State announces 2014 Stellar Communities program, sets Feb. 19 deadline

The program gives cities and towns the opportunity to present their visions for revitalization projects that will transform their communities, said Ellespermann.

Indiana’s program is a collaborative effort by the Indiana Department of Transportation, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs seeking to engage two communities to achieve a three-year revitalization strategy.

Communities should identify areas of interest and types of projects, produce a schedule to complete projects, produce cost estimates, identify local match amounts, sources, and additional funding sources, indicate level of community impact and describe the significance each project will have on the overall revitalization. From this strategy, communities will produce a three-year community investment plan identifying capital and quality-of-life projects to be completed during that period.

An eligible applicant must be a local unit of government that is a city or town not located within a entitlement community.