Dubois County Community Foundation has gifted 25-acres of land and granted over $1.37 million to the City of Jasper for The Parklands.
The 25-acres of land is adjacent to the existing 50-acre park. The Dubois County Community Foundation was able to purchase the land because of contributions made by generous private donors, a bargain sale of the land by the Eversman and Gramelspacher – Nordhoff families, and a matching grant from the Bicentennial Nature Trust and Indiana Heritage Trust. Because part of the funding came from the Bicentennial Nature Trust, the 25-acres of woods will become part of the public trust to ensure that the land is protected and preserved for future generations.
In addition to the 25-acre gift of land, the Community Foundation, through private contributions, granted $1,372,356.48 to the City of Jasper for the Parklands project. Over the past year and a half, the Community Foundation has held the Parklands Project Fund and accepted donations from local individuals and businesses supporting the project. Collectively, $1,372,356.48 was raised and will be given to the City of Jasper in the form of a grant to be utilized towards the cost of the project.
The gift of the 25-acres also was instrumental in assisting the Jasper City Park and Recreation obtain a Department of Interior – Land and Water Conservation Fund grant in the amount of $200,000 to help with trail construction costs on the 25 acres. The Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant was prepared by Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission and approved through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
“This project showcases a true public-private partnership,” said Roger Seger, Park Board president. “We’ve had a strong relationship with the Community Foundation from the beginning,” Seger said.
“We are thankful for the partnership and grateful to our donors who made such generous gifts to help establish this wonderful asset for our community,” said Clayton Boyles, Community Foundation executive director.
Along with the outright grant for the project, the Community Foundation also holds The Parklands Endowment, which was created by private donors with the purpose of supporting the yearly maintenance and upkeep cost of the park.
“The Parklands now has preserved assets to take care of future needs. We’re grateful to those with the foresight to ensure the Parklands is sustained by an endowment and enjoyed for many generations to come,” Boyles said.
