When community leaders gathered in the Starke County Economic Development Foundation’s office last week for an informational meeting about OCRA’s Regional Stellar initiative, they were asked to consider some of the existing assets within the county.
Stellar Community Project Manager Michael Sinnet said they should consider a variety of different elements within the community that could encompass a number of categories including natural, human, financial and physical assets.
Knox Mayor Estok noted the relaxed atmosphere as an existing asset as well as the air quality and safety compared to bigger cities.
Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem mentioned a few of the county’s natural resources such as the lakes and reserve as well as the county forest. She said officials are working to better utilize these areas but there are definitely some things that could be done to build on those existing resources.
She also said she considers the Starke County Justice Center as a strong asset. She noted that it has been recognized as a model for small and medium-sized jails. She mentioned that some discussions have been happening about the possibility of expanding some of the helpful substance abuse recovery programs and potentially utilizing the additional acreage around the jail to build a rehabilitation center.
She said in addition to addressing the existing drug problem that plagues the county and surrounding areas, it would also result in the professionals who work at that type of facility searching for homes and utilizing local services in the community.
North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe listed the cross-country trails that the Erie Trail is a part of as something that their town brings to the table.
He noted that while it does result in people from across the continent coming into the area, it would be great to get a local connection going to give people who bike from Knox to North Judson to have a more direct pathway.
Hamlet Councilman Brian Earnest noted that though it may be considered negative currently, the existing space that they have can be an asset when looking for places to build and expand within the county.
Knox Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston added that he considers the altruistic nature of the citizens to be an asset, with a large portion of the community members who are willing to volunteer to lend a helping hand and assist with events. It was also mentioned that Starke County also has a very good network of charitable organizations that work together to assist the community in so many ways.
Sinnet stated that while it’s good they were able to come up with a few key assets, in order to construct useful comprehensive plans and a compelling letter of intent, they would need to have a lot more in mind.
An asset mapping exercise will be held in the future to help local officials identify more assets and to assist them with developing their own plans for improving or capitalizing on the existing ones.
