North Central Indiana Regional Planning Council (NCIRPC) was awarded a $30 million Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) grant yesterday afternoon. One of 17 regions to receive funding, North Central’s plan focuses on regional strategies to resolve common local issues to improve the quality of place, grow population, diversify the region’s quality of opportunity, and spur innovation and entrepreneurship to attract and retain talent across the six-county region. NCIRPC is comprised of Cass, Clinton, Fulton, Howard, Miami and Tipton counties.
“Establishing ourselves as a region back in 2014 turns out to be one of the smartest moves that we could have made. It gave us a track record and a history to put us in a position to earn the READI grant. Our belief that together we are stronger is paying huge dividends today”, stated Paul Wyman, Howard County Commissioner and NCIRPC Board President.
Building on its past success, the North Central READI plan will guide the region in making significant investments in quality of amenities, housing, workforce training and economic development projects within the six counties. This is a transformational opportunity for the region’s communities which will result in $242 million in public and private investment over the next five years. Indiana University Kokomo Chancellor Susan Sciame-Giesecke said, “I am so grateful to all the regional leaders who worked so hard to present an impressive proposal. These funds will transform our region. IU Kokomo was honored to be a part of it.”
As the region prepares to implement the approved plan, IEDC has announced the READI kick-off in early January 2022. NCIRPC will serve as the lead agency during the implementation and has a website established to keep the community up-to-date on the progress – www.northcentralreadi.com. “This has been a tremendous year for North Central Indiana. We received the State’s 21st Century Talent Region designation earlier this year and now the READI grant. We have worked hard to position ourselves as a leading region and we are seeing that return on our investment”, stated Steven Ray, Executive Director, NCIRPC. He added, “The level of cooperation amongst our local elected officials, community and business leaders is the key to the region’s long-term success.”
Governor Eric Holcomb announced the $500 million READI program in early May to support regional investment strategies that strengthen population and economic growth opportunities. IEDC announced the READI awards at its December 14th quarterly board meeting.