JASPER — Children held signs Thursday evening to encourage a crowd of 130 people at the former Hoosier Desk building to cheer “A! B! C! Jasper!”
Maureen Braun, a member of Jasper’s team in the America's Best Communities contest, led the cheer to put the crowd in more of a celebratory mood. She included the children to emphasize the team’s main reason for being in the ABC contest.
“That is the future of Jasper. That’s why we’re here tonight,” she said. “Our children and grandchildren are why we are working so hard to win this $3 million.”
The evening was a celebration of Jasper being named as a quarterfinalist in the America’s Best Communities contest.
People chatted as they drank root beer floats made from Libby’s vanilla ice cream and Dad’s Root Beer. Donated prizes were given away and stickers that included the city’s slogan in the competition — “Pride. Purpose. Pure Spirit.” — were liberally passed out.
While children at the gathering were entertained with art activities, the adults listened to presentations about the contest and what Jasper’s 13-member team has been doing to make sure the city advances in the competition.
In April, Jasper was selected as one of 50 communities from more than 300 to advance in the competition. The contest is geared at revitalizing small towns and communities with the goal of awarding a $3 million grand prize to the first-place community, $2 million for second place and $1 million for third place.
As a quarterfinalist, the city received $50,000, a Go-Pro camera and NBCUniversal as a mentor to help with the team’s efforts, team member Dan Fritch said. He also shared that the community had to raise an additional $15,000 as part of the contest requirements.
That goal has been exceeded, Fritch said. “As of (Thursday) morning, we’re closer to $18,500 in total contributions,” he said. That included donations from individuals and businesses and a $5,000 matching grant from the Dubois County Community Foundation.
The money will be used to create and submit to the contest judges a community revitalization plan, seven-month budget, an implementation budget and videos and blog posts touting the community’s attributes and support.
Fritch said at Thursday’s gathering that Jasper companies have hundreds of positions that they are trying to fill with workers.
“We know that means attracting new talent to this area,” he said. “Artistic, cultural, recreational and social places are necessary to meet the expectation of that next generation workforce.”
Jasper’s ABC team focused on ideas listed in the city’s downtown and riverfront master plan, which was completed and added into Jasper’s comprehensive master plan in 2013. Those were narrowed down to two options that are currently being pursued.
One is the revitalization of Courthouse Square, including reopening the Astra Theatre. The other is turning the former Hoosier Desk building at Third and Mill streets into a cultural center. Plans for each were displayed on a table for people to view.
Jessi Fulcher, 32, of Jasper looked through the plans for the Square, nodding as she read about different features in the plan. Fulcher is a Jasper native, but lived in Nashville, Tenn., for a while. She moved back two years ago.
“I came back to be closer to my family. But it was a struggle to adjust,” she said. “I loved a lot of the urban city lifestyle. But I was definitely missing my friends and family.”
She made new friends who aren’t Jasper natives. And she started seeing the city from their perspective.
“They opened my eyes to what Jasper does have to offer,” she said, “and it’s a lot more than from what it used to be.”
Fulcher said that the ideas for the city’s future are exciting.
“It has the feel of what a lot of urban areas are doing now — the streetscapes, the town squares,” she said. “It’s what our generation is attracted to. We don’t want the brand new buildings. We actually do appreciate the historic stuff. While we like tradition, we like to put that younger spin on it.”
Molly Rupert, 28, who was at the meeting with her husband, Kyle, said that they built a home in Jasper about a year ago. But she liked the idea of housing being incorporated on an upper floor in the cultural center.
“If the lofts are developed like we’ve seen in some other communities, we would definitely consider selling and moving downtown,” she said.
She liked the overall plans to bring more activity to the city’s downtown and riverfront areas.
“They are a great compliment to one another,” Rupert said. “We have a great Square and we have a great Riverwalk area. If we can connect all that together and make it one huge asset to our community, that would be very powerful.”
Braun reminded the group that future generations are looking for revitalized buildings and areas that have character, not necessarily newly constructed sites.
They are different from our generation, from when we grew up. And I think that’s what we have to realize,” she said. “Things have changed. We are not the same. They are not the same. They have a lot of different opportunities and a lot of things they want to see in their future.”
The team passed out Post-It notes and asked people to write down suggestions involving the two plans for a team member to consider.
“We as a committee can use that as a guideline on how to spend the money,” Braun said, “and what’s really important to you.”
Braun said that people in the community can still give suggestions through the team’s Facebook page, titled “Jasper, IN. America’s Best Communities.” People can also like the page, which includes updated information, photos and videos promoting Jasper to contest judges.