Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission

Benton Pulaski Carroll Starke Jasper Warren Newton White Counties, Indiana

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, 2010

Table of Contents

Map: Proximity to Major Cities iv

Administrative Organization 1

A. Composition of KIRPC 2

B. General Description

C. Inter-County Organization

D. Regional Organization Map: Region Map 4 KIRPC Board of Representatives 5

The Region and Its Economy 11

A. General Description 12 Map: Hydrography 14 Chart: Number and Average Size of Farms 17 Table: Agricultural Market Values (2007)

B. Regional Infrastructure 18 Map: Rail and Air Transportation 21 Table: KIRPC Region Industrial Parks 26 Table: Higher Learning Institutions 30 Map: School Districts 31 Table: State-Owned Recreation Areas 34 Table: (Housing) Vacancy Rates 35 Table: (Housing) Average Listing Price Chart: Housing Types in Region 36 Chart: Housing Stock - Year Built C. Population 37 Chart: Population Trend Table: Populations of Counties and Municipalities 38 Chart: Urban/Rural (Population) 40 Chart: Educational Attainment

D. Labor Force 41 Table: Labor Force Summary 42 Chart: County Unemployment Rates 44 Chart: Unemployment Rate Comparison Maps: Commuting Patterns 45 Table: Commuting Statistics Tables: County Location Quotients 49 Table: Major Employment Sectors (2007) 50

E. Potentials for Economic Development 53 Table: Regional Location Quotients (2009) 55 Table: Economic Cluster Growth (2002-2009) 56

Regional Development Expectations 61

A. Defining Regional Expectations 62

B. Strategic Projects, Programs and Activities 64 Tables: County-level Projects, et cetera 69

C. Implementing the CEDS 82

Proximity to Major Cities K ankaee -I roquois R egional iv P lanning C ommisson Administrative Organization Administrative Organization A. Composition of KIRPC to the Region’s largest municipality, Rensselaer (Jas- per Co.), home to 6,271, 38 incorporated cities and The Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Com- towns, as well as nine census-designated places, in- mission (KIRPC), established on July 2, 1973, un- cluding Bass Lake (Starke Co.), Collegeville (Jasper der provisions of Public Law 183 of the Acts of 1973 Co., home to Saint Joseph’s College), and Roselawn (36-7-7-1, et seq., in the Indiana Code), is a multi- (Newton and Jasper Co’s) dot the Region. As defined county governmental service that assists county and by the 2000 Census, six communities — Delphi, De- municipal governments in the eight-county Region Motte, Knox, Monticello, Rensselaer, and Roselawn in economic and community development and plan- —, all with populations larger than 2,500, qualify as ning. Headquartered in Monon, in northern White urban clusters; a seventh, Winamac, hovers just be- County, KIRPC belongs to the Indiana Association low the cut-off mark. (See Region Map, page four, of Regional Councils (IARC), which provides a fo- and Populations of Counties and Municipalities table, rum for regional planning-agency members to net- page 38.) work and to share ideas. As regionalism comes to be more strongly appreciated, with organizations such as IARC and the Indiana Office of Community and C. Inter-County Organizations Rural Affairs (OCRA) emphasizing it, KIRPC looks to broaden the means by which it facilitates com- A number of inter-county organizations, tending to var- munity and regional development and planning by ious concerns, overlap and coincide with KIRPC. The expanding beyond grant writing and project man- newly forming Midwest Indiana Economic Develop- agement to regional collaboration, cooperation, and ment commission includes multiple KIRPC counties, coordination. Originally composed of Jasper, New- including Pulaski, White, and Benton; Starke and Jas- ton, Pulaski, and Starke Counties, it has expanded per Counties have affiliations with other, northern In- to include White (1985), Benton (2000), and, most diana-based regional economic-development groups. recently, Warren and Carroll (2009) Counties. All KIRPC counties, save Starke and Warren, which constitute their own districts, belong to the Northwest Indiana Solid Waste District, responsible for waste- B. General Description management and recycling programs.

A primarily rural area, some 88 percent of the land of which is dedicated to agriculture, the KIRPC Region D. Regional Organization was, as of 2008, home to a population of 144,827, .25 percent smaller than the populace as of the 2000 The Region is served by a board of representatives of Census. This decrease followed population increases each member county. Representation on the board, per by rates of 5.7 percent, .98 percent, and 9.7 percent in Indiana Code 36-7-74, is structured as follows on the the 1970s, ’80s, and ‘90s, respectively. Ranging from next page. the diminutive Yeoman (Carroll Co.), at 90 persons,

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 2 Administrative Organization 1. A representative of the county executive, gion” and (b) “be residents of the municipality, county who may be either a member of the executive or region that they represent.” or a person appointed by it. All elected officials, save the mayors of Delphi, Knox, 2. A representative of the county fiscal body Monticello, and Rensselaer, are part-time government (county council), who must be a member officials; they represent a diverse range of interests, thereof. including finance and business, agriculture, public utilities, and professional interests. Many are involved 3. In counties with a population less than in several; a comprehensive list of commission mem- 50,000: bers follows on the proceeding pages.

a. One person appointed by the ex- For the purpose of preparing this document, a sixteen- ecutive of each of the five largest person executive committee composed of the econom- municipalities, or of each municipal- ic-development officer of each county (save Jasper), ity if the county contains fewer than various county and municipal officers, and business five. people was initially formed. Prior to convening the committee, county economic-development officers b. If a county has fewer than five conferred with county-level subcommittees compris- municipalities, enough additional ing elected officials and community business leaders. persons to bring the total under this After completion of the first draft of the document, and subsection to five are to be appointed before the public-review period, county economic-de- by the county executive. velopment officers met with private-sector individuals and county government agents, acting as county-level 4. A member of the commission appointed by subdivisions of the CEDS committee, to solicit further the governor of Indiana. and final thoughts on the profile of the Region and the contents of the “Regional Development Expectations” The statute further requires that a minimum of two- section of this document. Furthermore, the executive thirds of commission members be elected officials. committee was expanded to include more business Appointees must (a) “be knowledgeable in matters of representatives — one from each county — prior to physical, social, or economic development of the re- the public-comment period.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 3 Administrative Organization

Region Map

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Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 4 Administrative Organization Vice Chair Vice st 1 Exec. Comm. Benton County Benton County Boswell Earl Park Fowler Otterbein Camden Carroll County Burlington Carroll County Commissioner CommissionersMember Exec. Comm. Council Member Town Council Member Town Council Representative Town Council Representative Town Council Member Town Council Representative Town Council Representative Council Page 1 Page Sheet1 X X X X X X X Commissioner Commissioners Exec. Comm. YES AFFILIATION APPOINTED BY POSITION ELECTED LOCAL PHONE [email protected] 219-474-3474 765-884-0629 (H) 219-376-1981 (C) 765-869-4275 [email protected] 219-227-5063 [email protected] 765-884-0515 (H) 765-491-5103 (C) 765-337-5876 [email protected] 574-686-2737 765-564-4915 [email protected] 765-566-3986 (H) 765-566-3362 (W) [email protected] 574-943-3523 (H) 765-532-3395 (W) [email protected] NAME & ADDRESS Carroll County (6)** Benton County (6)** Idaville, IN 47950 BRYAN BERRY 4436 N. 1100 W. Fowler, IN 47944 BERNARD GICK 1281 West S.R. 18 P O Box 96 Fowler IN 47944 BRIAN KNILL P.O. Box 363 Boswell IN 47921 RAYMOND BRIDGES P.O. Box 217 Earl Park, IN 47942 FRED BYERS 106 E. Anstett Dr. Fowler IN 47944 RONALD SHOUP 509 S. Main St. Otterbein IN 47970 ANDY KELLY P.O. Box 195 Camden, IN 46917 PATRICK CLAWSON 6726 W. Milkhouse Rd.Delphi, IN 46923 JOSEPH ARMSTRONG PO Box 72 765-202-0334 (W) Burlington, IN 46915 RON SLAVENS 12018 N. 600 W.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 5 Administrative Organization Vice Chair nd Exec. Comm. 2 Flora Jasper County Jasper County Jasper County Council Remington Wheatfield Town Council Member Town Council Commissioner Commissioners Representative Commissioners Councilman Town Council MayorRepresentative City of Rensselaer Town Council Representative DeMotte Page 2 Page Sheet1 X MayorX City of Delphi X X YES AFFILIATION APPOINTED BY POSITION ELECTED LOCAL PHONE [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 574-967-3674 765-564-3039 765-564-2862 219-987-2855 (H) 219-866-7619 (H) 219-866-4908 (W) 219-987-5840 (H) 219-987-5287 (W) 219-261-3155 (H) 765-427-0357 © 219-866-8275 (H) 219-866-5212 (W) 219-866-7551 (F) 219-9563534 (H) 219-956-3119 (W) 219-863-2705 © 219-987-4848 (H) 219-866-5881 © Jasper County (7) NAME & ADDRESS Carroll County (Cont.) DAVID ALBAUGH 17 E. Clark Street Flora, IN 46929 RANDY STRASSER 201 S. Union St. Delphi, IN 46923 12701 N. 1100 W. DeMotte IN 46310 JAMES C. GWIN 630 East Grace Street Rensselaer In 47978 GERRIT DEVRIES 617 Cedar St. NW DeMotte, IN 46310 PAT BERGER PO Box 382 Remington IN 47977 HERBERT ARIHOOD P.O. Box 280 Rensselaer IN 47978 DON GEAR PO BOX 235 Wheatfield IN 46392 PEGGY WOODS 401 Almond St. NW DeMotte, IN 46310 JAMES A. WALSTRA

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 6 Administrative Organization Secretary Newton County Newton County Town Council Goodland Kentland Morocco Mount Ayr Pulaski County Pulaski County Representative Pulaski County Commissioner Commissioners Representative Council Representative Brook Representative Town Council Member Town CouncilMember Town CouncilRepresentative Exec. Comm. Town Council Exec. Comm. Commissioner Commissioners Exec. Comm. Member Council Page 3 Page Sheet1 x X X X X YES AFFILIATION APPOINTED BY POSITION ELECTED LOCAL PHONE 219-285-2871 (W) 219-345-2534 (H) 219-275-8123 (H) 765-427-3610 © 219-297-4807 (H) 219-297-3329 (W) 219-474-5368 219-285-8133 (H) 219-629-0076 © 219-394-2202 (H) 219-567-2430 574-946-7151 (H) 574-946-3869 (W) 219-567-2627 (H) 219-992-2724 (H) [email protected] crchap@mchsi [email protected] [email protected] Newton County (7) NAME & ADDRESS Pulaski County (6)** P O BOX 172 Sumava Resorts IN 46379 SHARON MILLER P.O. Box 111 Roselawn, IN 46372 CHRISTINE CHAPMAN PO Box 1 Brook, IN 47922 ELAINE ENGLISH P.O. Box 475 Goodland IN 47948 LELAND MAYHEW 903 N. 1st Street Kentland IN 47951 RICK McCANN PO Box 426 Morocco IN 47963 WILLIAM TURNER PO Box 282 Mt. Ayr, IN 47964 MIKE TIEDE 2106 S. 1200 W. Francesville, IN 47946 DANIEL DOLEZAL 964 S. 25 W. Winamac IN 46996 RITA M. CARPENTER 16469 West S.R. 14 Francesville IN 47946 JAMES PISTELLO

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 7 Administrative Organization Vice Chair rd Exec. Comm. 3 Francesville Winamac Medaryville Starke County Starke County Starke County Hamlet North Judson President Town Council Representative Town Council Member Town Council Commissioner Commissioners Commissioner Commissioners Councilman Council President Town Council Mayor City of Knox Page 4 Page Sheet1 X X X X X X President Town Council YES AFFILIATION APPOINTED BY POSITION ELECTED LOCAL PHONE 574-946-4048 (H) 574-225-1411 Cell 219-843-2141 574-772-3910 574-772-5000 (H) 574-867-8831 (H) 574-806-5646 219-567-2221 (W) [email protected] 574-772-6892 [email protected] [email protected] Starke County (7) NAME & ADDRESS Pulaski County (Cont.) PO Box 616 Francesville In 47946 JOHN SIMMERMAKER 407 North Market StreetWinamac IN 46996 NEMA WIREMAN 211 West Main Street 888-772-4771 (W) Medaryville, IN 47957 0559 N. 650 E. 5595 E. 650 S. Knox, IN 46534 JENNIFER DAVIS 4810 E. 200 S. Knox IN 46534 CURT SIMPKINS 4 Hamlet St. PO Box 238 Hamlet IN 46532 RICK CHAMBERS 101 W. Washington St.Knox IN 46534 DAN ANDERSON 204 Keller Ave. 574-772-4556 (W) North Judson IN 46366 KATHY NOREM Knox, IN 46534 JOHN SIMMONS STEVE SEWELL

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 8 Administrative Organization Vice Chair Treasurer th 4 Exec. Comm. Commissioners Warren County Warren County Williamsport State Line City West Lebanon Pine Village White County White County Brookston Commissioner Commissioners Member Town Council Representative Council Councilman Council Member Town Council Commissioner Starke County Page 5 Page Sheet1 X X Representative Council X Representative Town Council X X Representative Town Council X President Town Council X X YES AFFILIATION APPOINTED BY POSITION ELECTED LOCAL PHONE 219-866-2715 (W) 765-563-6432 (H) 765-762-0612 765-764-4921 765-762-3257 (W) 765-793-7232 (H) 217-494-9189 (W) 765-893-8582 (H) 765-385-0736 765-563-3669 (H) 765-563-6508 Cell 574-583-3410 219-863-3814 (Cell) 574-586-2175 765-762-3804 (H) [email protected] [email protected] White County (7) NAME & ADDRESS Warren County (6)** Starke County (Cont.) Monticello IN 47960 TERRY NORTH GARY HENDRIX Walkerton, IN 46574 421 Old State Road 28 Williamsport, IN 47993 DICK DOBBELS 525 Grant Street P.O. Box 24 Williamsport, IN 47993 GERGORY ROBINSON P.O. Box 36 State Line City, IN 47982 JEFFERY MARTIN 1971 S. State Road 263West Lebanon, IN 47991 DONNY HENSLEY 105 S. Jefferson PO Box 24 765-585-4032 (W) Pine Village, IN 47975 11770 South 200 East Battle Ground, IN 47920 RONALD SCHMIERER 205 Sandlewood 412 West 5th Street - Box 134 Brookston IN 47923 TONY BRILES BEVERLY FRAINE 7829 N. Clover Ln. Williamsport, IN 47993 RICHARD BRILES

