 42 miles, but he is eyeing another race in 2024. The ultra-race is his new running passion. “After spending my high school and collegiate career trying to run as fast as I could, I now am curious just how far I can go. Ultra-races are an entirely different monster to anything I’ve done before.” He desires to master the 50-mile distance and then move up in distance, aspiring to complete a 100-mile race. Fitness Sports – Ames supports local races best they can, wants to see new ones come to town, and is looking to organize their own over time. They also host free group run/walks from the store one to two times a month, with more coming in the summer of 2024. Find these events and more information on their Facebook page. “We want everyone to have a safe space to be active and have fun. Whatever your pace, everyone is welcome.” The USDA National Centers for Animal Health (NCAH) facility, located on Dayton Avenue and visible from Interstate 35, is at the center of livestock research, foreign disease diagnostics and vaccine/biologic regulation for the nation. The 523-acre campus includes 93 buildings and three separate yet intertwined governmental centers: USDA’s National Animal Disease Center (NADC), National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), and Centers for Veterinary Biologics (CVB). It is a restricted campus, monitored around the clock, and the NADC’s mission is to conduct basic and applied research on selected diseases of economic importance to the U.S. livestock and poultry industries. The campus was originally established in 1961, with the iconic 550,000 square foot consolidated laboratory and administrative building being completed in 2009. The work at this facility impacts animal and public health, food safety and biosecurity, animal welfare, national and international economy, and the environment. They have close ties with Iowa State University and other institutions throughout the United States and the world and has had two scientists inducted into the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and one in the National Academy of Medicine. The campus employs over 700 individuals, creating a huge economic impact in the region. Briefly summarizing the three agencies, the CVB focuses on vaccines and biologics, the NVSL prevents foreign diseases from entering the United States such as foot and mouth disease and African swine fever. The NADC, led by Director Mark Ackermann, focuses on livestock health research. Ackermann is a 1986 graduate of the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and then earned his PhD degree in 1990 and conducted research at the NADC during that time. He was a professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine from 1996 – 2017, when he moved to a similar role at Oregon State. A national search brought him back to Ames as Director of USDA’s National Animal Disease Center in 2021. All three centers (CVB, NVSL and NADC) are part of the USDA, but each has its own function and purpose. Combining the three branches into the main, large building has led to greater efficiencies of operation, allowing for a closer collaboration, which has all led to a world-class disease animal/livestock health facility. “For the NADC,” which Ackermann oversees, “we really work on the diseases that are difficult to eliminate,” focusing on domestic diseases that impact livestock. Projects have included the eradication of hog cholera, also known as classical swine fever, the development of a brucellosis vaccine that is now used in cattle and bison, and the discovery of a bovine leukemia virus, a disease common in dairy cattle. They study swine influenza and chronic wasting disease in deer and their potential for interspecies spread and NADC scientists recently discovered how COVID-19 impacted and moved amongst the deer population. “We want to provide research with the goal toward therapeutics, vaccinations, with the overall goal of elimination of these diseases that are impacting livestock,” said Ackermann. Determining the “how” and “why” of disease is the overall premise. The NVSL receives samples from across the United States that are studied in their BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories. There is no BSL-4 laboratory in Ames, which is considered the highest security rating, although the Ames facility has one of the few BSL-3 livestock labs in the country, where protocols are strict and require scientists to wear masks and full bio-hazard suits for biosafety with strict biocontainment regulations. This is where they work on swine influenza, bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis along with other diseases. Work at the National Centers for Animal Health reduces economic losses due to infectious, genetic, and metabolic diseases that impact livestock and poultry industries as well as food safety and antimicrobial resistance. In turn, it also further prevents suffering and death caused by these diseases. Its multiple missions have a huge impact in the advancement of livestock health in the United States. