Can these art, ag, ed, biz, downtown, health, broadband, housing, maker, trail, tourism projects revive ECI?
How about a disc golf trail instead of a wine trail? Will Tinker Trailers help? Or living near Central High School?
(Second in a two-part series)
MUNCIE — A professionally designed disc golf course — aka Frisbee™ golf course —on a 29-acre former dump site in Hartford City.
Mobile “Tinker Trailers™” parked throughout East Central Indiana where people of all ages can make things using high-tech equipment.
Revitalization of a Muncie neighborhood, across the street from Central High School, that has struggled with vacant/abandoned housing and crime.
The East Central Indiana Regional Partnership has selected those three and 50 or so other initiatives (see list below) as priorities to help address the region’s “colossal problems,” including depopulation, brain drain, low educational attainment, and below-average household income.
The partnership submitted a 328-page grant application to the state to help jump start its “Forge Your Path” comeback plan. Estimated total spending on the plan is $379 million, including private money and up to $50 million the region hopes to receive from the state’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI).
The original source of the total $500 million in READI funds to be awarded to regions across the state is the federal government’s American Rescue Plan, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package.
Here’s a summary of the major spending categories and catalyst projects proposed by the partnership to spark ECI’s comeback:
Parks — $3.4 million, including
“As the sport grows, Blackford County wants to transform a former Hartford City dump site into a multi-purpose park featuring a professionally designed Disc-Golf Course. This 29-acre facility would serve as a regional hub for disc golf tournaments.
“As the only professional disc golf course in the Central Indiana region, Hartford City will draw regional disc golf tournaments. Day and night visitors will purchase food, lodging, and transportation to benefit local businesses in the food, transportation, and hospitality industries. Disc golf courses in Delaware, Grant, and Jay counties will also likely benefit from the course as part of the regional disc golf trail.”
Neighborhoods/housing — $65.8 million, including
“The McKinley Live-Learn Neighborhood initiative in Muncie uses neighborhood redevelopment to … make the area’s existing educational assets the economic lifeblood of a healthy, attractive, and vibrant neighborhood.
“Located north of downtown in an area defined by the (White) River and by Central High School, the McKinley and Gilbert neighborhoods have the opportunity to become that place in Muncie.
“Funding provided for this initiative will target the acquisition of blighted riverfront properties that continue to detract from the neighborhood’s significant efforts to date. Additionally, funding would provide home rehabilitation and repair grants facilitated in partnership with Muncie Central High School and Muncie Area Career Center students.
“That initiative provides equitable living opportunities, creates safe neighborhoods by actively targeting blight elimination, empowering residents by offering funds for home rehabs, and growing learning opportunities by creating a neighborhood live-learn campus across the street from the high school.
“The Blackford County Housing Initiative seeks to leverage Hartford City’s ownership of 140 acres of land to incentivize the private development of single-family homes soon.
“The State Road 109 corridor from Knightstown to Interstate 70 is a location for future residential development. While available property along the corridor is plentiful, no current drinking water service is provided along or adjacent to the corridor.
“The Preserve at Northfield Park, Broyles Lane Housing Initiative in New Castle, and the Middletown Infrastructure initiative in Middletown, seek to strategically improve and expand public utility systems to encourage local residential growth.
“Osimonee Point in Portland will provide 35 new residential housing units targeted explicitly towards young professionals and individuals nearing retirement — two age groups that are currently increasing across the region. The development utilizes a highly visible property that had formerly fallen into disrepair but will rely on individual wells to provide water service to residents.
“Reid Health (Richmond) conceptualized the South 37th Street Housing Initiative and then bought approximately 75 acres of land to kick start implementation. The site will be used to develop around 200 apartment units and 130 single-family units to attract new employees and encourage current employees to relocate to Wayne County.”
Regional destinations — $64 million, including
“A primary goal of Cardinal Greenway Inc.’s most recent strategic plan is to close the gap between Gaston and Jonesboro, which requires coordination with multiple property owners and crossing under the I-69 corridor. The Cardinal Greenway Gap Project would begin to close the gap by connecting our existing Cardinal Greenway trail endpoint at Gas City/ Jonesboro to the town of Upland. The project includes remaining land acquisition, engineering, design, and construction.
“Ninety percent of the needed right-of-way was pledged between Taylor University, Town of Upland, and the City of Gas City. The closure of the gap in the trail system will create a safer route for thousands of East Central Indiana residents using the Cardinal Greenway Trail and …
“It will provide the necessary momentum to complete Phase 2 of the effort, which will close our regional gap from Upland through Matthews to the Cardinal Greenway in Gaston.
