Starke County Community Services recently received a plethora of food donations thanks to the “Bluegrass Jam” event hosted by the City of Knox on March 25th.
At Tuesday night’s Knox City Council meeting Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston mentioned that the entry fee for the event was a food donation. Although he didn’t have an exact number for how much food was collected, he said the event was very well attended. He added that many people also provided compliments about the upgrades to the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center.
During his report, Houston also filled members in on the Starke County Economic Development Foundation Community Retreat that he attended with Mayor Dennis Estok and Councilman Jeff Berg.
The Clerk-Treasurer explained that the main take-away was the importance of “quality of place.” He commented that for the longest time, when thinking about economic development, the biggest emphasis was creating jobs to draw people to your city or town.
However, with the way the world has changed, many people can work from home or have the option to commute outside of where they reside. He said the major focus of the meeting was creating a community where people choose to stay.
He mentioned that the three most important factors needed to engage citizens are good schools, safe and livable communities and recreational amenities.
Councilman Jeff Berg added that he plans to coordinate with one of the speakers, Brian Sheehan, the Director of Special Projects and Community Development for the city of Rushville.
At the SCEDF Retreat, Sheehan spoke about some of the ways his city took advantage of available grants and programs to improve conditions. Berg said he thinks the Rushville representative will be a good asset to have as Knox begins shifting their focus to improving the city’s quality of place.