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Story County is in the final stages of a capital improvement campaign that will expand and modernize their current location. The $7 million project will add 7,500 square feet to the south of their existing building, as well as provide needed updates throughout the building. “The project will address critical updates to the HVAC, lighting, fire, and security systems,” said CEO Ryan Santi. “It will also enhance kitchen and classroom space, and ultimately allow the organization to serve more kids.” The Ames club has been a staple in the community since 1963. Their current facility was built in 1998 and is ready for a remodel. The Boys & Girls Clubs offers a range of services to youth throughout the year. In 2022, they provided over 11,000 meals to students, many of whom regularly experience food insecurity. They also provide a friendly and supportive environment to kids. Last year, they served nearly 800 students through community outreach programs. Over the past several decades, the scope of programming has changed. “The old model of the Boys & Girls Clubs was to show up and hang out,” said Development Director Judge Johnston. “Today, we are an extension of the school day for many of our kids. This includes educational programming, arts and crafts, and serving a hot meal to them daily.” In 2022, they provided 1,500 hours of academic, healthy lifestyle, and character enhancement programs. The Boys & Girls Clubs currently serves 105 students but has a waiting list that they will be able to address after the completion of this new expansion project. The new kitchen will allow for cooking classes where students can learn core lifestyle skills. “We have a number of students who serve as the primary caregiver at home because their parents work long hours,” said Santi. “This type of programming will give students the skills needed to not only cook for themselves, but for their siblings as well.” The Boys & Girls Clubs had $3 million at the launch of their campaign, thanks to a $2.7 million grant from the State of Iowa, and their own contribution of $300,000 that was taken from cash reserves. Through a generous donation from the Burke family and other private donations, they have already raised $4.55 million, two-thirds of their goal, as of October 2023. The public campaign began this fall and was led by Johnston, Santi, and Board President Tyler Farner. They anticipate breaking ground on the expansion project in Spring 2024. To learn how to donate to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Story County expansion project, visit their website at https://www.bgcstory.org Todd & Sargent has specialized in design, engineering, and construction since 1933, and their name is synonymous as one of the early pioneers in the grain elevator construction business in Iowa. Since its founding, the company has become a recognized design, engineering, and construction leader in the food and ag space. Headquartered in Ames, Todd & Sargent constructs projects across the United States and Canada. In 1933, George Todd moved his family from Eagle Grove to Ames and started his wood cribbed grain elevator construction business. At that time, most of his jobs were within 100 miles of Ames. In the 1950’s, Todd was looking for a successor for his business and found a viable suitor in Warren Sargent. After working for several years in the steel industry in Pennsylvania, Sargent moved back home to Iowa to partner with Todd, and in 1958, the company was renamed the Todd & Sargent Construction Company. Todd eventually sold his interest in the company to Sargent in 1962 but continued to work for the company until his retirement in 1969. While the Todd family's involvement ended decades ago, the company has always kept that name out of deference to the legacy that George Todd began in 1933." Until the 1950’s, most elevators were wood cribbed and topped with galvanized sheet metal. In 1961, Sargent began experimenting with new designs, such as welded bins with a smooth interior surface that became the hallmark design for feed mills until concrete construction became the economical way to build larger facilities. The agricultural boom of the 1970’s and early 80’s saw an increase in demand for concrete elevators; facilities went from storing hundreds of thousands of bushels in 1971 to millions of bushels by 1980. The turn of the century and beyond brought expansion and a variety of diversified projects for Todd & Sargent. The company completed its first flour mill in 1996 and its first oilseed processing facility in 2003. A new malt house was constructed in Minnesota in 2016. While the design and construction of feed mills and grain elevators have long been steady staples for Todd & Sargent, a constant eye on developing additional markets has further driven the company’s success. Todd & Sargent continued to expand their presence as the industry evolved. Todd & Sargent Canada was created to build shipping terminals in response to an expanding grain industry. In 2001, they began work in the ethanol and biodiesel industry and formed a strategic partnership with West Central Cooperative, forming Renewable Energy Group, specializing in the design, engineering, construction, and start-up of new biodiesel facilities across the United States. Today, more than 300 employees throughout North America help clients efficiently and effectively store, process, and distribute materials with a wide portfolio of projects. For nine decades under family leadership, the company has built a proud