“The existing Whitewater Gorge Park is a 100-acre regional park located between Test Road and Waterfall Road. The gorge was created by the convergence of the three forks of the Whitewater River during the last Ice Age and runs 2.5 miles through Richmond. It … can provide direct connectivity to the Cardinal Greenway.
“Development of the Whitewater Gorge Park has helped restore the Gorge to a place of honor in the heart of Richmond and preserve the beauty of the Gorge for future generations.
“The City is partnering with a third-party vendor to establish a recreation program offering ziplining, tubing, kayaking, and climbing to activate the park.”
Tourism — $9 million, including
“A proposed Hotel Development in Hartford City seeks to establish … East Central Indiana … as a regional destination for traveling employees, general business, and industry while offering destination-related support to surrounding attractions and institutions within Grant and Blackford Counties.
“A recent hotel study completed by Newmark, Frank, and Night indicated that the lack of a hotel in Blackford County is a barrier to the community’s growth. Developing a new hospitality facility will allow Blackford County and the surrounding areas to attract skilled personnel and general visitors.
“It will ensure seasonal workers and business development professionals who visit the area have adequate accommodation, and Taylor University can host guest speakers.
“The Hartford City market area is home to a diverse base of corporate tenants including 3M, American Electric Power, Indiana University Health Blackford Hospital, Purdue University Extension, Taylor University, and Minnestrista, among other regional attractions.”
Agriculture — $44.6 million, including
“The Montpelier Agricultural Sustainability Demonstration Park will be an 80-acre sustainable agriculture facility in Blackford County. The facility will be the first domestic fertilizer production facility to divert poultry and other waste from the Wabash River watershed and the first facility to divert tires from landfills and incineration facilities and convert them into reusable carbon: a solvent, steel, and energy.
“The project will not only provide jobs to people facing employment barriers, such as limited educational attainment, incarceration, and substance abuse; it also offers an opportunity for innovative educational and technological advancement. Hello Nature, a 50-year-old international leader in producing organic fertilizers, natural bio-stimulants, and beneficial microbials for use in agriculture, will be responsible for managing the site’s overall development. The company is headquartered in the U.S. and has its initial production facility in Anderson.”
The arts — $28.4 million, including
“The Brown Family Amphitheater in Muncie will be a performance venue located in the Grand Lawn at the center of the Ball State University campus. The facility will host various events, including student performances from Ball State’s Music, Theatre, and Dance departments, which will attract people from across the region. The amphitheater was designed to create a cultural core in the center of campus that serves as a reminder of Ball State’s commitment to the Muncie community by providing engagement opportunities.
“The construction of the Connersville Downtown Events Center will promote a higher quality of life for residents of ECI and serve as a tourism destination within the region. The project will attract talent and promote nearby residents’ health, wellness, and prosperity. The included farmer’s market will provide fresh food to locals while giving farmers an additional venue to sell their goods.
“Through a partnership with the City of Gas City, Grant County, Mississinewa Community School Corp., Grant County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Grant County Performing Arts Center will allow all schools in Grant County a place for school functions. The center will provide a regional entertainment venue for several counties in the East Central Indiana region and beyond. The facility will also be suitable for large corporate and civic meetings. The school corporation will operate and maintain the center, and it is expected to have a capacity of 1,521 seats for performances.”
Regional broadband initiative — $31.3 million, including
“Broadband infrastructure is being defined as the fifth utility, prioritized along with electricity, water and sewer, gas and telephone service. While broadband infrastructure is becoming more commonplace and ultimately more critical in our expanding society, there is still a large divide between areas where internet connectivity is available and affordable and those where it is not available or is too costly for the average household. This gap, or the differences between these two distinct groups, is being defined as the ‘digital divide’. ”
Health and wellness — $13.5 million, including
“Creating a One Stop Shop Grant-Blackford Mental Health intends to convert a former elementary school into a space for co-located health and social service providers. When complete, the Blackford County Regional Community Hub, located in Hartford City, will offer physical and behavioral health services, social service supports (e.g., public benefits enrollment, emergency assistance), case management, and workforce development services through the myriad of agencies who will be tenants in the centralized location.
“Taylor University collaborates with a wide range of regional and state partners to expand their Inspire Vitality and Transportation in their Neighborhood. It brings together a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) to downtown Hartford City, providing accessible, affordable health and mental health services. This facility will also be a cornerstone for the revitalization of the downtown area as it contributes to the coordinated effort to build the infrastructure and spur future capital projects. Revitalization of the downtown area will help recruit/retain the future workforce in Blackford County.
“The Henry County Sheriff ’s Office wants to interrupt the cycle of substance abuse and support individuals in the jail to conquer their addiction and create healthy, productive lives for themselves and their families. Inmates who enter the Henry County Jail will be offered the opportunity to apply for the Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP).”
