Montgomery and five other regional counties have been awarded $20 million through Indiana’s READI program to support development projects.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. board approved awarding money to all 17 regional groups that submitted proposals for the program encouraging regional cooperation on projects to attract residents and businesses.
The 180 Alliance, which includes Boone, Hendricks, Johnson, Montgomery, Morgan and Putnam counties, submitted a $47 million proposal. The region was awarded 43% of its request.
Crawfordsville’s planned projects included a 200-unit housing subdivision, improvements to city parks and the redevelopment of a former brick factory into a nature park.
The region doesn’t know yet which projects have been funded. Officials are scheduled to meet with the IEDC in early January to discuss next steps.
“I truly believe it has been a great experience and we definitely came together as a new region,” said Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton, who helped make the region’s pitch to the state. “We have, undoubtedly, laid the groundwork for many good things to happen as we work together collectively.”
The Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative program received proposals outlining hundreds of projects for large cities and rural towns, including subsidies to encourage more housing construction, creating high-tech business locations and building new recreation facilities.
“We are, so often, competing against the communities around us and this placed us all on the same team,” said Barton, who said it was rewarding to make the case for other cities in the region.
Work won’t start immediately on many of the planned projects as federal rules require money to be committed to specific projects by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
