JASPER — Cheers erupted and there were hugs all around in Brew on Tuesday night when news came that after more than 15 years of discussion and debate, Jasper will get a new library building, and a cultural center, too.
“I’m elated. I’m just elated,” library board member Pamela Catt said. “I can sleep tonight.”
Voters on Tuesday approved the Jasper Public Library Board’s property tax referendum with 60 percent of voters in Bainbridge, Boone-Jasper and Madison-Jasper precincts in favor of the move to build a new facility in the Hoosier Desk property at the corner of Third and Mill streets. The result is a flip of the 2011 referendum to build a new library on South Newton Street; that vote ended with 73 percent of voters against the facility. Discussion about a new library in Jasper began long before that; in all, the process has spanned more than 15 years.
The referendum allows the library to borrow up to $6.5 million for their portion of the Jasper Cultural Center over a 15-year bond, a worst-case scenario that raises property taxes on the median Jasper home roughly $2.68 per month or $32.16 per year. The board will likely borrow less than the approved amount or pay off the bond sooner, as $2 million from the Jasper LEADs campaign is earmarked for the library. The Jasper LEADS campaign — dedicated to the arts, cultural center and Courthouse Square infrastructure — has raised roughly $4.2 million for the cultural center project.
The lead was steady from the onset. Results were dispensed from the Dubois County Clerk’s Office in two batches: with absentee ballots reported, the ‘yes’ vote had gathered 58 percent of the vote; less than an hour later, the final results, which included voters who turned out Tuesday to cast their ballots, the ‘yes’ contingent jumped to nearly 60 percent.
“We’re all excited,” arts commission director Kit Miracle said. “(We’re) looking forward to being neighbors.”
With their ‘yes’ votes, voters cleared the path for the library to borrow the money it needs for its portion of the proposed Jasper Cultural Center. The vote also allows the cultural center as a whole to move forward as neither the library nor the Jasper Community Arts Commission were interested in creating the unique landmark alone.
“We don’t have to battle about the site anymore,” library board president Dean Vonderheide said. “We know what we’re going to do. It’s great for the community.”
Jasper Community Arts Commission president Mike Jones said he’s “delighted” and “ecstatic” with the results.
“I’m delighted because a lot of people put a lot of work into this,” he said. “I’m ecstatic because of what it means for my kids and grandkids. This is for that generation.”
Now, the real work begins. When the library board convenes at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Jasper Library Annex, 1103 Main St., for its regular monthly meeting, the next steps will be on the agenda. The next hurdle is purchasing the Hoosier Desk site downtown from current owners Ken and Paul Sternberg.
“We need to start working on the legalese to purchase that property,” library director Christine Golden said. “We’d like to have that done by Dec. 31.”
The Jasper Community Arts Commission, Louisville-based developer City Properties Group and the library also need to finalize designs for the cultural center and set up a building corporation to manage the project moving forward. The building corporation process is the same method school boards often use for their building projects. Recently, Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools set up a building corporation for the expansion of Ireland Elementary.
The building corporation will be responsible for finalizing schematics and designs, soliciting bids for demolition and construction and managing the roughly $3.4 million in Indiana Economic Development Corporation tax credits, among other duties.
For tonight, it’s time to celebrate.
“We’re getting a new library!” Golden shouted, arms raised above her head in victory.