Roe Leads Kosciusko County’s Participation In The Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program
By Blair Baumgartner
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — Kosciusko County was selected by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to participate in the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program. The towns of Etna Green, Mentone, Milford and Pierceton have chosen to participate in the yearlong program.
Amy Roe was hired in February to head the newly created position as Kosciusko County community coordinator. Roe’s position was created by utilizing American Rescue Plan Act funds. Specifically, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs created the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program and rewarded Kosciusko County with a $1 million grant from American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The project has four phases:
• Building teams.
• Community Engagement — gathering data on potential community project initiatives.
• Project prioritization — utilizing pathway committees to analyze the data in cooperation with educational facilitators in the community and deciding what project ideas make the most sense for each community.
• Strategic investment plan — What does funding these specific community projects look like?
“Ultimately, we will have a list of grant-ready community-based projects that will benefit each community,” said Roe.
“These communities made the commitment to provide people and support as well as 30% of their ARPA funds for a period of 12 months,” she said. “Each community committed to the program without really knowing many of the details. Imagine trying to sell something by promising it would be great, but not letting your client know all the details. To the credit of these local leaders, they could see the vision.
“It’s very heartwarming to see the trust being built between the county and each community, as well as in
dividuals within each community who might not otherwise have the opportunity to include themselves in wider community initiatives. My role is not to tell them what to do, but to give them a platform and educate them on the process and develop skill sets to know how community projects work and how they can be a part of them moving forward into the future.”
Roe added, “These people are hopeful. These people are excited. These people now feel like they are more intimately a part of their community. Each community leader involved in an art-infused project got this beautiful sign and was able to paint on it. One of the kids in Mentone was able to paint on one of the signs. He said, ‘That? That, that I did, is going to be here? We get to keep this? What? That is so cool.’
“The second committee meetings will be coming up soon. It will be interesting to see what they come up with as part of their project list, how they sell their ideas to the town council and what they have learned through the process.
“At the end of phase three, they will ultimately decide which community project ideas are most ideal for each committee.” There are four pathway committees: Advancing E-Connectivity, partnered with Purdue University; Quality of Place, Ball State University; Community Wellness, Indiana University; and Strengthening Local Economies, Ivy Tech Community College.
“By giving them access to these educational facilitators, maybe they will be inspired to run for office one day,” Roe said. “Maybe they will be inspired to do another project by themselves. Maybe they will be more passionate about helping their community because they were chosen and took part in this program. We are the trailblazers bringing people within each community together for common causes.”
Roe concluded, “The fourth phase is the strategic investment plan. We begin to figure out how the different projects will be executed and determine their funding sources. Ultimately, how does it work out best for these communities and Kosciusko County? We could have multiple projects going at the same time and how do we navigate and implement these projects? These are the questions that will need to be answered. In the end, we will have a list of grant-ready projects for each community.”