Jasper Arts: Hoosier Desk partnership and plans moving forward fast

The elephant in the room didn’t have time to raise its trunk before Jasper Community Arts Commission president Mike Jones started the discussion on the Hoosier Desk property at the regular meeting Monday.

The group is in a rush to get some facts together to present their case to the Jasper Common Council for support in the proposed partnership with the Jasper Public Library. The speed is needed due to the Jasper Library’s goal of having a referendum in front of voters at the November 2016 election. The referendum will allow voters to decide whether to support the library’s goal of expanding and moving.

Jones asked for an update from City Attorney Renee Kabrick, who has been working with the library board on completing a request for a proposal to plan and design the project. She explained it was a complicated process and the partnership to create a shared project was somewhat unprecedented in the area.

“This isn’t really something we can look elsewhere for examples,” Kabrick said. “There is no project similar to that around here, so we are really investigating and being cautious as we move forward.”

Representatives from the library and City of Jasper will be attending a meeting with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation on December 15 to finalize the distribution of about $3 million in Industrial Recovery Tax Credits for the project. A preliminary award letter has been issued to the Jasper Public Library, but the December 15 meeting will finalize the process.

In addition to the tax credits, the city will have to consider options for paying for their portion of the estimated $13 million project. Kabrick referred to a $6 million bond that could be supported by the city’s economic development income tax funding as an option for that. Mayor Terry Seitz presented the potential 10-year bond as an option to pay for projects being examined for improving the downtown and riverfront area. The bond was estimated to have an annual payment of $707,000.

She also added that a capital campaign to raise funds for the project was being considered.

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The issue will likely be brought before the council as they are asked to make a decision on whether on not to support the city’s role in the partnership.

Kabrick added that the plans and model created by CityVisions would likely be modified to better suit both groups’ needs. While the scope of the project will remain the same — a library and arts area in two wings of the building with the potential for private space for businesses and housing — the configuration of that vision may change.

Arts director Kit Miracle said she and Jones have been giving presentations about the project to community groups like the Jasper Kiwanis. “From the questions that were coming from the audience, they really get it,” Miracle said. “So many have grown children that aren’t living here because they want something more for an attraction.”

Jones added that most people they had presented to were supportive of the project.

Miracle said that she felt many people didn’t understand the library’s referendum process though. She explained that if the referendum for the library does not pass, it isn’t automatic that an addition will be completed at the current site. The referendum is solely for the move to the Hoosier Desk site.

As the process unfolds, Kabrick told the board the library has requested an aggressive timetable. She said they would like to see the request for qualifications and request for proposals finalized and sent out in December. The examination of the responses and interviews with the teams would be completed by January with a decision being made in February to potentially have a plan from that team by the end of March.

“This is probably three times faster than we have done for other projects which, frankly, are simpler projects than this one,” Kabrick said.

The process is complicated as the board and commission consider several issues including the utilization of an older building, creating a partnership or lease agreement between the city and library, working through funding issues for the two entities and finalizing the plans for the building before ever putting it to the voters for the library half of the funding.

Also, the Jasper America’s Best Community is waiting to hear if they will advance to the next round of the contest. The contest’s top three finishers will receive $3 million, $2 million and $1 million for specific community projects. The team has indicated the Hoosier Desk Cultural Center or the downtown redevelopment are their two choices for the prize money. If they make it to the semi-final selection, the final decision on the top three communities will be made in April of 2017.

The board also took the following actions.

-Heard that although ticket sales were going great and at least six events were sold out, seats remained unfilled at the events due to ticket holders being unable to attend. Jones was emphatic about ticket holders contacting the arts center to allow them to resell the seats if the were unable to attend a show. He added that the original ticket holders can receive a tax deduction as a contribution to the arts center if they contact the center at least 48 hours before the show.

-Miracle handed out a paper with talking points to assist the commission in informing the public on why they want to expand the arts center. Miracle explained the center is a seven-day a week operation and the expansion is needed in response to the demand from the public.

-Approved junking two old laptops — one from 2001 and one from about 2006. Both computers are running old versions of Windows and are not being used.

-Heard that this was commission member Robin Norris’ final meeting. She has served at least nine years on the commission as an appointment by the Jasper Common Council.