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Kevin Hannah | 317.602.1546 ext. 3 | kevin@mcfarlandpr.com
LIBERTY, IND. (AUG. 21, 2018) – Today the Eastern Indiana Region delegation announced from the courthouse grounds in Liberty that a key Union County project has been included in the Eastern Indiana region’s submission to earn a Stellar designation from the Indiana Regional Stellar Communities Program.
The Owner-Occupied Renovation project, was listed as a project in the regional submission. The full submission included projects from Fayette, Randolph, Rush and Wayne counties as well.
Chief Executive Officer of the Union County Development Corporation Melissa Browning announced the inclusion of the Owner-Occupied Renovation project. This project will renovate approximately 10 houses to provide appropriate housing for residents, as well as potential new immigrants, which continues to be a high priority for the entire region.
“While OCRA’s Regional Stellar Program is, in theory, a competition, we in Eastern Indiana view it as another way to assist us in the journey towards being better able to work together on the many common challenges that face us from day to day,” said Jeff Plasterer, executive director of the Eastern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. “This application process has allowed us to strengthen the way we communicate, plan, and assist each other on a regular and ongoing basis to improve our recruitment, retention, and development of a qualified workforce through improvements to our Region’s quality of place.”
If the Eastern Indiana Region’s submission is selected as one of two recipients in the Stellar Communities Program, funding could be available for the submitted plan. The Eastern Indiana Region is one of six finalist for this year’s regional Stellar Communities Program.
“Working together on a regional approach to identified shared issues of our five county region has given us a clearer vision of strategy’s that best fit each Community,” said Browning.
The Eastern Indiana Region’s comprehensive regional development plan was developed with input from each county’s residents, businesses and organizations to address quality of life, workforce, housing, health, wellness and economic development projects.
“This process has strengthened our regional partnership and ensures its continuation throughout the years,” said Mike Row, chief executive officer of Eastern Indiana Works.
The Indiana Regional Stellar Communities Program promotes regionalism by design with a comprehensive community and economic development approach through a multi-year, multi-million investment initiative. The Regional Stellar Communities Program is led by the Indiana Lieutenant Governor’s office and is funded by three state agencies: the Indiana Housing and Community Economic Development Authority, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Department of Transportation. Other State Partners in the program are: Indiana Department of Tourism, Indiana State Department of Health, The Indiana Bond Bank, Serve Indiana, Indiana Arts Commission and Indiana Department of Natural Resources
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