Educational attainment — $13.6 million, including
“The Muncie Children’s Museum is the only dedicated children’s museum in East Central Indiana, serving an extensive area and receiving visits from households and school districts all over the region.
“New programs will be provided to introduce the museum’s 42,000 annual visitors to careers in the construction, natural resources, meteorological, and railroad industries. These programs will provide hands-on opportunities for children to test their engineering skills at building a dam on a waterway, using math to figure out railroad logistics, understanding cloud formations, or using colors and patterns to create an interior design for a new home.
“The Henry County Caring for Children Birth to Five strives to create more childcare slots, encourage the use of Indiana’s Paths to QUALITY guide for excellence, secure scholarships, and reduce the costs of childcare for low-income families.
“The Classroom Connection project seeks to provide equitable educational opportunities to students across our rural schools by sharing instructors among school districts.
“Taylor University intends to launch the Blue Zone Center of Excellence program in Upland to train and develop professionals and volunteers to promote “Blue Zones.” These blue zones are defined as places where people live measurably longer and have happier lives with lower rates of chronic disease and a higher quality of life.
“Blue Zones and Taylor University will work collaboratively to develop the Blue Zones Center of Excellence and implement a Blue Zones Campus transformation. Deploying this initiative will measurably improve well-being across the campus and position the university as the premier destination for training tomorrow’s leaders.
“The Vision Corner Learning Center in Union City is partnering with KISSTV and Apache Design to expand into a downtown entrepreneurial space, providing career and technical education in broadcasting, streaming, business, marketing, and communication to all students in Randolph County.
“The Regional Center for Art and Design will fully realize the plan to house a signifi cant new regional arts and design learning center in Cambridge City for K-12 and adult education - built through a strategic partnership with the Herron School of Art and Design.”
Workforce training/development — $8.3 million, including
“The Arc of Indiana Foundation developed the Erskine Green Training Institute in Muncie to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to receive post-secondary vocational training that will lead to meaningful employment. The program is designed for individuals whose academic, social, communication, and adaptive skills are affected due to their disability.
“The curriculum addresses critical soft skills necessary to succeed in the workforce and incorporates that with industry-specific training. Currently, training programs are targeted at the hospitality, food service, healthcare, and inventory distribution sectors.
“This project would be an expansion of the training programs. Erskine Green will develop a new curriculum that incorporates their well-established soft skill and hard skill training specifically for the manufacturing industry. Upon completing the program, students will have a certificate, resume, practiced interview skills, and be ready to seek employment. Both Magna and Mursix have committed to serving as sites for internships/on-the-job training. It is anticipated that open positions will be made available to graduates of this program. Erskine Green seeks to train, educate, and mobilize this workforce segment to prepare them for careers in the manufacturing industry.
“A Better Life – Brianna’s Hope offers counseling, peer support groups, and services to people recovering from a substance use disorder. Through their program, Transforming Individuals by Empowering Success (TIES), they will provide communication and soft skills training across the East Central Region to increase the opportunity for people in recovery to connect to and retain employment.
“IU Health will partner with local secondary and post-secondary institutions to create school-to-employment pathways to connect students and people in recovery to jobs in the healthcare sector, with incentives for those who remain with IU Health. The Building a Healthier Workforce initiative will prepare and train individuals for immediate employment and long-term careers in healthcare.
“The Work Matters Collaborative is an initiative by Ivy Tech to partner with the court system and area high schools to off er individuals employment opportunities through “temp” job experiences and enrollment in courses at the community college. Ivy Tech will create “Ivy Temp.” This temporary employment placement agency will allow participants to receive a work-learn experience as temporary employees with short-term assignments primarily in the manufacturing industry.
“The partnership with the court system will focus on individuals who are “pre-trial.” That includes people who have been charged with a low-level crime and have been released to the community while they await trial. The initiative will also focus on high school students, increasing their awareness of manufacturing as a career and enrolling students in courses at Ivy Tech that will prepare them to enter this high-demand industry.”
Maker movement— $25.9 million, including
“Called the “maker movement,” it has changed the way that people can access tools and equipment across the world.
“In 2015, the Madjax transformed an empty warehouse in Downtown Muncie into a thriving hub for design, innovation, and community partnerships.
“The Madjax Makerforce Expansion project includes design and fabrication areas to support equipment and educational experiences related to molding plastics, advanced manufacturing, woodworking, and metalworking.
