During their meeting on Thursday, August 11th, Jasper Library Director Christine Golden shared with the Jasper Library Board some questions she and other library personnel were approached with at the 2016 Jasper Strassenfest. Some of the questions were in regards to the proposed Jasper Cultural Center.
Most questions about the project dealt with people wanting to know where the project is headed and they continue to receive questions about what purpose does the cultural center serve the city of Jasper.
According to some of the information the Jasper Public Library gave at the Strassenfest includes that the city of Jasper will have a new library taking part of the overall Jasper Cultural Center where there will be new space that will accommodate the ever changing needs of the Jasper population.
Other key points described in the handouts given to the public include:
- The Jasper Cultural Center, will provide space to hold multiple events, become a core educational, business, and entertainment resource for area residents, utilized Indiana’s economic tax credits and share space with the Jasper Arts to save residents money.
- If the combination of the library, arts, and private enterprises creates the cultural center with the help of residents voting yes for the referendum, the library will issue a $6.5 million bond with a 15 year repayment plan. This boils down to an increase of $2.69 a month for the median home with a market value of $132,900. Taxes are based on net assessed value of homes after all deductions are taken.
- Any money donated to the library building project through the Jasper LEADs Community Fund drive will decrease the amount owed on the $6.5 million bond.
The board observed that early voting begins on October 12th and the general election is on November 8th where the community can vote on the library referendum on either date.
Golden also shared that overall 90% of the public at the Strassenfest was supportive of the Library taking part in the Jasper Cultural Center and on the other hand there are some people who were uncertain of the necessity for the overall project.
There are also plans to host open houses throughout Jasper and in the current public library facility to demonstrate to the public the need of changes to accommodate the ever growing progress of the community.
Lastly, Golden provided the most recent update of the LEADs Community Fund campaign which has raised over $3 million dollars for the entire Cultural Center thus far.
For more information about the Jasper Public Library Referendum navigate to their site at www.myjasperlibrary.org .