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 9 Sheet1 ELECTED LOCAL NAME & ADDRESS PHONE YES AFFILIATION APPOINTED BY POSITION White County (Cont.) ERIC STORM 574-583-7723(H) Monticello 714 Maple Street 574-583-2128 (W) Member City Council Monticello, IN 47960 [email protected] BRYAN RINKER 219-253-7900 (H) Monon PO Box 356 574-870-1762 cell President Town Council Monon, IN 47959 [email protected] K SID HOLDERLY 219-984-5665 Reynolds ankaee 509 N. Main Street X Member Town Council Reynolds IN 47980

-I LARRY WILEY 219-279-2947 (H) Wolcott roquois 501 W. Winter, P.O. Box 292 Representative Town Council Chairman Wolcott IN 47995 R

egional **Carroll and Warren County, new to K-IRPC as of 2009, have not completed their representation

10 **Pulaski County presently has no representative from Monterey. Benton County has no representative from Oxford P lanning C ommisson A dminstratve

O rganizaton

Page 6 The Region and Its Economy The Region and Its Economy A. General Description Climatically classified as humid continental (with some variation), the Region enjoys moderately warm, 1. Location and Climate frequently humid summers, with an average annual growing season lasting 163 days. With an average Containing eight counties, from Starke in the north- temperature of 74.8°F, July is the warmest month; east to Warren in the southwest, the KIRPC Region, January, with a mean temperature of 22.4°F, is the located in northwestern Indiana, covers 3,353.4 coldest. Low temperatures in January average in the square miles of land and about 15 square miles of low teens, often dropping below zero; snowfall in the water. With its center point located approximately Region, generally coming between late October and equidistant between Chicago and Indianapolis, about mid-March, usually accumulates to a total of 26 inch- 95 miles from each, the Region bounds the fringes es, with a maximum monthly average of six and three- of both cities’ greater areas of economic influence; tenths inches covering the Region in January. The Re- additionally, Newton and Jasper Counties belong gion receives, on average, about 37.23 inches of rain to the Gary Metropolitan Division of the Chicago- annually, slightly more frequently in April, May, and Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI, Metropolitan Statistical June, and more heavily in the northern counties. Area. Interstate 65, which connects Indianapolis to Chicago by way of I-80/I-94 and I-90, crosses New- ton, Jasper, and White Counties. 2. Geology

Heavily industrialized and populated Lake and Por- Pleistocene glaciation primarily contributed to the ter Counties — home to the Gary-Hammond area —, geological and topographical makeup of the Region, north of Newton and Jasper Counties, respectively, leaving behind, in northern Newton, Jasper, and Pu- provide employment for more than 10 percent of the laski Counties and part of White, coarse-grained out- working population of the Region. To the south of wash. Composed mainly of sand, with some pockets the Region, Tippecanoe County, where West Lafay- of peat, the outwash varies in depth across the Region, ette (home to Purdue University) and Lafayette are descending 50 subterranean feet in some places. Loam located, offers even more jobs for workers from KIR- and, occasionally, more finely textured soils comprise PC counties. Also to the north of the Region, across the bulk of the glacial till. the Kankakee River from Starke County, lies LaPorte County; to the east lie Marshall, Fulton, Cass, and An elevated, rolling area, the Iroquois Moraine, domi- Howard Counties. South of Carroll County lies Clin- nates eastern Newton and western Jasper Counties. ton; beyond Warren County lie Fountain and Vermil- Twenty-to-25-feet-thick loamy till caps a silt clay- lion Counties. Across the state line in Illinois, from to-loam till in these uplands. Another moraine, the north to south, Kankakee, Iroquois, and Vermillion Nebo-Gilboa Ridge, covers much of northern Benton Counties border the KIRPC Region on the west. County. The Chatsworth, Cropsey, and Crawfordsville Moraines extend from central Benton County south- ward into Warren County and beyond.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 12 The Region and Its Economy Consistent fine-grained till and lacustrine clay cover 3. Natural Resources southern Newton, Jasper, and Pulaski Counties and parts of White; throughout the rest of the Region, soil Water Resources features include dune sand, gravel, and outwash sand. An extensive till layer underlies surface material. The Kankakee, a major river of the Region, origi- nates in St. Joseph County and runs southwestward to Along the Kankakee River in Newton, Jasper, and the Illinois River; it forms the northern boundary of Starke Counties, drainage becomes problematic. Starke, Jasper, and Newton Counties. Also beginning Spring flooding is a regular occurrence, delaying its course in St. Joseph County, the Yellow River flows planting and damaging property. Once extensive through Marshall County into Starke, running along swampland known as the Grand Marsh, the areas the northern side of Knox and joining the Kankakee at nearest the river now host farmland and development English Lake. courtesy of various drainage techniques applied early in the 20th Century. From its headwaters in Jasper County, the Iroquois River, which flows into the Kankakee River in Kanka- Ranging as deep as 200 feet, sedimentary bedrock kee, IL, circles around Rensselaer and meanders lies beneath a mantle of glacial drifts. Major rock through southern Jasper and Newton Counties before types that comprise this bedrock are listed in order of reaching the state line. increasing age: From its starting point in Kosciusko County, the 1. Wisconsin sand and silt — White and Tippecanoe River wanders southwestward, crossing Benton Counties Marshall and Fulton Counties before entering the cor- 2. Mississippian shale and sandstone — ners of northeastern Pulaski and southwestern Starke Warren County Counties. Returning southward toward Winamac, the 3. Mississippian siltstone — Southern river abuts Tippecanoe River State Park, north of the Newton and Jasper, southwestern White, city, and the Winamac Town Park. Continuing on its Benton Counties path, it serves as the border between White and Carroll 4. Late Devonian shale — Southern Newton, Counties; electricity-generating dams built in Monti- Jasper, western White, and Benton Counties cello by the Northern Indiana Public Service Compa- 5. Middle Devonian limestone and dolomite ny (NIPSCO) form two lakes, Shafer and Freeman, — Central area of Region which provide flood control and water-based recre- 6. Silurian dolomite — Southern Pulaski, ation for the Region. In Tippecanoe County, the river northern Newton, eastern White, and Carroll meets the Wabash River. Counties Beginning in western Ohio, flowing across the width of Indiana, and forming part of the Indiana-Illinois boundary before terminating at the Ohio River, the

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 13 The Region and Its Economy

Hydrography

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Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 14 The Region and Its Economy Wabash flows through Carroll County (including ditionally, but less important, some clay is extracted Delphi, where the former Wabash and Erie Canal is from deposits in southwestern Pulaski County. Sand the focus of a park named therefor) and forms the and gravel, plentiful in northern Newton, Jasper, and eastern boundary of Warren County. White and southwestern Pulaski Counties, are exceed- ingly more abundant than other resources mined here. In addition to Shafer and Freeman, the Region is Sand and gravel extricated from the earth here are home to Bass Lake, a major recreation destination, used a great deal by the construction industry to make and Koontz Lake, both in Starke County, as well as cement and for road surfacing; shale and limestone smaller bodies. Ringneck Lake, at the Jasper-Pulaski supplement commercial fertilizers used on farmland. State Fish and Wildlife Area, and J.C. Murphy Lake, enclosed by the Willow Slough State Fish and Wild- life Area in Newton County, are shallower lakes, bet- Natural Gas and Oil ter suited for fishing than swimming or boating. A network of man-made ditches that connect the rivers Though inactive, five small gas fields, two oil fields, of the Region constitutes the remainder of surface and two gas-storage fields dot the Region, suggesting water, providing for tile drainage and irrigation. that additional, heretofore undiscovered, fields may still underlie the Region. At one time, Jasper County’s Gifford oil field pumped from as many as 131 wells. Forest Resources If oil production were ever to resume in the Region, it likely would do so in the Black River, Knox, or Tren- The Region contains 33,421 acres (about 52 square ton formations; all of these geological rock formations miles, or 1.5 percent of the whole area) of state park have produced oil elsewhere in the state. and fish-and-wildlife-area grounds, which are home to the only publicly owned forestland in the Region. No active natural gas wells remain in the Region, al- Hardwoods — ash; beech; cottonwood; hickory; ma- though a NISPCO underground gas-storage facility in ple; black, red, and white oak; and sycamore — com- southeastern Pulaski County once hosted some. prise more than 95 percent of commercial forests in the Region. Both to preserve natural resources and to sustain forestry in the KIRPC Region, employing in- Soils novative management and harvesting techniques has become essential. Soil formation and diversity play a prominent role in the determination of land-use classification; subse- quently, the composition of any given site’s soil tre- Mineral Resources mendously affects how the site influences the built and human environments and the limitations thereon. Mining in the Region primarily involves three re- Given that soil is a non-replaceable resource, plan- sources: sand and gravel, shale, and limestone; ad- ners, developers, and other public and private leaders

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 15 The Region and Its Economy involved in the stewardship and guidance of pub- 2007), 640; Carroll, 581; Pulaski, 552; Newton, 434; lic growth must give careful consideration to how Benton, 399; and Warren, 391. we build and expand our communities, businesses, farms, homes, and infrastructure; how we should ap- Benton and Warren Counties, home to the fewest proach conservation and other proactive measures to farms in the Region, are also home to the largest, with protect the natural environment; and when wholly establishments averaging 679 and 501 acres, respec- preventing growth is the only sustainable option. tively. Ranking third is White County, with a mean of 492 acres. Excepting Benton County, Jasper County saw the greatest increase in average size, 6.2 percent, 4. Agriculture from 437 acres to 464. Farms shrunk from 528 acres to 439 in Newton County, a change of -17 percent; a 13 Farms, Land, and the Region percent reduction in size has brought Carroll County’s average farm to 331 acres. Positioned between these KIRPC being almost entirely rural in nature, agri- two counties, Pulaski County hosts farms 421 acres culture remains an important economic sector in the in size. The smallest farms are to be found in Starke Region, accounting for 9.8 percent of total earnings County, where they average 240 acres, 65 percent in the Region. A leading agricultural-producing area smaller than those in Benton County. (See Number of Indiana, the Region, of late, has bucked a signifi- and Average Size of Farms chart, next page.) cant national trend. Whereas the number of farms na- tionwide continues to decrease, and the average size Approximately 88 percent of land in the Region is of farms increases, the number of farms in the Re- dedicated to farming, whether in the form of cultivat- gion has increased noticeably; the average farm size ed land, pasture, yard uses, or for other agricultural has continued to follow the national trend, though. purposes. Between 1997 and 2002, 181,891 acres In 1997, the eight counties of KIRPC were home were converted to agricultural use, marking an 11-per- to 4,406 farms averaging 380 acres; over the next cent increase; the total enlarged another 10.2 percent five years, the number decreased by 11.82 percent over the next five years, to 1,893,846 acres. The total to 3,885, while the average size increased almost 17 in Jasper County increased by 21 percent; only Car- percent to 443. As of 2007, the number of farms had roll County lost farm ground between 2002 and 2007, increased by a noteworthy 12.7 percent: The eight shrinking from 201,683 acres to 192,334. Almost all counties contained 4,377 farms. Nationally, the num- of Benton County is in farmland; at the opposite end ber of farms decreased by almost 1 percent over this of the spectrum, only 74 percent of Newton County is period. dedicated to agriculture. Jasper County has the most acres dedicated, while Starke, despite ranking third in With 734 farms, Jasper County has the most in the number of farms, has the least acreage. Region; following are White, 646; Starke (which saw significant increases in the quantity of farms According to National Resources Inventory data for and measurable decreases in farm size from 1997 to Indiana, about 60 percent of the Region’s land quali-

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 16 The Region and Its Economy

Sheet1 AGRICULTURAL MARKET VALUES (2007)

Agricultural Products Agricultural Products Land and Buildings Land and Buildings Sold Sold Per Farm Per Farm Per Acre

Benton $231,957,000 $346,900 $2,297,119 $3,384 Carroll $151,361,000 $260,518 $1,364,641 $4,122 Jasper $293,544,000 $399,924 $1,550,715 $3,344 Newton $193,370,000 $445,553 $1,583,756 $3,609 Pulaski $159,211,000 $288,425 $1,305,431 $3,103 Starke $59,135,000 $92,399 $728,640 $3,035 Warren $103,670,000 $265,142 $1,770,103 $3,532 White $231,957,000 $359,066 $1,888,323 $3,835 Region $1,424,205,000 $2,457,927 $12,488,728 $27,964

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 17

Page 1 The Region and Its Economy fies as prime agricultural land. Ninety-seven percent Farm Labor of Benton County’s land falls into this category, but only about 15 percent of Starke County does. Pre- From 2002 to 2007, the number of Region residents serving as much prime ground as possible as indus- employed on farms increased by 9.4 percent. Starke trial growth occurs in the Region is necessary; sac- County saw an increase of 49.7 percent and the total in rificing healthy, higher-yielding soil should not be a White County scaled upward by 36.3 percent; Newton cost of economic development. and Warren Counties both experienced losses of about 10 percent. Eight percent of the Region’s workforce is employed in the agriculture sector. Agricultural Values

The value of farm land and buildings in the Region B. Regional Infrastructure increased significantly from 2002 to 2007; except- ing Carroll and Newton Counties, all KIRPC coun- 1. Transportation ties experienced escalations in average farm values of at least 50 percent. Benton County’s average value Highways increased by 96 percent, Jasper County’s by 93 per- cent. Carroll-County farms are worth the most per A network of Interstate, United States, and Indiana acre, $4,122. (See Agricultural Market Values table, highways provides adequate transportation within the preceding page.) Region. A number of the highways connect the Re- gion with important markets and allow for industrial Farmers in KIRPC counties primarily produce corn growth. Six of them — Interstate 65; United States for grain and soybeans; hay, nursery and greenhouse Highways 24, 30, and 41; and State Roads 25 and 26 crops, vegetables, and mint are also grown, as is a — are components of the National Highway System. variety of other crops on a smaller scale. Beef and The highway-classification system delineates road- dairy cattle, swine, and poultry predominate amongst ways according to how they fit into the total network livestock raised. of transportation routes.

