When the Jasper Country Club closed in 2012, local institutions eyed the picturesque landscape for an expansion of the nearby High School, a new Art Center and a new Library. The 60-acre site would have been quickly subsumed by acres of surface parking and increased traffic into the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
A topographic analysis revealed that due to steep slopes and wetlands, viable areas upon which to build was much less than initially anticipated. Community meetings explored a wide range of reuse possibilities, from a high-intensity overhaul of the site to an urban wild which would allow it to grow in naturally. A light-touch solution was preferred that reused existing golf cart paths for recreational trails and the creation of a new Nature Center.
Jasper Parklands has two miles of a 10-foot wide walking, running and biking trail with periodic exercise stations. Multiple lakes were merged into one central waterbody. Buffer zones established a 100’ setback from existing homes and an additional 25 acres of tree canopy was made possible through an Indiana Bicentennial Nature Trust grant. A new Art Center and Library co-located downtown on the site of a former mill, helping to activate the riverfront and alleviating development pressures on the open space. The former clubhouse is now a banquet facility and brewery. Project implementation and final construction images courtesy of Rundell Ernstberger and Hafer Associates.
- CityVisions Associates
City of Jasper Park and Recreation Board
Community Connections
The Framework Plan advances a light-touch approach that preserves extensive tree canopy, steep slopes and areas prone to flooding. Dispersed exercise and nature-based programs utilize the former gold cart path as a health and wellness connector.