Warren County looks forward to transformative Stellar grant
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Kara Dewlan likes to envision Warren County as a small community that’s poised for big things.
Dewlan knows how to think big as she’s spent much of her professional life in Las Vegas, but now she’s back where she grew up and working on improving the quality of life in Indiana’s third smallest county.
In fact, Dewlan’s first day as executive director of the Warren County’s Economic Development Organization was the day the group submitted its Stellar Pathways application to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
ORCA will ultimately award nearly $13 million to two rural regions to support community development projects. Last month Warren County—and its main city of Williamsport—was named as one of four finalists for the funds, which would prove to be a transformative for the county of 8,500 people.
“It gave a sense of ‘Okay, we are going in the right direction,'” Dewlan said of being named a finalist. “Stellar is going to allow us to elevate and take us to the next level.”
Now that the county is a finalist, local leaders will receive $50,000 to develop a finalized investment plan, with grant winners announced early next year. At this stage, Warren County hasn’t nailed down which projects it wants to move forward with, but Dewlan said the steering committee is guided by community feedback it received when making a comprehensive plan for the county in 2022.
That plan emphasizes the need to grow the county’s population. One way to start is by capitalizing on the Williamsport Falls, Indiana’s largest natural waterfall at 90 feet tall.
“Knowing that the falls is definitely something we have and enjoy ourselves…we get to dissect it and understand — how can we make this something that everybody can enjoy?” Delwan said.
That could take the form of encouraging more shops and restaurants in the surrounding area. Housing, childcare and increased access to high-speed internet are other priorities listed in the plan. Whatever developments come to Warren County in the future, Dewlan said economic leaders are cognizant of the need to preserve the region’s rural character.
“Stellar is going to be able to allow us to take some of the projects we already have and build on those, but then also takes some projects that we hoped to be able to get to at one time, but we weren’t quite sure when, it gets us there,” Dewland said. “It makes us one of those communities people find themselves drawn to. It makes us a destination.”
The other three regions competing for a share of the Stellar Pathways funding are LaGrange County, Dearborn County, and Wabash County. The strategic investment plans will be submitted by Nov. 1, and the two winners splitting the $13 million will be announced in January.