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Hotel Motel Grants boost library, recreation and historic preservation

Hotel Motel Tax Grants Boost Library, Recreation, Historic Preservation. By Robert E. Oliver “How much is a million dollars?” An answer that rings true today is “not as much as it used to be.” What will $34,243 buy in 2026? More than you might think. Last night, the City Council of Webster City agreed with the Hotel Motel Tax Board (HMTB) that amount should be distributed to local organizations. The money doesn’t come from local taxpayers, but from visitors to Webster City. You know how this works. You book a hotel room online, but the bill is higher when you check out. ...

Conservation Board meets Schonert, approves goals

Members of the Hamilton County Conservation board met Monday at the Briggs Woods Club house. Board members include Jim Richardson, Denny Bahr, Mike Brandrup, Diane Sinclair and Jay Heeren. Adam Schonert of Schonert’s Corporate Catering was introduced to the board members, and they discussed the general operations of the Briggs Woods Conference Center. Schonert began taking on the food service operations at the Briggs Woods Conference Center in August, handling a number of events throughout the first six weeks of operating the facility. “There are usually three to five events each ...

G’day

Trustees for Van Diest Medical Center meet today The Van Diest Medical Center board of trustees will meet tonight at 6 p.m. This will be held in the Clinic board room at the hospital located at 2350 Hospital Drive. On the agenda is the approval of the FY 26 financial audit, pillar reports on the hospital management, growth and community, service excellence, quality and continuous improvement and financial performance. In addition there will be the Medical staff update and Mercy One update. Veteran Affairs hosts coffee Wednesday The Hamilton County Veterans Affairs will host ...

Turning Back the Pages of Time

1961 New shelter house for West Twin Park Construction of a 24 x 32 foot shelter house at Twin Parks got underway this morning. This shelter house, which will be constructed of wood with a cement floor will be used for picnics during the summer and will provide storage room for park tables an equipment during the winter. The structure will be connected to the park lighting system and will provide electrical outlets for picnic use. There is a possibility later that a gas burner will be added for cooking purposes. 1971 Two students honored for top scholarship Mike McKee, son ...

Jewell swimming pool project receives $675,000 CAT grant

After nearly 4 years of fundraising by the people of Jewell and surrounding communities, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) notified the city of Jewell Friday that they were approved for a $675,000 Community Attraction & Tourism (CAT) grant. “It started with a group of 4 or 5 people,” said Rick Young, “I was a naysayer in the beginning, wondering ‘how are we going to raise 2.6 million dollars for this.’” But because of a strong core of people who persisted, including his wife, he changed his mind. “It’s like the story of Stone Soup, it started with ...

G’day

Trustees for Van Diest Medical Center meet Tuesday. The Van Diest Medical Center board of trustees will meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. This will be held in the Clinic board room at the hospital located at 2350 Hospital Drive. On the agenda is the approval of the FY 26 financial audit, pillar reports on the hospital management, growth and community, service excellence, quality and continuous improvement and financial performance. In addition there will be the Medical staff update and Mercy One update. Airport Commission to meet Tuesday The Webster City airport Commission will meet ...