Gov. Mike Pence speaks during a Regional Cities Initiative event at the Goshen Theater in April 2016. Staff file photo
CULVER — The process of turning a collection of north-central Indiana's dream developments into reality continues to chug ahead.
State officials have begun reviewing the projects from St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties that have been selected to receive a piece of the three-county area's $42 million Indiana Regional Cities grant. The goal of the state-funded program is to attract more population to Indiana by improving the quality of life in Indiana cities.
Regional Cities of Northern Indiana, the five-person board that's administering the grant for St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties, allocated $38.6 million for 15 projects earlier this month. The list includes aquatic and fitness centers for Elkhart and Plymouth, a revamped riverfront trail system for South Bend and new housing in downtowns throughout the three-county region.
The board met again Thursday at Culver Academies to talk about the timeline for disbursing that money.
Regina Emberton, president and CEO of Michiana Partnership, said the Indiana Economic Development Corp. has started reviewing four of those projects to confirm they meet criteria for Regional Cities money. The board plans to submit the other 11 projects for review by the end of this month.
The IEDC has 30 days to review the development plans, so that means the board will have those results by October.
Copyright © 2024, South Bend Tribune