The market values of agricultural products sold by Interstate: Divided, limited-access highways meant Region farmers increased stupendously between for major, long-distance movement of automobile 2002 and 2007. Excluding Carroll, 59 percent, and and truck traffic through regions and across multiple Newton, 62 percent, all counties saw values soar states. I-65, stretching across 50.05 miles of the Re- by at least 96 percent; two, Jasper, 121 percent, and gion, is the only interstate highway in the Region. Starke, 108 percent, experienced a doubling in value. Jasper and Starke, respectively, also have the highest Principal Arterial: Divided, semi-limited-access high- and lowest total values, although Newton County has ways intended for intra- and interstate transport with a greater total per farm than Jasper. close accessibility to cities and towns. Principal arte-

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 18 The Region and Its Economy rial highways in the Region are IN-63 and U.S.-30, Airports 41, and 52. IN-25 is currently undergoing expansion and improvements and when finished will constitute County airports serve six of the eight KIRPC counties. a principal arterial, the Hoosier Heartland Highway. (See Rail and Air Transportation map, page 21.)

Minor Arterial: Federally and state-oriented routes Located north of Knox, Starke County Airport is the that link cities and towns within counties and con- busiest; in 2006, operations here totaled 15,288. Fea- nect areas in multi-county districts that exhibit an in- turing a 4,400-ft.-long–by–75-ft.-wide asphalt runway terdependent nature. The KIRPC Region contains the adequate for private and small-business aircraft and following minor arterials: State Roads 10, 14, 18, 25, a 3,096-ft.-long–by–145-ft.-wide turf strip, the airport 26, 28, 43, and 114 and U.S. Highways 24, 35, 136, houses 17 aircraft. 231, and 421. White County Airport, second-busiest in the Region, Major Collector: State and county roads that provide located near Monticello’s Sixth Street Industrial Park, intra-county accessibility. The eight-county Region is home to 14 aircraft and a 4,002-ft.-long–by–60-ft.- contains the following major collectors: State Roads wide asphalt runway. Fourteen thousand one hundred 8, 10, 14, 16, 18, 23, 29, 39, 49, 53, 55, 71, 75, 218, and forty-four operations occurred here in 2006. and 263. In 2006, 8,420 operations occurred on Jasper County Minor Collector: Spur highways that connect prima- Airport’s 4,001-ft.-long–by–60-ft.-wide asphalt and ry sources of traffic with more important highways. 1,930-ft.-long–by–150-ft.-wide turf runways; this air- State Roads 119, 143, and 352 and numerous black- field is home to 22 aircraft. topped county roads belong to this system. Serving Carroll County, Delphi Municipal Airport, Local Service: County and municipal roads that pro- home to 25 aircraft, hosted 7,852 operations in 2006 vide local access and serve short traffic patterns. on its 2,891-ft.-long–by–60-ft.-wide asphalt strip.

Proper maintenance of the Region’s network of high- Almost as busy as Delphi Municipal, Newton Coun- ways and local roads is necessary to enhance econom- ty’s Kentland Municipal Airport facilitated 7,280 op- ic stability and growth, given the interdependence erations in 2006. Home to 15 flying machines, this of business, industry, and agriculture needs to their airport services pilots with a 3,504-ft.-long–by–50-ft.- market area and the reliance upon truck transporta- wide asphalt landing strip. tion. Numerous over-the-road and local truck lines operate in the KIRPC Region, hauling grain, freight, Located north of Winamac on U.S. 35, Arens Field furniture, and groceries, inter alia, over longer dis- serves Pulaski County with a 4,200-ft.-long–by–75- tances and hauling dirt, grain, and stone regionally. ft.-wide asphalt runway. Base for 10 aircraft, in 2006 (See Region Map, page four.) Arens was the site of 5,564 take-offs and landings.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 19 The Region and Its Economy Numerous smaller, often private, airfields dot the constitute the primary railroads in the KIRPC Region; eight-county Region, too, including Burnettsville’s short-lines — the Bee Line, the Chesapeake and Indi- Boyer Flight Park and Flora Municipal Airport (Car- ana (CKIN), and Vermillion Valley — also serve the roll Co.), Lake Village Airport (Newton Co.), and Region, as does an intermodal transportation hub cen- Wheeler Airport near Bass Lake (Starke Co.). ter located on the TPW along U.S.-24 near I-65. A number of inactive lines, some with tracks still intact, Within a two-hour drive are three international air- crisscross the Region, too. In Rensselaer, passengers ports: Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway, and Indianap- can board Amtrak trains. olis International. Regional airports in South Bend and Gary and at Purdue University are easily acces- sible from the Region, too. Water Transportation

Local airports not only serve their communities by None of the Region’s five rivers suffice for cargo trans- providing air-transportation access. They also con- port, but only about an hour to the north of the KIRPC tribute positively to local economies. In 2007, the Region, on Lake Michigan, sits the Port of Indiana at Region’s airports had a combined economic impact Burns Harbor. Easily accessible to truck traffic from of more than $9,300.000. the Region, the Port, responsible for 15 percent of all American steel trade, has 10 ship berths, three barge- Arens Field contributed nearly $300,000 to Pulaski only berths, and two others. It offers year-round ac- County’s economy; Delphi Municipal had an impact cess to the Mississippi River System and eight-month of $703,882. Jasper County Airport added $2,036,999 access to the St. Lawrence Seaway. to the economy there, while Kentland Municipal added more than $1,330,000 to the Newton County economy. For Starke County Airport, the number is Public Transportation $3,411,769, and in Monticello, White County Airport provided a $1,607,148 burst. Flora Municipal airport Demand-responsive public transportation, provided had an impact of $69,724, and Lake Village Airport, by county-level Councils on Aging or Human Services conveniently located near “The Region” of north- Agencies, operate Monday through Friday in Jasper, western Indiana, added nearly $500,000. Pulaski, and Starke Counties; the KIRPC-based Ar- rowhead Country Public Transit Service coordinates these efforts. Newton and White Counties operate Rail their own unaffiliated services, too. Community-based transportation lines operate in Boswell, Brookston, More than 250 miles of active rail lines serve the Flora, and Fowler; a mobile-access-care van serves Region. CSX; Norfolk Southern; the Kankakee, Bea- Warren County with minimal adequacy. verville and Southern; the Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern; and the Toledo, Peoria and Western (TPW)

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 20 The Region and Its Economy

Rail and Air Transportation Map

•

Legend Airport * Private 0 2.5 5 10 miles Active Railroad

Inactive Railroad

• TPW Intermodal Hub

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 21 The Region and Its Economy 2. Public Utilities Natural Gas

Electricity Save Rensselaer, which operates its own utility, and Williamsport, served by Vectren, all incorporated (and NIPSCO supplies electricity to most KIRPC munici- some unincorporated) areas use natural gas provided palities. The company generates power at plants near by NIPSCO, which has underground storage facilities the Norway and Oakdale dams on the Tippecanoe in southeastern and south-central Pulaski County. River near Monticello and at the Schaefer Generating Station near Wheatfield, in northern Jasper County. Completed in 1983, Schaefer was designed to satisfy Water Systems customer demands through 2020. Benton County For peak demand periods, the City of Rensselaer maintains its own plant; Rensselaer, Brookston, All incorporated towns here have public water sys- Chalmers, and Winamac purchase power whole- tems. Boswell has recently rebuilt one well. Fowler has sale from the Indiana Municipal Power Association extended water to the Shovel-Ready Benton County (IMPA) and distribute it through municipally owned Industrial Park. Otterbein is upgrading a well and wa- transmission lines. ter filter, as well as making smaller improvements, and plans to extend a new water line to its treatment plant. Carroll County’s municipalities, notwithstanding Earl Park’s system requires major improvements. Yeoman and Flora, and some rural parts of the county are served by Duke Energy; IMPA supplies electric- Carroll County ity in Flora; and the Carroll County Rural Electric Membership Cooperative (REMC) serves Yeoman. Three of the five incorporated municipalities here have public water systems; neither Burlington nor Yeoman Excepting Pine Village, which NIPSCO serves, all of has. Major planning is underway to relocate lines to Warren County is served by Duke Energy or Warren the Hoosier Heartland Highway (HHH) right-of-way County REMC. south of Delphi; additionally, the City is working with the County and the economic development corpora- Multiple REMC’s furnish power to rural areas of the tion (EDC) to extend water to the Shovel-Ready in- Region. These member-owned companies purchase dustrial site south of the HHH. Within five years, Del- the bulk of their power at wholesale rates from the phi will need to secure a new well field. statewide rural cooperative based in southern Indiana and, to a lesser extent, from NIPSCO. Jasper County

Remington and Rensselaer maintain public systems. To address storage needs, the former has constructed a

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 22 The Region and Its Economy new 250,000-gallon water tower recently. Rensselaer its system, hopes to construct a new water tower in the has built one new well, is currently constructing an- next few years. other, and extended water lines to the Jasper County Fairgrounds. The City plans to increase storage ca- Starke County pacity. Residents of Wheatfield rely on individuals wells for their water, as do residents of DeMotte, Hamlet, Knox, and North Judson all maintain pub- which is waiting for final formal approval before lic utilities. As part of the Hamlet West infrastructure constructing a municipal water-supply system. project, that Town is building a new water tower and well field and running two miles of 12-inch main. Newton County Warren County In 2007, the Newton County Regional Water and Sewer Board (NCRWSB) formed; it coordinates ef- West Lebanon, which is studying an upgrade to its forts in the county, working both with incorporated system, and Williamsport, which upgraded its supply communities and in unincorporated areas. system and extended water to the industrial park five years ago, operate public water systems. Neither State Brook, Goodland, Kentland, and Morocco maintain Line City nor Pine Village has a public water system. municipal water systems; Brook is upgrading its water system presently and will connect it with the White County water system being constructed by NCRWSB for the Newton County Renewable Energy Park. Save Burnettsville, all incorporated municipalities here maintain water systems. Brookston has in re- Although neither Mt. Ayr nor any unincorporated cent years built a new treatment plant. Burnettsville is area of the county has a water system, NCRWSB considering implementing a public water system, in- considers Mt. Ayr to be phase five of its development cluding applying for a grant and discussing surveying plan. Residents of unincorporated Roselawn, which residents about the possibilty, but has gone no further is phase two, will be surveyed about having a water than this. In 2008, Chalmers constructed a new water system installed; the county has performed a study. tower and upgraded its water plant and lines. Monon recently built a new water plant and two new wells. Pulaski County Monticello is making minor improvements to its sys- tem, including replacing a water main and rerouting Francesville, Medaryville, and Winamac maintain an extant line. Reynolds needs to increase its storage public water systems of wells and above-ground stor- capacity. age facilities; Winamac built a new water plant, with a gravity filter, between 2003 and 2005, along with two miles of water main. Monterey presently has no water system. Medaryville, which recently improved

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 23 The Region and Its Economy Sewer Systems Newton County

Benton County Excepting Mt. Ayr, all incorporated communities maintain sewage systems; in 2007 Kentland finished Boswell has upgraded wastewater equipment. Fowl- upgrading its treatment plant. NCRWSB is construct- er has recently remodeled a clarifier tank and made ing sewers in Mt. Ayr as part of its long-term plans; minor upgrades to its system. Oxford has built a new Roselawn residents will be surveyed about having a utility building, is upgrading its lagoon, and is under- sewer system built along with a water system. taking a study regarding storm-water upgrades. Nei- ther Ambia nor Earl Park owns a sewer system, but Pulaski County the latter hopes to construct one. Francesville has expressed interest in rehabilitating Carroll County its sewage system; Monterey recently completed a storm-drainage study and is applying for grant money All municipalities, excepting Yeoman, maintain sew- to improve the sewer system. Unincorporated Star age-treatment systems. Additionally, unincorporated City, in southeastern Pulaski County, has established Rockfield is served by a sewer district, in part over- a regional sewer district and plans to collect sewage seen by Delphi, and parts of northwestern Carroll and then to pipe it to Winamac’s treatment plant. Ad- County, in the vicinity of Lake Freeman, are served ditionally, Winamac installed a sanitary sewer in the by the Twin Lakes Regional Sewer District, which park to eliminate septic tanks and leach fields, and is working to upgrade its system currently. Delphi is also extended additional sewer lines to the Shovel- working to extend sewers to the Shovel-Ready site. Ready industrial park. Presently, the Town is work- Camden, using OCRA Community Focus Fund grant ing on sewer separation on the north side — Phase III money, is upgrading its treatment system to meet will begin in the summer of 2010. — and installing Indiana Department of Environmental Management a clarifier. Medaryville is considering making storm standards; Flora hopes to address water-infiltration drainage upgrades. issues, and is working with KIRPC to write a plan- ning grant to this end; and Burlington, too, is working Starke County with KIRPC toward the end of curtailing infiltration. Hamlet recently upgraded its treatment plant; Knox Jasper County has received a grant to do this, too. Hamlet, further- more, has extended sewer lines to its Hamlet West Rensselaer will extend sewer lines along IN-114, and Industrial Park, is building a new treatment facility, is constructing a storm sewer to replace a combined and intends to install new stormwater sewers. North sewer overflow. Remington in recent years has ex- Judson has plans to improve its pond and to construct tended sewer lines and upgraded its treatment plant. new storm sewers on the south side of town. Unincor- Wheatfield and DeMotte maintain sewer systems. porated Koontz Lake, in the northeastern corner of the

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 24 The Region and Its Economy county, is installing a new collection and treatment Drainage Project. Brookston recently upgraded its system. wastewater-treatment plant and is looking to make improvements to its storm sewers. Monon intends to Warren County upgrade its sewer system. Reynolds is currently up- grading its sewer lines. Wolcott recently has made sig- West Lebanon is looking into upgrading its sewer nificant improvements to its sewer lines and intends to system; Williamsport upgraded its five years ago and upgrade its wastewater-treatment plant. expanded sewer lines to the industrial park. Neither Pine Village nor State Line City has publicly main- tained sewage. 3. Industrial Parks

White County The KIRPC Region is home to several industrial parks, ranging from fully developed to Shovel-Ready and in- All incorporated municipalities maintain sewer sys- formally planned. Every county has at least one. Car- tems, as does unincorporated Idaville in the eastern roll, Jasper, and Newton Counties are all home to five: part of the county. The Twin Lakes Regional Sewer three in Flora and two in Delphi, with an additional District serves some areas around Lakes Freeman available site, with undeveloped ground surrounding and Shafer. In 2005 Chalmers built a new wastewa- it, in Delphi; two in Rensselaer and Remington and ter plant and lagoon and hopes to upgrade its storm- one in DeMotte; and three in Kentland and one each in water-management system. Monticello recently re- Goodland and Morocco. (See KIRPC Region Indus- ceived a grant of $600,000 for the National Homes trial Parks table, next three pages.)

