JASPER — The Parklands will get a 25-acre addition, thanks to the Dubois County Community Foundation and the Bicentennial Nature Trust.
Plans for the addition — a wooded area adjacent to the east side of the current park — were announced in March, and the process moved forward recently. The foundation announced today that it has acquired the 25.65 acres from the landowners — the Nordhoff family, Ruby Fern Gramelspacher Revocable Trust and Thomas Eversman Revocable Trust. The Community Foundation made the purchase using local philanthropic support and the Bicentennial Nature Trust — a matching grant that encourages local participation in conservation efforts.
“The Community Foundation is proud be a partner in this project,” said Nona Baker, the foundation’s associate director. “This land will be protected for generations, and we’re grateful to the Bicentennial Nature Trust and local donors, without whom this acquisition would not have been possible.”
The foundation plans to grant the land to the City of Jasper in 2017. After that, the city’s parks department will manage the land. The current park is bordered by 15th Street to the South, Jasper High School to the west, Schuetter Road to the north and the future addition to the east.
The additional 25 acres were purchased at no cost to tax payers. Local funds came from grants from Dubois County Community Foundation and Indiana Heritage Trust, private donations and a bargain sale of the land by the Eversman and Gramelspacher-Nordhoff families. The Bicentennial Nature Trust matched those funds.
The Bicentennial Nature Trust was created in 2012 when the state contributed $20 million and the Lilly Endowment contributed another $10 million to create a pool of funds totaling $30 million. The Trust dedicated the money to acquiring land throughout the state for preservation. The grants are dollar-for-dollar matches, and the match can come from a community foundation — as is the case with The Parklands — local nonprofit or philanthropic organizations, private or corporate donors or a bargain sale, according to information on the Bicentennial Nature Trust’s website.
The 25 acres will remain under the Community Foundation’s ownership until the city is ready to take over management.
“There are still some details with the trust as far as the state goes (to be worked out),” Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz said. “But the transition is underway. Essentially, this is making happen what was announced (in March).”
The foundation will also hold an endowment fund dedicated to maintenance costs of The Parklands.
“The collaboration of so many benefactors to enable The Parklands of Jasper to expand is indicative of the generosity of our community,” Seitz said.
The city released a blueprint for the initial 50 acres of The Parklands in January and allocated $4 million in economic development income tax funds to the project. By February, donors offered support for the project without prompting from the city.
© 2010 - 2024 Jasper Herald Company. All Rights Reserved.