The board tasked with putting $42-million in Regional Cities grant funds to use will be meeting over the coming weeks to determine how best to use the monies.
Those aims were set by the Indiana General Assembly when it was determined how to implement regional economic development projects.
The organization that played a major role in organizing the Regional Cities application efforts, however, says it will now wait to see how, or if, it can play a role. Michiana Partnership’s Director Regina Emberton says there’s a good process in place for the next stages.
“The RDA Board, now that we’ve been awarded those funds, is in the process of determining how that will look and what kind of staff support they’ll need so one scenario could be that Michiana Partnership could continue to be a liaison and play a role with project management going forward,” says Emberton.
During the Strategic Review Committee’s meeting this week in Indianapolis, it was noted that the Regional Cities Initiative received a level of response that may warrant additional funding.
Emberton, however, says that while some projects in the list fit perfectly with the Regional Cities Initiative’s goals for improving quality of place, other projects were equally transformative, but could be managed on a local level. A general consensus exists in Marshall, St. Joseph, and Elkhart counties that the momentum of regional economic development should be carried forward.
Several state analysts have pointed to the pressure that the projects will now bring to the region. Emberton says they can certainly feel it.
“To be looking forward and focusing on what people are calling the War on Talent, and making sure that our communities are ready to house millenials and the new generation so that we’ve got the talent to support our businesses is something that is quite new,” says Emberton. “So I do think that we will be in the spotlight and I think this region is ready to execute on the projects and really shine in that light.”
Monies allocated through the program must first be finalized by the Indiana General Assembly. Now, the RDA Board will focus on the projects that make the most impact.
The North Central Region has obtained private sector promises of matching investment funds. Securing those monies as part of the projects will also be a major focus going forward.
