Tuesday afternoon the Jasper Park Board formally adopted design plans for a 75-acre park known as the Parklands located in the center of the community.
Of course back in 2013 the city purchased the 9-hole golf course formally known as the Jasper Country Club and soon a public advisory committee recommended it be developed using a managed meadow approach. This week the Jasper Parks Board announced the acquisition of an adjacent 25 acres of wooded land and the initial general design.
A team led by Evansville based Hafer Associates and Indianapolis based Rundell Ernstberger described the Parklands as a nature based destination park for all ages. Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz calls the endeavors, efforts that will set the tone for the city of Jasper for the next 50 years if not longer.
Now the proposed buildout has a price tag of over 5-million dollars which has been greatly reduced through the generosity of over a million dollars in charitable giving leveraged as matching funds for the Bicentennial Nature Trust and Indiana Heritage Trust.
The funds come from the children of longtime Jasper businessman Jerry Seger and his wife Lila, as well as the Gramelspacher, Nordhoff, and Eversman families who owned the newly acquired land.
A 20-thousand dollar gift from the Dubois County Community Foundation was also announced along with a 100-thousand dollar park endowment.
The Parklands of Jasper design next goes to the Jasper Common Council for additional funding consideration.
