HUNTINGBURG — Mayor Denny Spinner took no chances Friday morning when he personally hand-delivered the city’s Stellar Communities grant application to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs in Indianapolis. Spinner turned in the Huntingburg-stamped binders before noon, making them the first application the staff received.
Huntingburg was named a finalist for the 2014 Stellar Communities Program in March — along with Decatur, Marion, Mount Vernon, Nashville and Wabash — and has been full-steam ahead preparing the proposal since.
The committee — it includes the mayor, city director of communication and community development Rachel Steckler, Brad Ward from the Dubois County Community Foundation, Lisa Gehlhausen from Indiana Region 15, consultant Ed Curtin, city planning director Rich Hazlewood, water superintendent Todd Williams, city councilman Alex Blackgrove, chamber of commerce executive director Nick Stevens, Mike Cummings of Dubois Strong and citizen input from Kathy Young, Cory Menke, John Mundy, Bicke Lewis, Phil Ahrens, Marina Guerrero, John Martin and Steve Martin — has met every Thursday to find corporate sponsors and finalize the details of each proposal.
“I’m just so pleased with the process that brought us to this application,” Spinner said this morning, although he added duties associated with the bid have been very time consuming. “I believe we have put together an investment plan that represents the community well and highlights projects that citizens have expressed interest in.”
The city, a first-time Stellar applicant, based its proposed projects on community need, following suggestions that surfaced at Reviving the Pride listening sessions and a revised comprehensive plan and downtown-revitalization plan.
The 259-page proposal was designed by Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group of Indianapolis and includes budgets, timelines, maps and renderings of the possible outcome of each of the nine projects.
“We think it represents us well. We’re very happy with it,” Spinner said.
Some of the projects in the application are senior housing redevelopment at the former St. Joseph’s Hospital, affordable family housing attractive to the county’s manufacturing base, improvements to the Fourth and Market street downtown park and The Heritage Trail, a paved walking trail that will connect each of the proposed projects and link the north and south ends of the city. There is also a proposed maintenance building at the corner of 12th Street and Moenkhaus Drive that will double as a community shelter, an idea Spinner said has been gaining favor with Huntingburg residents.
The group will meet again Thursday after taking last week off to prepare for the Stellar selection committee’s site visit July 9. During the visit, representatives from the Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and OCRA will see the areas covered in the application and city officials will make a formal presentation. Spinner said the city has also hired Cinephreak Pictures, owned and operated by Huntingburg resident Jakob Bilinski, to create a short film highlighting the people of Huntingburg to accompany the presentation. The music of Huntingburg artist Danielle Lee will be featured in the video.
Ahead of the visit, Spinner and the committee remain optimistic about their chances of being named one of two Stellar communities this year. The announcement is expected in August.
“We feel very confident that we’ll earn the Stellar designation, but should we not the plans are already in place,” Spinner said, adding that each project is a viable and positive addition to the community. “The process has been well worth the effort.”
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