ROJAC and Heart of Jasper merge
Jasper Mayor Dean Vonderheide announced the merger of the Redevelop Old Jasper Action Coalition (ROJAC) and the Heart of Jasper at a special event held Thursday evening at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center.
ROJAC has been active for the past 20-plus years in converting the Patoka Riverfront area properties into valuable assets for the community residents and visitors come to enjoy.
Dave Buehler initiated ROJAC, and then Mayor Bill Schmitt leveraged it as the community’s economic development change agent. The organization has always been driven by an all-volunteer board that has remained committed to the organization’s endeavors from the beginning. Though their enthusiasm hasn’t waned, their energy levels have been buffered by age and the pursuit of other life priorities.
This type of economic development for the downtown area has been vital for the long term, said Mayor Vonderheide in his remarks Thursday.
However, a strategy to extend the value ROJAC provided wasn’t always apparent, he added.
To this end, Jasper Planning and Development Director Darla Blazey and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nancy Eckerle suggested forming a Main Street Organization that focuses on economic development in the downtown community.
They determined the Main Street program was a great opportunity to form the Heart of Jasper Main Street Organization and, then, if successful, it and ROJAC could be merged later.
Vonderheide explained that a rough timeline of the merger was created as the implementation of the Heart of Jasper proved successful. The merger was set to take place after ROJAC celebrated its 20th-anniversary last year.
Over the course of those 20 years, here are some of the projects ROJAC has completed.
- Jasper Depot—2004
- Schaeffer Barn—2006
- Spirit of Jasper Train—2009
- Jasper City Mill—2009
- German American Boulevard—2013
- Labyrinth—2016
- River Centre—2020
- Thyen-Clark Cultural Center—2021
- Alexander Schoolhouse—2021
Heart of Jasper is a nonprofit organization aiming to create the best small-town experience for all of downtown Jasper. It hosts events, promotes local businesses, and transforms historic assets through creative programs and collaborative leadership. The mission of Heart of Jasper is to create the epicenter of activity for the community by leveraging existing assets, transforming those in need, and instilling new energy. Kate Schwenk serves as the Director for the Heart of Jasper. Kate’s office is located in the City Office Building to facilitate communication and collaboration with the various municipal departments.
Some of the endeavors of Heart of Jasper include:
- Host Various Events activating the downtown
- Small Business Development Opportunities for new businesses.
- Actively promoted the filling of Vacant Buildings
- Business Recruitment and Growth
- 50/50 cost share administration of the Façade Improvement Programs.
- Love Your Community Clean-Up Days
- Historic Preservation
ROJAC members have been invited to participate in the Heart of Jasper organization committee structure with their talent and time and to support the ongoing development of the Heart of Jasper area through their financial contributions. All future meetings and project initiatives will be coming from the Heart of Jasper.
Visit heartofjasper.org to see how you can support the organization that will continue the ROJAC mission.
