Jasper Park Board supports Heart of Jasper courtyard project but wants final approval

Jasper—The Jasper Park Board expressed support for the new courtyard Heart of Jasper is proposing to create at the corner of Fourth and Main (next to Oink, Inc.) in downtown Jasper, but said maintenance and upkeep were top of mind for future approvals for the new project.

Ruger Kerstiens, representing Heart of Jasper, presented plans for the project to the board at Tuesday’s meeting. According to the group, the courtyard enhances the downtown area by creating a vibrant public space that connects the revitalized downtown to the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center and Riverwalk and provides much-needed public restrooms.

Kerstiens highlighted the project’s alignment with the city’s Impact Jasper Comprehensive Plan, which was finalized in 2019. According to the plan, the number one priority for addressing the downtown and riverfront portions of Jasper is to create a cultural and entertainment district unifying the two areas.

In a multi-phase approach, the nonprofit group is working to add a trail from the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center to Main Street, with the proposed courtyard anchoring the trail to the improved section of Main Street.

“This courtyard will serve as a halfway point between downtown and the Riverwalk and Cultural Center,” Kerstiens said.

Preliminary estimates put the project’s cost between $1.2 and $1.8 million for the courtyard, according to Kerstiens. It would include the addition of public restrooms (and utilities), covered seating areas, an outdoor TV with antiglare, a gaming area, outdoor ping-pong or foosball table, and canopy swings similar to those featured on the Square. Rundell Ernstberger Associates, the Indianapolis firm that designed the downtown project, completed the initial designs and renderings included in this story.

The Heart of Jasper plans to raise 100 percent of the funds needed to build the courtyard. During the meeting, Kerstiens acknowledged that the organization has already secured some preliminary commitments to fund the project. That campaign would be finalized after the city gave the approvals for it to move forward.

The park board, however, voiced concerns about the project’s sustainability and future funding for maintenance and replacement costs since it would fall under the Park and Recreation Department’s purview. Park Board President Roger Seger, while he voiced support for the project, suggested Heart of Jasper establish an endowment fund similar to what was done for the Parklands to support the new courtyard.

Park Board member Kristen Ruhe shared her support for the project but echoed concerns about practical details with the Park and Recreation department’s current staffing and responsibilities. She said she wanted to understand how details like monitoring the space on the weekends, cleaning up messes, and changing the TV channel would be handled. “I love when we have new ideas…It keeps our town fresh and it keeps people here,” she said. “We just need to figure out those logistics.”

Park and Recreation Director Tom Moorman agreed with Ruhe’s concerns. Early estimates for annual maintenance, which included supplies, maintenance, cleaning and replacing broken amenities like the television, added about $40,000 to the park and recreation budget.

In the end, the board gave a favorable recommendation for the project with the understanding they would have final approval of the project, and those plans would include a funding mechanism for the continued maintenance and operational costs of the courtyard.

Kerstiens said he felt the park board’s position would help as the Heart of Jasper followed through with finalizing approvals with the Common Council and other boards involved.