A major makeover for Kimmell Park along with restoration of the two abandoned, downtown movie theaters would be possible if a tri-county coalition were successful in scoring a coveted state grant awarded through the Regional Cities Initiative.
Knox, Sullivan and Vigo counties are currently forming the Wabash River Regional Development Authority. Connected by proximity to both the Wabash River and the U.S. 41 corridors as well as to their being along the boundary with Illinois, the coalition counties plan to submit a “modest” proposal seeking $34 million from the Indiana Economic Development Commission, which is administering the Regional Cities Initiative.
The intent of the Regional Cities Initiative is to increase the state's population, which has been steadily on the decline for decades, by funding development projects aimed at keeping more Hoosiers at home while also attracting new residents.
Phil Rath, vice president of Finance and Government relations at Vincennes University, said while the group was getting a late start on its application, he and others involved were confident that it would get serious consideration.
“For one thing, we're not asking for the moon and the stars,” he said, referencing the amounts other entities plan to submit, all totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars. “We're planning to submit projects that have a realistic chance of actually getting done, and hopefully that will account for something.”
Rath said it was likely the group wouldn't enjoy success in the first round of grant awards and would stand a better chance of success in round two.
But you couldn't rule out early success.
“I think we're putting together a pretty-impressive package of doable projects whereas, from what I've seen of some of the others, man there's just no way some of those are going to get funded at those amounts” he said. “Plus, if you look at our three counties, and consider how much can be accomplished toward the ultimate goal with only $34 million, that may get us some consideration in the first round.”
Kent Utt, president of the Knox County Development Corp., said the amount of investment that's already been made in Knox County was going to be a plus.
“You look at all we've got going on, with the hospital, Clark's Crossing, Pioneer Oil, VU — when we start adding all these things up it's really an impressive amount of investment in a relatively short period of time,” he said. “And Vigo County also has a lot of investment that's either underway or about to get started.”
Both Utt and Rath admit Sullivan County hadn't enjoyed similar success.
But Rath said he and Greg Goode, executive director for government relations at Indiana State University, were working with Sullivan County representatives to identify possible projects.
“It's really a plus that we're all willing to work together, to help each other work toward a share of this grant,” he said. “It doesn't matter how great our projects are if the others aren't equally great, so it behooves us to work together.”
Rath said both VU and ISU were having success “reaching across the river” and enticing Illinois residents to enroll on their campuses, and that the next step was to convince those students to make Indiana their home after graduation
“One of the keys to our getting this grant will be to show the IEDC that we can bring people in to our communities,” he said. “And we've got a good start on that already.
“So we'll be pushing that with IEDC's support for the projects we're proposing we'd be able to attract even more people and ultimately keep them here,” Rath said.
Utt said a similar approach would be taken with business development. He pointed to recent decisions by Pioneer Oil Co. and Franklin Well Services to move their headquarters from Lawrence County, Illinois to downtown Vincennes.
“That's a big thing for us with this application because we have proof right there of what we're already doing to bring jobs and people to Indiana,” he said. “And we'll be able to say to IEDC, 'Award us the grant and we'll build on our proven success.'”
Utt said the proposed Knox County projects — improvements at Kimmell Park and the restoration of the Pantheon Theatre and the Blue Moon Theater — are “quality of place” projects.
“That's the big thing right now,” he said. “That's what millennials [those in their early 30's and younger] are looking for in a place to live. It's more about what amenities we have than anything else.”
Rath said having INVin downtown was a “real plus,” as was the city's historic sites.
“Our historical significance is something we're going to play up big,” he said. “That's very unique to Vincennes and Knox County.”
INVin is an organization formed this year that seeks to promote downtown development through the arts. It owns both the Pantheon and Blue Moon.
Thursday afternoon the county council approved an ordinance committing Knox County to membership in the Wabash River Regional Development Authority, which will be governed by a five-member board but would not have taxing authority.
The Sullivan County Council is expected to vote to join the project on Thursday, with the Vigo County Council to follow suit shortly after that.
Officials with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. are expected to tour Vincennes next week.