City of Jasper asks County Council to partner in Regional Wellness Center

Jasper Mayor Dean Vonderheide appeared at Monday’s regular Dubois County Council meeting to request an investment of a million dollars into the planned Regional Wellness Center from the county.

Mayor Vonderheide emphasized the regional nature of the proposed wellness center, highlighting the partnership between the city, Memorial Hospital, Tri-County YMCA, and the Indiana National Guard.

“I really believe we are stronger when we work together in partnerships,” Vonderheide told the council while emphasizing projects the county and city had partnered on recently, like local road and bridge improvements and the planned sewer district.

According to the mayor, the city has been working on plans for the indoor center after it was identified as a priority project in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. “Really kind of proud of the fact that we spent two and a half years putting together a plan for the regional Wellness Center,” he said.

The new indoor recreation, wellness and aquatic facility will be located on 15th and Bartley Streets adjacent to the Indiana National Guard facility. The City of Jasper and Tri-County YMCA are leading the project in collaboration with stakeholders, including the Indiana National Guard and Memorial Hospital.

The estimated $37 million project will create a 91,000 sq. ft. Regional Wellness Center with an 8,000 square foot fitness center, four full-court gymnasiums, 14,000 square foot indoor aquatic center, an indoor elevated walking track, four group exercise studios, and five community rooms including a community kitchen.

The Regional Wellness Center is a separate project from the updates to the municipal pool that will begin later this year or early next year. The design for that $8.5 million project is set to be revealed at the next Jasper Park and Recreation meeting to be held Tuesday, August 8, at 4:30 p.m. in the Jasper Council Chambers at City Hall.

In regards to the Regional Wellness Center, the city is working on what they are calling a capital financing stack to create a plan to split the $37 million between potential grants, donations, and other funding sources. The mayor explained they have a goal to reduce the cost to $20 million.

“The target is to build the capital stack large enough with donations and through grants that the challenges that we would have on property taxes will be minimal,” Vonderheid told the council.

He noted that bringing the county in as a partner would help with the fundraising efforts they are undertaking to offset the cost of the center.

Originally, the city had been considering taking the issue to a referendum in the 2023 Municipal Election this November. However, they would not have had enough time to prepare for the referendum due to the grant cycles involved in the process. The referendum question is now expected to appear on the ballot in the 2024 election next November, which is a better option since there is a larger voter turnout, according to Vonderheide.

If the referendum is approved, the city will issue a bond for the project that will be paid off through the Food and Beverage Tax moving through the Jasper Common Council now as well as Tax Increment Finance funds and Economic Development Income Tax funds; all offset by the donations and grants the city is able to procure.

Council president Mike Kluesner asked what the city would do if the referendum failed.

Vonderheide noted the project would be scaled back. “We will build something,” he emphasized.

Considering whether to contribute to the project, Councilman Doug Uebelhor stated the county has supported other Dubois County community projects. “I think this is a good thing. We’re partnering with a lot of regional entities, and it’s not just for Jasper,” he said. “I personally feel our support would be justified in this.”

Kluesner stated the county has its own funding issues to address. “We’ve got a lot of balls in the air here,” he said. “It’s just ongoing, and you are facing it the same way we do. Nothing’s cheap.”

Mayor Vonderheide said reducing the bond payments is the key to the funding. “The bond payments are really the critical part in that they become a burden if they get too big down the road,” he said. “That’s why we are here and fundraising is really critical for us.”

Kluesner stated he wouldn’t support contributing a million dollars until the city has completed its financial plan for the project. City Attorney Renee Kabrick informed him that the city has a spreadsheet showing the financial plan. “If any of you need or want to see that detail, just email me and I’ll be happy to share,” she said. “We definitely have put a ton of time into analyzing exactly how that payback would look.”

No decision on the funding from the county was made at the meeting.