Jasper DDA approves up to $4,000 for training, affirms Downtown Live schedule and public-safety plans; Parrot Park groundbreaking targeted for August

The Jasper Downtown Development Authority on Monday authorized up to $4,000 to bring the Carl Vinson Institute to Jasper for a DDA training session and confirmed plans for this year’s Downtown Live events while accepting public-safety and park updates.

The DDA voted to fund an in-person training session, described by staff as a daylong program for up to 15 participants from the board and city staff. Pam made the motion and Sunny seconded; the motion passed with members voting “aye,” the board secretary announced. Board members also set vendor-application and event dates: vending applications will be released March 1, and Downtown Live dates for 2025 were listed as May 10, June 14, July 12 and Aug. 9 (second Saturday each month).

The vote authorizing the training followed a staff presentation explaining available carryover funds and sponsor revenues. Brandon Douglas, city manager, summarized the budget context, saying the DDA had about $20,000 in carryover to start the year and roughly $22,000 in hotel/motel allocations. Douglas noted 2024 downtown contributions totaled $59,519 against roughly $57,000 in downtown-specific expenditures and cautioned the board to plan for variable sponsorship and expense patterns.

Public-safety staff flagged concerns about pedestrian safety and staffing for the events. Chief Matt Dawkins told the board he was concerned about children running across South Main and the difficulty of monitoring those crossings with a small number of officers; the city manager said the February 3 council decision set the events “status quo” for 2025 and that the city will provide resources as last year. “Everything’s the same,” Douglas said when explaining the city’s approach to street closures and staffing for this season.

Staff and board members discussed operational options to reduce strain on police and public works, including opening off-duty (ODM) sign-ups earlier so officers can plan overtime shifts and exploring coverage from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Dawkins and staff recommended setting firm event end times (a hard stop at 10 p.m. and streets fully open by 11 p.m.), and public-works representatives asked for clarity on who will execute and sign vendor and performer contracts. The board directed staff to formalize a contract-signing process and to firm up exact staffing plans before the first event.

Board members and staff also discussed vendor eligibility. The DDA reiterated a preference for local vendors and food trucks; organizers said they will decline out-of-area requests unless vendor supply is insufficient. Vendor applications are scheduled to go live March 1 on the Jasper Downtown Alliance website.

On capital projects, staff reported Parrot Park grant and matching funds remain available and the engineer’s drawings are approximately 60% complete. City staff said they had tentatively targeted a groundbreaking in August and that the funding timeline is not in jeopardy. “There’s gonna be some shovels in the ground in August,” a staff member said during the discussion.

On staffing, the city reported 19 initial inquiries for the community engagement position but noted only three completed applications had been submitted through the city’s formal application process; staff said they will solicit additional applications, then form a hiring committee that includes DDA representation. The board also discussed ongoing holiday-lighting and vendor-contractor issues and asked staff to provide alternative vendor options and cost estimates at an upcoming workshop.

The meeting closed after the board approved the training expenditure and finalized planning steps; a motion to adjourn carried and the meeting ended at 6:45 p.m.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to authorize up to $4,000 from DDA funds to host a Carl Vinson Institute DDA training (one-day, up to 15 participants). Mover: Pam; second: Sunny. Outcome: approved (vote recorded as “aye,” motion carried; tally not specified in transcript). Notes: staff said the fee quoted was $3,600 and the board authorized up to $4,000 for incidentals. - Routine procedural motions to adopt the agenda and minutes and to adjourn were approved during the meeting; individual roll-call tallies were not specified in the transcript.

Key next steps

- Vendor applications go live March 1 on the Jasper Downtown Alliance site. - Staff to formalize contract-execution process and to open off-duty sign-up for police early so officers can schedule overtime. - Staff to continue engineering work on Parrot Park and target a groundbreaking in August, subject to final schedules and coordination with related roadway work.

(Reporting based on the DDA meeting transcript; quotes and attributions limited to those recorded in the transcript.)