Regional Wellness Center tour revealed; City announces lower cost

In his final council meeting as mayor of Jasper, Dean Vonderheide took the council and public on a video walk-through of the Regional Wellness Center, a project he’s been championing for the past few years.

“Anyone I’ve shown this video, they get really excited,” Mayor Vonderheide said, adding that he’s watched it about 30 times.

Before presenting the video, though, Kyle Carlson, a consultant with the city’s financial advisory firm Baker Tilly, outlined some positive financial changes regarding the project. He explained that early estimates put the cost of the first phase of the buildout at about $32.4 million, but the guaranteed maximum price for Krempp Construction came in at about $29 million.

“With the same cash into this project and the donations that are coming through, the city was able to lower the bond from about $7.2 million to $3.6 million,” Carlson said.

The improved financial position also increases the city’s revenue-to-debt coverage from an estimated 115% to 128%. Total interest payments drop dramatically from an expected $4.1 million to $1.2 million due to the reduced bond amount and shorter term, according to Carlson.

The financial stack for the project combines multiple funding sources, including $14.1 million raised through the Better Together campaign, $5 million budgeted by the city from various funds, including TIF, EDIT and Hoosier Enduring Legacy Project funds, Jasper Food and Beverage tax revenue, and the $5 million READI 2.0 grant.

“You know, we’re getting a heck of a facility,” Vonderheide said. “And paying it off in 10 years.”

Though scaled back to a phased buildout that could include an indoor aquatics center in the future, the first phase features a workout center and two full-size gymnasiums with a three-lane track on the upper level. The two gyms have six pickleball courts in total across both floors.

Additional amenities include individual dressing rooms, a wellness area, child watch services for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years, a teenage area, and a community room with a kitchen that can be divided or opened as needed. The upper level houses three main studios for activities such as yoga, rock steady boxing for Parkinson’s patients, and cycling classes.

Recent additions to the design include a sauna and massage tables. “That’s been a big hit over in Ferdinand. We feel like we’re missing if we didn’t include them,” Vonderheide said.

The facility also incorporates blank expansion space for potential future partnerships and revenue generation. Small meeting rooms throughout the building will be available to nonprofits and community organizations.

Councilman Phil Mundy emphasized the community focus of the project, noting that if they had only built a gym, they would have failed. He said he was excited about the additional meeting and nonprofit spaces.

This, as a community, is what we need,” he said. “This is great.”

The YMCA plans to establish subgroups to gather community input on programming and services and to continue assessing community needs.

“We’ve talked to dozens of nonprofits, but there’s dozens out there that we still need to talk to,” Tri-County YMCA Director Mike Steffe said. “Our vision sometimes doesn’t match up with the community. So we’re going to be kicking off little subgroups to talk about group exercise, talk about pickleball, to talk about child watch, team activities, all those different programs and services that could be offered there.”

He added that over 90 individuals, groups and businesses have committed donations to the capital campaign.

The city has scheduled the groundbreaking ceremony for April 17, 2026, at 1 p.m., with participants gathering at The Parklands before walking to the construction site. Site preparation begins May 1, 2026, with targeted completion by the end of 2027.

Vonderheide credited the collaborative effort between city staff, the YMCA partnership, and contractors Hafer Associates and Krempp Construction for the project’s success. “I really appreciate all the effort that goes into this, not only from the internal staff, but also the partnership we have with the Y, because the Y puts in a lot of time and energy on this as well,” he said.

The Regional Wellness Center was included in the last comprehensive plan through community discussions that accompanied it. According to the mayor, this is what the community has pushed for.