Posted on May 24, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
About 100 people from all across the county turned up to the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center Thursday afternoon to show their support for Constellation of Starke.
The purpose the meeting was to inform the public about Constellation of Starke and the region’s mission to be designated a Stellar Community through the Office of Community and Rural Affair’s multi-year, multi-million dollar investment program.
The event began with a presentation from Stellar Communities Program Manager Michael Sinnet. He listed the various agencies that contribute funding to the program, shared a program timeline and provided a general process overview.
The information he provided will be available through the Stellar Communities tab on OCRA’s website.
Following Sinnet’s presentation, Constellation of Starke team members had a chance to share why the community is in a good position to be involved in the Stellar program at this point in time.
A video created by Mirth and Whimsy creatively captured the region and emphasized why the community would be an ideal candidate for the Stellar designation.
In addition to the video, County Attorney Marty Lucas shared a power point presentation with some statistics that highlighted Starke County’s potential for growth.
A panel discussion that featured input from the community’s leaders was also included. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Larry Wickert prompted panelists to share why they felt participation in this program was important and asked them to talk about some potential project goals.
Panelists included County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler, Hamlet Clerk-Treasurer Kristina Pitts, North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe and Knox Mayor Dennis Estok.
The event concluded with officials from Ball State’s Indiana Communities Institute (ICI) providing some community engagement exercises that gave the public a chance to participate in the regional development plan process.
The information they gathered will be analyzed by the ICI and shared in future meetings with the Constellation of Starke executive team and advisory committee.
Ultimately, the goal is to accurately represent the community’s needs and desires into the regional development plan that will be submitted for consideration this fall.
If you didn’t have a chance to attend, you can view elements of the event on the Constellation of Starke Facebook page.
Showing posts with label OCRA Regional Stellar Communities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OCRA Regional Stellar Communities. Show all posts
Friday, May 24, 2019
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Stellar Efforts Continue in Starke County
Posted on January 10, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Entities involved Starke County’s Stellar efforts are currently working to update their comprehensive plans to meet a program requirement set by the Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
Applicants can submit a letter of intent for this round of OCRA’s Regional Stellar Communities program any time between now and Friday, April 5th. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Larry Wickert said that the current plan is to apply by this spring’s deadline.
However, he said the region’s readiness will be determined as Hamlet, North Judson and Starke County officials work on their comprehensive plans. All three entities will be working with HWC Engineering. Not only will this allow for general consistency but it will give officials a chance to spot similar goals throughout the process.
The City of Knox is also involved in Starke County’s Stellar initiative but they already have a viable comprehensive plan in place.
If Starke County’s region does submit a letter of intent for this round officials would find out in they’ve been selected as a finalist in May. Despite the fact that the application deadline is coming up in less than four months, Wickert said that individual comprehensive plans wouldn’t need to be completed until the fall.
At that time, the details laid out in each local plan would be incorporated into a regional development plan. The regional development plan would identify potential projects and the goals of the region as a whole.
The regional development plan would be due in September and it would only need to be submitted if Starke County’s region is selected as one of the finalists.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Entities involved Starke County’s Stellar efforts are currently working to update their comprehensive plans to meet a program requirement set by the Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
Applicants can submit a letter of intent for this round of OCRA’s Regional Stellar Communities program any time between now and Friday, April 5th. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Larry Wickert said that the current plan is to apply by this spring’s deadline.
However, he said the region’s readiness will be determined as Hamlet, North Judson and Starke County officials work on their comprehensive plans. All three entities will be working with HWC Engineering. Not only will this allow for general consistency but it will give officials a chance to spot similar goals throughout the process.
The City of Knox is also involved in Starke County’s Stellar initiative but they already have a viable comprehensive plan in place.
If Starke County’s region does submit a letter of intent for this round officials would find out in they’ve been selected as a finalist in May. Despite the fact that the application deadline is coming up in less than four months, Wickert said that individual comprehensive plans wouldn’t need to be completed until the fall.
At that time, the details laid out in each local plan would be incorporated into a regional development plan. The regional development plan would identify potential projects and the goals of the region as a whole.
The regional development plan would be due in September and it would only need to be submitted if Starke County’s region is selected as one of the finalists.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)