heritage of successful projects and strong partnerships that have led to its current industry leadership position. The concept of an escape room is simple: challengers are locked in a room and need to discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in a set amount of time in order to escape from the room. No Escape Iowa offers three levels for challengers: easy, moderate, and hard. Jon Wilson, Manager of No Escape Iowa, not only runs the Ames location but is a connoisseur of the craft, having completed nearly 150 escape rooms from across the country. “When I visit another city, it’s nearly always one of the things that I do when I’m there.” No Escape Iowa currently has four rooms, each original to Ames. The business has been located in Downtown Ames for nearly 5 years and has two more rooms under construction. The rooms are family-friendly, said Wilson. “We see a lot of families come through and book the rooms for birthday parties or other celebrations.” If you have what it takes, think again. The success rate of escaping the room in the allotted hour is just under 50%. The most difficult room, “Game On,” has a record of 46 minutes, 26 seconds. Book your adventure to No Escape Iowa online. No Escape Iowa is located at 328 Main Street. www.NoEscapeIowa.com Woodworking techniques combined with the latest trends and custom graphics is what created the DIY Board & Brush Creative Studio concept. Now with a location in Ames, Board & Brush wants to turn you into a DIY master by educating you to understand and appreciate the beauty of raw materials—the wood, the knots, the color variations, and the simple imperfections that will make your project unique. If you’re not handy with a hammer, sand paper, or power tools, don’t worry. No experience is necessary to learn how to distress wood. Owner Amy Weber and her team will teach you all the skills required to make a personalized wood sign that you’ll be proud to hang in your house. The DIY wood sign workshops started as a “Girl’s Night Out” with wine and crafts concept that quickly evolved into a business idea. Make it girl’s night or family-fun night this winter at Board & Brush. Board & Brush is located at 3326 Lincoln Way Suite 102. www.BoardAndBrush.com/Ames Have you ever wanted to learn how to make French macarons, Vietnamese egg rolls, artisanal sourdough, or a delicious apple tart? Consider taking a class at The Recipe, a new culinary venue in Downtown Ames. The venue is owned and operated by Patrick and Mindy Bergstrom, proprietors of other Downtown Ames businesses such as Nook & Nest, Z.W. Mercantile, and Cooks’ Emporium, where they previously taught classes. Teaching cooking classes at Cooks’ dates back to 1981 with the original owner. In 2018, when the Bergstom’s took over, they continued the tradition and remodeled the business to accommodate. “One of the first things we did was figure out how to make the demo kitchen a little bigger,” said Patrick, noting that they immediately got requests for hands-on classes. By 2021, the classes had been regularly selling out and they explored the idea of a dedicated space. That idea turned into The Recipe that opened this fall. Their most popular classes include Pasta 101 and 201, knife skills, and food prep, but their course offerings are wide-ranging. They sprinkle in sushi classes, those on Mediterranean cuisine, shrimp curry, or a course specifically on kids snacks and dips. Both Mindy and Patrick come from entrepreneurial families, but their career background is in the corporate world. Mindy started working for a web design and advertising company when she was 19, and Patrick most recently worked as a technology executive. For Patrick, his love of cooking dates to childhood. When the opportunity to buy Cooks’ was available to them in 2017, they jumped at the chance and each year added another business to the mix. Patrick hosts the majority of classes at The Recipe but brings in other chefs for some of the specialty classes. “The response has been great so far,” said Patrick. “People get excited to learn new skills, and they want to eat healthier and more inexpensively. We’ve heard from several people that coming to one or two classes has changed the way they eat at home.” With the new space, The Recipe is able to entertain more private events and they are renting their space for retirement and graduation parties, or to cooks who need access to a fully licensed, commercial kitchen. More information and a full list of classes can be found at: www.TheRecipeAmes.com The Recipe is located at 412 Burnett in Downtown Ames After twelve years of considering proposals for a new hotel or the extensive remodeling of one of the old existing hotels, a group of Ames business leaders organized the Ames Improvement Company to carry out the community's desire to have a hotel that would meet not only immediate needs but the future needs of a growing city. The result was the Sheldon Munn, considered one of the finest hotels between Chicago and Denver. Built in 1915, the hotel featured three floors of guest rooms, a large ballroom, meeting rooms, barber shop, coffee shop, dining room, and beautiful lobby. Parley Sheldon, a banker and perennial mayor of Ames at the time, partnered with lumberyard owners H. L. and A. H. Munn, to construct the hotel. The new