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 25 The Region and Its Economy Infrastructure Water, along Kankakee, Beaverville, and Southern Railroad electric service Sewer, water, gas, electric service, raised and ground-level docks electric service, access to I-65, Internet 2 miles to Norfolk Southern line electric service, Internet, 2 miles to Winamac Southern line electric service,rail siding, access to I-65, 3 miles to TPW hub Paved road, sewer, electric service Sewer, water, gas, 2 miles to TPW hub Page 1 Page Sheet1 Size 100 acres undeveloped 31.5 acres undeveloped154,825-sq.-ft. building Sewer, water, gas, (with 12.9 acres developed)14 undeveloped acres electric service, access to I-65 Sewer, water, gas, 50 acres developed 24 acres undeveloped75,000-sq.-ft. building rail spur (Norfolk Southern), raised docks 60 acres undeveloped electric service Sewer, water, gas, 80 acres undeveloped Sewer, water, gas, Sewer, water, gas, 87 acres undeveloped50 acres developed Sewer, water, gas, 160 acres developed300 acres undeveloped40 acres developed 80 acres undeveloped Sewer, water, gas, electric service 21.5 acres developed132 acres undeveloped electric service,rail siding Sewer, water, gas, electric service, access to I-65, K-IRPC REGION INDUSTRIAL PARKS Location Hoosier Heartland Highway Northwest Delphi Flora SR 75 south Flora Sr 75 and Sycamore St. (15 suites) Remington US 24 west Demotte SR 10 East and US 231 Southwest Rensselaer US 231 Northeast Rensselaer US 24 east Name (Shovel-Ready) US 52 and SR 18 (Private) (Shovel-Ready) Hoosier Heartland Highway Benton County Benton County Industrial ParkCarroll County South Fowler Deer Creek Industrial Park Globe Valve facility Northeast Delphi Flora Industrial Park Sycamore Industrial Park South Delphi Industrial Park South Delphi West Flora Industrial ParkJasper County Southwest Flora Bridgewater Farms Site DeMotte Industrial Park Drexel Industrial Park Lintner Industrial Park Remington Industrial Park Remington

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 26 The Region and Its Economy

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 27 The Region and Its Economy Infrastructure electric service Gas, electric service Gas, electric service Sewer, water, gas, Page 3 Page Sheet1 Size 145 acres undevelopedUndefined area Sewer, water, gas, 30 acres developed 220 acres undeveloped25 developed acres 135 acres undeveloped access to I-65, on TPW hub electric service, access to I-65 K-IRPC REGION INDUSTRIAL PARKS Location SR 43 north Southwest Monticello Wolcott US 24 west Northwest Wolcott US 24 west Name (TIF) White County Brookston Industrial Park Sixth Street Industrial Park Brookston Wolcott Corridor Wolcott Industrial Park

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 28 The Region and Its Economy 4. Telecommunications and News Media available over the air and as local networks on cable in parts of the Region; in southern parts of the Re- Telephone and Internet Service gion, Indianapolis stations can be received. Residents in most incorporated areas have access to cable tele- The bulk of the Region’s 30-plus telephone exchang- vision systems, and digital satellite service is widely es are served by either CenturyLink or AT&T. The available, too. Northwest Indiana Telephone Company serves three exchanges in northern Newton and Jasper Coun- ties, the Pulaski-White Rural Telephone Coopera- Print Media tive supports two exchanges in south-central Pulaski and northeastern White Counties, Monon Telephone The Monticello Herald Journal and the Rensselaer serves the Monon area, and parts of Carroll Coun- Republican are the only daily newspapers published in ty have their exchanges served by the Yeoman and the Region; however, daily papers from Lake and Por- Camden Telephone Companies. All of these carriers ter Counties, South Bend, Lafayette, and Logansport belong to the Indiana Exchange Carrier Association. often feature coverage of the Region; many KIRPC counties and communities are served by the plethora Cell phone coverage is adequate in most of the Re- of weekly papers printed across the Region. gion, although the strengths of various carriers’ sig- nals fluctuate across the Region. All residents and businesses in the Region have access to at least one Internet provider; in many places, multiple providers 5. Educational Facilities compete to serve the populace; high-speed access, however, has not yet reached all rural parts of the Re- School Corporations gion. Students in the Region are served mainly by 17 public school corporations with generally modern facilities. Radio and Television The largest school districts are Kankakee Valley, in northern Jasper County; Twin Lakes, in Monticello; Five radio stations have their headquarters within Knox; Rensselaer Central; and Benton, in Oxford. En- the KIRPC Region: Rensselaer’s WRIN and WLQI, rollment in the 17 schools (including residents of other Knox’s WKVI, Monticello’s WMRS, and Oxford’s counties at in-Region schools) totaled 25,201 for the WIBN. Although no television stations are based 2008-2009 school year; students from KIRPC com- within the Region’s borders, Lafayette’s WLFI and munities also contribute to the enrollments of Coving- WYIN, out of Merrillville, often cover events in the ton, Culver, Pioneer Regional, and Rossville, which Region. Additionally, stations out of South Bend of- primarily serve non-Region students. (See School fer coverage of news from and events in northern Districts map, page 31.) communities; these and Chicago-based stations are

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 29 The Region and Its Economy A number of private outfits also educate students for Lifelong Learning (SCILL) Center and the Wi- in the Region, including numerous primary schools namac-based Pulaski Alliance for Community Educa- and the Culver Military Academy and a handful of tion (PACE). Roman Catholic high schools that lie outside of the Region. Higher Education

Vocational Training Collegeville, just south of Rensselaer, is home to Saint Joseph’s College, a Catholic college of about High schools throughout the Region offer various 1,000 students. Known for its Core Education Pro- vocational training programs in addition to core gram, which requires a certain number of integrated subjects. Auto and small-engine mechanics, build- liberal-arts courses of its students, the school offers a ing trades, business-related courses, drafting, elec- variety of associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. Ivy Tech tronics, graphic arts, metal- and wood-working, and Community College’s Lafayette campus has a satellite vocational-agriculture courses are amongst them. campus in Monticello, the White County Instructional Although not all schools offer instruction in every Center. field listed, availability is adequate across the Re- gion. Numerous colleges and universities lying outside the Region are within driving distance and provide a wide Through Indiana’s Work One program, KV Works variety of educational opportunities for residents and offers post-high school training, as do county-spe- are a source of employment for many others. (See cific programs such as the Starke County Initiative Higher Learning Institutions table, below.)

Sheet1 HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS Distance (In Miles) Institution Knox Monticello Rensselaer Ancilla College 17 76 73 Indiana University – Gary 50 86 50 Indiana University – South Bend 46 80 95 Ivy Tech – Gary 50 70 34 Ivy Tech – Lafayette 77 28 53 Ivy Tech – South Bend 38 80 90 Purdue University – Calumet 65 101 65 Purdue University – North Central 41 64 72 Purdue University – West Lafayette 74 27 50 University of Notre Dame 41 83 92 Valparaiso University 32 62 32

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 30

Page 1 The Region and Its Economy

School Districts

0 2.5 5 10 miles

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 31 The Region and Its Economy 6. Health Care cally Underserved Areas, suffering from a shortage of personal-health resources. Carroll and White Counties Hospitals are home to Medically Underserved Populations — the large number of Hispanics here whom cultural and Three of the eight KIRPC counties have a hospital linguistic barriers keep from receiving adequate care. at least partially funded by local property taxes that For a variety of reasons — mental-healthcare deficien- provides excellent care for persons with basic af- cies and low-income populations amongst them —, flictions, illnesses, and injuries requiring immediate Newton and Starke Counties are designated as Health or long-term care. Hospitals in Northwest Indiana, Professional Shortage Areas, as are Gillam, Hang- South Bend, and Lafayette offer more serious care. ing Grove, Marion, and Milroy Townships in Jasper County; Cass, Franklin, Jefferson, Rich Grove, and Rensselaer’s Jasper County Hospital, with 69 beds, is White Post Townships in Pulaski County; and Honey the largest in the Region; White County Memorial, in Creek, Monon, Princeton, and West Point Townships Monticello, and Winamac’s Pulaski Memorial each in White County. have 25 beds. To help to alleviate the dearth of services, family Until recently, Starke County Memorial, in Knox, health centers, offering basic healthcare provisions to with 49 beds, was publicly funded. Recently, LaPorte underserved people — particularly Hispanics — serve Regional Health System, a partner of the Indianpo- White and Carroll Counties. lis-based not-for-profit Clarian Health, purchased the facility; this transaction is expected to improve the quality and variety of services available to Starke Mental Health Care County residents. Three comprehensive mental-healthcare organiza- Wabash Valley Hospital, in Lafaytte, serves Benton, tions provide support and care for residents of the Carroll, and Warren Counties; Williamsport, in War- Region. The Wabash Valley Hospital Mental Health ren County, is also home to a 16-bed branch of the Center, headquartered in Lafayette, with satellite of- private, Catholic St. Vincent Hospital system. fices in outlying areas, offers coverage to residents in Benton, Carroll, Jasper, Newton, Warren, and White Counties. Residents of Starke County are served by Medical Personnel Porter-Starke Services, which has an office in Knox. The Logansport-based Four County Center offers At least part, if not all, of every KIRPC county, ex- mental health care to Pulaski County residents. cepting Benton, falls under at least one federally des- ignated category for inadequate healthcare. Starke County and Honey Creek, Liberty, and Lincoln Town- ships in White County are considered to be Medi-

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 32 The Region and Its Economy Long-Term Care Facilities In northwestern Pulaski County, a few miles south of North Judson, sits Kersting’s Cycle Center, a well- According to the Indiana State Department of Health, known motorcycle dealership renowned for its popu- the Region is home to 1,193 long-term-care beds in lar motorcycle museum, which attracts visitors from 15 facilities. Every county has at least one facility. the Region, across the state, and other states. Jasper County has three, and the most beds, 342. Benton County has the fewest beds, 64 in one facility. Warren County is home to Williamsport Falls, at 90 feet, the largest freefalling waterfall in Indiana; though its water flow is intermittent, it is a majestic site to be- 7. Recreation Facilities and Festivals hold, wet or not, and a trail leads downstream to the fall. Local - Public and Private With two sizable lakes — Bass and Koontz —, plus From the amusement park that proves that “[t]here’s ample waterways — the Kankakee and Yellow Rivers more than corn in Indiana” and riverside campsites —, Starke County’s environment especially endears to annual town festivals (often celebrating food) and itself to an intense concentration of outdoor activities. lakes conducive to the fulfillment of the angler’s wild- Featuring man-made Lakes Freeman and Shafer and est dreams, the Region offers a plethora of opportuni- their source, the Tippecanoe River, White County, too, ties whereby one can elude the quotidian banalities offers numerous opportunities for boating, fishing, and of the workaday world, if only for long enough to swimming. Additionally, the state’s largest amuse- enjoy an arctic-cold ale on the beach or to wolf down ment park, Indiana Beach, adjoins Lake Shafer and one too many bratwursts sold by the Lions Club. offers six roller-coasters, a water park, a resort area, and dining. These two counties lead the Region in In Carroll County, seekers of rejuvenation can enjoy the development of vacationing, fishing, and hunting 10-plus miles of crushed-limestone cyclist and pedes- areas; the extent to which development has occurred trian pathways on the Delphi Historic Trails, which around Lake Shafer, however, has raised questions include a preserved section of the Wabash and Erie about environmental damage. Both of these counties Canal and historic bridges and connect with Delphi’s also are home to railroad museums: the Monon Con- Wabash and Erie Canal Park. nection, which features the Whistle Stop Restaurant and numerous railroad artifacts, and North Judson’s Newton County is home to Fair Oaks Farm, located Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, a well known, pop- near unincorporated Fair Oaks, northwest of Rens- ular museum that offers train rides on Saturdays and is selaer, a fully operational, multi-family-owned dairy constantly adding to its attractions. farm that offers tours and presentations, a dairy store, and 30,000 cows spread across 10 sites. Both Jasper Most KIRPC communities are well equipped with and Newton Counties afford opportunities for recre- park facilities that provide for general outdoor recre- ation at the Kankakee River. ation, including baseball diamonds, basketball courts,

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 33 The Region and Its Economy pools, and playground equipment, as well as picnic contained 12,743. Following, in order: Starke, 10,749; shelters and walking trails. Numerous golf courses Carroll, 8,675; Pulaski, 5,918; Newton, 5,726; Ben- dot the region, too. From the Mint Festival in North ton, 3,818; and Warren, 3,477. The popularity of Judson, over Father’s Day weekend, to Delphi’s Ca- White County amongst seasonal visitors accounts for nal Days, from the Northern Indiana Power of the both the total number of units and a high number of Past in Winamac to the Wolcott Summer Festival, mobile homes there. weeklong and weekend celebrations express lo- cal charm and attract visitors to the Region’s many Vacancy Rate towns and cities. As of 2000, vacancy rates for homeowners in the State-Owned Facilities Region were relatively low, suggesting a tight mar- ket, with levels below 2 percent in Carroll, Jasper, State-owned areas account for most of the recre- and Starke Counties. (See Vacancy Rates table, next ational acreage in the Region. Rural Winamac is page.) In two of the three counties — Starke and home to the Region’s one state park, Tippecanoe White — for which 2005-2007 American Community River, as well as one of five fish-and-wildlife areas Survey (ACS) data are available, the rates increased within the borders of the KIRPC Region. Although significantly. In Jasper County, only a minimal rise in hiking, hunting, fishing, and nature-watching occur vacancy occurred. In Starke County, the rental vacan- at these sites, intensive athletic activities are gener- cy rate decreased from 2000 to 2005-2007, as it had ally prohibited as threats to the natural habitats that over the previous 10 years; it increased mildly in Jas- these areas exist to protect. Some camping facilities, per County and tremendously in White County. As of including at Tippecanoe River, exist. These six state- 2000, most counties had rates hovering about 5.5 per- owned areas cover 33,421 acres. (See State-OwnedSheet1 cent; at the high end was Pulaski County, at 8.6 per- Recreation Areas table below.) cent; Jasper County has a reasonably low 4.4-percent rental vacancy rate, implying limited rental options. STATE-OWNED RECREATION AREAS State Area Acreage Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife 8,062 LaSalle Fish & Wildlife 3,797 Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife 9,956 Housing Types Tippecanoe River State Park 2,761 Winamac Fish & Wildlife 4,750 Kankakee Fish & Wildlife 4,095 Single-family houses predominate in the Region, comprising 53,500 of the 63,953 total units, or 83.66 percent. Six thousand one hundred and forty-seven 8. Housing mobile homes dot the Region, most numerically heav- ily in White, Pulaski, and Starke Counties. The com- The Region had (as of the 2000 Census), a total of bination of recreational and seasonal units in these 63,953 housing units, 12,847 of them in White Coun- counties and the affordability of mobile homes, which ty. Ranking second in number of units, Jasper County permits more lower-income residents to become ho-

