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OCRA > Additional Initiatives Additional Initiatives

"Beyond the Boundaries" Listening Sessions

Lt. Governor Becky Skillman renewed the state’s commitment to rural Indiana, announcing a series of 12 town hall meetings to gather information on the needs of rural communities. A similar effort in 2005 brought together a broad-based group of rural-serving organizations to address issues identified by rural residents and helped determine the priorities of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA).

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Batesville Public Library
131 N. Walnut St.
Batesville, IN 47006

Batesville's Public Input

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
New Castle-Henry County Library
376 S. 15th St.
New Castle, IN 47362

New Castle's Public Input

Monday, July 28, 2008
Riverside Center
231 E. Monroe St.
Decatur, IN 46733

Decatur's Public Input

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Steuben Community Center
317 S. Wayne St., Ste. 1A
Angola, IN 46703

Angola's Public Input

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Dal-Mar Catering Banquet Hall
159 1/2 E. Lincoln St.
Nappanee, IN 46550

Nappanee's Public Input

Thursday, July 31, 2008
LaPorte County Public Library
904 Indiana Ave.
LaPorte, IN 46350

LaPorte's Public Input

Monday, August 4, 2008
Dick Clark’s Family Restaurant
702 N. Prince St.
Princeton, IN 47670

Princeton's Public Input

Tuesday, August 5, 2008
North Elementary School
600 N.E. 6th St.
Washington, IN 47501

Washinton's Public Input

Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Jackson County Education Center
1000 S. Poplar St.
Seymour, IN 47274

Seymour's Public Input

Thursday, August 7, 2008
Sullivan County 4-H Building
30 East County Rd. 75N
Sullivan, IN 47882

Sullivan's Public Input

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Seeger High School Fine Arts Center
1222 South State Road 263
West Lebanon, IN  47991

West Lebanon's Public Input

Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Peru High School
401 N. Broadway
Peru, IN 46970

Peru's Public Input

Led by OCRA, the initiative includes a number of partners: the Association of Indiana Counties (AIC), Hoosier Energy, Indiana Association of Cities and Towns (IACT), Indiana Association for Community Economic Development (IACED), Indiana Association of Regional Councils (IARC), Indiana Economic Development Association, Inc. (IEDA), Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Grantmakers Alliance, Indiana Rural Health Association, and Wabash Valley Power Association (WVPA).

Regional Sustainable Food Initiative

Lt. Governor Becky Skillman recently awarded the Indiana Cooperative Development Center (ICDC) a $250,000 grant to support the Regional Sustainable Food Initiative.  This project will develop and implement a model to coordinate the production, processing, distribution, and sale of locally grown food.  Partners include the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Indiana Cooperative Development Center, USDA – Rural Development, Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, and Purdue Extension New Ventures Team.

In recent years, demand has increased for locally-grown food, due to issues of safety, freshness, and health.  Concerns about the environmental and economic impacts of transporting food have also contributed to this demand.  The Regional Sustainable Food Initiative will serve as a fresh food source for consumers, while supporting local economic revitalization.

Goals of the project include development of institutional and local networks for distributing food and creation of a model that can be replicated and economically self-sustaining.  The Indiana Cooperative Development Center will evaluate and choose up to two regional sites to implement the project.

Joint Land-Use Study: Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck Urban Training Center

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) is sponsoring a joint land use study in partnership with the Indiana Office of Energy and Defense Development, Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center (CAJMTC), Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC), and surrounding communities including the City of Columbus, Town of Edinburgh, Town of North Vernon, the Cordry/Sweetwater Lake Conservancy, Prince's Lakes, and Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson, Jennings, and Johnson counties.  The joint land use study will assess the relationship between the area's economic development and planned expansion of the military installations, and additional installation exercises.  CAJMTC, MUTC, and the surrounding communities are collaborating on this study in order to assess and address the current and future needs of the study area. OCRA is offering support and technical assistance to partnering communities. A $164,250 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Defense provides funding for the study.

I-69 Community Planning Program

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) is currently administering grants totaling $950,000 from INDOT to 19 southwest Indiana communities along the proposed I-69 corridor.  These grants are helping communities develop plans to manage the anticipated growth along the interstate.  Eligible activities include preparing local land use, economic development, and natural resource protection plans.