JCDC preps to advertise role of director

Jay County has been without a director of community development for more than two months.

Jay County Development Corporation’s executive committee is getting ready to fill that vacancy.

The organization’s executive committee is set to meet to review the job description Wednesday, then take it to the full board at its Feb. 2 meeting before posting it. It will be made available at hoosieropportunity.com and other sources.

“We’re anxious to get it through the executive committee and then to the full board so we can take our next steps,” said Doug Loy, president of JCDC.

The director of community development position has been open since Nov. 14 when Ami Huffman announced her resignation. It came after a few weeks of controversy over a comment she made in a private Facebook group — a screenshot of the post was later circulated publicly — regarding the Oct. 25 “American Patriots Day” event in Portland. She had been in the role since August 2005.

Since Huffman’s resignation, JCDC executive director Travis Richards and administrative assistant Jodi Hayes have worked together to keep community development projects moving forward.

Those include the expansion of the Pennville library that is being funded mostly via $333,333 that Jay! Region received for being a finalist for the Stellar Communities designation in 2019, various Indiana Department of Transportation projects including Community Crossings grants and other pending road and sidewalk work, and completion of paperwork for blight removal in Dunkirk through Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.

“So far we’ve been able to take care of everything that’s been going on,” said Richards.

“We’re lucky he’s able to do that,” added Loy.

Upcoming projects include the Town of Redkey applying for additional Community Crossings grant funding for road work. The Town of Pennville is also considering applying for an Indiana Office of Community Affairs grant, though details of that project have not yet been finalized.

(Jay! Region had committed to making another run at the Stellar Communities designation in 2020 before the program was canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The program is not expected to be revived this year as the pandemic continues, but could return in 2022.)

While JCDC has not had to hire any outside help as of yet, Richards said that is a possibility moving forward. He said it may be necessary to seek assistance for bidding Community Crossings projects already awarded to Portland, Dunkirk and Bryant and/or for Redkey’s upcoming Community Crossings grant application in order to make sure all of the details are handled correctly.

“At the same time, we don’t want to just hire (an engineering firm) to do all the work at extra cost to the municipalities,” Richards said. “We’re trying to find that right balance.”

He added that he’s been in contact frequently with INDOT local program director Kim Bowdell and other state officials in order to make sure the correct steps are being followed.

“The people at INDOT, OCRA and IHCDA have been extremely helpful,” said Richards. “It’s been very nice. They’ve helped me figure out where we’re at and what needs to happen next.”

JCDC’s executive committee met in December and distributed the director of community development job description for review. It currently includes items such as collaborating with communities to develop community plans, promoting volunteerism, researching and applying for grants, providing support for fundraising initiatives associated with community development projects and helping to develop ties between local communities and organizations. (The description has not been updated since Huffman was hired in 2005.) In addition to getting board input, JCDC planned to reach out to local clerk-treasurers for suggestions.

Richards said adjustments may include updates to reflect things that Huffman had already taken on, such as working with local Main Street organizations. But, he added, he doesn’t expect major changes to what JCDC is looking for in a community development director.

“I think what we’ve been doing has been working pretty well,” he said.