Sheldon-Munn hotel cost $150,000 and represented the “final word know to modern hotel building and equipping,” as writing in the June 6, 1916 edition of the Ames Tribune. The building included seventy-two guest rooms, a banquet hall, dining room, grill room, and the “most beautiful lobby of any hotel in the middle west” in order to entertain the guests in “ease and comfort.” It also touted “A telephone, hot and cold water, and two lights,” are to be found in every room. The fourth story featured a ballroom and a large dining room stretching the entire length of the first floor. The hotel immediately became a social center for both the town and the college and was an instant success, prompting an expansion to the west in 1926. The $85,000 addition, a close match to the original structure, was completed in February of 1927. Hotel occupancy doubled and there was room for more commercial space on the ground floor. Today, the Sheldon-Munn building has been renovated into apartments, offices, and businesses such as Noir bar, Life Distilled and Nook & Nest. It continues to be a vital part of downtown Ames and is owned and operated by OEI, Inc. Golf simulators, axe throwing, baseball simulators, duckpin bowling, darts, pool tables, shuffle board, cornhole, foosball, Golden tee arcade, and ping-pong, not to mention a full-service bar and kitchen… the newly rebranded Inside Golf & Games has all the ingredients for a great time! “We view ourselves as being a staple in family entertainment for the community,” said Mike Schmid, co-owner of Inside Golf & Games. Along with co-owner Payton Roberts, Inside Golf has expanded their offerings to create an establishment unlike anything else in Ames and Central Iowa. They credit their ability to expand to the community that has continued to support their business. “The people that live in Ames are amazing people and without their support, through good times and bad, we wouldn’t be here today.” Inside Golf opened in 2018 at North Grand Mall in Ames and instantly provided a premium golf experience with the comfort of indoor simulators. “We entered this market during a time when only the most invested and advanced golfers were participating,” said Schmid, acknowledging that it was a niche market. “The first few years, we built our customer base around golfers and their families. With every new investment and update, we expanded our market to include a range of new customers.” The addition of axe throwing in the summer of 2021 was a formative moment for the business. “Although we did not know exactly how that would impact our business, we quickly realized how it attracted a new demographic and changed the overall trajectory of Inside Golf,” said Schmid. Each week, more people were experiencing a new attraction to Ames. “The excitement around this entertaining sport quickly spread and soon enough, local businesses were contacting us to host their team building events and holiday parties,” said Schmid. “That is when we knew we had a valuable offering for the community of Ames and wanted to invest further.” As Inside Golf and Axe Throwing became an outlet for more than just golfers, Schmid and his team continued to brainstorm how they could expand the business to truly make it a place for everyone. They added more space for dart boards and additional pool tables. They booked more corporate events and expanded their axe throwing lanes to fit larger groups. “The additional lanes were filled every weekend,” said Schmid. “After quickly growing our customer base and filling up every weekend we knew we had to do more!” A partnership with Time to Roll, a local start-up restaurant located within North Grand Mall, formed to create additional food options. After one full season of this partnership across the mall, Inside Golf acquire Time to Roll, and in the process added a new partner to the company, Payton Roberts. This acquisition of a full-service restaurant inspired the newest expansion of Inside Golf and the addition of more premium activities that includes Baseball Simulators and Duckpin Bowling. They were fortunate to be able to acquire additional space in North Grand Mall, across from their original location. As this expansion was taking place and they were quickly becoming a premium family entertainment center, the idea of rebranding surfaced as a way to showcase all they had to offer. “In honor of our original customer base, we wanted to stick with Inside Golf but felt we needed to expand our brand to include everything else,” said Schmid. “We landed on Inside Golf & Games to communicate that we are more than just golf; we offer something to Play, something to Eat, and something to Drink for everyone!” Thanks to a great partnership with North Grand Mall, they are working to connect their two separate businesses with a patio / common space concept, making it a perfect space to congregate. After hours, their wing of the mall is home to mini games, including cornhole, ping-pong, with more to come. With an exterior entrance and one of the few active locations open later at night, they are a perfect night out with their range of activities. “Ames needs more family entertainment and things-to-do, and we have been so fortunate to be able to offer just that to the people of Ames.” Inside Golf & Games is located at North Grand Mall |