Northeast Indiana takes 'Road to One Million' to Regional Cities Initiative competition

Up to $42 million in block grants is available through the State's Regional Cities Initiative to be awarded later this year, part of the state'sefforts to spur population growth through the development of "regional cities."

The philosophy, according to NIRDA, is that by growing the region's population, economic and job growth will naturally follow.

The Road to One Million investment plan proposed spurring population growth in the 11-county region by 2 percent each year, a benchmark observed in some of the nation's fastest-growing cities that local business leaders say is necessary for the region to be able to compete in a global job market.

Population in the region currently rests just below 800,000 and has been growing at a steady 0.7 percent each year, but leaders with NIRDA say this is not enough to prevent a dwindling labor force if the trend is not reversed over the next 20 years.

"For Wabash County it is especially imperative that we embrace this kind of bold philosophy, because while northeast Indiana is growing we're not. We're losing population and have been for 20 years," Keith Gillenwater, president and CEO of the Economic Development Group of Wabash County said.

Gillenwater is also a member of the NIRDA Steering Committee, which finalized its Regional Cities application this month and includes sixprojects for Wabash County.

"To me it makes sense that Wabash County should embrace this concept of what we need to do to attract a new generation," he said.

That philosophy includes promotion of quality of life projects that are said to attract young talent and are a top priority for businesses looking to move to new locations. "We need things to attract young talent and entice talent that we have not to leave."

Gillenwater believes that while competition in the Regional Cities Initiative is tough, NIRDA has a strong chance at one of the two $42million block grants due to NIRDA's long history of working together as a region.

NIRDA is made up of 11 counties in northern Indiana, including Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley.

The northeast Indiana region has worked together for many years and recent legislative changes regarding regional development authority structure should lead to even greater cooperation between the 11 counties, Gillenwater said.

Each county is now free to economically support, or not support, any project outlined by NIRDA via an interlocal agreement, whereby individual counties pledge to financially cooperate on public projects.

Should NIRDA not receive the $42 million this fall, Gillenwater believes that the region will continue to pursue funding for all projects outlined in the Regional Cities application, which consists of $1.4 billion in projects throughout the region.

Six of those projects are located in Wabash County: the Manchester Early Learning Center, the Eagles Theatre, the Roann Covered Bridge Park, an Eel River canoe launch pad, the Rock City Lofts and the John Drook All-Inclusive Playground.

According to a release from NIRDA last week, approximately $400 million of public and private money has already been committed to the various projects outlined in the region's application.

Projects in the "Road to One Million" were drawn from hundreds of existing local projects throughout the region, and regional development authority structure should allow NIRDA to continue funding these projects should it not win Regional Cities money.

"Let's be honest, this is a new concept for Indiana," Gillenwater said. "But people have embraced it so far."

Winners for the Regional Cities competition will be selected in late 2015.