Capital campaign for Regional Wellness Center in Jasper nears $13 million
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A capital campaign for the projected $45 million Regional Wellness Center in Jasper has raised nearly $13 million of a $15 million goal. The 90,000-square-foot facility is currently in the design phase with construction expected to start in the second quarter of 2025.
The wellness center will be owned by the city of Jasper and operated by Ferdinand’s Tri-County YMCA.
“The city [of Jasper] was seeing a need, their [parks and recreation department] was outgrowing the building they have for the senior center,” said Mike Steffe, Tri-County YMCA’s CEO. “We began down the path of trying to do it as partnership, and that’s where we are now.”
The facility will contain a fitness center, aquatic center, walking track and community kitchen as well as exercise studios, full-court gymnasiums, community rooms and child care. The project should be completed in the third quarter of 2027.
“It’s going to be located off 15th street in Jasper. There’s a piece of property between the Jasper Parklands and Greater Jasper School Corp., a nice 10-acre tract of land that’s sitting there waiting for that facility to be built. The city purchased it from the school corporation,” Steffe said.
Comprehensive planning
The idea for a wellness center in Jasper has been in the making for more than a decade. Mayor Dean Vonderheide said the facility was part of the city’s long-range comprehensive plan in 2011 and then reconfirmed and adopted into the IMPACT Jasper Comprehensive Plan in 2019.
“Even though this was a high priority within the city, if we looked at staffing this type of facility with our parks and rec department, it would be a substantial investment in the city, and we didn’t have the expertise for programming the things that we’d want to do to make it vibrant and exciting. So we started looking at YMCA partnerships,” he said.
Tri-County YMCA opened its facility on 16th Street in Ferdinand in 2011, serving Dubois, Perry and Spencer counties.
“Jasper is the largest city in our service area. We have always searched for ways to increase our presence in Jasper and beyond. We looked at a lot of options, but it was too big of a task to do on our own,” said Steffe.
With a partnership in place, fundraising for the wellness center commenced. Besides the capital campaign, other financial sources include a city of Jasper food and beverage tax, economic development income tax funds, tax increment financing funds and a $5 million READI 2.0 grant, which Vonderheide called a substantial catalyst for the project.
“We committed to build what we can afford without affecting the property tax rates,” he said. “Well over a majority [of the public] is behind it. They see the need. It is a quality of life investment. It’s a health and wellness investment. It is an investment that will pay back in multiples over the years. It’s an economic development investment.”
‘A good place for families to come’
Jasper’s wellness center will provide indoor recreation for residents in the city and surrounding communities, which is a practical convenience during this time of the year.
“Getting dark early and the weather being bad, people need a place to come indoors for their activities. We’ll have programs like Rock Steady Boxing for Parkinson’s, LIVESTRONG for cancer survivors, chronic disease prevention. We want to keep our communities healthy,” said Steffe. “We start our programs at age 3, so it’s also a place for kids to learn. And not only sports, but sharing, following directions. A good place for families to come.”
Steffe and Vonderheide envision that the facility will play an important role in drawing new people to live in the area.
“When we built the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center, that was a significant investment in quality of life, and it has been an aid in attracting talent to our corporate residents,” Vonderheide said.
“Jasper is an employment hub of the region,” added Steffe. “As people come into town to work, it’s going to give them an opportunity to have a place to work out or participate in our programs.”
The wellness center is also anticipated to be appealing to the younger generation as they navigate the teenage years and move into adulthood.
“Being right next to Jasper High School is going to be a huge benefit for the students and staff,” Steffe said. “To come to the facility and work out, wait for a practice to begin or do some homework or other activities with their friends.”
“We’d like our young people to know that we’ve got facilities like this, and that they don’t have to leave our community as they graduate and go through college,” added Vonderheide. “They can come back to a quality of life in Dubois County.”
What’s next
As fundraising for the wellness center continues, Vonderheide recognized the significance of the tasks that have been accomplished for the initiative so far.
“This is the biggest project financially that we’ve undertaken as a city, and we’ve had to be very creative on how we go about it,” he said.
“It’s been a lengthy process, but a great partnership with the city of Jasper and the tremendous support from the community is making it become more of a reality,” added Steffe.
Krempp Construction will be the developer of the facility once the design and budget are finalized in early 2025.
“Material prices and inflation have driven up our building costs quite a bit,” said Steffe. “Anytime there’s city involvement with government spending money, they want to be careful and make sure they’re doing the right thing fiscally.”
Steffe forecasts the facility will create 10 full-time positions and 60 part-time positions. Memberships will be available for purchase, which can be used at the Jasper location and beyond.
“There’ll be memberships at different levels depending upon your age, family situation. There will also be financial assistance available for those that cannot afford membership rates. We also take memberships from SilverSneakers, Silver&Fit, the Medicare supplement programs. And all Ys are considered nationwide. So if you’re a member at one Y, you’re able to utilize any other Y across the country,” Steffe said.