Tuesday, the Board of the Regional Development Authority (RDA) for the South Bend-Elkhart region in North Central Indiana met to consider requests for Regional Cities Initiative funding.
The RDA is responsible for disbursement of $42 million in Regional Cities Initiative (RCI) grant money awarded to the Innovate Indiana plan submitted by Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties in 2015. RCI grants can contribute up to 20 percent of a project’s total projected cost.
Tuesday, RDA Board members voted to award funding to the following projects in Marshall County:
– $1.762 million (10% of the projected cost) for the Housing Resurgence project in Marshall County. A series of four housing developments proposed across Marshall County to meet growing demand.
– $2 million (15% of the projected cost) for the Marshall County Wellness & Life Enhancement, Inc. (Former called Plymouth Aquatics Center). The Marshall County Wellness and Life Enrichment Center includes construction of two facilities. The first is a ten lane competition swimming pool, complete with day care facilities, educational classrooms, and concessions. The second is an indoor/outdoor soccer complex with two indoor turf arenas and a general purpose turf area aiding indoor practice for football, baseball and other sports during inclement weather. The soccer facility will also have two outdoor soccer fields to accommodate competitive matches and tournaments.
– $800 thousand (6% of the projected cost) for the Marshall County Shell Buildings project. — Funding that will be repaid and reinvested into the Plymouth and Culver Entrepreneurship Centers.
– The Plymouth & Culver Entrepreneurship Center also received a commitment to a 15% grant in funding that is contingent upon the success of the Marshall County Manufacturing Shell Building project. This arrangement was made to make the most of Marshall County grant investment monies.
– $200 thousand (20% of the cost) for the Lake Maxinkuckee Trail in Culver (originally called the Marshall County Trail System). A pedestrian walking, biking, jogging trail around Lake Maxinkuckee and Culver, Indiana.
“We’re in the most exciting, but also the hardest part of this work,” commented John Affleck-Graves, Executive Vice President of the University of Notre Dame and Chair of the Northern Indiana RDA board. “The original plan we submitted to the state for consideration featured impressive projects that will impact our entire region. It was exhilarating to be awarded the $42 million grant last December. Now we’re determined to prove that the plan will work. The projects we voted to fund today, will have tremendous impact across the entire region.”
The RDA’s recommendations now go to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) for review and final approval prior to project funding.
Indiana’s Regional Cities Initiative is designed to encourage transformational change that will spur economic and population growth by retaining and attracting talent while raising the region’s national brand awareness.
About the Regional Development Authority (RDA)
The Regional Development Authority (RDA), comprised of a five-member board representing Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties, is guided by a strategic plan produced in 2015 by Regional Cities of Northern Indiana as it oversees projects of regional importance. Board members include John Affleck-Graves, Chair, Executive Vice President, University of Notre Dame, Dallas Bergl, Secretary-Treasurer, President & CEO of Inova Federal Credit Union, Kristein Pruitt Member, Vice President and General Counsel Lakeland Financial Corp., John DeSalle, Member, Vice President of Engineering and Manufacturing for Hoosier Racing Tire Corp., Pete McCowan, Member, President of the Community Foundation of Elkhart County.
