November 07, 2024

Jasper Community Foundation donates $200,000 to Legacy Plaza Greenspace Project at DMACC Newton Campus

By Newton News
Pictured are Tara Connolly, executive director of the DMACC Foundation; Mark Allen, Jasper Community Foundation member and co-chair of the Legacy Plaza Greenspace Project; Joe Pugel, chair of the DMACC Board of Trustees; Bill Peters, executive campus dean at the DMACC Newton Campus; Rob Denson, DMACC President; Dan Skokan, president of the Jasper Community Foundation; Tom Mott, Jasper Community Foundation Board member; Noreen Otto, Jasper Community Foundation Board member; Frank Liebl, Jasper Community Foundation Board member and executive director of the Newton Development Corporation; and Kim Didier, executive director of DMACC Business Resources and Legacy Plaza Project Manager.

Pictured are Tara Connolly, executive director of the DMACC Foundation; Mark Allen, Jasper Community Foundation member and co-chair of the Legacy Plaza Greenspace Project; Joe Pugel, chair of the DMACC Board of Trustees; Bill Peters, executive campus dean at the DMACC Newton Campus; Rob Denson, DMACC President; Dan Skokan, president of the Jasper Community Foundation; Tom Mott, Jasper Community Foundation Board member; Noreen Otto, Jasper Community Foundation Board member; Frank Liebl, Jasper Community Foundation Board member and executive director of the Newton Development Corporation; and Kim Didier, executive director of DMACC Business Resources and Legacy Plaza Project Manager. (Courtesy of DMACC)

The Jasper Community Foundation recently presented the DMACC Foundation with a $200,000 donation in support of the Legacy Plaza Greenspace project at the DMACC Newton Campus. The donation is part of an initiative to raise $4 million for the new community gathering space that will include a walking path, artwork and pavilion, among other exciting features.

The Jasper Community Foundation gifted the Greenspace to DMACC in 2007 as part of the Maytag/Whirlpool transition and coordinated the removal of the manufacturing buildings that once stood on the five-acre parcel. DMACC took ownership of the five acres after the buildings were removed.

Dan Skokan, president of the Jasper Community Foundation, said the $200,000 donation is an important next step to ensure the project’s successful completion.

“We’re inspired by DMACC’s effort to develop this ground into a community gathering space that can be enjoyed by people of all ages,” Skokan, said. “The new Legacy Plaza Greenspace celebrates the past, present and future of manufacturing here as it also connects DMACC and the Newton downtown area to this legacy project.”

The Jasper Community Foundation was created in 1997 to promote philanthropy within Jasper County. The Foundation is funded by both state dollars and private contributions. The $200,000 gift to the Legacy Plaza Greenspace represents the largest donation in the Foundation’s history.