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City officials excited about latest Lilly grant
Reading about receiving a $32 million grant is one thing but hearing about it face to face is another.
Greencastle city officials were treated to just that, however, at the August City Council meeting as personable Dionne Jackson, DePauw University vice president for institutional equity, shared the good news about the Lilly Endowment grant through its College and Community Collaboration (CCC) initiative.
The grant will support joint development projects designed to enhance the quality of life for city residents and foster a vibrant, inclusive community, explained Jackson, who is co-principal investigator for DePauw on the grant.
“I’m thrilled to be here this evening,” she began from the podium at City Hall, enumerating four goals for the project: Providing housing for all, strengthening community connections, invigorating the small-town atmosphere and improving recreational facilities.
Addressing the housing element, Jackson noted that development known as Seminary Square will provide “space to really attract the workforce and keep and retain workforce individuals within the City of Greencastle, not just DePauw University,” while improved access to the downtown and creating better spaces for staging community events are also goals of the project.
That brought smiles to City Council faces. Housing has been listed as the community’s No. 1 need in a number of recent surveys and studies.
“The housing component will be addressing our housing issue as well,” Councilman Mark Hammer said.
“Thank you for your vision,” Council President Stacie Langdon commented. “Thank you for being so community oriented.”
Councilman David Masten, a Wabash College graduate, noted that Crawfordsville has a business incubator in place. He added that he is “excited about engaging before we roll out these things.”
Citizens are excited as well. From the audience, 2023 Putnam County Citizen of the Year Allison Leer gleefully called it “so awesome, so exciting.”
“It’s like Greencastle and Putnam County are like a little Carmel without all the expense and the hype, so don’t tell anybody,” Leer said, noting she and her husband lived in Carmel for 30 years before moving back to her Greencastle hometown in 2015.
As described in the grant announcement, the “Growing Green and Gold Together” project includes a goal of significantly boosting local businesses in downtown Greencastle. The development of new residential units and public spaces is expected to increase foot traffic and economic activity in the area, benefiting existing businesses and attracting new entrepreneurs through four key components:
• Seminary Square Mixed-Use Development: Will transform two city blocks into a mixed-use development featuring new residential units, commercial space and parking. The development will offer a range of housing options to serve existing community members, while helping to attract and retain young professionals and families. Prioritizing communal green spaces and pedestrian-friendly streets, the area is designed to create spontaneous social connection.
• Downtown Public Space Enhancement: Component focuses on revitalizing public spaces to facilitate major community events in and around the Courthouse Square. With the addition of new streetscapes, public spaces and a parking garage to support community activities and local businesses, these improvements are expected to make the area more conducive to events and gatherings as well as increasing accessibility via pedestrian traffic from the campus of DePauw.
• Downtown Small Business Incubator Fund: Aimed at fostering local entrepreneurship, this fund will provide support for small business development and growth, contributing to the economic vitality of downtown Greencastle. As a partnership between Main Street Greencastle, the Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center and DePauw’s School of Business and Leadership, this endeavor could open doors for training and support on topics such as developing a business plan, small business finance and effective marketing, in addition to providing financial resources to current and future small business owners.
• Putnam County YMCA and Natatorium: This project will assist in the establishment of a state-of-the-art YMCA facility with a natatorium providing year-round aquatic access for recreation, exercise, therapy and community gatherings. The proposed natatorium will likely incorporate features such as a zero-entry ramp, therapeutic benches, a flat area for aqua aerobics, swim lanes and an area for young children.
Total cost of the “Growing Green and Gold Together” project is estimated to be more than $109 million. In addition to the Lilly grant, funding is expected to come via a combination of developer investments, private donations and public support from the City of Greencastle.
The $32 million grant presented to DePauw is the largest of 13 Lilly grants to Indiana colleges and universities totaling more than $300 million in the second round of funding.
The project will be overseen by an executive leadership team comprised of representatives from DePauw and the City of Greencastle. Members of the team, Jackson announced at the City Council meeting, are herself and DePauw Vice President of Finance and Administration Andrea Young, along with Mayor Lynda Dunbar and City Attorney Laurie Hardwick.
“One of the things we want to leave you with,” Jackson told city officials and a small City Hall audience, “is that we’re committed to engaging our community.”
A public kickoff session about the project is anticipated being scheduled for October.