Jasper Prepares for Influx of Community Events

Elizabeth Vanhorn from Jasper’s Total Care ABA in Jasper, which provides assistance to children with behavioral challenges, appeared before the board to suggest an event for autism awareness. The board approved the 1 in 36 Jasper Autism Walk for Saturday, May 4. Since one in thirty-six children are diagnosed with autism, the proposed route is 3.6 miles. More details will follow in the coming weeks. 

Two members of the Jasper Mayor’s Student Youth Leadership Council appeared before the board to discuss their organization’s collaboration with Park department on communication boards that will be used at up to eight of our local parks. Council members Isabella Harmon and Carson Powell provided updates on the project’s progress. These will be physical boards in two languages, English and Spanish, that have a QR code that is scannable with smart phone. This will take users to the website that leads to the council’s board, which can be navigated through speech. After pricing out the costs for framing the boards, the Youth Leadership Council has determined that the best use of funds would be to construct the frames for the boards themselves, so they are beginning that process. 

The Jasper High School Cross Country team secured approval for their annual fundraiser, the Wildcat Runaway 5k Run/Walk, on Saturday, April 13. Participants will use the old Turkey Trot route, starting at Jasper High School, using the St. Charles Street Trail up to 36 th street before heading back to the school. 

National philanthropic sorority Psi Iota Xi was represented by Ginger Hedinger in their request to host a new fundraiser, the Jasper Schnizeljagd Scavenger Hunt. The board approved the event to be held on Old Jasper Day, Sunday, May 19 from 11-4 starting at Dave Buehler Plaza next to the Strawberry Festival. The scavenger hunt will extend for a 5-mile radius, and they already have some local vendors on board to contribute to the fun! 

Josh Gunselman appeared on behalf of Jasper Band Parents to gain the board’s approval for the annual ISSMA Scholastic Preliminary/Open Invitational. The event will be held on Saturday, October 5 at 8 AM at the Jasper Football Complex and Schroeder Soccer Complex. Traffic will be impacted requiring some closures on 2 nd Street and Rolan Drive for the first part of the day while marching bands from the area compete, hosted by our own Jasper Wildcats! 

Fire chief Kenny Hochesang reported that the two previously approved Lucas devices from Stryker have been purchased for the firehouses. These mechanical chest compression devices will be an important safety asset for the department, aiding first responders by making CPR efforts more effective. 

 The board also made note that as the total eclipse date nears, there is a potential influx of up to four times the regular population in the area. This will require a lot of planning for the event to maintain community safety, as the surge of visitors will heavily impact traffic, medical services, local law enforcement, emergency services, and lodging. 

For more information on these and other updates, visit jasperindiana.gov or JasperGov-Indiana on Facebook. 

 - By Drew Hasselbring