As part of their Senior Design Capstone course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students created designs for improvements to Manchester's Shelly Park, a highly used amenity adjacent to the whitewater rafting course on the Maquoketa River.   

Shelly Park Redevelopment had a couple design challenges. The City of Manchester's goal for the park redevelopment was to include pedestrian access and ADA compliant walkways from the parking lot behind the buildings downtown, to Franklin Street and the store frontages. Additionally, the existing retaining walls and the gazebo area began to show their age and were deteriorating. The park redevelopment needed to take into consideration the existing gazebo, shaded picnic areas, as well as the riverfront visibility. 

The engineering planning team began with the objectives given by the clients, which included the design of new retaining walls, an ADA accessible sidewalk, maintenance of needed shaded areas in the day and adequate lighting after dark. Also, the team incorporated an incremental reduction in flood threat that considered how people interact with the Maquoketa River from Shelly Park, particularly since the creation of the whitewater park. In addition to making the park functional for all residents and visitors, the engineering team designed new concepts to reimagine the use of space, including an amphitheater and replacing the deteriorating gazebo with a modern new concrete lookout over the river.  Design renderings and cost estimates were included in the final report.

Manchester Update: "Through the development of this project, the City of Manchester was able to apply for $324,062 in Community Development Block Grant COVID19 funding. The City was able to use the plans as a basis for the grant application and project estimated costs. Through this process we secured an architect to finalize the plans, cost estimate and bid documents. The final project was very similar to the plans the students put together. Without having Shelly Park Redevelopment project plans the student had put together, we would not have qualified for the grant, nor would we have secured the funding allow us to move forward with the improvements.

"Shelly Park is in the heart of the downtown and is adjacent to our whitewater park. The park's visibility and usability for locals and visitors alike has a tremendous impact on our downtown businesses and regional tourism. Any given summer day you can find people using this park area for picnicking, visiting, relaxing and enjoying the area. The park is now more accessible, has more trees, vegetation, and is more visually pleasing. The park area holds local events and is a welcoming rest stop for people coming to the area." (Spring 2024)