Potential land purchase adds to Jasper’s newest park

Jasper — The 58 acre Parklands property in the middle of Jasper could increase to nearly 85 acres if the city and Dubois County Community Foundation are able to procure up to $300,000 in grants from the state.

The grants would be used to purchase 25.1 acres made up of two properties on the Parklands’ east side adjacent to U.S. 231. Those properties are split between the Gramelspacher/Nordhoff Trust with 20.1 acres and the Thomas Eversman Trust with about 5 acres. 

But, those grants rely on a dollar-for-dollar match from local contributions.

The Community Foundation has taken the lead in applying for a grant through the Indiana Bicentennial Nature Trust and the Indiana Heritage Trust to be used to purchase the 25 acres.

The Bicentennial Nature Trust (BNT) was created by Gov. Mitch Daniels to assist communities in acquiring eligible properties. In 1916, the State of Indiana authorized the creation of a state park system during the state’s centennial as a gift to the people of Indiana. This is a similar program for the State’s 2016 bicentennial celebration but rather than the properties being managed by the state, the properties will be managed by the communities, foundations, or trusts that apply for the grants.

The trust is funded through $20 million from the state and $10 million from a Lilly grant.

The BNT is designed to encourage local participation, so each project requires a dollar-for-dollar match. Those matching dollars could be provided by the Community Foundation, local non-profit or philanthropic organizations, private or corporate donors. In this case, the Community Foundation is acting as the lead and through-way for the grant and local matching dollars from private donors.

According to Brad Ward, executive director of the Dubois County Community Foundation, the community foundation has secured a commitment from the Bicentennial Nature Trust and the Indiana Heritage Trust. The two trusts are interested  because of the unique opportunity this property allows for the city and its residents.

[quote]The Bicentennial Nature Trust really wants this land. This is one of a kind in the sense that it is in the center of the city and it is adjacent to a 58 acre city park.” Brad Ward, Executive Director Dubois County Community Foundation[/quote] Most of the properties submitted for the trust have been tracts that are located in areas not easily accessible by patrons, but this would be the largest single tract of property located inside a city to be supported through the BNT.

“The Bicentennial Nature Trust really wants this land. This is one of a kind in the sense that it is in the center of the city and it is adjacent to a 58 acre city park. It has all the elements that they have yet to come across since the trust began,” Ward said. “This all has to go through committees and reviews with final authorization by the governor, so there are no guarantees, but we feel very confident in the state monies up to 50 percent of the appraisal value.”

The Dubois County Community Foundation has an option for the purchase of the property at this time but did not disclose the appraised value of the property.

“We have interested partners ready to donate funds to the project,” said Ward.

But some donors have held back waiting for a clear plan for the use of the 25 acres.

According to Mayor Terry Seitz, the added land creates the opportunity to build an access road to the Parklands as well as a parking area for visitors. These are just two benefits of the new property, but the mayor sees the land fitting into the vision created by CityVision for the city’s newest park.

The plan includes maintaining the former-country land in a managed, natural state and the new acreage would be bound by conservative easements to protect its natural state while still allowing public access. This allows for the creation of a trail system or other elements linked to enjoying the land.

To be considered in this grant cycle, the community foundation is seeking commitments to reach that dollar-for-dollar match for the purchase of the property. Those commitments have to be made by February 21 and if the matching fund amount is not reached by then, the community foundation and city may lose a $35,000 grant from the Indiana Heritage Trust.

The $35,000 that is available during this grant cycle offsets the amount of matching d0llars that would have to be raised locally for the community foundation to qualify for this grant cycle. The next grant cycle will be in May and the Indiana Heritage Trust funds won’t be available for that cycle.

“We have a unique opportunity to provide a passively managed woods adjacent to the park in the center of Jasper,” Ward said. “And the overwhelming majority of participants in the planning process for The Parklands have supported a more natural approach for its development.”

If the community foundation is able to raise the money to purchase the property, a land trust would be created and the Jasper Park and Recreation Board would become the trustees for the land.

In addition to the potential land acquisition, the city and foundation are exploring the establishment of a Jasper Park and Recreation Endowment to support the city’s park and recreation opportunities into perpetuity.

“We have another unique opportunity for the city,” Mayor Seitz said. “I must truly say as the mayor of Jasper, isn’t it wonderful that we have citizens, families, people like this with a spirit for our community, who want to endow these improvement for the city. Ultimately, it is a gift we are talking about.”

The city’s goal is to create up to a million dollar endowment that would pay out $40,000 to $45,000 each year. This is income that the park and recreation department doesn’t have to apply for or attempt to raise. They could use the money for any park related project in the city.

“At the end of the day, we are saying that we are building a tremendous park and rec system that requires a sustainability piece,” Ward said. “This will create a level of sustainability and become an annual catalyst to make the improvements to the city’s parks that the public desires.”