Huxley
Huxley, IA · Arts & Culture
Amest Tribune
Library asks Ames to enforce an overnight camping ban on its property
The Ames Public Library may start enforcing overnight restrictions to curtail littering and vandalism and keep people from camping on the property. The Ames Library Board of Trustees has asked the City of Ames to restrict access during specific hours, similar to current rules for city parks. The board recently noted in a letter to the City of Ames that the library has witnessed "dramatic growth in overnight safety and health concerns on the exterior grounds that cannot be managed by library staff alone." The board said "troublesome activities" occur when the library is closed, which includes individuals that sleep near the building, alcohol consumption and drug use. The board said sleeping individuals occasionally startle upon awakening, have allegedly pulled knives on staff members and followed employees. The library is closed regularly overnight from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. More: ISU professor accused of killing wife dies from self-inflicted gunshot The board is concerned about staff safety should a situation escalate, Library Board Secretary Debra Gibson said during the Nov. 10 Ames City Council meeting. The board's letter also noted problems with individuals stashing or abandoning personal belongings such as shopping carts, bikes, backpacks and sleeping bags near the building,
Only In Your State
Pella, Iowa: A Small Town Stuck in 1882
In the late 1800s, Iowa was a place of muddy roads, horse-drawn wagons, ambitious little towns, and people with a remarkable talent for building a life out of open prairie. The railroad was changing the landscape, brick storefronts were replacing wooden ones, and Main Street was where a town made its living. Plenty of small […]
The Des Moines Register
