Crawfordsville becomes second Stellar Community in west central Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS -- Following in the footsteps of its neighbor to the south, Crawfordsville was named a Stellar Community by Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann on Monday.

Ellspermann made the announcement during a showcase of the designation program finalists, naming Crawfordsville as the Division I recipient (population 6,000 or more) and North Liberty as the Division II designee (less than 6,000).

Other finalists included Decatur, Dunkirk and Marion.

Launched in 2011, the Stellar Communities Designation Program is a multi-agency partnership designed to recognize Indiana's smaller communities that have identified comprehensive community and economic development projects and activities as well as next steps and key partnerships.

Since its inception, two communities have been Stellar designees each year.

Greencastle was the big winner that first year, with a $19 million influx of funds from the state. North Vernon was the other 2011 designee.

Other Stellar Communities have included Delphi and Princeton in 2012, Bedford and Richmond in 2013 and Huntingburg and Wabash in 2014.

With its designation, Crawfordsville is the second Stellar Community recipient in west central Indiana.

Praising all of this year's finalists, Ellspermann singled out the proposals from Crawfordsville and North Liberty.

"I continue to be extremely impressed by the quality of work and dedication of the communities who apply for the Stellar Communities Designation. Once again this year we saw five thoughtful plans," Ellspermann said. "Crawfordsville and North Liberty rose to the top with their innovative and comprehensive plans that are set to strengthen their downtown areas and have transformative long term impacts on their local communities."

Like most communities, Crawfordsville recognizes its downtown area is the heart of the city. A major component of the Montgomery County city's proposal focuses on broadening the immediate downtown area to include a co-working space, Fusion 54 as an asset for both local residents and Wabash College students to utilize for business start up and development opportunities.

Also included in the proposal are projects to create a pocket park, trails and other improvements to the city streets making Crawfordsville much more accessible to thousands of area residents and visitors to the city.

Division II designee North Liberty's proposal focuses on continuing its significant population growth driven by the reputation of their award winning schools and their ability to attract new business development.

Major projects planned for the St. Joseph County town include stonework in the Historic North Liberty Park, the expansion of their senior housing, building a trail to Potato Creek State Park and implementation of a Main Street façade program to make them more attractive and viable in an effort to increase tourism in their town.

Ellspermann and state agency representatives will travel to Crawfordsville on Friday, Sept. 4 and North Liberty on Friday, Sept. 18 for local "Stellarbration" events to commemorate the designation with each community.