On Thursday, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch announced six regions as finalists for the 2018 Stellar Communities Program.
Launched in 2011, the Stellar Communities Program is a multi-year, multi-million dollar investment initiative led by the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, which is overseen by Crouch. The program works with communities to develop their strategic community investment plans, promote local and regional partnerships and implement comprehensive solutions to challenges facing Indiana’s rural communities.
“The Stellar Communities Program has helped so many areas across our state, and I am inspired by the collaborative efforts of these six regions,” Crouch said. “Working together, and heading towards a common goal will allow for a better, stronger Indiana.”
Representatives from the Stellar partner state agencies began examining the letters of intent following the April 6 deadline.
After a thorough review, the following regions have been chosen as finalists:
- A Region Plus – comprised of the cities of Vincennes and Bicknell and Knox County;
- Health and Heritage Region -comprised of the city of Greenfield and the town of Fortville;
- Eastern Indiana – comprised of the cities of Richmond, Rushville and Union City, and Randolph County;
- Marshall County Crossroads – comprised of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Marshall County leaders and leadership from the towns of Argos, Bremen, Bourbon, Culver, LaPaz and Plymouth;
- Mt. Comfort Road Corridor – comprised of the towns of Cumberland, McCordsville and New Palestine; and
- New Allen Alliance – comprised of Allen County, the town of Grabill, Leo-Cedarville and Monroeville and the cities of New Haven and Woodburn.
“The responses we received demonstrates that our communities understand our vision for the program and the importance of regionalism,” said Jodi Golden, Executive Director of OCRA. “Communities are stronger when they partner with one another in planning for the future, determining economic development investments and improving the quality of life for residents.”
As finalists, regions will receive a planning grant to build upon their regional plans. Each region will begin working with Ball State University’s Indiana Communities Institute to discuss project alignment and continued planning efforts. Final designees are selected at the end of the year.
Through the annual designation, the Stellar Communities program provides resources for transformative quality of place community improvements by utilizing previous planning efforts, leveraging existing assets, fostering regional investments and stimulating continued growth. Visit in.gov/ocra/stellar for more information.