Council pauses river-side trail push after landowner impasse, prioritizes Dayton connection

City staff briefed the Ames City Council on Aug. 5 about a stalled effort to complete a shared-use path along the west bank of the Skunk River between East Lincoln Way and Southeast 16th Street. Background and status City planners and engineers said they had been negotiating for several years with the property owner whose parcel the preferred riverside alignment would cross. Staff said the route offers a more natural, scenic alignment and would allow reuse of a salvaged pedestrian bridge, but the owner has repeatedly signaled reluctance to grant a permanent easement; staff said the owner prefers to keep the land intact for a family transfer rather than grant permanent public access. Staff presented alternatives and tradeoffs Staff outlined three near-term alternatives: • Continue to pursue the river alignment, including possible temporary construction easements and additional outreach, recognizing it may be years before ownership changes. • Reroute the shared-use path west of the preferred line and pursue a more street-oriented north–south connection (along or near Well Road), which poses agricultural-crossing complications and would need additional easements and engineering. • Pause river-focused easement efforts and prioritize the South Dayton Avenue connection project already programmed for 2026, which will provide East Lincoln Way–Southeast 16th connectivity on the street corridor and relieve pressure on the river alignment in the near term. Council action and rationale Council voted to pause aggressive pursuit of the river-edge easement and instead to prioritize the South Dayton connection and to program a project to extend the Ioway Creek Trail south to connect to Southeast 16th Street (removing the current dead-end). Council asked staff to continue monitoring ownership and to keep the river alignment in long-range trail plans, but not to commit CIP funds now to acquire a permanent river easement when progress with the owner is unlikely. Why it matters The chosen approach balances near-term connectivity needs (a link from East Lincoln Way to Southeast 16th Street) with the long-term goal of completing the Skunk River Trail. Council decisions preserve the river alignment in the future while delivering a practical, funded pathway via South Dayton Avenue now. What’s next Staff will: (1) continue design and acquisition for the South Dayton Avenue trail (construction programmed for 2026), (2) explore programming for the Ioway Creek Trail extension to the south to eliminate the dead-end, and (3) monitor the Skunk River property owner’s willingness to consider temporary or permanent easements in the future.