August 19, 2019 at 5:12 p.m.
Stellar deadline a month away
Designation would open door to millions in funding
Stellar deadline a month away
The first key deadline for Stellar Communities finalists is about a month away.
This year marks the third time since Stellar’s inception in 2011 that Jay County has been involved deeply in the process, as the Jay! Region was selected in April as one of four finalists for this year’s designation. The group includes the county as well as each of its municipalities.
Portland was involved as one of 12 municipalities competing for the designation eight years ago, with state officials visiting as part of the process. But it did not make the top five, as Greencastle and North Vernon were chosen as the first designees.
After the award was split with one for large communities and one for small, Dunkirk was selected as one of three finalists in 2015. North Liberty ended up as the winner for small communities that year, and Dunkirk fell short of a finalist spot when it applied again in 2016.
As the Jay! Region continues to work on its proposals this year — it is competing against the Constellation of Starke (Hamlet, Knox, North Judson and Starke County), Marshall County Crossroads (Argos, Bourbon, Bremen, Culver, Plymouth and Marshall County), and Safe and Welcome (Knightstown, New Castle and Henry County) — here’s a look at what Stellar involves, what communities have been involved and what impact the designation can have.
What is Stellar?
The program was launched in 2011 with goals of using previous planning efforts to leverage assets, foster investments and stimulate growth in Indiana communities.
It is open to any municipality, now grouped in self-selected regions, that is not entitled to direct Community Development Block Grant funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
This year marks the third time since Stellar’s inception in 2011 that Jay County has been involved deeply in the process, as the Jay! Region was selected in April as one of four finalists for this year’s designation. The group includes the county as well as each of its municipalities.
Portland was involved as one of 12 municipalities competing for the designation eight years ago, with state officials visiting as part of the process. But it did not make the top five, as Greencastle and North Vernon were chosen as the first designees.
After the award was split with one for large communities and one for small, Dunkirk was selected as one of three finalists in 2015. North Liberty ended up as the winner for small communities that year, and Dunkirk fell short of a finalist spot when it applied again in 2016.
As the Jay! Region continues to work on its proposals this year — it is competing against the Constellation of Starke (Hamlet, Knox, North Judson and Starke County), Marshall County Crossroads (Argos, Bourbon, Bremen, Culver, Plymouth and Marshall County), and Safe and Welcome (Knightstown, New Castle and Henry County) — here’s a look at what Stellar involves, what communities have been involved and what impact the designation can have.
What is Stellar?
The program was launched in 2011 with goals of using previous planning efforts to leverage assets, foster investments and stimulate growth in Indiana communities.
It is open to any municipality, now grouped in self-selected regions, that is not entitled to direct Community Development Block Grant funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Earning the Stellar designation makes the region eligible for a variety of grant funding from four state agencies, though not guaranteed to receive the full amount. Those grants are as follows:
•Office of Community and Rural Affairs — $8 million in Community Development Block Grants, a $30,000 placemaking grant, $20,000 in planning grants and funds from the Historic Renovation Grant Program.
•Indiana Department of Transportation — $4 million from the Rural Federal Aid Program.
•Indiana Housing and Community Development — Up to $1.6 million in Rental Housing Tax Credits, $500,000 for a Development Fund Loan, $500,000 for Owner Occupied Rehabilitation and $400,000 from the HOME Investment Partnerships Program Loan.
•Indiana State Department of Health — $75,000 from the Health and Wellness Program.
Other funding sources may be added by the Stellar partner agencies, which include Indiana Arts Commission, Indiana Bond Bank, Honest to Goodness Indiana and Indiana Department of Natural Resources, in addition to those mentioned above.
All of that grant funding requires a local match of 10 to 20 percent.
A new aspect of the program for 2019 is that Stellar finalists that are not chosen for the designation will split $1 million to be used toward moving forward with their redevelopment plans.
Winners and work
Previous Stellar designees, in addition to those previously mentioned, were Delphi and Princeton in 2012, Bedford and Richmond in 2013, Huntingburg and Wabash in 2014, Crawfordsville in 2015, Corydon and Rushville in 2016, Madison and Culver in 2017 and the Health & Heritage Region (Hancock County) and New Allen Alliance (Allen County) in 2018.
For Greencastle, one of the inaugural winners, work included road improvements, building facade upgrades and construction of a multi-use trail. There were also improvements for owner-occupied housing as well as the construction of second-floor loft apartments.
Wabash, about 50 miles northwest of Portland, made improvements to Eagles Theatre Community Center and created an all-inclusive playground. Its work also included road and facade upgrades.
Rushville has used its funding to continue to expand its business park, create a senior housing complex and remove two dilapidated buildings to make room for a new home for its farmer’s market. It is also building a new regional job training center and renovating a building that will house its city hall, Princess Theatre and a satellite campus for Ivy Tech Community College.
Jay! projects
Projects and their priority level for the Jay! Region’s plan are still being finalized, but they are being pulled directly from planning that was done by each municipality over the course of the previous year. (The county decided to forego seeking the Stellar designation in 2018 in favor of working on revitalization plans to bolster this year’s effort.)
