Carol Johnson | Southern Indiana Business Report
JASPER – An ambitious downtown revitalization project, a new pool that set attendance records, the completion of the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center – a $17 million project that houses the Jasper Public Library and Jasper Community Arts – a new driving range at the Buffalo Trace Golf Course and the future Regional Wellness Center are some of the projects that defined Dean Vonderheide’s time as Jasper mayor.
Vonderheide served the city for seven years as mayor before announcing earlier this year he was stepping away. His last day was March 31. New Mayor Ryan Craig was elected by a caucus and was sworn in April 1.
Community partners who worked with Vonderheide on projects that have transformed the city all agreed Vonderheide’s leadership style was key in getting important projects key to quality of life and future growth cross the finish line.
“He brings people together. He’s a team builder,” said Roger Seger, co-CEO of Wabash Valley Produce and president of the Jasper Park Board. “The results are all A+ when they’re done.”
Seger has served on the Jasper Park Board for 16 years and in that role has worked with three different mayors. Each mayor, he said, brought something different to the table that advanced the city. Vonderheide’s vision for the city and his ability to develop public-private support for projects were the keys to successful projects.
“It’s not the easiest thing to do to come up with an idea and follow through with it,” Seger said.
Vonderheide secured $15 million from the private sector for the future Regional Wellness Center, estimated to cost around $30 million. Private sector funding also was secured for the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center.
“The public-private partnership is what he was really good at,” Seger said. “He was a hands-on mayor and when people see that, they want to donate.”
Downtown makeover
A multi-phased project to replace aging stormwater infrastructure in downtown Jasper became an opportunity to give the downtown a makeover. The project began in 2022 and was completed in 2025. The $5 million investment included a redesign of the courthouse square that added new gathering spaces and sidewalks. Merchants have been thrilled with the result.
As part of the city’s revitalization efforts, the city worked closely with Heart of Jasper, the city’s Main Street organization.
Ruger Kerstiens has served as president of Heart of Jasper and president of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce. Downtown revitalization had been talked about for years among city leaders and downtown business owners.
“When Dean became mayor, he made it a priority,” Kerstiens said. “What I respected most about Dean is when he made a decision, it was always what’s best for the citizens of Jasper.”
Heart of Jasper, a nationally accredited Main Street, launched several initiatives to spark downtown growth with the support of the mayor’s office along with fun events popular with residents and visitors.
“The projects Heart of Jasper completed required buy-in from the city and they’ve gone all in because they see the value. Without that we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all we had,” added Kerstiens.
Kate Schwenk, Heart of Jasper executive director, said Vonderheide played a major role in the vision for downtown.
“Heart of Jasper is proud to work hand-in-hand with the City of Jasper to bring our shared vision for downtown Jasper to life. The continued support and leadership from former Mayor Dean Vonderheide helped lay a strong foundation for collaboration, growth, and community pride that we continue to build on today,” Schwenk said. “Mayor Vonderheide served as an Advisor for Heart of Jasper and more importantly, he invited us to sit at the table on major city projects such as the Courthouse Square Infrastructure and Revitalization project. We congratulate him on his accomplishments as Mayor of Jasper.”
Supporting development
Kerstiens is also president & partner of Premier Property Management.
“As a developer of single family and multi-family developments, it takes a lot of cohesion between a developer and city hall to get projects started,” Kerstiens said. “Mayor Vonderheide’s open-mindedness and transparency helped get the project started and on the right foot. If there were things he liked he would tell us and things he didn’t like, he would tell us.
“He was very pro-growth and pro-solution solving. There are many ways you can get to an end result and he’s a very creative problem solver.”
Jasper’s projects – all contributing to quality of life – reflect the city’s focus on attracting new residents and retaining its young adult population. During the 1990s, Jasper’s population jumped from 10,373 to almost 14,000 by 2000. Gradual growth has continued over the past 25 years; today the city’s population is about 17,000.
Seger, a longtime resident of Jasper, said you can sense the positive change.
“There’s a buzz in Jasper with all these exciting projects that have been completed and are coming up. That’s why the business community supports public projects like the Thyen-Clark Center and the Regional Wellness Center,” Seger said. “Businesses love to put money back into the community because they want people to move here and stay here. If we don’t, it will stay stagnant.”