Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS – Jasper is among the five community finalists announced for the PreservINg Main Street Pilot Program, according to a July 23 announcement by Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs. Other finalist communities are Attica, Brookville, Cambridge City and Kendallville. The selected pilot community will be announced on Friday, Sept. 10.
In partnership with Indiana Landmarks and Indiana Humanities, PreservINg Main Street is designed to build a sustainable historic preservation ethic while building local capacity and a comprehensive downtown revitalization model.
The pilot community selected will be eligible for implementation funds of up to $2 million through OCRA’s Community Development Block Grant program, along with multiple capacity building opportunities through a partnership with Main Street America, Indiana Humanities and Indiana Landmarks.
“Congratulations to these communities on moving forward in this program’s selection process,” Crouch said. “Programs like PreservINg Main Street are important in helping our rural communities with the promotion of their downtowns and historic preservation.”
All five finalist communities will receive an in-person site visit from the selection team this August.
“This was a very competitive program with dozens of communities applying,” said OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner. “While we saw many great applications, these five communities really stood out. We look forward to continue working with these finalists and visiting the communities in the next steps.”