Jasper Multi-Use Trail Project Work Detours Northwood Avenue Traffic

Early Tuesday morning, the Board of Public Works and Safety convened in City Hall to hear some progress updates on various city projects in progress, including the multi-use trail.  

City engineer Chad Hurm addressed the board regarding traffic maintenance required for work related to the multi-use trail connection between Mill Street and St. Charles. Crews will be working on the trail in the eastbound lane of Northwood Avenue down to Market, so the road will be restricted to one lane westbound. It is expected that work will begin this week. Detour signs will be posted, which will route eastbound traffic north to 36 th street and then around to the highway. Drivers should follow the marked detour route. Schools will be notified so that bus routes can be modified appropriately. When work is completed, Northwood Avenue will be two lanes instead of its current three lanes. 

 Quotes were opened for a new crack seal machine, and the board accepted the bid from Southeastern Equipment in Evansville, pending review of the specs. Quotes were then opened for a new snowplow. The low bid was accepted from IMPCO out of Madison, KY. Phil Buehler of Brosmer Land Surveying secured the dedication for 40 feet of right-of-way for the entire length of the property on the south side of County Road 100 South by Wings and Rings for a land development project. In addition, the board approved the dedication of 12th Street in the Indiana Desk District, owned by Krempp Corporation. Ethan Hopf of Trimark Surveying also secured the board’s approval for the dedication of a right of way at Truman Road for the Jasper Southgate 4-lot subdivision.  

Heart of Jasper’s Music on Main will continue from September through November. On Saturdays, there will be live music set up on the sidewalks on the Downtown Square from 11am to 1pm. The event will not be held every weekend, so it will not conflict with other city activities already scheduled during that time, such as Kids Day. The board voted to continue the Axiom contract from July to December 2024, as the contract ended at the end of June. Heart of Jasper is working with the City Attorney to move to an annual contract so that it is not ending during the fiscal year end. This will place a new annual renewal date in January.  

Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang gave an update on code enforcement, saying that the recent rains have resulted in some additional growth for lawns. This has led to some nuisance violations for properties that have refused to comply with warnings for overgrown areas. At least one of these was a second violation resulting in a fine. In an update on firefighter hiring, one of the five new firefighter contracts that was extended could not be completed, but the other four have been signed.  

In his report, Street Commissioner Jeff Theising advised the board that the Wastewater Department is conducting repairs on a failing storm sewer on 3 rd Street in front of the Citgo gas station. Theising received the board’s approval for the Street Department to line 160 feet of sewer pipe at the same time, which will result in an overall savings for the city. The board also approved the low bid for the purchase of a midi-excavator.  

In other business, City Attorney Renee Kabrick received the board’s approval for a contract renewal with GOGov, the city’s code enforcement software provider. The new contract includes an increase of just under 5 percent. At the board’s suggestion, Kabrick will inquire about extending the contract length to see if the current rate could be locked in, resulting in potential savings for the city. Additionally, the DORA hours for the social district, which are normally from noon to 9 pm, will be modified for the duration of Strassenfest. Those extended hours will be provided to local merchants.


For more information on these and other updates, visit jasperindiana.gov or JasperGov-Indiana on Facebook.


- Drew Hasselbring