$1 million from Rainy Day Fund to pay for Jasper Country Club purchase
Jasper –The City of Jasper took another step to finalize the purchase of the former Jasper Country Club property on Tuesday and revealed the purchase would cost about $1 million.
City Attorney Renee Kabrick revealed the city would pay $17,344.50 per acre for between 58 and 59 acres. The price was determined from the average of two separate appraisals; one conducted by CEI Appraisal Group and one by Brooks Galloway. The acreage of the purchase has been whittled down as concessions were made for the other entities to purchase parts of the property. Alpine Enterprises —the Hanselman family, co-owners of the Schnitzelbank and Hampton Inn— expanded the footprint of the country club and driveway by 1.12 acres and residents along West Poplar Lane and Emily Street would like to purchase 2 to 3 acres to create a buffer between their properties and the proposed park.
To expedite the purchase of the property and to save $30,000 to $50,000 in financing fees and legal paperwork, the commission approved paying for the property with funds from the city’s rainy day fund. They approved a resolution that would allow the appropriation of not more than $1,087,795 for the purchase of the property. Currently the city has $2.6 million in the rainy day fund.
This now goes before the common council for final approval of the appropriation of the money.
The city plans on selling three other park properties and the funds from these sales would go back into the Rainy Day Fund.
Nancy Habig, a member of the Jasper Redevelopment Commission and President of the Greater Jasper Consolidated School Board, spoke briefly of the unwritten, good-faith agreement between the city and the school corporation to sell the corporation about 15 acres directly next to the school’s junior varsity baseball practice field.
The school corporation paid for one of the appraisals but has allowed the city to conduct the negotiations for the purchase. They stated they preferred to city take the lead on the process instead of negotiating against them for the same property.
The commission also heard from Attorney Bill Kaiser for Alpine Investments –a company owned by the Hanselman family of the Schnitzelbank. He informed the commission that the current owners of the property were creating an agreement to allow allow drainage for a new parking lot being planned for the country club building from one property to the other.
Alpine Investments plans on doubling the current parking lot to handle approximately 400 vehicles. The larger parking lot requires an area for excess drainage to be deposited and the easement allows Alpine to install drainage that will feed a pond south of the parking lot or an area north of the parking lot; both of which are on the potential city property.
The city engineer and attorney reviewed the agreement being put in place and felt the city’s interests were being covered in the agreement. The agreement abides Alpine to pay for damages that may occur from excess runoff among other safeguards put in place.
Another agreement that was approved at the Tuesday morning Jasper Public Works and Safety meeting in regards to the country club property allows Alpine to tap into any sanitary sewers that may be put in place on the country club golf course. Currently the building has a lift station in its basement to force sewer to the city’s lines.
Alpine agreed to pay for the installation of a lateral line to meet the city’s improvements and would return the grounds to their original condition upon completion of work. All work would also be done at the approval of the city.
Alpine planned on closing on their portion of the property on Tuesday. The purchase will become a new banquet facility for the family that owns the Schnitzelbank Restaurant and Hampton Inn. Alan Hanselman stated they were thrilled with the new location.
Hanselman also reported the group is planning additions for the Hampton Inn as well.
The appropriation could be approved at the next Jasper Common Council meeting on Jan. 23, but the actual appropriation would likely not occur before February after the Indiana Department of Government Finance approves the city budget. The appropriation comes from the 2013 budget and can’t occur until the 2013 budget is approved.
