Officials in Marshall County will be awaiting an announcement Tuesday afternoon from the state of Indiana.
The winner, or winners, from an extensive Regional Cities Initiative application process are expected to be announced during that time. Marshall County has joined forces with St. Joseph and Elkhart counties in their application.
If approved as the lone winner, the Northern Region would be the recipient of $42-million allocated over two years for projects that look to retain and attract population to the Hoosier state. Indiana has identified population loss as a major threat to economic activity.
Marshall County Economic Development Executive Director Jerry Chavez says their efforts in the application process are a positive step in several directions.
“It speaks to how we improve our amenities with the community so we can attract young talent, start to build up more residential homes, and we can increase dramatically our capital investment and our economy for not only this county, but for the region as a whole,” says Chavez.
Marshall County has contributed to members of a board that oversees the application with the help of the Michiana Partnership.
Rumors have circulated in previous months that the Northern Region is among the top three candidates.
Numerous projects have been listed if the grant funds are delivered to the area following Tuesday’s announcement. The watch party in Marshall County will take place at Swan Lake between 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.