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 34

Page 1 Sheet1 The Region and Its Economy VACANCY RATES Homeowner Rental 1990 2000 2007 1990 2000 2007 Benton 3.3% 2.5% NA 5.1% 6.3% NA Carroll 2.0% 1.1% NA 6.0% 5.0% NA Jasper 1.1% 1.5% 1.8% 3.8% 4.4% 6.4% Newton 2.0% 2.4% NA 5.4% 6.1% NA Pulaski 1.2% 2.3% NA 5.7% 8.6% NA Starke 2.2% 1.7% 4.0% 6.4% 5.6% 4.0% Warren 1.0% 2.0% NA 10.0% 5.0% NA White 1.8% 2.0% 5.0% 5.5% 6.4% 11.0% meowners and renters, likely explains this. Negating maining five counties had the following median home these benefits, mobile homes depreciate in value, de- values: Benton, $75,000; Carroll, $87,200; Newton, nying owners the very important benefit of home val- $87,500; Pulaski, $72,500; and Warren, $74,100. ue. (See Housing Types in Region chart, next page.) Though extremely limited in scope, the table below provides more recent information, based on prices listed for for-sale homes as of early February 2010. Housing Costs

According to ACS data, Jasper, Starke, and White Age of Housing Stock Counties have median gross monthly rental rates of $603, $565, and $592, respectively; over the first The age of structures is one indicator used in evaluat- half of this decade, Jasper County surpassed White ing quality. To remain part of available housing stock, to have the highest rate. As of 2000, all other counties older homes often require rehabilitation; typically, had average monthly rents between $430 and $490, they are more prone to need maintenance. About 41 save Pulaski, at $397. The ACS shows the following percent of homes in the Region date to before 1950; median home values: Jasper, $137,000 (up 29 per- 28.7 have been built since 1980. (See Housing Stock - cent from 2000); Starke, $99,700 (23.9 percent); and Year Built chart, next page.) White, $102,700 (19.7 percent). As of 2000, the re- Page 1

Sheet1 Average Listing Price 3 February 2010 Benton $75,275 Carroll $140,162 Jasper $172,084 Newton $120,537 Pulaski $101,939 Starke $146,323 Warren $108,598 White $177,841

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 35

Page 1 The Region and Its Economy

Sheet1 Before 1940 1940-1959 1960-1969 1970-1979 1980-1989 1990-1999 2000-2005 Benton 1643 795 406 527 177 261 9 3818 Benton Carroll 3059 1646 832 1222 681 1199 38 8677 Carroll Jasper 2362 1653 916 2149 1449 2567 1647 12743 Jasper Newton 1604 1156 472 1234 432 809 19 5726 Newton Pulaski 1829 1160 680 838 557 836 18 5918 Pulaski Starke 1517 2470 1194 2045 994 1259 1270 10749 Starke Warren 1336 445 403 475 303 506 9 3477 Warren White 2946 900 1538 2222 1184 1584 564 10938 White

Housing Stock - Year Built 45.00% 40.00% 35.00% 30.00% 25.00% 20.00% 15.00% 10.00% 5.00% 0.00% Before 1940 1940-1959 1960-1969 1970-1979 1980-1989 1990-1999 2000-2005

Benton Carroll Jasper Newton Pulaski Starke Warren White

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 36Page 1 The Region and Its Economy C. Population Over the same period, Indiana’s population increased by nearly 4.9 percent. Through 2000, most counties, 1. Total Population save Benton, had experienced increases; since 2000, amongst KIRPC counties, only Jasper and Warren As of 2008, an estimated 144,827 people populated have seen their populations continue to grow, the the Region. With 32,554 people, Jasper County has former still relatively significantly. (See Population the largest populace; home to 8,547, Warren County Trend chart, below.) is the least populous. With a population of 6,271, Rensselaer has overtaken Monticello as the largest Most incorporated municipalities have lost residents municipality in the KIRPC Region. Delphi, DeMotte, in the first decade of the third millennium. A handful, Flora, Fowler, Knox, unincorporated Roselawn, and however, have experienced growth, most notably De- Winamac are all home to more than 2,000 individu- Motte (34.2 percent); two other Jasper County com- als. (See Populations of Counties and Municipalities munities, Rensselaer (18.45 percent) and Wheatfield table, next page.) (19.17 percent) have also enlarged. These municipali- ties, particularly DeMotte and Wheatfield, continue to benefit from migration from Lake and Porter Coun- 2. Population Growth ties. North Judson, in Starke County, enjoyed a rise in population of 12.48 percent after having lost almost After experiencing a population increase of 8.7 per- 14 percent of its 1960 population by 2000; people cent in the 1990s, the Region lost about 365 residents exiting Lake and Porter Counties have contributed to between 2000 and 2008, a decrease of .25 percent. this expansion,Sheet1 too.

1960 1970Population 1980 1990 Trend 2000 2008 (Est.) 2020 (Proj.) Benton County 11,912 11,262 10,218 9,441 9,421 8,796 8,140 Carroll37,500 County 16,394 17,734 19,722 18,809 20,165 19,864 20,705 Jasper35,000 County 18,842 20,429 26,138 24,960 30,043 32,544 35,206 Newton County 11,502 11,606 14,844 13,551 14,566 13,933 14,097 Pulaski32,500 County 12,887 12,534 13,258 12,643 13,755 13,712 13,836 Starke30,000 County 17,911 19,280 21,997 22,747 23,556 23,658 22,074 Warren County 8,045 8,705 8,976 8,176 8,419 8,547 9,238 White27,500 County 19,709 20,995 23,867 23,265 25,267 23,800Benton 23,417 County 25,000 Carroll County 22,500 Jasper County Newton County 20,000 Pulaski County 17,500 Starke County 15,000 Warren County 12,500 White County 10,000 7,500 5,000 2,500 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008 2020 (Est.) (Proj.)

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 37

Page 1 The Region and Its Economy Percent Change Projected *1970-2000 Page 1 Sheet1 351957 300788 998 274 899 810601 249 1,118 767 577 197 1,291 827 618 1,312 180679 755 1,228 607 -43.87%845 -13.58% 713 66.50% -8.63% 582 -17.34% 919 -6.40% 186 755 546 926 194 621 -3.17% 899 287 772 -6.19% 1,062 151 920 980 13.70% 147 25.68% 19.17% 130 -7.72% -20.97% -11.56% 758 732 731 689 565 541 -25.46% -4.25% 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008 (Est.) 1960-2000 2000-2008 2020 —— 1,697 2,559 2,482 3,243 4,352 *91.1% 34.20% 2,491 2,643 2,3192,5171,742 2,333 2,582 1,877 2,415 3,0421,207 2,3034,740 2,199 2,531 1,127 2,179 -3.05% 4,688 3,015 1,2681,202 2,227 4,944 -8.94% 1,783 2,862 1,247 1,176 2,085 5,045 1,864 19.79% 1,323 1,200 27.84% 5,294 1,936 -5.07% 1,253 1,033 -6.38% 6,271 1,798 9.61% 1,096 11.69% 1,822 -5.29% 997 18.45% 1,665 -8.82% 2.19% -9.03% -8.62% 1,002 1,0152,375 944 2,391 2,370 969 2,262 905 2,418 859 2,493 -9.68% 1.81% -5.08% 3.10% 11,912 11,262 10,218 9,441 9,421 8,796 -20.91% -6.63% 8,140 11,502 11,606 14,844 13,551 14,566 13,933 26.64% -4.35% 14,097 16,394 17,734 19,72218,842 18,809 20,429 20,165 26,138 19,864 24,960 23.00% 30,043 -1.49% 20,705 32,54412,887 59.45% 12,534 8.32% 13,258 35,206 12,643 13,755 13,712 6.74% -0.31% 13,836 POPULATIONS OF COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES Benton County Ambia Boswell Earl Park Fowler Otterbein Oxford 551Carroll County BurlingtonCamden 478 Delphi 1,108 —— Flora Yeoman 1,098 469Jasper County 685DeMotte 1,327Remington 443 172Rensselaer 680Wheatfield 1,273Newton County 485 Brook 145 1,271 568Goodland Kentland 443 Morocco 154 1,166Mount Ayr 444 Pulaski County -11.98% 14.71%Francesville 131 1,341Medaryville 431 -8.66% -8.26% 1,285Winamac *-35.18% 96 -4.42% 1,348 90 1,044 -44.19% 1,127 -6.25% 1,112 -15.96% -1.33% Monterey 278 268 236 230 231 222 -16.91% -3.90%

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 38 Sheet1

Percent Change Projected 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008 (Est.) 1960-2000 2000-2008 2,020 Starke County 17,911 19,280 21,997 22,747 23,556 23,658 31.52% 0.43% 22,074 Hamlet 608 761 738 789 820 787 34.87% -4.02% Knox 3,458 3,519 3,674 3,705 3,721 3,831 7.61% 2.96% North Judson 1,942 1,738 1,653 1,582 1,675 1,884 -13.75% 12.48% Warren County 8,045 8,705 8,976 8,176 8,419 8,547 4.65% 1.52% 9,238 Pine Village 309 291 257 134 255 242 -17.48% -5.10% K State Line City 171 176 233 182 141 135 -17.55% -4.26% ankaee West Lebanon 720 899 946 760 793 759 1.01% -4.29% Williamsport 1,353 1,661 1,747 1,798 1,935 1,851 36.81% -4.34%

-I White County 19,709 20,995 23,867 23,265 25,267 23,800 28.20% -5.81% 23,417 roquois Brookston 1,202 1,232 1,701 1,804 1,717 1,576 42.85% -8.21% Burnettsville 452 510 496 401 373 341 -17.48% -8.58% Chalmers 548 544 554 525 513 468 -6.39% -8.77% R

egional Monon 1,417 1,548 1,540 1,585 1,733 1,596 22.30% -7.91%

39 Monticello 4,035 4,869 5,162 5,237 5,723 5,293 41.83% -7.51% Reynolds 547 641 632 528 547 504 0.00% -7.86%

P Wolcott 877 894 911 886 989 905 12.77% -8.49% lanning Region 117,202 122,545 139,020 133,592 145,192 144,827 23.89% -0.25% 146,713 State 4,662,498 5,193,669 5,490,224 5,544,159 6,080,485 6,376,792 30.41% 4.87% 6,739,126 C ommisson T he R egion

and I ts E conomy Page 2 The Region and Its Economy 3. Population Characteristics

Population Densities

Highly rural in nature, the Region is considerably less Urban/Rural dense than the state of Indiana on the whole. Cover- ing 3,353.4 square miles of land and about 15 square miles of water, the KIRPC Region constitutes just under 10 percent of Indiana’s land area, but is home to less than 2.3 percent of all Hoosiers. The Region’s population density is 43.2 persons per square mile, making it one-fourth as dense as the State, which has a density of 169.5. Starke County is the Region’s densest, at 76.5 persons per square mile; the other seven counties’ densities are as follow: Jasper, 58.1; Carroll, 53.4; White, 47.1; Newton, 34.7; Pulaski, 31.6; Warren, 23.4; and Benton, 21.6.

Urban/Rural Composition Educational Attainment As mentioned earlier in this document, only Delphi, DeMotte, Knox, Monticello, Rensselaer, and Rose- lawn, with populations greater than 2,500, comprise urban areas. The remainder of the Region’s popula- tion — 167,589, or 84.3 percent — is rural, mostly non-farm. Three counties — Benton, Pulaski, and Warren — have no urban population, while urban population constitutes about 40 percent of the total population in Jasper County. (See Urban/Rural chart, this page; estimated figures.)

Race and Sex

As of 2007, non-Hispanic whites made up 94.25 per- cent of the Region’s population. Numbering more

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 40 The Region and Its Economy than 5,000, an increase of more than 1,500 since median age of 40.5, followed by Warren, 40.3; Ben- 2000, Hispanics constituted just under 4 percent of ton, 40.1; Newton, 39.9; Carroll, 39.7; Pulaski, 39.1; the populace; they form the largest minority group and Starke, 38.8. Region-wide, the median age in in the Region and in every county. In 2000, KIRPC 2007 was 38.8. In 2000, Pulaski County had a higher counties were home to fewer than 500 blacks; their median than both Benton and White Counties. In all presence has more than doubled, reaching above counties, the median age increased; the portion of Re- 1000. Ninety-seven-point-nine-percent white, War- gion residents younger than 18 decreased from 28 per- ren County has the smallest minority population per cent in 1990 to 27 percent in 2000, and thence to 24.1 county; almost 8.0 percent of White County’s resi- percent in 2007. In 2000, just less than 14 percent of dents are Hispanic, black, or other, giving that coun- KIRPC residents were 65 or older; this has increased ty the largest minority population. Women comprise slightly, to 14.9 percent. These trends are likely to a slim majority in the Region, 50.29 percent of resi- continue. dents.

