NEW ALBANY — A company has been selected to help local communities potentially seek millions of dollars for sizable public projects.
The Kansas City, Mo.-based firm BNIM was selected by a local task force to complete a “world-class communities” plan for the Southern Indiana Regional Cities Initiative.
If approved by the General Assembly, the initiative will combine public and private tax dollars to foot large, region-impacting projects. Communities are expected to partner to apply for the funds, and if the pool is created, it’s anticipated the competition for the money will be intense.
The local task force accepted four proposals in December, and interviewed the top three companies for the position based on a review of their applications.
“BNIM was overwhelmingly the choice of the three firms interviewed,” said Jill S. Saegesser, executive director of River Hills EDD & RPC and a member of the local task force.
Through One Southern Indiana, the task force issued a press release Tuesday about hiring BNIM.
“All the firms were talented but BNIM was just the best fit for our community, its assets and its challenges,” she said in the release.
Public forums, regional workshops and online feedback will be slated and accepted in the coming months, as BNIM will be charged with developing a “regional vision” and identifying specific initiatives to help the task force in its proposal for funding through the Regional Cities Initiative.
“Planning for the next generation requires a multidisciplinary approach to creating visions that are informed by broad, inspired experiences,” said Vincent Gauthier, director of planning and associate principal for BNIM. “We look forward to meeting with stake holders and the public at large to gather input on individual initiatives for consideration in the final strategy.”