Webster City

The City of Webster City is nestled along the banks of the Boone River in North Central Iowa, about an hour north and west of Des Moines.  Providing opportunities for hiking, fishing, canoeing and kayaking, the river is one of the community’s most beloved amenities. Webster City offers many aspects of small-town life with the conveniences of larger towns, including eight quality parks, bicycle & walking trails, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. The attitude of strong new leadership in the community is reflected in Webster City's new tagline "Opportunity Awaits". The community is the county seat of Hamilton County and home to an estimated 7,877 people. That number is expect to grow with the opening of a new meat processing plant 13 miles outside of town, which brings 1,100 new jobs to the area.  

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County
Hamilton

Projects

Webster City, Iowa

Boone Forks Regional Marketing Plan

Published
Friday, February 7, 2020
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Students from the Tippie College of Business Marketing Institute developed branding and marketing strategies for the Boone Forks region, consisting of Boone, Hamilton, and Webster Counties, which is one of Iowa's four Parks to People regions.

Three years ago, Hamilton, Boone, and Webster Counties received funding from Iowa’s Parks Foundation to develop a master plan as a region focused on achieving economic, social and natural resources balance and improvements.

Library Visit

Webster City - Activating Webster City's Literary History and Kendall Young Library

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Students in the course Museums in a Digital World developed social media and digital engagements based on the special collections of the Kendall Young Library.

Boone River

Webster City - Boone River Recreation Engineering & Design

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students designed enhanced recreational opportunities on the Boone River by improving portage around a low overhead dam in Webster City's City Park and designing improved water access points.

SLIS students

Webster City - Digital Archiving Kendall Young Library

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Graduate students in the School of Library & Information Science provided a framework for digitizing thousands of archived local historical records that currently exist only as print documents in Webster City's Kendall Young Library.  

Translation Class

Webster City - English to Spanish Translation

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Students in the course Translation Workshop and Independent Study student Vanessa Guzman in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese translated documents into Spanish for Webster City and the Kendall Young Library in order to serve the community's growing Hispanic population.

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Webster City - Finding Grants for All Cultures Equal

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Students in the course Non-Profit Organizational Effectiveness worked with representatives of All Cultures Equal to find external grants that could meet the organization's funding priorities. 

All Cultures Equal (ACE) is a Webster City based non-profit organization focused on bringing together and empowering diverse cultures in the community.  ACE provides a wide range of services, such as ESL programming, Immigration assistance, community meetings and events, translation services, and more.

Law students

Webster City - Models for Community Impact Investing

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Clinic law students, who are second or third year students at the University of Iowa College of Law participating in the Community Empowerment Law Project (CELP) explored models for community-driven investment vehicles in two Iowa communities- Webster City and Manning.

Webster City amphitheater site

Webster City Amphitheater Engineering & Design

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided design alternatives for an outdoor amphitheater in Webster City.

A local benefactor in the Webster City community would like to see and financially support the creation of an outdoor amphitheater at the bottom of Hospital Hill at Brewer Creek Park. Set in the natural valley alongside Brewer Creek and the Brewer Creek Trail, this location would be a perfect spot for outdoor concerts and gatherings.

Webster City mural

Webster City Downtown Mural

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Graduate student Ali Hval designed a 12-panel mural for downtown Webster City.  

The mural celebrates Webster City's past, present, and future with colorful paintings that each represent an important person or aspect of the community.  Ali painted the mural with the help of members of the community.

Planning students visit downtown Webster City

Webster City Downtown Strategic Plan

Published
Monday, August 20, 2018
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, working in collaboration with the Webster City Community Vitality director and the local business community, completed a strategic plan to revitalize the downtown commercial district through small business growth, building improvements, residential development, and strategies to attract residents and visitors to the area.

Elks Club interior

Webster City Elks Club Engineering & Design

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students conducted a structural analysis of the historic Elks Club Building in downtown Webster City.  The project included design alternatives for the interior and facade of the building based on several options for future use of the building. 

Loween Getter portrait - screenshot

Webster City Film Profiles

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Film students from the Department of Cinematic Arts created short film profiles of Webster City residents, with the goal of telling personal stories of individuals who are working to make a difference in their community. 

Webster City GIS Wayfinding

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

As part of the ICIGO student organization within the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, students examined wayfinding placement in Webster City, Iowa. They used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools to identify and recommend placement locations for signage within the city. 

Webster City requested assistance with several GIS projects. The students updated and maintained easement and land records, as well as examined the overall use of GIS within Webster City to determine best practices. 

Boone River Canoeing

Webster City Parks & Recreation Plan

Published
Monday, August 20, 2018
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Working in collaboration with the City of Webster City Parks & Recreation Department, graduate students in the School of Urban & Regional Planning completed a Parks & Recreation Master Plan for Webster City that promotes appropriate land use, active lifestyles, equity, accessibility, environmental protection, and tourism.

Webster City bike tour

Webster City Recreation Promotion and Branding

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

As part of their graduate capstone project, Sports & Recreation students collaborated with students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning to assist in the creation of a promotion and branding guide for Webster City Parks & Recreation Department.

Webster City solar sculpture

Webster City Solar Art Sculpture

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

Through a partnership between the University of Iowa Office of Outreach and Engagement, the University of Iowa School of Art and Art History, and the City of Webster City, Iowa, faculty member Dan Miller and his students designed and constructed a “solar sculpture” that will become a permanent installation of functional art in downtown Webster City.

Webster City wetlands design

Webster City Wetlands Engineering & Design

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided the design of a constructed wetlands for stormwater management, giving consideration to the settling and uptake of pollutants, wildlife, and related cost estimates for the project.

Webster City site visit

Webster City White Fox Creek Bridge Engineering & Design

Published
Friday, December 27, 2019
Academic year
2018-2019
Partner

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided designs and costs estimates for a pedestrian bridge spanning the White Fox Creek in Kendall Young Park within Webster City.