Bastin wears many hats as county engineer
ANDERSON — Although her official title is county engineer, Jessica Bastin wears many different hats when it comes to county government.
She is currently the director of the newly created Madison County Parks and Recreation Department. She was instrumental in the distribution of the county's American Rescue Plan funds, and was active with the county's Bicentennial Committee.
A native of Pennsylvania, Bastin came to Indiana to attend Rose Hulman Institute of Technology to get her engineering degree and stayed in the Hoosier State.
Bastin, 45, came to go to school and fell in love with Indiana.
She was appointed to the Pendleton Town Council and lost a bid for re-election.
Bastin started as Madison County engineer in 2021.
'I was at Anderson University at the time,' she said of applying for the county position. 'It was during COVID-19. I was not actively looking, but looking for another position.
'A mutual acquaintance showed me the opportunity,' Bastin said.
The responsibilities that came with the job were 'not what I expected at that time,' she said. 'But that was in a good way, because I wanted to be involved more than I thought I would. It has been a lot of fun because I get to do so many different things.'
Bastin said the opportunity with the American Rescue Plan funds was not on her radar. When the funding was announced, she expected to play a more ancillary role on potential projects.
'It gave me a more active role in that,' she said. 'I got to meet a lot of people and the needs of the community.'
Bastin said the experience gave her a wider view of the Madison County community and how her position is involved in other projects.
'My background is infrastructure,' she said. 'Looking at where we want to be and what needs to be done to get there in the areas of transportation, drinking water, waste water and stormwater.'
Bastin said she loves being involved in different areas of the community.
'I've had a lot of different mentors over the years,' she said. 'I've been fortunate to have a lot of good people in my life both personally and professionally. It's important to have someone to just talk to at times.'
Bastin said her family likes to camp, kayak and hike during her time away from work.
The family has a beekeeping business in Henry County.
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