Initial bids for an indoor aquatic center in Ames are $3 million under budget, the city council revealed Tuesday.
The 38,900-square-foot Fitch Family Aquatic Center, which will include a lazy river, a water slide, and three pools, will be located on West Lincoln Way near the Grand Avenue intersection.
Construction is expected to start at some point this year, with the council hearing initial bids during Tuesday’s meeting. Seventy-nine construction bids, making up 14 bid packages, were presented for around $28 million.
Though bids were presented Tuesday, the contracts will be awarded next month after final council approval.
Ames Parks and Recreation Director Keith Abraham credited RDG Planning and Design and Story Construction, who have assisted the city with the project, for their help securing the high number of bids.
“(They were) really beating the door down so to speak, talking to the contractors and sparking some interest,” Keith Abraham said. “It was very important when we did the bidding.”