Jasper Public Works meeting – August 14
The Jasper Board of Public Works received the road closure requests for the Heartland Half Marathon and 5K coming up the first weekend in September.
Jasper Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang requested to close Third Ave. from Buck Strasse to Newton St. from 5:30 a.m. to about 7:30 a.m. on Sep. 2.
The board approved the request and also heard the runners route that winds through a large portion of the city. The race will start on Third Ave. near the bridge and end in Dave Buehler Plaza on the Riverwalk. Runners will travel as far south as the Jasper Sports Complex and back northeast to Kathy Lane until meeting up with the Riverwalk for the final stretch.
The route includes water stations about every 2 miles. These are supported by over 200 volunteers that have come forward to support the inaugural event.
Hochgesang told the board 525 people are registered to run in the event and, of those, 99 would be running in the 5K. He stated they are estimating the event will draw over 700 participants.
Hochgesang also said there are about 60 to 70 runners meeting at the Jasper Armory on Sunday mornings at 7 a.m. for training. Many are first time runners that are attracted to the event because it is so close to home.
Also discussed at the meeting:
- Approved a request from Director of Personnel/Safety/Loss Control/Cale Knies and Cindy Hochgesang to attend a 12 week course at the University of Southern Indiana for Human Resource professionals. The course updates management and hr skills for the city position and will take place in the evening.
- Approved a request from Director of Community Development and Planning Darla Blazey and her assistant to attend a regional planning conference in Columbus, OH.
- The board of public works opened quotes for a soil conditioner power rake. Hopf Outdoor Power quoted $7710; Hopf Equipment quoted $7709.18; and Wright Stemle had the low quote of $6995. The board approved the purchase from Wright Stemle with the stipulation the quote specs matched the city’s requirements.
- The board also approved a bid from Schmidt Contracting for $8725 to replace the roof on the Street Department Garage that was damaged in a storm. The only other bid came from Hedinger Roofing for $9100. Work is supposed to be completed before the end of August.
- The Street Department will be closing Victory Dr. from 36th to 37th St. and the work will be next week and should take about two days unless unforeseen circumstances occur.
- The board approved an encroachment for Hatfield and Peters LLC located at 502 Jackson St. The encroachment occurs from an overhanging sign the office would like to install. The sign will overhang the sidewalk, but City Engineer Chad Hurm stated the sign was approved by all affected city departments.
Police Chief Michael Bennet announced the retirement of longtime reserve police department officer Lynn Krodel. Krodel first served with the Dubois County Civil Defense beginning in 1971 and joined the police department in 1987. He officially retired July 1.
Krodel was a long-time fixture of many sporting events, fairs and police department activities in the community. Chief Bennett reminisced about seeing Krodel at all the football games and parades. “He and his folks were the ones out doing the grunt work so to speak,” Chief Bennett said. “Directing traffic and making sure everything was safe and secure while allowing other officers to go about their regular duties.”
Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz presented Krodel with a certificate of appreciation for his 25 years of service as a Jasper Auxiliary Officer.
Krodel remarked that it has been an honor to serve the people of Jasper, the City and the Board of Public Works through the many years and thanked them for the chance to serve.
