News – APWA Iowa Chapter

Newsletter January 2026

APWA Iowa Chapter Young Professionals (YP)

Event:

The APWA Iowa Chapter Executive committee would like to invite our chapter young professionals (and the young at heart) to a winter social on January 28 from 5:00 – 9:00 pm. The first drink is on us and appetizers are provided.

Who: APWA Iowa Chapter Young Professionals
What: Winter Social
When: Wednesday, January 28, 2026; 5-9 PM
Where: Smash Park Des Moines, 6625 Coachlight Drive, West Des Moines, Game Zone 2

Please RSVP here

Ways to Get Involved:

The Iowa APWA Iowa Chapter is looking for a volunteer(s) to lead our effort to revive the APWA student chapters at the universities or technical institutes around the state. Interested? Please contact Beth Richards.

Iowa DOT Updates

Local Systems Training and Meetings

Local System Update Meetings – 1/21 – Boone; 1/22 – Denison; 1/29 – Coralville
2026 Federal-Aid Overview Seminar – February 11-12, 2026 – Boone
2026 Spring Meeting – TBD

Iowa Chapter APWA Helping Our Community

The Iowa Chapter Executive Committee brought toy donations to their December meeting. The toys were donated to the Salvation Army of Ames and Story County, who in turn helped more than 500 kids have a Merry Christmas.

Upcoming Events

The Iowa Chapter will be hosting or co-hosting the following upcoming events:

2026 Spring Conference – March 26-27, 2026 – Iowa Events Center, Downtown Des Moines
1. New location – Iowa Events Center – Downtown Des Moines!
2. Expanded exhibitor and equipment space
3. New this year – Facilities & Grounds Maintenance Certificate Program
4. Education partners – Iowa LTAP & DMACC
5. Registration is OPEN!!
2026 APWA North American Snow Conference – April 26-29, Cleveland, OH
APWA Mid-America Conference & Exhibit Show (hosted by the Iowa, Kansas, KC Metro, Missouri, and Nebraska chapters) – May 13-15, 2026 – Overland Park
PWX – August 30-September 2, Houston, TX
APWA Iowa Chapter SPOT & Roadeo – September 23-24, 2026 – Cedar Rapids
APWA Iowa Chapter Fall Conference – October 7-9, 2026 – Spark by Hilton, Ames, IA
2027 APWA North American Snow Conference – April 18-21, 2027 – Des Moines (Iowa Chapter is hosting!!)

The Iowa Concrete Paving Association will be hosting its annual workshop February 4-6, 2026 – Holiday Inn, Des Moines – Airport/Conference Center.

2026 ICPA Annual Concrete Paving Workshop

Registration is OPEN!!

Upcoming Training Opportunities (through LTAP)

Webinars/Online Workshops

Retaining Employees – 1/22/26 at 12:00 PM
Protected Species and Habitat Reviews: Dos and Don’ts – 2/28/26 at 12:00 PM

Workshops

2026 Iowa Work Zone Safety Workshop Series – 2/11/26-3/12/26 (Various locations around state) at 8:30 am;
2026 NEPA Decision-Making & Defensible Project Delivery – 3/3/26-3/4/26 (Ames) at 8:00 am;
2026 County Engineers Research Focus Group – 3/11/26 (Des Moines) at 1:15 pm;
Accessible Sidewalks and Curb Ramps: Design to Installation 2026 – 4/7/26 (Ames) at 8:45 am;
Applying Section 4(f): Policy, Practice, & Documentation for Transportation Projects – 4/28/26-4/29/26 (Ames) at 8:00 am;

For an updated list, check out LTAPs event website. Please contact Keith Knapp (kknapp@iastate.edu) with any questions.

Mark Your Calendars

Speaking of events, the Iowa Chapter will be hosting the APWA North American Snow Conference in 2027; 10 years after we last hosted! The Snow Conference attracts 1,500+ attendees plus more than 500 exhibit representatives. Hosting such an event will include much planning and will need many volunteers. Please be sure to watch for volunteer opportunities to help us make this a wildly successful event!

T-shirts

The Iowa Chapter partnered with RAYGUN to develop some unique T-shirts based on ideas submitted by chapter members. These shirts are available for purchase: https://www.rayguncustom.com/collections/apwa-iowa-chapter. If your city would like to place a bulk order (minimum of 25 of one design/color combo), please email Beth Richards.

Public Works Service Bureau

The Public Works Service Bureau (PWSB) provides a resource for public works staff members from cities of all sizes to connect with and learn from others how best to improve work efficiencies, learn new techniques, and maximize available resources. If you haven’t joined already, check out their website.

Newsletter Content?

Do you have content you’d like to see in these newsletters? Email our newsletter team.