Regional officials, including several leaders in the Columbus area, have submitted a $49.5 million grant proposal to the state to support $378 million in projects aiming to stimulate housing, regional amenities, workforce training and innovation across south central Indiana.
The South Central Indiana Talent Region announced Thursday that the group has applied for funding through Indiana’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, or READI, which seeks to award $500 million across the state to promote strategic investments to retain and attract talent and encourage economic growth.
The proposal is based on a plan developed by through a collaboration of communities, non-profits and employers largely based in the South Central Indiana Talent Region, which includes Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings counties, as well as Edinburgh, among other nearby locations.
The plan proposes to use READI funding to help bankroll or support numerous projects in the greater Columbus area, including a research and development test complex at the former Walesboro airport property, the NexusPark project at the site of the former FairOaks Mall in Columbus, expansion of the Seymour High Schools Owls Manufacturing Program and broadband access in rural Jennings County.
Officials involved in the development of the plan described the funding opportunity as “unprecedented” and a “game-changer” for the region.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an opportunity like this in all my years of working in the grant-funding world,” said Eric Frey, executive director of the Southern Indiana Housing and Community Development Corp., which is the lead applicant on the region’s READI proposal. “It provides, in these multiple counties, some amenities and improvement that I think will draw people to this region.”
Next, regional officials expect to present their plan to a state committee in November and hope to hear whether the funding has been awarded by the end of the year, Frey said.
The plan
The 187-page proposal announced Thursday is divided into four main strategies — innovation and entrepreneurship, education and workforce development, housing and talent attraction and quality of place — and outlines plans for 25 agreed-upon projects and regional initiatives.
The South Central Indiana Talent Region is making plans to welcome up to 13,000 new residents to the region by the end of the decade. The group also set a benchmark of building at least 567 homes with READI support.
In Bartholomew County, READI funding would help support, among other projects, the construction of the initial phase of a new research and development test complex and proving ground for autonomous, electric and alternative-fuel vehicles.
The complex, the Mobility Test Park and Proving Ground, would be at the former Walesboro airport, where Cummins and Faurecia are currently using the former runways as a test track.
“Combining READI support with pledged public and private match, the initial $31 million phase (of the project) will be achieved,” the plan states. “In 2022, construction of a new replacement track for Cummins will be built by the community. In 2023, construction of the autonomous pad will commence which will become a shared and managed facility open for users to conduct short-term or long-term testing and validation needs.”
In 2024, LHP Engineering Solutions conditionally expects to invest in a new engineering facility to house its growing Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems and functional safety business, with additional space available to welcome new ventures on site, the plan states.
LHP Engineering Solutions has conditionally pledged more than $15 million of its own funds to two of the projects in the plan, though it is currently unclear which two projects the company may help pay for, according to the announcement.
The project at Walesboro has been envisioned and considered by Columbus officials for several years.
“At full build, facilities will allow testing and certification of autonomous, noise/vibration/handling, braking, highway, electric vehicle and other applications,” the plan states.
NexusPark
The funding would also help fund part of the NexusPark project at the former FairOaks Mall site in Columbus.
The city of Columbus has a projected commitment of $33 million in the project, including the construction of an indoor fieldhouse, recreational facilities, Columbus Parks’ administrative offices, community fitness facilities, non-sports activity areas and community gathering spaces.
Columbus Regional Hospital has committed $35 million for health care facilities, including physician offices, diagnostic services, wellness spaces and physical and occupational therapy spaces.
READI funds would be used to support the currently unfunded exterior campus and connector facilities, including community park spaces, People Trails and access to a public transportation hub, according to the announcement.
Other projects
The funding would also help support other projects in Bartholomew County, including the Columbus Riverfront Project and a hotel and conference center in downtown Columbus, among others, the plan states.
The funding would also help fund a parking garage that would support the hotel and conference center and other events and festivals in downtown Columbus and help get construction underway on plans to redevelop the waterfront between the Second and Third Street bridges in downtown Columbus, which could start next year and take an estimated 18 months.
Jackson County projects
In Jackson County, the grant would help support adding a digital manufacturing makerspace to the Seymour High School Owl Manufacturing program and expand science/ag-tech programs at the school.
In March, Seymour Community School Corp. plans to begin a $52.5 million construction project, the plan states. The digital manufacturing maker space and an agricultural science center make up a $10.0 million component of that expansion.
“To fully outfit all these programs of study with the necessary equipment to meet industry standards, as well as meet the needs of a growing student population, READI support is needed,” the plan states.
READI funds, as well as money from donors, also would be used to purchase equipment and renovate facilities as part of project to expand the Jackson County Learning Center.
Jennings County projects
In Jennings County, the grant would help support, among other things, the development of a 123-lot subdivision on the west side of North Vernon, called the Knobstone Subdivision.
The grant would also help support to project to provide broadband internet to 3,400 properties in rural Jennings County, nearly one-third of homes in those areas of the county.
