Council receives update on Greencastle-DePauw collaboration

With a goal of developing a plan to address infrastructure needs within the city of Greencastle related to housing, recreation, education and aesthetics, DePauw University and the city are utilizing a $250,000 planning grant awarded from the Lilly Endowment College and Community Collaboration Initiative.

An update regarding planning grant progress was presented to the Greencastle City Council at its August meeting at City Hall by Andrea Young, vice president for finance and administration, and Dionne Jackson, vice president for institutional equity, representing the grant leadership team.

The planning grant will be used to develop a master plan for the corridor between DePauw and downtown Greencastle and possibly other areas of town. In the spring of 2024, the Lilly Endowment will be accepting applications for up to $25 million to support projects that result from these planning grants. The $25 million can be used to make up 30 percent of a project, which would be around $80 million at that level.

During the presentation, Young noted that with the cost of infrastructure and building materials, “$80 million doesn’t go as far these days.”

The leadership team consists of nine members, including Young, Jackson, Mayor Bill Dory, City Attorney Laurie Hardwick, Greencastle Community School Corporation Superintendent Jeff Gibboney, Putnam County Community Foundation Executive Director Neysa Meyer, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management at DePauw Warren Whitesell and DePauw Coordinator of Community-Based Learning Anna Sherrill.

Organizers believe the grant has the potential for recruiting employees to the city and the university and can focus on “what is required to attract the workforce here,” Jackson said.

Following a competitive bidding process, a team of experts led by AP Development of Brownsburg and including MKSK, Delv Design and the Veridus Group, was selected to develop the master plan with a goal of having that done by the end of the year.

Additionally, the leadership team has created a strategy to engage with community stakeholders and to actively solicit community input throughout the planning grant process. As a first step, the leadership team has partnered with the Putnam County Community Foundation to utilize the 2023 Community Needs Assessment results to inform the planning grant work.

Mayor Dory said the city-DePauw collaboration is “ahead of the game with the survey work that’s been done by the Foundation.”

The planning phase of the grant will run through early winter when the submission of the final grant occurs. Those interested in learning more about the grant and providing feedback regarding the project can plan to attend an initial community forum to occur in late August. Details regarding the forum will be shared in the near future.