Jasper seeks water and gas utilities mechanic to maintain service

Jasper posted a new Water & Gas Utilities distribution mechanic opening on June 26, a hire that would go straight into the work of keeping water and natural gas flowing through the city. The job was recorded in the city document center at 8:23 a.m., with a duplicate listing logged minutes later at 8:29 a.m., and Jasper’s employment page marked it as “NEW” alongside a separate wastewater plant maintenance technician opening.

The posting describes hands-on field work in the construction, installation, operation and repair of water and gas mains, service lines, fire hydrants and valves. The mechanic would also operate backhoes, skid loaders and dump trucks, putting the position firmly in the skilled-trades side of city service rather than an office role. City language around the opening emphasizes public service, environmental stewardship, stable employment, good salary and benefits, professional development and advancement opportunities, all of which signal that Jasper is trying to keep experienced utility workers in a competitive labor market.

That urgency matters because Jasper Municipal Utilities serves a wide base of customers across Dubois County. The Water Utility provides potable water to about 5,500 residential customers, 780 commercial customers, 150 institutional and governmental customers, and 100 industrial customers. The Natural Gas Utility serves about 3,500 residential customers, 550 commercial customers, 75 institutional and governmental customers, and 55 industrial customers. A single distribution mechanic helps cover the line between routine service and the kind of repair work that keeps those customers from feeling delays, outages or pressure problems.

The scale of the system helps explain the staffing need. Jasper’s current Water Treatment Facility was built in 2001 and has a 6.5 million gallon-per-day capacity. The distribution system includes about 136.68 miles of mains and roughly 1,018 municipal fire hydrants. The city’s gas utility dates to 1954, when Jasper Municipal Gas Utility was formed after construction of about nine miles of distribution lines, a reminder that today’s utility workforce is tending infrastructure that has grown for decades.

The Utility Service Board oversees Jasper’s electric, water, natural gas and wastewater utilities, and its June 15 agenda noted staffing updates and possible backfill requests. The same agenda also referenced training requests for employees to attend the 2026 Pipeline Safety Conference and an INAWWA South Operator Symposium, suggesting the department is balancing day-to-day coverage with ongoing technical training. Rob Young is listed as general manager of utilities, and Tim Doersam is listed as water and gas manager.

Jasper says utility emergencies can be reported 24/7 at 812-482-9131. The Water Utility draws raw water from the Patoka River, with the Patoka Reservoir and Beaver Creek Reservoir listed as emergency sources, making the mechanic opening part of the city’s broader effort to keep essential service steady when residents and businesses need it most.