McCORDSVILLE — Plans are moving into high gear for both of Hancock County’s regional Stellar applications as the deadline to finalize plans draws closer.
Both of the groups, the Health and Heritage group comprised of Greenfield and Fortville, and the Mt. Comfort Gateway group consisting of McCordsville, New Palestine and Cumberland, have hosted community meetings led by Ball State University to educate the public on what being a Stellar designated community would mean.
The most recent meeting was conducted at the Buck Creek Township building in McCordsville where community leaders, elected officials and residents all met to talk about what projects the group wanted to complete and what the community stakeholders saw as the key assets for the group.
Ryan Crum, the planning director for McCordsville, said the meeting was all about engaging the public in the group’s push to be a Stellar designated community.
“This is all about providing information to the public and identifying what they see as some of the key areas of this community,” Crum said.
The Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University holds a meeting with each of the six finalists during the summer to go over data points from each community and to discuss what makes each group unique. The point of the exercise is to get the groups to think about how to ensure their community stands out and why the state should choose them as a Stellar designee.
A community that is designated as a Stellar community is entitled to several different grants from a variety of state agencies, including the Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Department of Transportation. Because most of the grants are earmarked for specific projects or require matching contributions, its hard to put an exact price tag on being a Stellar designated community but applicants could receive close to $8 million or more.
During the McCordsville meeting, residents and community leaders overwhelming mentioned their good schools and opportunity for growth as key assets for the eastern part of the county. Thanks to the county’s close proximity to Indianapolis and room for growth, many at the meeting said they see potential for explosive growth in Hancock County. They also think they are ready for that growth with plenty of quality of life amenities, including fiber readiness, a trail system and many downtown improvements in all of the municipalities engaged in the Stellar process.
“We’re one of the least densely populated metro areas,” Danielle Daugherty, HR manager for NineStar Connect, said at the meeting. “But we also have a comprehensive infrastructure plan, we’re ready for growth.”
In Greenfield, they’re not waiting for Stellar funding to get started on planning several projects to improve the city. City leaders are showing the state they are already working on projects and can do even more with Stellar funding. Greenfield Mayor Chuck Fewell said getting that grant money would certainly help the city’s long wish list of projects and could open the door for even more projects if funding is freed up.
The community groups are required to submit their final Regional Development Plan to the state by Sept. 21. The groups will then come to Indianapolis for formal presentations in November before the two winners are announced.
