‘Stellarbration’ Toasts Future of Region
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowOne of the regions picked for a 2018 Stellar Communities designation marked its success today with an eye on the future. The "Health & Heritage Region," made up of Fortville, Greenfield and Hancock County, hosted its "Stellarbration" today at the Elanco Animal Health Inc. (NYSE: ELAN) headquarters in Greenfield. The region will receive up to $8.5 million from the state for its project proposals, ranging from trail and community health projects to the redevelopment and improvement of the communities’ downtowns and historic districts.
The region’s proposal theme included projects focusing on "health, heritage and heart." You can see the full proposal by clicking here.
In the area of health, Hancock County says, while it rates well in overall health, it is near the bottom in the state for physical environment. Stellar Communities projects include increasing trail miles, installing activity stations along trails, piloting substance abuse support programs, providing safe routes for pedestrians and bicyclists and creating recreation amenities for people of all ages and abilities.
The "heritage" projects including focusing on downtowns and adding housing opportunities, funding for the preservation and rehabilitation of historic properties and "leveraging history" for projects like Greenfield’s Riley Literary Trail.
The "heart" efforts including strengthening partnerships among the region’s nonprofit organizations and pooling resources.
This year’s other designee is the New Allen Alliance, which is made up of Grabill, Leo-Cedarville, Monroeville, New Haven, Woodburn and Allen County. OCRA plans to release details on the 2019 Stellar Communities program in 2019.