The Starke County Initiative for Lifelong Learning has declined $2.8 million in federal grant funding. SCILL officials say they informed the U.S. Economic Development Administration of their decision Tuesday. The grant would have helped pay for a new training facility in the Knox Industrial Park to house SCILL’s welding and robotics programs, something that’s been discussed for years.
But it would have required a local match of almost $700,000, along with the cost of actually running these programs in a standalone facility. SCILL officials say that with the funding uncertainty brought about by COVID-19 and local schools’ enrollment fluctuations, the board of directors felt it was a risky investment.
Instead, SCILL plans to move its welding and robotics programs into Knox High School’s planned vocational wing next school year. SCILL officials say that facility use partnership wasn’t discussed until the spring, after they already applied for the EDA grant. They looked into whether that money could be redirected for other uses, but ultimately determined that it couldn’t.
SCILL officials say this option will still give them more space for high school students and make it easier to expand their adult programs. They say EDA officials were disappointed in the decision but promised that it wouldn’t affect the county’s chances at federal grants in the future.
