Attendees of the Marshall County Crossroads Stellarbration ceremony filled the newly constructed Marshall County Community Center in Argos on Thursday to recognize the distinction of being designated a Regional Stellar Community.
Representatives from all of the communities involved spoke about their projects in the Regional Development Plan and how important the process was to engage all communities as a region to help the county move forward to attract and retain the future generation to the county and its municipalities.
Director of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs Jodi Golden said Marshall County embraced the challenge of community involvement in the process.
“The Marshall County Crossroads Team has embraced regionalism I think more than we ever thought possible. You guys really get it. It’s well proven in your Regional Development Plan and you’ve done an excellent job engaging your citizens, as we can see today with this full room, but really engaging those citizens and making them a part of the Stellar process through input meetings, surveys and social media. I think that’s really one of the things that made you stand apart,” commented Golden.
She added that Marshall County shows a lot of great promise with the Regional Development Plan that was submitted.
“Your projects are truly community driven and community focused and we could tell that as well through the community input that you received. Most importantly what we’ve seen since last year is you’ve created new partnerships, and you’ve strengthened other partnerships or existing partnerships and you’ve a brought diverse group of stakeholders to the table. You’ve recognized that it’s not just about the $20-plus million available through the Stellar designation, it’s about the process of getting there and creating that vision for your community and your county.”
Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch, who is one of the state’s biggest advocateS of rural communities, said funding is always challenging for needed projects in one’s community and Stellar is just one way to assist regions in coming together to connect and complete projects.
“It’s about the State partnering with local communities,” stated Crouch. “It’s about you in your local community and your county partnering with each other. Your endeavors are going to create greater economic opportunities. They’re going to create jobs and increase property values and bring tourists to your downtown. But, it’s also about the future.”
Following the Lieutenant Governor’s words, members of state agencies helped in cutting the ribbon to the Marshall County Community Center.
State Representative Jack Jordan looks at the Stellar designation as a way to move the county forward.
“I think the excitement about it is we’ve got a bunch of communities and now we’re one community,” commented Jordan. “We can work together and maximize everybody’s strengths and at the end of the day try to leave our kids with just a great place to live so they don’t have to go someplace else. They can come back here and enjoy our community.”
The next big day will be Feb. 5 when state and county representatives will look at the next steps in the Stellar process to begin work on the Regional Development Plan.
Thursday’s presentation in its entirety can be heard during Sunday’s Maximum Impact program at noon on MAX 98.3 FM.
