JASPER — A handful of people sported “Vote Yes on the Library Referendum” T-shirts Wednesday night at a town hall meeting to answer questions about the Jasper Library referendum and the proposed Jasper Cultural Center.
Roughly 100 people sat in the stands of Cabby O’Neill Gymnasium to have lingering questions answered. The majority of attendees seemed to support the proposal. No one spoke against the project, though there was a group of undecided voters looking for more details about what the cultural center would be. They declined to comment on the record.
Library Director Christine Golden and Library Board President and Jasper Councilman Dean Vonderheide answered frequently asked questions, as well as questions from the audience.
How are we paying for this?
Several questions centered on how the proposed $13 million cultural center project will be funded. The project has received a $3.4 million tax credit from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. that will be awarded to the private developer, Louisville-based City Properties Group, and that has been earmarked for the library and arts portions of the project. The remaining balance is being split between the library and the City of Jasper.
The library would fund its portion through a bond covered by property taxes. A referendum will be on the Nov. 8 ballot asking voters to approve a bond of up to $6.5 million for the project, or an additional tax of roughly 6 cents per $100 of net assessed value. The net assessed value is a properties value after exemptions such as the homestead exemption. For the median home in Jasper, valued at $132,900 on the market, the net assessed value is $54,135; that homeowner’s property taxes would increase $2.68 per month to help pay for the library.
The net assessed value of individual properties can be found on the county assessor’s website, and the exact monthly tax increase for an individual property can be found using a calculator on the project website, www.myjasperlibrary.org. The calculator is based on the 15-year bond period the board chose in April and has a 1 percent cushion on the interest rate.
The library board has been fundraising through the Jasper LEADS campaign to lessen the amount that would be bonded. So far, the board has raised $700,000 specifically for the library, bringing the bond amount down to $5.8 million. Their fundraising goal is $2 million for a final bond amount of $4.5 million. The referendum question on the ballot, however, will ask voters to approve a bond of $6.5 million because the board can no longer change the wording of the question. Golden pointed out that the fundraising is to lessen the bond amount and will not be used in addition to a $6.5 million bond.
Once the library pays back the bond, property owners would stop being charged the additional tax.
The city would fund the arts portion of the cultural center through donations, the IEDC tax credit and economic development income tax funds. The arts portion of the cultural center would not affect property taxes, nor would it deplete the EDIT fund or take money away from projects already funded through EDIT money such as street and sidewalk maintenance.
“We have enough (EDIT funds) and we have forecasted enough that we can use those funds to pay for this project,” City Attorney Renee Kabrick said.
Where will it be?
The proposed cultural center will be located at the corner of Mill and Third streets on the same property as Schaeffer Barn. Currently, the former Hoosier Desk factory sits where the cultural center would be. The Hoosier Desk building would be demolished, and the cultural center would be built in its footprint.
The library board chose the site because of its proximity to downtown — the location is not far from the Riverwalk, Dubois County Courthouse and Jasper Train Depot — and the opportunity to revitalize an abandoned industrial building.
“This site really lends itself to the walkability of our downtown,” Vonderheide said. “I think that’s a key to what’s drawing visitors to the area.”
Vonderheide pointed out that the cultural center proposal has already served as a catalyst for more development along the riverfront. Shortly after the board chose the Hoosier Desk site, private developer Boxer Girl, LLC of Indianapolis agreed to develop the former Jasper Cabinet location on the southwest side of the train depot.
“We’re always fighting for businesses whether we’re trying to bring in new businesses or retain the ones we have,” he said. “Jasper will never remain the same. It has to change to retain the things we value. Part of that is we have to invest in our future or manage our decline.”
The opportunity to partner with the arts on the cultural center was a deciding factor in the decision to choose the downtown site, and the cultural center proposal was a major factor in getting the $3.4 million tax credit.
What about the flood plain?
The 100-year flood plain for Patoka River covers the property; however the flood plain was set before the completion of Patoka Reservoir in 1980.
“With Patoka Reservoir being in place, I’d say we’re in pretty good hands as far as not having a flooding issue.”
City Properties also plans to raise the building 30 inches above the flood plain, six inches more than the 24 inches required by law.
Why do the arts and library need new facilities?
The library currently operates out of a building built in the 1950s with, officials say, an inefficient HVAC system and increasing building maintenance costs. The library annex, known as the Gutzweiler Building, across the street was first built in the 1800s and also has increasing maintenance costs. The libraries current facilities do not offer sufficient space for the collections or services offered, and library usage has increased annually for the last several years, Golden said. Last year, 147,346 books and 263,333 items total were checked out of the library, a 5 percent increase from 2014. The library also offered 378 programs, 185 of which catered to adults.
“The thing about a library is it’s changing the way it functions,” Vonderheide said. “It’s becoming a social gathering place. It’s for organizations and clubs to meet. It’s not just about books. It is about continuing education and enriching one’s life.”
In the current facility, staff has trouble hosting multiple programs at once. Without a new space, the library staff will struggle to continue offering the current services and be unable to grow.
The arts currently operates workshops out of the pool basement at the Jaycee Park. The cultural center would allow the arts to move workshops into its main space, as well as add gallery space. Although the theater space would remain at the arts current location on Vincennes University Jasper Campus, most of the operations would move downtown. The atrium and lawn space at the proposed cultural center would offer the arts more opportunities for shows, which could increase ticket revenues.
The proposed gift shop space could give local artists a place to sell their work and the library a place to sell used books, becoming a revenue source for both entities.
Is the schematic that was unveiled earlier this month the final design?
No. The current schematic was meant to show how the building could be laid out to ensure that it met the needs of both the library and the arts. While the schematic gives the designers and architects direction, it is not set in stone. The library and arts commission boards chose not to pay for a full design until after the Nov. 8 election in case the referendum fails.
What if the referendum fails?
If the library referendum fails, there will be no cultural center and neither the arts or library will get a new space. Jasper will also lose the $3.4 million tax credit from the IEDC, as well as the $1.7 million grant from Jim and Pat Thyen that launched the Jasper LEADS campaign and any additional money raised in the campaign since.
I have more questions. Where do I go?
A frequently asked questions page is set up at www.myjasperlibrary.org. Staff at the library and arts center can also answer questions. The library can be reached at 812-482-2712, and the arts center can be reached at 812-482-3070. The Friends of the Jasper Public Library are offering tours of the current facilities at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, for citizens to ask questions as well.