News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Lt. Governor Holcomb Announces Corydon and Rushville, Ind. as 2016 Stellar Communities Designees

OFFICE OF THE LT. GOVERNOR
STATE HOUSE
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA 46204-2797

Eric J. Holcomb
LT. GOVERNOR

For Immediate Release



August 11, 2016

Indianapolis – Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb announces Rushville and Corydon as the 2016 Designees of the Stellar Communities Designation Program (SCDP).

Launched in 2011, the Stellar Communities Designation Program is a multi-agency partnership designed to recognize Indiana's smaller communities that have identified comprehensive community and economic development projects and activities as well as next steps and key partnerships. In 2015, the designations were divided into two divisions based on population size. Division I are communities of a population of 6,000 or more and Division II are smaller cities and towns with populations of fewer than 6,000.

In April, six finalist communities were announced for the 2016 program year:

Division I Finalists
• Rushville
• Shelbyville
• Warsaw

Division II Finalists
• Corydon
• Culver
• Union City

Between April and July, Lt. Governor Holcomb and representatives from the SCDP state team visited all six finalist communities where they heard highlights from each local team as well as toured project locations from their local Strategic Investment Plans (SIP).

“I was filled with such pride while visiting the six finalist communities this summer, seeing firsthand the passion and dedication each team is putting towards bettering their community through economic development opportunities,” said Lt. Governor Holcomb. “I look forward to celebrating the work of the state and local teams at the State Fair next week. With or without the stellar designation, all six communities are on their way to achieving transformative outcomes that will better their local and regional areas.”

Division I Designee

City of Rushville-

Rushville’s SIP includes several revitalization and rehabilitation projects downtown and in the historic district which will allow for commercial and office space development as well as housing development in preexisting neighborhoods and historic buildings. The proposal also includes outdoor improvements like creating a trailhead and bike hub and building the Riverside Park Gateway Plaza.

Division II Designee
 
Town of Corydon-

Corydon centers their SIP on renovating, improving, enhancing and rehabilitating existing aspects of their town. Among the proposed projects are renovating three historic buildings, enhancing the downtown area to improve connectivity and walkability by providing well-lit walkways and housing rehabilitation. Several projects are devoted to the outdoors from improving Keller Park to creating an Indian Creek Trail Connection meant to link green space at Keller Park while also preserving natural corridors.

On August 18, a Stellarbration hosted by Lt. Governor Holcomb, will be held at the Indiana State Fair to celebrate the 2016 Designees. The event will also be a look back on the successes of the first 5 years of the designation program as well as presentations from Rushville and Corydon.

The Lt. Governor and state stellar team members will also travel to Rushville and Corydon later this fall to participate in local Stellarbrations with the local community members.

2016 is the second year of the expansion of state agency partners. Prior to 2015 the SCDP partnership included:

• Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)
• Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA)
• Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA)
 
State agency partners now include:

• Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
• Indiana Finance Authority (IFA)
• Indiana Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (OSBE)/Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC)
• Indiana Office of Tourism Development (IOTD)
• Indiana State Department of Health – Division of Nutrition & Physical Activity (ISDH)
• Serve Indiana
• New to the Stellar team in 2016 are the Indiana Arts Commission and the Indiana Bond Bank

Funding for the SCDP comes from multiple existing federal programs. Both communities have proposed projects involving public and private dollars; although they have been designated as a Stellar Community, the projects are proposals and no specific funds are guaranteed. Both communities will meet with representatives from the state stellar team in the coming weeks to discuss details of the proposed projects including feasibility, available funding, timeframes and partner participation.

The finalist communities will receive follow up from the state stellar team to discuss details about their submitted SIPs and provide feedback on the SCDP process.

Eligible applicants must be a Local Unit of Government which includes a city or an incorporated town not entitled to direct Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Previous Stellar Communities:

• 2011 - Greencastle and North Vernon
• 2012 - Delphi and Princeton
• 2013 - Bedford and Richmond
• 2014 - Huntingburg and Wabash
• 2015 - DI: Crawfordsville and DII: North Liberty

More information about the Stellar Communities Designation Program is available at http://http//in.gov/ocra/stellar.htm.