Possible projects for the region include:
•Jay County — Support for A Better Life – Brianna’s Hope, an effort to keep at-risk children in school and creation of an early learning center
•Portland — Creation of a trailhead, facade improvements and the addition and upgrading of housing
•Dunkirk — Facade improvements and a new home for The Glass Museum and library
•Redkey — Rehabilitation and housing through the Indiana 1 (Meridian Street) corridor and facade improvements
•Pennville — Creation of a trailhead and expansion of the library
(This is only a partial list of the projects that are being considered.)
Applications typically also include partner projects — those that are underway or planned that don’t necessarily meet the criteria for funding through Stellar. In Jay County, those are likely to include the planned expansion of Arts Place and improvements at Jay County Fairgrounds.
Earning the Stellar designation does not guarantee funding for the projects involved in the region’s plan. After a region is designated, applications for funding must be turned in on a project-by-project basis.
Stellar projects are expected to be completed within four years of the designation.
Next steps
Anyone interested in offering their opinions on what the Jay! Region’s priorities should be and what projects should be prioritized in its plan can do so by filling out a survey at surveymonkey.com/r/JayRegion.
Those regional development plans are due to be turned into the state by Sept. 20.
After it is submitted, the region’s Stellar leadership team — it is made up of government officials from each of the entities involved as well as others from various local organizations — will spend the next eight weeks preparing for the in-person presentation. That session, which will be at the Indiana Statehouse, is slated for November 14.
The Stellar winner will be announced Dec. 5, with a reception at the statehouse scheduled for Dec. 11.
•Office of Community and Rural Affairs — $8 million in Community Development Block Grants, a $30,000 placemaking grant, $20,000 in planning grants and funds from the Historic Renovation Grant Program.
•Indiana Department of Transportation — $4 million from the Rural Federal Aid Program.
•Indiana Housing and Community Development — Up to $1.6 million in Rental Housing Tax Credits, $500,000 for a Development Fund Loan, $500,000 for Owner Occupied Rehabilitation and $400,000 from the HOME Investment Partnerships Program Loan.
•Indiana State Department of Health — $75,000 from the Health and Wellness Program.
Other funding sources may be added by the Stellar partner agencies, which include Indiana Arts Commission, Indiana Bond Bank, Honest to Goodness Indiana and Indiana Department of Natural Resources, in addition to those mentioned above.
All of that grant funding requires a local match of 10 to 20 percent.
A new aspect of the program for 2019 is that Stellar finalists that are not chosen for the designation will split $1 million to be used toward moving forward with their redevelopment plans.
Winners and work
Previous Stellar designees, in addition to those previously mentioned, were Delphi and Princeton in 2012, Bedford and Richmond in 2013, Huntingburg and Wabash in 2014, Crawfordsville in 2015, Corydon and Rushville in 2016, Madison and Culver in 2017 and the Health & Heritage Region (Hancock County) and New Allen Alliance (Allen County) in 2018.
For Greencastle, one of the inaugural winners, work included road improvements, building facade upgrades and construction of a multi-use trail. There were also improvements for owner-occupied housing as well as the construction of second-floor loft apartments.
Wabash, about 50 miles northwest of Portland, made improvements to Eagles Theatre Community Center and created an all-inclusive playground. Its work also included road and facade upgrades.
Rushville has used its funding to continue to expand its business park, create a senior housing complex and remove two dilapidated buildings to make room for a new home for its farmer’s market. It is also building a new regional job training center and renovating a building that will house its city hall, Princess Theatre and a satellite campus for Ivy Tech Community College.
Jay! projects
Projects and their priority level for the Jay! Region’s plan are still being finalized, but they are being pulled directly from planning that was done by each municipality over the course of the previous year. (The county decided to forego seeking the Stellar designation in 2018 in favor of working on revitalization plans to bolster this year’s effort.)
Possible projects for the region include:
•Jay County — Support for A Better Life – Brianna’s Hope, an effort to keep at-risk children in school and creation of an early learning center
•Portland — Creation of a trailhead, facade improvements and the addition and upgrading of housing
•Dunkirk — Facade improvements and a new home for The Glass Museum and library
•Redkey — Rehabilitation and housing through the Indiana 1 (Meridian Street) corridor and facade improvements
•Pennville — Creation of a trailhead and expansion of the library
(This is only a partial list of the projects that are being considered.)
Applications typically also include partner projects — those that are underway or planned that don’t necessarily meet the criteria for funding through Stellar. In Jay County, those are likely to include the planned expansion of Arts Place and improvements at Jay County Fairgrounds.
Earning the Stellar designation does not guarantee funding for the projects involved in the region’s plan. After a region is designated, applications for funding must be turned in on a project-by-project basis.
Stellar projects are expected to be completed within four years of the designation.
Next steps
Anyone interested in offering their opinions on what the Jay! Region’s priorities should be and what projects should be prioritized in its plan can do so by filling out a survey at surveymonkey.com/r/JayRegion.
Those regional development plans are due to be turned into the state by Sept. 20.
After it is submitted, the region’s Stellar leadership team — it is made up of government officials from each of the entities involved as well as others from various local organizations — will spend the next eight weeks preparing for the in-person presentation. That session, which will be at the Indiana Statehouse, is slated for November 14.
The Stellar winner will be announced Dec. 5, with a reception at the statehouse scheduled for Dec. 11.
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