The Starke County Commissioners and Council discussed the Stellar Pathways program during their joint session Monday.
Overseen by Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the Stellar Pathways program is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar initiative led by the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA). The program works with communities in a self-determined region on a shared vision for community and economic development, promotes local and regional partnerships and assists in implementing sustainable solutions to challenges Indiana’s rural communities face.
It was announced the Stellar Pathways program, formerly the Stellar Communities program, has been accepting letters of intent since the beginning of this year and if the county would be interested, it has until May 1 to submit. Bob Aloi with Territorial Engineering informed the commissioners and council during their meeting Monday, there are several grants being offered through OCRA, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC), Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), Indiana State Office of Rural Health (InSORH) and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).
Eligible participants include a county government or a county-wide non-profit in partnership with at least one municipality. Those considered a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entitlement community are not eligible. Aloi suggested the commissioners and council consider hiring a consultant that would be able to assess which grants the county should apply for by the May 1 deadline. The council discussed allocating $57,000 to hire a consultant and move forward with putting plans together. Starke County Council President Dave Pearman made the motion to allocate $57,000 to hire a consultant and submit documents for the available grants. That motion was seconded and passed with one abstention being council member Bruce Bennett.
The commissioners then made a motion to approve what the council had approved. That motion was seconded and passed unanimously by vote. Starke County Auditor Rachel Oesterreich told WKVI News, $7,000 is for drafting the letter of intent that is due to Stellar by May 1. She added the $50,000 is for the consultant to move forward with the rest of the documents and plans needed overall.
