Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb

INDIANAPOLIS – Recently, Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb announced the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs awarded six communities funding for economic development initiatives through their Downtown Enhancement Grant program.

The Cities of Aurora, Columbia City, Seymour, Peru and the Towns of Veedersburg and Vevay will each receive grant funds ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 to improve the local quality of life, spur economic development and advance avenues for increasing private investment and employment in their downtown areas.

“Indiana’s rural cities and towns are every day developing vibrant main streets that welcome new businesses, visitors, and residents, and the Downtown Enhancement Grant program helps fuel those important efforts,” said Holcomb. “I commend each Spring recipient for their collaborations at the state and local levels. Together, we can ensure our hometowns are thriving as attractive places to live, work, and play.”

The OCRA program, which accepts applications in both the spring and fall, is designed to foster innovative approaches to activities that support and promote community based planning, broad partnerships and beautification. Qualifying projects are those which promote economic development in the downtown areas and will enhance the quality of life in the community.

DEG is a component of OCRA’s Indiana Main Street Program, which is founded on a Four Point Approach to downtown development: organization, design, promotion and economic vitality. Across the state, 110 Indiana Main Street communities work on these four main aspects of their downtowns in order to drive restoration and revitalization efforts.

The City of Columbia City’s Main Street Association received $9,341.

After seeking public feedback during an open house, the community identified creating a ‘vibrant downtown’ as a top priority. A vacant lot will be transformed into a downtown park that is accessible by footpath and includes benches, picnic tables, patio areas, teakwood planter boxes and furniture.

The project is a partnership between Columbia City Main Street Association, City of Columbia City, Columbia City Redevelopment Commission, Three Birds Casual, Community Foundation of Whitley County and Fahl Colors.

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs’ works with local, state, and national partners to provide resources and technical assistance to aid communities in shaping and achieving their vision for economic development.

For more information about the Indiana Main Street and Downtown Enhancement Grant programs, visit www.ocra.in.gov.