D. Labor Force Educational Attainment As of 2008, the Region had a labor force of 72,150 In 2000, more than 81 percent of the Region’s resi- persons, down 1.6 percent from 2000, but above every dents over the age of 25 had received a high school annual total since 2002, and an increase of 6.4 percent diploma; 82 percent of all Hoosiers had. At 87 per- from the 2003 total of 71,692. From 2007 to 2008, ev- cent, Benton County had the highest rate, while ery county’s labor force increased save Pulaski Coun- Starke County had the lowest, 74 percent. Ten per- ty’s, which decreased by less than 1.0 percent. The cent of residents owned bachelor’s degrees or high- most sizable expansion occurred in Carroll County, er, markedly lower than Indiana’s rate of 19 percent. where the labor force increased by 2.3 percent. (See Data for Carroll, Jasper, and Starke Counties from Labor Force Summary table, next page.) the ACS reveal improvements in those counties since 2000; given measurable Region-wide improvements 1. Unemployment between 1990 and 2000, that these gains have been made across the Region stands to reason. (See Edu- In 2008, the Region had, on average, 4,320 members, cational Attainment chart, previous page.) or 6.0 percent, of the labor force unemployed, a notable increase from 2007’s rate of 4.6 percent. This change is similar to those Indiana and the United States, 4.6 Age percent to 5.9 percent and 4.6 to 5.8, respectively. As has been the case since 2004, Starke County led the As of 2007, the median age in every KIRPC county, Region in unemployment, with a rate of 7.9 percent; excepting Jasper (35.8 years) exceeded the state av- Warren County had a remarkably high employment erage of 36.5. White County was the oldest, with a rate of 96.1 percent.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 41 The Region and Its Economy Page 1 Page Sheet1 LABOR FORCE SUMMARY 162 134256 165 283558 246 450 485 256227 522 708 246 208 647410 851 237 306 597 287 858 225491 397 539 315 864 191 503 384 487 390 849 230 623 357 404 379 776 788 374 600 356 737 769 348 347 914 728 366 311 731 438 283 687 384 619 836 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 5,4875,325 4,857 4,723 4,844 4,679 4,893 4,647 4,689 4,433 4,6326,542 4,3866,315 4,591 7,299 4,354 7,0916,251 4,6125,841 4,387 7,252 6,946 4,355 6,792 4,164 7,214 6,505 6,817 4,408 6,800 4,178 7,160 6,485 6,776 6,810 7,037 6,420 6,680 6,695 7,071 6,316 6,697 6,834 7,048 6,478 6,700 7,064 6,996 6,717 6,630 6,865 7,024 6,554 6,586 6,829 6,546 6,794 6,410 12,56012,304 10,557 10,27414,575 10,75714,017 10,307 14,782 10,845 14,297 10,323 10,623 14,979 9,976 14,271 10,490 15,017 14,166 9,893 10,588 15,088 14,230 10,049 10,559 15,140 14,276 10,07210,933 15,198 9,96710,442 14,349 9,563 15,486 10,196 10,883 14,710 10,380 9,596 15,575 10,710 14,838 10,087 15,653 10,639 14,739 9,851 10,535 9,766 10,548 9,820 10,615 9,884 10,583 10,496 9,896 10,607 9,877 9,771 Benton County Labor Force Employed Unemployed Unemployment RateCarroll County Labor Force 3.0%Employed Unemployed Unemployment Rate 2.8%Jasper County Labor Force 2.0%Employed 3.4%Unemployed Unemployment Rate 2.7%Newton County 5.0%Labor Force 3.8%Employed 4.2%Unemployed 5.5%Unemployment Rate 3.3%Pulaski County 4.8%Labor Force 3.5% 5.3%Employed 4.7%Unemployed 6.1%Unemployment Rate 5.2% 2.8%Starke County 5.7%Labor Force 6.6% 5.7%Employed 4.9% 4.2%Unemployed 5.7%Unemployment Rate 5.1% 4.2% 4.4% 5.5% 4.5% 5.7% 4.6% 4.6% 5.2% 5.4% 5.6% 4.6% 4.1% 5.7% 5.1% 5.0% 5.8% 5.9% 5.7% 5.3% 4.7% 7.4% 5.2% 4.9% 5.8% 7.3% 4.9% 5.2% 6.9% 4.5% 6.2% 6.9% 4.1% 6.5% 5.7% 5.9% 7.9% Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 42 The Region and Its Economy Page 2 Page Sheet1 110 116 147 237 225 210 211 191 161 198 434 391 633 902 920 808 695 601 543 720 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006* 2007* 2008 3,9923,882 4,509 4,393 4,570 4,423 4,634 4,3972,648 4,549 4,324 4,639 2,407 4,429 4,773 3,347 4,562 4,793 4,333 4,602 5,012 4,438 4,851 5,015 4,166 4,817 3,636 3,626 3,304 4,320 13,81013,376 13,664 13,27374,150 13,40071,502 12,767 73,343 12,859 70,936 11,957 12,353 73,312 11,433 69,96589,659 12,324 72,911 11,516 68,578 91,660 12,241 71,692 11,546 67,254 131,150 12,156 71,644 11,555 67,478 163,253 12,337 72,141 11,794 68,505 168,843 12,453 72,102 11,733 168,622 68,476 71,567 172,641 68,263 72,150 160,205 67,830 146,975 190,572 3,136,5813,046,922 3,144,379 3,052,719 3,152,135 3,020,985 3,165,768 3,002,515 3,180,279 3,011,436 3,185,893 3,017,271 3,227,444 3,054,803 3,235,132 3,074,927 3,221,054 3,074,079 3,230,367 3,039,795 133,488,000 136,891,000 136,933,000 136,485,000 137,736,000 139,252,000 141,730,000 144,435,600 146,057,400 145,362,417 Source: Indiana Department of Workforce Development Warren County Labor Force Employed Unemployed Unemployment RateWhite County Labor Force 2.8%Employed Unemployed Unemployment Rate 2.6%Region Labor Force 3.1%Employed 3.2%Unemployed Unemployment Rate 2.9%State 5.1%Labor Force 3.6%Employed 4.7%Unemployed 4.9%Unemployment Rate 3.3%Nation 7.0%Labor Force 2.9% 4.5%Employed 4.6%Unemployed 7.4%Unemployment Rate 4.4% 2.9% 139,368,000 5.9% 142,583,000 4.2% 6.6% 143,734,000 5,880,000 144,863,000 4.0% 4.2% 146,510,000 147,401,000 6.2% 5,692,000 149,320,000 5.7% 4.0% 151,400,000 3.2% 153,100,000 6,801,000 5.2% 154,286,667 5.8% 8,378,000 4.9% 4.7% 3.9% 8,774,000 5.3% 5.0% 8,149,000 4.4% 5.8% 7,590,000 5.3% 5.0% 6,964,400 5.8% 6.0% 7,042,600 5.3% 8,924,250 4.6% 5.5% 5.0% 6.0% 5.1% 4.6% 4.6% 5.9% 4.6% 5.8% Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 43 *Indicates Rough Estimates for National Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment Numbers The Region and Its Economy Unemployment rates for December 2009 were as fol- low: Benton, 9.7 percent, down from 9.8 percent in June; Carroll, 9.3 percent, down from 12.1 percent; Jasper, 10.6 percent, up 0.9 percent; Newton, 11.6,

Sheet1 up more than 1.0 percent; Pulaski, 9.6 percent, down from 11.1 percent; Starke, 13 percent, down from 15 County1999 Unemployment 2000 2001 2002 Rates 2003 2004 2005 2006 Benton County 3.0% 2.8% 3.4% 5.0% 5.5% 5.3% 5.2% 4.9% 9.0% Carroll County 2.0% 2.7% 4.2% 4.8% 6.1% 5.7% 5.1% 4.6% Jasper County 3.8% 3.3% 4.7% 5.7% 5.7% 5.7% 5.6% 5.0%percent; Warren, 8.9 percent, down from 11.8 percent; 8.0% Newton County 3.5% 2.8% 4.2% 5.5% 5.4% 5.1% 5.3% 4.9% Pulaski County 6.6% 4.2% 4.6% 5.7% 5.7% 5.2% 4.9% 4.5%White, 10.8 percent, down from 11.0 percent; and Starke County 4.5% 4.6% 5.8% 7.4% 7.3%Benton 6.9% County 6.9% 6.5% 7.0% Warren County 2.8% 2.6% 3.2% 5.1% 4.9% 4.5% 4.4% 4.0% White County 3.1% 2.9% 4.7% 7.0% 7.4%Carroll 6.6% County 5.7% 4.9% 6.0% Jasper County KIRPC, 10.6 percent, down from 11.4 percent. Unem- 5.0% Newton County Pulaski County ployment levels have improved since June, but have 4.0% Starke County crept upward slightly from November’s figures. (See 3.0% Warren County White County 2.0% County Unemployment charts, this page.) 1.0% 0.0% 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Commuting Patterns

Page 1 Sheet1 In 2007, about one-third of all workers in the Region were employed outside of their home counties; inad- equate opportunities in KIRPC counties and the pres- 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Nation 4.2% 4.0% 4.7% 5.8% 6.0%ence 5.5%of sizable labor markets in nearby counties both State 2.9% 2.9% 4.2% 5.2% 5.3% 5.3% Region 3.6% 3.3% 4.6% 5.9% 6.2%contribute 5.8% to this. By a significant margin, the Region Unemployment Rate Comparison exports laborers: More than 20,400 of the 32,791 workers who work out of their home counties are 7.0% employed outside of the KIRPC Region; only about 6.0% 3,000 laborers enter from outside of the Region. (See 5.0% Commuting Statistics table, maps on next pages.) 4.0% Nation 3.0% State Region Warren County lost the most workers in 2007, export- 2.0% ing 44.54 percent of its workforce; Pulaski County re- 1.0% tained the most, 77.32 percent of workers. The largest 0.0% recipients of commuters from KIRPC counties were 1999 Region 2001 State Tippecanoe, 8,969; Lake, 5,548; Cook, Iroquois, and 2003 2005 Nation 2007 others in Illinois, 2,159 combined; Porter, 2,077; and Marshall, 1,647. Exporting the most workers into the Region were Tippecanoe and Cass Counties, 1,285 and 463, respectively, and various Illinois counties, 964 combined.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 44

Page 1 The Region and Its Economy

Sheet1 COMMUTING STATISTICS (2007)

Implied Work in Commuting Implied Work Out of Labor Force Home County Into County Work Force Home County Benton County 6,025 3,850 63.90% 675 4,525 2,175 36.10% Carroll County 13,957 8,135 58.29% 1,466 9,601 5,822 41.71% Jasper County 21,918 15,522 70.82% 3,159 18,681 6,396 29.18% Newton County 9,699 5,933 61.17% 1,414 7,347 3,766 38.83% Pulaski County 9,022 6,976 77.32% 1,180 8,156 2,046 22.68% Starke County 14,912 9,411 63.11% 895 10,306 5,501 36.89% Warren County 6,037 3,348 55.46% 799 4,147 2,689 44.54% White County 17,676 13,280 75.13% 2,316 15,596 4,396 24.87% Region 99,246 66,455 66.96% 11,904 78,359 32,791 33.04%

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 45

Page 1 The Region and Its Economy

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 46 The Region and Its Economy

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 47 The Region and Its Economy 2. Major Employment Sectors Newton County

According to Bureau of Economics Analysis (BEA) Leading employment sectors in this county in 2007 figures for 2007, the three employment sectors that were Manufacturing, 20.6 percent, and Government, employed the most workers in the Region were 15.7 percent, with the Farm sector, responsible for 10.2 Manufacturing, 15.93 percent; Government, 13.76 percent of jobs, in a distant third. Of Newton County percent; and Retail Trade, 10.98 percent. (See Major workers in 2007, 20.7 percent were self-employed. Employment Sectors table, page 50.)

Benton County Pulaski County

The three most important employment sectors here As in Newton County, Manufacturing, 18.9 percent; in 2007 were Government, 16.1 percent; Manufac- Government, 16.6 percent; and Farm, 12.0 percent, turing, 11.2 percent; and Farm, 11.1 percent. Thirty- were the top three employment sectors in Pulaski nine-point-seven percent of Benton County workers County in 2007. Twenty-eight-point-five percent of were self-employed in 2007. Pulaski County denizens employed themselves in 2007.

Carroll County Starke County Carroll County’s leading three sectors in 2007 were Manufacturing, 20.6 percent; Retail Trade, 10.7 per- In 2007, Government, 16.0 percent; Manufacturing, cent; and Other Services, 8.7 percent. Self-employ- 15.1 percent; and Retail Trade, 12.2 percent, led all ment accounted for 44.0 percent of workers in the other employment sectors. In 2007, approximately county, the highest rate in the Region. one-fourth of Starke County workers were self-em- ployed. Jasper County

Government was the leading sector in Jasper County Warren County in 2007, comprising 11.8 percent of jobs. Following were Retail Trade, 11.4 percent, and Construction, Here, in 2007, as in five other KIRPC counties, Manu- 9.9 percent. About one-quarter of Jasper County’s facturing, capturing 17.6 percent of the labor force, workers were self-employed. led all other sectors. Next came Farm, 15.4 percent, and Government, 14.4 percent. Self-employment comprised 30.6 percent of jobs in Warren County.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 48 The Region and Its EconomySheet1 White County BENTON COUNTY LOCATION QUOTIENTS

Industry Sector 2007 White County’s top three sectors in 2007 were Man- Farm 6.93 ufacturing,19.4 percent; Government, 16.8 percent; Forest, Fishing, Related Activities NA and Retail Trade, 13.1 percent. The self-employment Mining NA Utilities NA rate in White County, 12.1 percent, was lower than Construction 0.94 that of any other county — by a significant margin. Manufacturing 1.35 Wholesale Trade 2.04 Retail Trade 0.98 Transportation and Warehousing NA 4. Location Quotient Information 0.20 Finance and Insurance 0.75 Real Estate and rental and leasing 0.69 Location quotients are used to determine the degree Professional and Technical Services 0.33 Management of Companies and Enterprises 0.00 of specialization of each economic sector in each Administrative and Waste Services 0.54 county. The following equation was: Educational Services 0.54 Health Care and Social Assistance 0.50 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation NA LQ = (ei/eT)/(Ei/ET), Accommodation and Food Services NA where Other Services 1.16 Government and Government Enterprises 1.24 ei = County employment in sector i eT = Total county employment Jasper County Ei = National employment in sector i Jasper County specializes in Farming and in Trans- ET = Total national employment portation and Warehousing; at the opposite end of the Benton County spectrum lie Management and Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation. (See Location Quotient table, page Benton County is most specialized in Farming and 51.) Wholesale Trade and least specialized in Information and in Professional and Technical Services. Newton County

Carroll County Newton County specializes in Farming, with Manu- facturing in a distant second; it is least specialized in The sectors wherein Carroll County is most special- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation and in Adminis- ized are Farming and Manufacturing; it specializes trative and Waste Services. (See Location Quotient least in Information and in Professional and Techni- table, page 51.) cal Services. (See Location Quotient table, page 51.)

