Stellar returns in new format

Stellar is back.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch announced recently that the state program previously known as Stellar Communities is returning this year in a revamped format now known as Stellar Pathways.

The program will continue to be administered through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA).

“Rural Indiana is our next great economic development frontier,” said Crouch in a video announcing the new program. “It’s full of Hoosiers who are dedicated to growing their community, who are hard-working, resilient, optimistic and forward thinking.”

Jay County and its municipalities were involved in the process several times, with Dunkirk selected as one of three finalists in 2015 and the Jay! Region as one of four finalists in 2019. Portland was one of 12 cities that received a site visit in the program’s inaugural year (2011), but did not make it into the top five.

Stellar Pathways will build off of Stellar Communities and continue to be a multi-million dollar investment initiative. It will offer up to $8 million in Community Development Block Grants through OCRA, $3 million in rural federal aid through Indiana Department of Transportation and $1.5 million in Community Housing Development Organization funding through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Agency. Additional funding will also be available through the state departments of health, agriculture and natural resources as well as Indiana Destination Development Corporation.

As opposed to the previous format, which first focused on working with individual municipalities and then self-selected regions, Stellar Pathways is for communities within county boundaries.

The county government or a non-profit that serves the entire county, such as a community foundation or economic development organization, can serve as the lead applicant. It must partner with municipalities within the county to create a region.

Applicants must commit to a five-year process that will include capacity training, community engagement strategies, asset identification and project prioritization and implementation.

“The Stellar Pathways program partners with a variety of state agencies to assist regions in creating transformative capital improvement projects,” said OCRA director of strategic initiatives Andrea Kern, who is the program director for Stellar Pathways.

The first step for any county or non-profit interested in the program is to take part in a two-day workshop — they are scheduled for Feb. 15 and 16, Feb. 22 and 23 in Lebanon and March 4 and 5 in Danville — to learn about the new program. (Three to five representatives of the entity can attend.)

Applicants must submit a letter of intent by May 1, after which OCRA will select four communities to move forward with the process. It will include community engagement training and individualized coaching through the Ball State University Indiana Communities Institutes. Communities chosen will receive $50,000 to go toward the development of a strategic investment plan that will be due to OCRA by Nov. 1.

Two communities will be selected as Stellar Pathways designees, which will have five years to complete projects and programs. (Funding will be applied for individually.)

Stellar Communities launched in 2011 as a way to provide assistance with planning and investment in communities across the state. It continued with various tweaks through 2019, with the 2020 process canceled upon the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Communities awarded over the life of the program were Greencastle and North Vernon in 2011, Delphi and Princeton in 2012, Bedford and Richmond in 2013, Huntingburg and Wabash in 2014, Crawfordsville and North Liberty in 2015, Corydon and Rushville in 2016, and Madison and Culver in 2017. In 2018 — the first under the regional approach — winners were the Health and Heritage region (Hancock County, Greenfield and Fortville) and New Allen Alliance (Allen County, Woodburn, New Haven, Grabill, Leo-Cedarville and Monroeville). Marshall County Crossroads (Argos, Bourbon, Bremen, Culver, Plymouth and Marshall County) beat out the Jay! Region, the Constellation of Starke (Hamlet, Knox, North Judson and Starke County) and Safe and Welcome (Knightstown, New Castle and Henry County) in 2019.