School board agrees to sell property back to City of Jasper

While negotiations on the 10-acre lot next to The Parklands are ongoing, the Greater Jasper School Board agreed to sell the property back to the city for the future site of the Regional Wellness Center.

During a discussion about the potential sale, Greater Jasper Consolidated School Board President Greg Eckerle noted he was the lone remaining board member from 2014 when the school purchased the property from the City of Jasper.

He said that the corporation was originally interested in the acreage as a future site for a new Jasper Elementary School. “But we built the new elementary school north of the middle school, and that’s turned out to be a great location,” Eckerle said.

He added that he always considered the 10 acres between the Jasper High School and The Parklands an insurance policy in case the high school needed to expand. However, in speaking to the corporation Clerk of the Works, Scott Steftenagel, he learned the current building could be expanded in several areas.

“We can put another row of classrooms north of the building that can accommodate another 450 students,” Eckerle said. “We can expand to the west with more classrooms and administrative areas. We can also expand to the south and put a skywalk over the drive to a two- or three-story structure that could have school spaces as well as parking.”

But, in addition to having the ability to expand in its current property, Eckerle also said that since 1978 when enrollment peaked at about 1,300 students in the high school, it has dipped and though increasing, it now only about 1,100 students.

“That alleviated my concerns about what we would do if we had a big increase in enrollment,” Eckerle said.

Speaking about the positive impact the proposed 90,000-square-foot multi-use facility could bring to the community and the school corporation, Eckerle said it could attract more people to the area. “I always thought what is good for the city is good for the school. We work hand in hand,” he said. “If more people come to the city, it means more students for the schools, so it will pay off for us.”

Board member Steve Lukemeyer said he also supported the sale of the property. “Any decision I make is through the lens of what’s in the best interest of the students,” he said. “I think the students will have a lot of great opportunities with the activities, exercise and group meetings…the pros outweigh the cons.”

Board member Dr. Judy Englert also agreed with selling the property, noting it was a much-needed avenue for increasing healthiness in the community.

Board member Arlet Jackle made the motion to sell the property, and with board member Sara Schmidt absent, the motion passed 4-0.

In approving the sale, the city and school will begin negotiating a price, according to the school’s attorney, Tim Demotte. Since the sale will be between two government entities, appraisals of the property are not required. No price was mentioned during Monday’s school board meeting.

“The City of Jasper, and all of the stakeholders in the new Regional Wellness Center want to thank Dr. Lorey and the School Board members for agreeing to sell the property,” said Mayor Dean Vonderheide in a press release. “This property clearly became our preferred site for the new facility. With finalizing our project location, we are very excited to continue to secure the necessary funding to allow this important visionary community project to become reality.”

The proposed 90,000 square foot facility will include an 8,000 sq. ft. fitness center, 4 full-court gymnasiums, 14,000 sq. ft. indoor aquatic center, an indoor, elevated walking track, 4 group exercise studios, and 5 community rooms,, including a community kitchen. An additional 19,000-square-foot Early Learning Center is in the planning stages as a future phase of the project.

The City of Jasper and Tri-County YMCA are partnering on the facility to significantly increase the number of children, families, adults, and seniors who will have access to much-needed indoor recreation, wellness and aquatic facilities and programs.

“We could not be more excited than to have this wonderful property serve as the location for the new Regional Wellness Center,” said Dr. Tracy Lorey. “To be located adjacent to the Parklands and easily accessible for our Jasper High School students and faculty, we felt it was a win/win for all organizations involved in this partnership and the community at-large.”

“Greater Jasper School Corporation and the Tri-County YMCA have developed a great partnership in recent years in addressing school age child care needs, ” Mike Steffe, CEO of the Tri-County YMCA commented. “We look forward to expanding our partnership to provide additional opportunities, including a future Early Learning Center located at the site to serve children ages 3-5.”

The ongoing Capital Campaign has secured over $6 million in pledges. City and YMCA leaders indicated they are very pleased and encouraged with the success. They look forward to sharing additional information about the capital campaign and other funding sources sometime in late Spring or early Summer.

To learn more about the plans for the new Regional Wellness Center, contact Mayor Dean Vonderheide at (812) 482-4255 or dvonderheide@jasperindiana.gov, or Mike Steffe, Tri-County YMCA CEO at (812) 367-2323 or mike@tricountyymca.org.

According to city officials, this construction will not impact Birk and Berg Bike Park in the wooded area of the Jasper High School property.