Page 1

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 49 Sheet1 MAJOR EMPLOYMENT SECTORS (2007 DATA)

Industry Sector Benton Carroll Jasper Newton Pulaski Starke Warren White Region Farm 504 728 814 577 838 497 480 853 5,291 Forest, Fishing, Related Activities DDDDDDDDD Mining LDDDDDDDD K

ankaee Utilities D D D D L 0 D D D Construction 276 918 1,748 373 346 373 172 483 4,689 Manufacturing 507 2,240 1,670 1,168 1,323 984 548 2,077 10,517

-I Wholesale Trade 369 239 D 342 444 149 D 517 2,060* roquois Retail Trade 479 1,163 2,004 468 661 796 266 1,403 7,240 Transportation and Warehousing D D 1,173 D 201 217 180 D 1,771*

R Information 18 49 155 D 43 48 L 86 399* egional Finance and Insurance 170 309 498 162 196 108 68 271 1,782 50 Real Estate and rental and leasing 124 623 521 150 175 152 53 102 1,900 Professional and Technical Services 106 377 1,277 108 165 133 63 D 2,229* P

lanning Management of Companies and Enterprises 0 D 71 0 D 0 0 D 71* Administrative and Waste Services 147 D 626 153 D 233 78 412 1,649* Educational Services 49 D 490 D D D 13 D 552* C Health Care and Social Assistance 226 D 1,179 D D D 296 D 1701* ommisson Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation D 144 146 41 61 59 D 334 785* Accommodation and Food Services D 610 1,179 255 184 477 D 648 3,353* Other Services 316 941 924 D 440 413 159 454 3,647* Government and Government Enterprises 727 940 2,073 889 1,159 1,048 450 1,791 9,077 Total 4,524 10,859 17,580 5,657 6,987 6,537 3,117 10,687 65,948 T

D: Not shown to avoid disclosure of confidential information he L: Fewer than ten jobs R *: Plus totals of undisclosed jobs. egion

and I ts E conomy

Page 1 Sheet1 The Region and Its EconomySheet1 CARROLL COUNTY LOCATION QUOTIENTS NEWTON COUNTY LOCATION QUOTIENTS

Industry Sector 2007 Industry Sector 2007 Farm 3.35 Farm 5.10 Forest, Fishing, Related Activities NA Forest, Fishing, Related Activities 1.10 Mining NA Mining NA Utilities NA Utilities NA Construction 1.41 Construction NA Manufacturing 2.58 Manufacturing 2.58 Wholesale Trade 0.55 Wholesale Trade 0.55 Retail Trade 0.97 Retail Trade 0.75 Transportation and Warehousing NA Transportation and Warehousing NA Information 0.23 Information NA Finance and Insurance 0.57 Finance and Insurance 0.57 Real Estate and rental and leasing 1.43 Real Estate and rental and leasing 0.66 Professional and Technical Services 0.50 Professional and Technical Services 0.48 Management of Companies and Enterprises NA Management of Companies and Enterprises 0.00 Administrative and Waste Services NA Administrative and Waste Services 0.45 Educational Services NA Educational Services NA Health Care and Social Assistance NA Health Care and Social Assistance NA Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 0.66 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 0.36 Accommodation and Food Services 0.80 Accommodation and Food Services 0.64 Other Services 1.44 Other Services NA Government and Government Enterprises 0.67 Government and Government Enterprises 1.21 Pulaski County Sheet1 JASPER COUNTY LOCATION QUOTIENTS Farming exceeds all other sectors respecting Pulas- ki County’s specialization, substantially surpassing Industry Sector 2007 Farm 2.32 second-place Manufacturing. The county specializes Forest, Fishing, Related Activities NA least in Information and Utilities. (See Location Quo- Mining NA tient table, next page.) Utilities NA Construction 1.66 Manufacturing 1.19 Wholesale Trade NA Retail Trade 1.04 Starke County Transportation and Warehousing 2.22 Information 0.44 Finance and Insurance 0.57 Unlike every other KIRPC county, Starke does not Real Estate and rental and leasing 0.74 specialize first in Farming; rather, Retail Trade is the Professional and Technical Services 1.04 sector in which the county is most specialized. Then Management of Companies and Enterprises 0.40 Administrative and Waste Services 0.59 comes Farming. At the bottom of the list come Profes- Educational Services 1.39 sional and Technical Services, and Wholesale Trade. Health Care and Social Assistance 0.67 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 0.42 (See Location Quotient table, next page.) Accommodation and Food Services 0.96 Other Services 0.88Page 1 Page 1 Government and Government Enterprises 0.91

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 51

Page 1 Sheet1 The Region and Its EconomySheet1 PULASKI COUNTY LOCATION QUOTIENTS STARKE COUNTY LOCATION QUOTIENTS

Industry Sector 2007 Industry Sector 2007 Farm 6.00 Farm 3.80 Forest, Fishing, Related Activities NA Forest, Fishing, Related Activities NA Mining NA Mining NA Utilities NA Utilities O Construction 0.83 Construction 0.95 Manufacturing 2.37 Manufacturing 1.88 Wholesale Trade 1.59 Wholesale Trade 0.21 Retail Trade 0.86 Retail Trade 4.06 Transportation and Warehousing 0.96 Transportation and Warehousing 1.11 Information 0.31 Information 0.37 Finance and Insurance 0.56 Finance and Insurance 0.33 Real Estate and rental and leasing 0.63 Real Estate and rental and leasing 0.58 Professional and Technical Services 0.34 Professional and Technical Services 0.29 Management of Companies and Enterprises NA Management of Companies and Enterprises 0.00 Administrative and Waste Services NA Administrative and Waste Services 0.59 Educational Services NA Educational Services NA Health Care and Social Assistance NA Health Care and Social Assistance NA Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 0.44 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 0.45 Accommodation and Food Services 0.38 Accommodation and Food Services 1.04 Other Services 1.05 Other Services 1.05 Government and Government Enterprises 1.28 Government and Government Enterprises 1.23 Warren County Sheet1 Warren County specializes in Farming more than in WARREN COUNTY LOCATION QUOTIENTS any other sector, and more than any other KIRPC Industry Sector 2007 county does. In a distant second, Manufacturing fol- Farm 7.70 lows. Warren County specializes least in Educational Forest, Fishing, Related Activities NA Mining NA Services and in Information. Utilities NA Construction 0.92 Manufacturing 2.20 Wholesale Trade NA White County Retail Trade 0.78 Transportation and Warehousing 1.92 Information NA After Farming, White County specializes most in Finance and Insurance 0.44 Manufacturing. The county is least specialized in In- Real Estate and rental and leasing 0.43 Professional and Technical Services 0.29 formation and in Real Estate and Rental and Leasing. Management of Companies and Enterprises 0.00 (See Location Quotient table, next page.) Administrative and Waste Services 0.42 Educational Services 0.21 Health Care and Social Assistance 0.95 (See, also, Regional Tables on pages 55 and 56.) Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation NA Accommodation and Food Services NA Other Services 0.85 Page 1 Government and Government Enterprises 1.14Page 1

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 52

Page 1 Sheet1 The Region and Its Economy WHITE COUNTY LOCATION QUOTIENTS E. Economic-Development Factors

Industry Sector 2007 Farm 3.99 1. Identification of Potentials Forest, Fishing, Related Activities NA Mining NA Economic-development potentials are defined as those Utilities NA Construction 0.75 factors that give the Region a comparative advantage Manufacturing 2.43 for developing and sustaining productive activities. Wholesale Trade 1.21 Retail Trade 1.19 Transportation and Warehousing NA Information 0.40 Finance and Insurance 0.51 Geographic Location Real Estate and rental and leasing 0.21 Professional and Technical Services NA Encompassed by or in propinquity to five metropoli- Management of Companies and Enterprises NA Administrative and Waste Services 0.64 tan areas — Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI; Educational Services NA Michigan City-LaPorte, IN; Lafayette, IN; Kankakee- Health Care and Social Assistance NA Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 1.56 Bradley, IL; and South Bend-Mishawaka, IN —, and Accommodation and Food Services 0.87 not far from Indianapolis, the KIRPC Region’s loca- Other Services 0.71 tion is ideal for the warehousing, manufacturing, and Government and Government Enterprises 1.29 shipping of goods for these sizable markets. 5. Wages

KIRPC residents earned the following average an- Transportation Network nual wages per job in 2007: A comprehensive network of highways and rail link- Benton: $27,233 ages, well developed and maintained, as well a num- Carroll: $26,782 ber of smaller airports, serves the Region and connects Jasper: $31,123 it effectively with surrounding markets. Newton: $28,493 Pulaski: $31,383 Starke: $26,411 Availability of Land Warren: $29,984 White: $28,532 About 10.5 percent of the Region’s 2.15 million acres is developed, affording much opportunity for further No KIRPC county’s average wage matched the aver- build-up. A good portion of the undeveloped acreage age in Indiana, $36,908, or nationally, $41,991. Ad- is dedicated to preserving natural habitats or consti- justed for inflation, Jasper County’s wage decreased tutes farmland too valuable to develop, but a substan- by less than one percent from 2003; other counties’ tial amount remains to be improved upon in economi- wages increased by about three percent. Page 1 cally viable, environmentally sound ways.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 53 The Region and Its Economy Labor Force Desire to Undertake Economic Development

Because the Region has served as a site for bedroom- County, municipal, business, and civic leaders in most community development, many residents possess of the Region’s counties, cities, and towns earnestly skills, employed in out-of-county and out-of-Region seek to improve the economic and social strengths in occupations, that they could contribute to industries their communities and are willing to take whatever and commercial establishments that relocated to or steps they must to facilitate positive, community-ori- started in the Region. ented, environmentally sustainable economic growth.

Recreation Cost of Living

With its plentitude of open-spaces, numerous bodies Indiana’s lower taxes and business costs and the Re- of water, countless festivals, well maintained parks, gion’s affordability (particularly in terms of housing cultural and historical sites, miles of trails, and Indi- and retail goods) allows residents to enjoy a higher ana Beach, the Region has the potential to increase quality of life for a lower cost, making the Region recreational tourism considerably. particularly enticing to employers who can provide wages that, while still improving our economic envi- ronment, are lower than what would be required of Agricultural Base them in more heavily urbanized areas.

The Region’s rich soils, extensive quantities and variety of products harvested and raised, and prox- 2. Identification of Constraints imity to important markets and transportation lines make investing in and expanding agriculture-related Constraints to economic development have been de- enterprises (e.g., wet-milling, food preservation, bio- fined as those factors, within or outside of the eight- energy) logical. county Region, that prevent, restrict, or otherwise in- hibit economic growth.

Education Infrastructure Although levels of educational attainment still lag across the Region, they have improved dramatically, Many KIRPC communities continue to face infra- in all counties and at all higher-education levels, over structure overloads, even as many have addressed, or the past two decades, having risen sharply between begun to address, the most urgent problems. Inade- 1990 and 2000 and continued to escalate recently. quate or aged water and wastewater treatment systems especially constrain industrial expansion and develop-

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 54 The Region and Its Economy I 0.40 0.13 1.73 1.54 1.34 1.25 1.21 1.20 1.19 0.94 0.92 0.89 0.80 0.79 0.78 0.49 0.46 0.43 3.28 2.92 2.67 1.94 0% 3% 4% 0% 5% 4% -3% -1% -1% -2% 11% 31% 37% 31% 91% 49% 20% -96% -13% -47% -20% -15% -13% 69 576 571 850 438 230 371 915 1,207 2,701 8,030 3,376 4,456 2,464 7,263 7,876 4,338 1,915 9,690 5,281 16,041 12,669 Size (Jobs) 7 Yr % Change LQ Current LQ Page 1 Page Sheet1 REGIONAL LOCATION QUOTIENTS (2009) Cluster Name Fabricated metal product mfg Machinery mfg MANUFACTURING SUPERCLUSTER (6 subclusters) Transportation equipment mfg Primary metal mfg Computer & electronic product mfg Electrical equip, appliance & component mfg Source: EMSI Complete Employment - 3rd Quarter 2009 TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS FOREST AND WOOD PRODUCTS CHEMICALS AND CHEMICAL BASED PRODUCTS ADVANCED MATERIALS APPAREL AND TEXTILES ENERGY (FOSSIL AND RENEWABLE) BIOMEDICAL/BIOTECHNICAL (LIFE SCIENCES) DEFENSE AND SECURITY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES CLUSTER GLASS AND CERAMICS PRINTING AND PUBLISHING AGRIBUSINESS, FOOD PROCESSING AND TECHNOLOGY MINING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, RECREATION AND VISITOR INDUSTRIES 3,470

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 55 The Region and Its Economy 4%0% $43,126 $49,097 -2 5816 10% $50,841 -25 -36% $52,625 19 -557 -97% $56,644 44 69 576 230571371850 331 628 387 438 848 101 169 44% -269 $37,811 -61% $64,392 915 1,141 226 25% $55,012 5,2814,456 4,035 3,024 -1,246 -1,432 -24% -32% $35,864 $37,448 4,3381,9151,207 4,053 1,617 758 -285 -298 -449 -7% -16% -37% $28,344 $69,437 $24,801 7,8763,376 8,042 3,504 1668,030 128 7,917 2% 4% -113 $47,219 $20,956 -1% $53,630 9,6902,7012,464 11,0147,263 3,692 1,324 3,119 7,577 991 14% 655 314 37% $33,425 27% 4% $33,811 $38,575 $39,776 16,041 15,344 -697 -4% $79,128 12,669 12,949 280 2% $39,223 2002 Jobs 2009 Jobs Growth Growth % Current EPW Sheet1 Page 1 ECONOMIC CLUSTER JOB GROWTH (2002-2009) Cluster Name Machinery mfg Computer & electronic product mfg Primary metal mfg Fabricated metal product mfg Transportation equipment mfg Electrical equip, appliance & component mfg ENERGY (FOSSIL AND RENEWABLE) MANUFACTURING SUPERCLUSTER (6 subclusters) ADVANCED MATERIALS EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION MINING PRINTING AND PUBLISHING GLASS AND CERAMICS BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES CLUSTER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS CHEMICALS AND CHEMICAL BASED PRODUCTS FOREST AND WOOD PRODUCTS AGRIBUSINESS, FOOD PROCESSING AND TECHNOLOGY ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, RECREATION AND VISITOR INDUSTRIES TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS APPAREL AND TEXTILES DEFENSE AND SECURITY 3,470 BIOMEDICAL/BIOTECHNICAL (LIFE SCIENCES) 4,513 1,043 30% $31,014

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 56 The Region and Its Economy ment, as does, in some places, a lack of proximity to above (II.D.5, page 53), are indicative of the effects of major roadways and railways. this problem.

Developed Industrial Zones and Sites: Housing

Industrial parks present significant financial risks for Slow population growth — and, recently, decline —, many rural communities; the costs associated with high levels of unemployment, infrastructural over- building them and attracting factories often threaten load, and the high proportion of unskilled workers in the solvency of smaller communities. Many desig- the labor force coalesce to create a too-tight housing nated sites are little more, at present, than undevel- market that severely limits availability for those who oped or insubstantially developed open fields. may seek to follow companies to the Region or to re- side here upon establishing a firm.

Commuting Tourism Given the necessity of commuting for so much of the Region’s labor force, KIRPC communities and coun- A dearth of adequate tourist facilities (hotels, services, ties suffer consequential revenue losses in the forms etc.) greatly reduces the Region’s ability to draw over- of taxes and commercial and retail transactions made night and weekend visitors to the numerous cultural, elsewhere and experience substantial wastes of en- natural, and recreational opportunities that KIRPC ergy in travel time, highway usage, automobile wear- counties and municipalities offer. Additionally, insuf- and-tear, environmental degradation, and other costs ficient publicity of many of these attractions may limit associated with commuting the outside public’s awareness of the events and sites.

