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OCRA AND IOTD Award More Than $103,000 To 23 Communities

Last updated on Tuesday, May 2, 2017

(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and the Indiana Office of Tourism Development (IOTD) awarded just over $103,000 to 23 communities and organizations for quality of place initiatives through the Quick Impact Placebased Grant Program (QuIP).

QuIP, a competitive matching grant program announced by OCRA and IOTD earlier this month, is designed to help build stronger communities through unique projects which promote engagement and interaction to enhance the distinctive character of local Indiana places for positive economic and community outcomes.

The 23 projects that received grants were selected from over 100 submitted proposals and will receive grant funds ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 for place enhancement and community transformation projects that spark community wide conversation and creativity.

Project summaries are provided below:

Albion S.T.A.R. Team

Town of Albion, amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will be used to install interactive life-size chess/checker board at Owen Park in Albion as well as bike racks around the courthouse square and decorative wayfinding signage in the downtown district area.

Blue River Community Foundation

City of Shelbyville, amount awarded: $5,000

This project involves purchasing and installing interactive Freenotes Harmony musical instruments and steel benches in Blue River Memorial Park to draw in children and adults alike, to play and to enjoy; creating a full sensory experience.

Cass County Visitors Bureau

Cass County, amount awarded: $4,000

This grant will help fund an interactive smart-phone application for Cass County's "Pop-Up Art and History Trail" to guide visitors with QR codes at 30 sites along the trail. The project also includes a full-length video to serve as a virtual tour which will be accessible on various community websites.

Center City Development Corporation

City of Richmond, amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will assist with re-purposing an historic railroad trestle over Main Street into the Richmond Gateway marking the entrance to the downtown, Veteran's Memorial, and the Starr-Gennett Whitewater Valley Gorge Parks.

City of Bloomington

amount awarded: $4,000

This grant will help fund the transportable POP Toolkit transforming underutilized public alley spaces into an interactive space with a mini golf course, cornhole, tables, chairs, and chalkboards. The first alley to be activated will be the Courthouse Square West Brick Alley in the city.

City of Crawfordsville

amount awarded: $5,000

This project will activate the underutilized Pike Place while construction is underway to transform the area into a downtown park. The project includes interactive games such as life-size Jenga and Yardzee, cornhole, as well as tables and chairs.

City Of Decatur

amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will help fund an art alley in the heart of Downtown Decatur transforming a non-descript and low-traffic place into a vibrant and safe walkway.

City of La Porte

amount awarded: $4,441

This grant will help fund the purchase and installation of large-scale interactive instruments in high-visibility public spaces in Kiwanis-Teledyne Park and the Civic Auditorium.

City of Shelbyville, Planning Department

amount awarded: $5,000

This project involves creating a community-wide scale model of the solar system to be installed at various locations throughout the city. Each area will also include "fun facts" about the sun and the planets. Each site will also include a link to NASA's website for more information on the solar system.

Destination Huntingburg

City of Huntingburg, amount awarded: $3,369.59

This grant will help transform vacant downtown storefronts with artwork created by local school children. The transportable art and materials will also be used as pop-up art displays at community events throughout the city.

Drug Free Noble County, Inc.

Noble County, amount awarded: $5,000

The grant will help fund an interactive campaign promoting positive family and community values in order to decrease the perception of Noble County as a drug community.

Floyd County Board of Commissioners

Floyd County, amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will help fund Platform 22, a community public art effort which involves Pop-up art exhibits and Heritage Stations to be located in various parks throughout the county.

Indy Fringe

City of Indianapolis, amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will help fund the creation of a public gathering space in front of the Indy Fringe office and directly linked to the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. This gathering space will host outdoor performances and public art for all to enjoy.

Madison Area Arts Alliance, Inc.

City of Madison, amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will assist with funding the "Switch Box Project" transforming plain electrical switch boxes into works of art at key intersections within the downtown area in the city.

Mill Race Center

City of Columbus, amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will help fund hosting David Zinn, a street artist from Ann Arbor, MI to create art using imperfections found in nature, on sidewalks, and throughout the community. Zinn will create these works of art throughout Bartholomew County, creating an art trail for people to discover.

Miller Beach Arts & Creative District

City of Gary, amount awarded: $4,292

This grant will help fund artists and local students plan and create beautiful works of art on existing buildings, abandoned buildings, and alleyways in the main business district of the Miller neighborhood of Gary.

Ohio County Convention, Tourism, and Visitors Commission

Ohio County, amount awarded: $2,500

This grant will help fund transforming an unsightly fenced in area in downtown Rising Sun with artistic banners and decorations designed by the local schools.

Rediscover Clinton, Inc.

City of Clinton, amount awarded: $3,999.38

This grant will help fund for the development of an Adult Fitness Mini Park in the Sportland Park area of the city.

Spencer Main Street. Inc.

City of Spencer, amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will help fund the re-creation of the historic "Liar's Bench" on the Owen County's Courthouse Square as a welcoming gathering place in city's downtown.

Tell City, Troy Township Schools

City of Tell City, amount awarded: $4,168.30

This grant will help fund the creation of a STEM lab in William Tell Elementary School. The lab will be a "hands-on" discovery lab and house robotics such as Lego and VEX with availability for all the schools in the area.

The Uptown Project

Town of Francesville, amount awarded: $2,500

This project will help fund the creation and maintenance of the West Central High School "YouTube Channel" to be run and managed by the students of WCSH and broadcast school and community events.

Town of Otterbein

amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will help fund the creation of an interactive mural using the Peanuts characters. At times, the mural will be transformed into a movie screen for the Town's Summer Movie Nights held in Thompson Park.

Town of Thorntown, Community Development & Parks Department

Town of Thorntown, amount awarded: $5,000

This grant will help fund an interactive "Sound Garden" with piano, drums, rain wheel, chimes panel, and three drum table to be located in the town's Tom Johnson Memorial Park.

For each QuIP dollar requested, there is a 1 to .5 local match requirement that can be cash, in-kind contributions, or a combination of both.

Placemaking capitalizes on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential; creating good public spaces that promote people's health, happiness, and economic well-being.

For more information on the Quick Impact Placemaking Grant Program visit www.in.gov/ocra/quipgrant or contact your regionally based OCRA Community Liaison.

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