The Starke County Economic Development Foundation (SCEDF) has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help bring an upper mid-scale hotel to the City of Knox.
The Starke County Convention and Visitors Commission and the City of Knox paid for a feasibility study that determined the need for a 50 to 60 room upper mid-scale hotel. SCEDF Executive Director Lisa Dan has shared that study with representatives from several national brands. They would like to see a local investment to proceed with construction.
SCEDF said with phase one of the Mammoth Solar project under construction south of Bass Lake, company executives travel to Starke County frequently and construction workers stay in hotels as far away as Logansport due to the lack of local accommodations.
Dan said amenities like the Starke County Forest, Bass Lake and Koontz Lake, the Yellow River, Erie Trail and the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum are popular tourist attractions and the addition of lodging would strengthen Starke County’s position as a destination.
SCEDF said Culver Military Academy and Ancilla College of Marian University in nearby Donaldson would also benefit from a hotel in Knox. Dan even anticipates some overflow accommodations from the University of Notre Dame during home football and graduation weekends.
SCEDF will invest the money from the crowdfunding campaign in the hotel project, along with any other donations from community members. For more information, click here.
