Jasper Park and Recreation Makes Plans for Warmer Weather

With snow still on the ground, the Jasper Park and Recreation Board was already making plans for spring at their Tuesday afternoon meeting. 

An update was given on the city’s $9.2 million pool construction project. Jeff Justice from Hafer Construction was on hand to represent the design team and answer any questions that the board might have. Justice said that the construction of the pool is on schedule, and the building is slightly ahead of schedule. Crews are working on masonry, the roof is on, and the building is weather-tight, which was an asset during last week’s snowstorm. The next goal is to install the deck drains around the pool so the deck can be poured. 

The board approved a change order for the pool, with new charges that largely stemmed from the addition of landscaping work around the tree line. The Park Department will absorb the bulk of these expenses in their 2025 budget.  

Older Americans Director Carie Dick said that the first trip of the year will be the Derby Dinner in March. The exercise room at the Habig Center has been picking back up and classes are full. The Tourism Report counted 688 guests to city facilities this past month, and over 17,000 guests in 2024. In the golf report, the 2024 income for the range and pro shop totaled $947,647.48. That translates to over three quarters of a million golf balls hit in the last year! 

The board granted their approval to begin the hiring process for a Park Laborer position to begin in March or April. They also approved the request to solicit bids for fertilizer contracts, as the department is making plans for a major fertilization project. Parks Director Tom Moorman gave a brief update on the effort to clear streets during last week’s storm, thanking his staff for the additional hours that they put in. 

The board also approved a request to reject the archery range bid from October. The specifications for the scope of the project will need to be adjusted in order to satisfy the requirements of the insurance carrier. Once the new criteria are in place, new bids will be obtained. 

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



 - By Drew Hasselbring