Lt. Gov. Crouch, OCRA announce seven communities to receive over $375K in federal planning grants

Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today announced seven Indiana communities will receive $375,320 in Planning Grants through the Community Development Block Grant program. The communities will use the funds to develop plans for the implementation of community and economic development projects.

“I celebrate the work done by these seven communities to obtain planning grants that will improve the quality of life of their residents,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “Rural Indiana is our next great economic frontier. It is important that we are investing in these communities as they continue to thrive and grow into the future.”    

The Planning Grant program strives to encourage communities to plan for long-term community development with the aid of subject matter experts and community input. The applications being funded this quarter address utilities, economic development, downtown revitalization and comprehensive planning efforts.

“Planning grants are often the first step in a community's redevelopment efforts and are crucial to the success of future projects,” said Christmas Hudgens, OCRA’s Community Development Block Grant director. "Congratulations to these seven communities on earning this grant funding. We look forward to seeing the continued growth and success of each community as they create their strong community and economic development plans.”

Water Infrastructure Grants aid communities in completing a holistic study of potential issues and opportunities across their drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. By completing this planning, communities will be able to make decisions regarding their most urgent water needs while understanding how each system works in context with other utility systems.

Water Infrastructure Planning Grants are awarded to two communities:

• Fulton County is awarded $58,320.
• The Town of Larwill is awarded $87,000.

Comprehensive Planning Grants are designed to support communities in evaluating assets and identifying opportunities to address current needs in the following areas: land use, government capacity, public services, placemaking, economic development, housing, transportation, agriculture, natural resources, broadband access and historic resources.

Comprehensive Planning Grants are awarded to three communities:

• The Town of Carlisle is awarded $50,000.
• The Town of Brookston is awarded $50,000.
• The Town of Whiteland is awarded $50,000.

Economic Development Planning Grants help communities assess the current economic conditions and identify strategies to support existing businesses, attract new ones and compliment current technology and work skills initiatives.

One Economic Development Planning Grant is awarded to the Town of Lagro for $40,000.

Downtown Revitalization Planning Grants encourage communities to plan for long-term community development efforts in various forms, such as business creation, increased tourism, historic preservation and other economic revitalization efforts.

One Downtown Revitalization Planning Grant is awarded to the Town of North Manchester for $40,000.

Funding for OCRA’s CDBG programs originates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program and is administered for the State of Indiana by OCRA. For more information, visit in.gov/ocra/cdbg/.