Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann announced today that the state is currently accepting letters of interest from cities and towns in Indiana wishing to apply for the Stellar Communities program. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19.

“The Stellar Communities program gives cities and towns the opportunity to present their visions for revitalization projects that will transform their communities,” said Ellspermann. “These plans will improve “quality of place,” increase private investment and promote job growth, thus, increasing the competitiveness of our communities for attracting new industry, talent and population growth.”

Indiana’s Stellar Communities Program is a collaborative effort by the Indiana Department of Transportation, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs seeking to engage two communities to achieve a three-year revitalization strategy.

In the revitalization strategy communities will identify areas of interest and types of projects, produce a schedule to complete projects, produce cost estimates, identify local match amounts, sources, and additional funding resources, indicate the level of community impact, and describe the significance each project will have on the overall comprehensive revitalization of the community. From this revitalization strategy, communities will produce a three-year community investment plan which will identify capital and quality of life projects to be completed during that period.

Eligible applicants must be a local unit of government that is a city or an incorporated town not located within an entitlement community (only communities that participate in the State CDBG program are eligible). The deadline to apply is Feb. 19.

Interested communities can learn more about the program and download the guidelines for the letter of interest at http://www.in.gov/ocra/2601.htm.