“The Emerging Growth Center & Regional Innovation Hub project starts with a building expansion at Muncie’s current Innovation Connector site. This expansion will create a regional hub for business growth resources, a regional attraction for e-sports, IoT development, and a youth and adult STEM Center. The expansion will also include an e-commerce fulfillment center for small-business entrepreneurs. The facility expansion will include additional business incubation offices to house the continued need for entrepreneurial spaces.
“The East Central Indiana Maker Network will support the makerspace within each county and Tinker Trailers® for ongoing outreach to schools and community organizations. These seven makerspaces — one in each county — will serve as hubs for creativity, new business startups, and mentorship alike. The Tinker Trailer is a mobile makerspace and STEM Lab.
“These spaces will be a magnet for entrepreneurship, citizens of all ages and offer shared access to high-tech machinery and equipment.”
Downtown development — $59.3 million, including
“The Connersville Main Street Façade Program will offer Main Street business owners the opportunity to participate in a matching grant for façade improvements.
"The Ridley Tower project will redevelop the former Marion National Bank building located in Marion. Once completed, the Ridley Tower will provide 29 modern market-rate apartments, the first in market-rate apartments in 35 years, downtown dining, retail and office space, and a community gathering space for special events. This redevelopment project has been ongoing since 2019, with only the second floor left to cap off the complete restoration of the building. The innovative component of this mixed-use development is the partnership. Halstead Development has partnered with Liberty Prep Academy, a Christian postgraduate prep school for men, to provide a place to live and work for young men who want to earn a 4-year degree.
“The Richmond Rising: Filling the Gaps – Growing Workforce Housing project strives to provide a housing type that currently does not exist in Richmond — new, market-rate apartments. This transformational project will include a 200-unit apartment complex that anchors the western edge of downtown Richmond.
“The Cambridge City Downtown Housing project, located in Cambridge City, takes on a different approach by leveraging public and private resources to rehabilitate existing residential and historic structures within the downtown area. This infill project will generate over 40 new housing units in downtown Cambridge City that work to address our region’s housing shortage and increase our workforce by attracting individuals looking to relocate.
“The housing units will range from one-bedroom entry-level apartments to upscale, condo-style living and four-bedroom homes.”
Regional partnerships — $6.3 million, including
“READI funds will dramatically increase the ECI Talent Collaborative’s ability to meaningfully support, empower, and strengthen county, regional, and industry coalitions. Funding will allow for regular stakeholder events and training opportunities where coalition members can share successes and receive knowledge and inspiration from regional, state, and national experts and colleagues. Funding also will support micro-grants for coalitions to pilot new ideas, engage in new research, and/or obtain technical assistance or consultant support for launching new initiatives. These grants reinforce trust by decentralizing funding, incentivizing creativity, and empowering coalitions to put their plans into action.”
Next step, reaction
The region is scheduled to present its case to a state review committee at a public meeting later this month or in December, when the $500 million is expected to be divided and allocated to the regions in a competitive process.
Regionalism is harder in East Central Indiana than in much of the rest of the state, Ball State economist Mike Hicks told me.
“First, there is no strong economic point of gravity in East Central Indiana. We’ll be releasing a study later this year showing the weak linkages across the region. That makes it very difficult for local elected leaders to be convinced of the need to work collaboratively,” he said in an email.
“Second, there is very little honest acknowledgement of the poor economic prospects for the region. The primary reason for this is an economic development culture that would much rather tell happy stories than admit to challenges and begin a systemic, long-term effort to fix the region’s problems.
“Third, the region’s largest employers are similarly unwilling to admit to deep regional problems, and focus their attention regionally, rather than just in their own backyard.”
But these aren’t intractable problems, he went on, adding that “other regions have some share of all of these affecting them, but it takes knowledgeable, hands-on leadership to make this work. The fact is that ECI really approaches economic development like it is 1980, and despite all the talk about a changed paradigm, there is very little of it actually happening.”
On the bright side, Hicks said that “there is a great deal of expertise in the region, including two federally recognized Economic Development Districts, and a Metropolitan Planning Commission. Ball State also has the Indiana Communities Institute, which is nationally recognized for its training and program work. BSU is also part of a small, but powerful federal consortium (the Rural Policy Research Institute). They are now working with a couple dozen counties around the state, including some in ECI.”
In less than a month, the East Central region’s eight counties (Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Randolph and Wayne) each committed $30,000, or $240,000 combined, to create the “Forge Your Path” plan and provide for its management.
Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement was instrumental in the plan’s creation and the university has been designated as a backbone organization for the “Forge Your Path” initiative.
“This plan was forged on the anvil of over thirty years of collaboration,” outgoing regional director Mindy Kenworthy said in the plan’s introduction. “The most recent foundation is the 21st Century Talent Region Designation and subsequent on-going East Central Indiana Talent Collaborative, hosted by Ball State University.”