Unskilled Labor Force Cultural Facilities and Opportunities

A sizable portion of the Region’s labor force is un- Compared to the amenities offered by surrounding skilled, making relocating a business to or founding metropolitan areas, the rural ambience of the Region one in the Region a seriously risky decision. This often appears to many outsiders as being something of void in employment opportunities created by the un- a cultural desert. Though limited opportunities do ex- skilled labor force compels numerous skilled work- ist, many (e.g., the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum) ers residing in KIRPC counties to travel outside of are only intermittently active. The lack of sufficent the Region, where a vaster array of jobs exists. The publicity may hinder both public awareness of these presence of so many unskilled laborers often limits cultural attractions and their ability more actively to wage scales; the Region’s average wages, as shown engage and to serve the public.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 57 The Region and Its Economy Economic-Development Tools payment of these bonds is achieved through the lease, rental, or sale of property or equipment to a business Although most leaders in KIRPC communities are or industry. Local governments may not direct the pro- eager to encourage and to facilitate economic growth, ceeds of property taxation toward repayment of these many communities fail to take full advantage of tools bonds, but the indebtedness created by the bonds is available to them — tax abatements, state and fed- exempt from the 2-percent-bonded-indebtedness ceil- eral grants, and so forth — to retain existing busi- ing that the Constitution of the State of Indiana im- ness and to encourage their expansion, to attract new poses on all units of government. business, and to help new firms to develop. More- over, financial straits limit communities from using (N.B. Units of government may enter into bonded in- these and other economic-development tools. debtedness by issuing revenue bonds or general ob- ligation bonds to finance long-term financing needs. Indebtedness on general obligation bonds may not ex- 3. Financial Resources ceed 2 percent of the unit’s assessed valuation. These methods of financing are limited strictly to govern- Private Sector mental purposes.)

Throughout the Region, numerous local, regional, and national financial institutions operate branches State that offer personal and commercial loans to residents and businessmen in KIRPC communities. Amounts The State of Indiana takes an active role in aiding eco- available, interest rates, and other specifics of loans nomic and community development, offering a vari- range from bank to bank and often depend on the ety of programs to assist local communities through reasons for borrowing. numerous agencies. Particularly relevant to develop- ment in the Region is OCRA, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, which “work[s] with Public Sector local, state, and national partners to provide resources and technical assistance to aid rural communities in Local shaping their visions for economic development.”

Local governments are able to promote and to shape commercial and industrial development primarily Federal through Economic Development Corporations/Com- missions (EDCs). EDCs are empowered to issue Numerous federal agencies make a variety of financial revenue bonds for the acquisition of property, build- programs available to communities for development. ings, and equipment; to facilitate construction; and to The following have a long tradition of providing capi- cover costs incidental to the issuing of the bond. Re- tal for economic-development-related purposes:

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 58 The Region and Its Economy 1. United States Department of Commerce, Just as Region 4 emphasizes regionalism, so, too, is Economic Development Administration KIRPC beginning to do so, taking on responsibility 2. United States Department of Agriculture, for coordinating Region-wide wage-and-benefit and Rural Development brownfield studies and establishing the CEDS Com- 3. Small Business Administration mittee as a regularly meeting body to track and to dis- 4. Environmental Protection Agency cuss the status of projects and overall development. 5. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 5. Economic-Development Investments

4. KIRPC CEDS in Context In the past few years, the Region has seen a number of investments lead to an improved base for economic “Once upon a time, the mantra of economic develop- development. A number of communities and counties ment was ‘Build and they will come’.… [B]ut in the — Wolcott, Brook, Boswell, and Pulaski County — 90’s two other mantras gained notoriety, ‘Grow your have completed, or are undergoing, comprehensive own — locally innovate new technologies/products plans, economic-development studies, or revitaliza- and spur entrepreneurial growth’ and ‘workforce de- tion projects to determine how best to attract and to velopment = economic development’.” This para- grow new businesses.Most of the funding for these graph comes from the 2009 State of the Workforce has come from OCRA. A number of communities report published by the West Central Indiana Region have continued to make infrastructure improvements 4 Workforce Board, which comprises four KIRPC to ready themselves for economic growth. counties — Benton, Carroll, Warren, and White —, as well as other Indiana counties. A few paragraphs Currently, Goodland and Wolcott are undertaking ho- later, the report continues by emphasizing the im- meowner housing-rehabilitation projects, with money portance of looking beyond local potentials and con- to come from the Indiana Housing and Community straints as isolated factors and recognizing them as Development Authority. parts of Regional strengthes and weaknesses. The largest economic-development project in the Re- Much the same, as is noted on page three and will gion presently underway is the SYSCO, Inc., infra- be discussed below, KIRPC and its members have structure project near Hamlet. Funding for this project, come to approach economic development with these much of which has been completed, has come from attitudes. Amongst our Vital Regional Projects list EDA, OCRA, and the Indiana Economic Develop- are cross-county infrastructure projects that will in- ment Corporation. SYSCO’s coming to Starke County crease interconnectedness while facilitating econom- is projected to create 490 new jobs and to bring ap- ic expansion, and programs that seek to develop our proximately $100 million in private investments to the Region’s economy from the ground up — especially Region, all while enhancing further economic-devel- the internship and economic-gardening programs. opment opportunities.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 59 Regional Development Expectations Regional Development Expectations A. Defining Regional Expectations Commerce) and state and federal agencies; and tak- ing other steps to ensure that economic development 1. Community and Private-Sector CEDS in the Region occurs in a manner sensitive to private, Involvement public, and environmental concerns, as well as suit- able for current economic conditions and aligned with Because it is ultimately the general public — citi- the long-term vision of the KIRPC CEDS. zens and private-sector contributors to economic development and growth — to whom economic developers are accountable morally, electorally, 2. Development Priorities and fiscally, the Committee has kept the concerns of this constituency in mind throughout the de- Longer-Term Development Goals velopment of the CEDS. As noted on page three, some private-sector representatives sit on the i. Decrease the gap between KIRPC employment rates immediate Committee, and county economic- and Indiana and national rates. development officers have made concentrated efforts throughout the development process to In the past, unemployment has affected the come to Committee meetings with perspectives KIRPC Region noticeably harder than it has the State that they have developed by consulting the peo- of Indiana on the whole; although the Region has gen- ple whom they serve. Private-sector individuals erally fared slightly better in comparison to the United have provided invaluable information regarding States, national levels, too, have remained marginally what they perceive to be necessary for them to lower than KIRPC rates in recent years. Indiana has improve, to expand, and to remain competitive, done well in preparing for economic downturns, and on topics ranging from freight rail to sewer sys- the benefits of this preparation have helped the Region tems to workforce-development programs. to recover, slowly but surely. However, short-term im- provements do not guarantee long-term change, and As KIRPC and its member-counties and municipali- the Committee still believes it necessary to aim real- ties work to implement the goals, objectives, and proj- istically, hoping to keep the gap between the Regional ects outlined below, private-sector involvement will level and state and national levels close, without ex- prove to be even more consequential, and the Com- pecting to surpass employment levels soon. mittee and its members will seek to engage interested parties in multifarious ways. This will include obvi- ous forms of engagement, including soliciting busi- ii. We seek to achieve a modernized road-and-rail ness people’s thoughts regarding projects that will af- network in the Region, with local and county streets fect their enterprises, but also will look to developing and highways improved and properly connected to public-private partnerships — for financing, manage- state, federal, and interstate highways, and rail lines ment, and evaluation —; working closely with inter- improved and more effectively utilized better to serve est groups (e.g., the Farm Bureau or the Chamber of new and expanding economic sectors, particularly

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 61 Regional Development Expectations wind power and agriculture-related ventures that fit Short-term Development Objectives the Region’s profile. To this end, we shall commis- sion studies as necessary (including a Region-wide Across the Region, infrastructure improvements are Transportation Study, below) to determine where to imperative for more substantial economic develop- direct funding, which roads and intersections demand ment to occur. The focus on these improvements is improvement, where rail expansion — especially in primarily in the five following categories: the form of team tracks, in the short-term — should occur, and so on. i. Water, sewer, and drainage improvements; ii. Local-road-and-rail network improvements; iii. We hope to improve Regional connectivity to iii. Housing improvements; provide the best comprehensive grid for business in- iv. Community-services improvements; terests and government agencies in the Region and v. Intra-Regional relationship improvements. better to attract new ventures in the Region. This in- cludes improving telecommunications networks and Water, sewer, and drainage improvements will involve establishing new grids; partnering with healthcare the construction of new facilities and systems, or the providers; breaking down barriers that stand between upgrade thereof, as well as the extension of utilities various business interests, and state and local agen- to industrial sites and other development-ready loca- cies and utility providers; lobbying INDOT to install tions. Road improvements will focus on surface qual- fiber-optics conduits whenever highway construction ity, pedestrian safety, and improved access from local or rehabilitation occurs; and enhancing public rela- roads to state and federal highway networks, as well tions for municipalities and counties, business inter- as to rail networks for intermodal support, reload cen- ests, and KIRPC. ters, and the like, and local-business development. iv. KIRPC, as a commission, seeks to expand the role Housing improvements will aim to create better con- that it plays in Regional affairs by facilitating im- ditions in extant housing, to provide more diversified proved, long-term collaboration, coordination, and housing options for a range of income levels, and, cooperation amongst counties and municipalities in where appropriate, to provide residential options in the Region. We recognize the importance of region- mixed-use downtown districts. Community-services alism in more effectively and efficiently strengthen- upgrades should be directed toward seniors, the infirm, ing economies and communities, and hope to take the and others in need, in the form of broadened transpor- lead in acting within this framework. tation opportunities, meal-service, and the like. Intra- Regional improvements will focus on strengthening v. Conscious of the pressing need for environmental ties amongst member-counties and municipalities, soundness in development policy, we hope always to better publicizing KIRPC, and streamlining planning improve how we make use of natural resources, pro- efforts. We view the accomplishment of these tasks as tect the environment, and establish best practices to being crucial to providing a sufficient foundation for guide ourselves and our successors in the future. long-term development.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 62 Regional Development Expectations B. Strategic Projects, Programs, 75 and nine others), utility expansion to the HHH Cor- and Activities ridor, and the acquisition of land for a new industrial site. 1. Vital Regional Projects Another project focused primarily on one spe- a. Major-Corridor Infrastructure Upgrades cific part of the Region, this nonetheless may help to promote a stronger Regional economy by improving Realizing the need for up-to-date infrastructure, the transportation routes throughout the Region. As part Committee has deemed the improvement of highway of or related to this project, improvement and expan- interchanges to be the highest-priority vital Regional sion of the nearby Norfolk Southern line would be un- project in the KIRPC Region. dertaken. Costs for the entire project, which likely will be subdivided, are estimated at about $12.7 million, i. Connect utilities to all five I-65 interchanges in with the expectation of ultimately creating nearly 500 Jasper County (with IN-114 as top priority) and fast- well-paying jobs over 13 years. Significant private in- growing unincorporated areas of the county. vestment is anticipated once infrastructure expansion permits industrial development. Although this most directly affects Jasper County and the municipalities therein, it stands to iii. Bringing utilities to the Wolcott Corridor is nec- improve business opportunities, direct and indirect, essary for stimulating development — including a for towns and cities in the Region by facilitating in- Shovel-Ready industrial park — at this strategically frastructural growth in some of the most quickly pop- located site, in proximity to I-65, the TPW line, and ulating parts of the Region and upgrading the areas the TPW intermodal hub in Wolcott. Costs are expect- surrounding five interchanges with I-65, the Region’s ed to run just below $5 million, with an outcome at only interstate highway, a primary connector to other least 100 new jobs. markets. Jasper County expects to expend $5 mil- lion; although few jobs will arise directly because of The above list highlights the top-priority projects un- this project, the long-term job-creation benefits will der this category; in no way is it meant to be viewed likely be impressive given the City of Rensselaer’s as exhaustive. As these projects are completed, and plans to construct an industrial park near the I-65/IN- as other corridors’ and roadways’ signifcance may in- 114 interchange. crease, county-level and inter-county projects will be directed toward other areas. ii. Comprehensive study, and then, when feasible, completion, of development projects — including a multi-purpose complex housing a business incubator, b. Region-Wide Railroad Development museum, the EDC, and the Chamber of Commerce — related to the Hoosier Heartland Highway, along Recognizing not only that transportation infrastruc- with significant road-connection improvements (IN- ture is important, particularly because of the Region’s

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 63 Regional Development Expectations critical location, but also that for a plethora of reasons end-users will be necessary.) could lead to long-term — including economic and environmental efficiency reactivation of rail between the two, and beyond, and —, expanding freight rail (and perhaps, long-term, could stimulate economic growth in the northernmost passenger rail) is necessary, the CEDS Committee counties of the Region. Moreover, it could serve as believes that making better use of and expanding an example of the benefits of emphasizing the impor- current rail lines in the Region is a necessity. Two tance of rail. Eventually, the siting of a reload center projects in particular were kept in mind when making in North Judson could become a strong possibility. this decision, but this section’s list is not exhaustive. ii. Economic Development along the CSX line be- In addition to the primary projects (listed below), tween Monon and Medaryville. Warren County is considering constructing a spur to enhance the Bee Line, and the NS line in Car- At minimum, three municipalities in Pulaski roll County is under consideration for upgrades. In and White Counties stand to benefit from taking ad- Starke County, an addition will be constructed to link vantage of still-extant rail lines. Increased economic the current lead track in the Knox Industrial Park activity along the CSX-US 421 corridor could, beyond with newly acquired land; trackage at the Hamlet- improving the economic vitality of Monon (where East Industrial Park will be extended to unserved two CSX branches conjoin), Francesville, and Me- parts of the park; and a lead rail track with switches daryville, spur increased economic activity in nearby is proposed for the Hamlet-West Industrial Park. communities and encourage greater reliance on rail as an asset to our Region, perhaps even encouraging oth- i. Rehab the North Judson-owned CKIN railroad er communities to work toward repairing and rebuild- trackage, with a new teamtrack and docks for busi- ing rail lines. CSX Transportation, Inc., has expressed nesses not located along rail line and an extension to interest in developing the corridor. Ultimately, this the North Judson Industrial Park. line could be extended from Medaryville northward through San Pierre and into Lacrosse, in southwest- Improvements to the CKIN line will allow for ern LaPorte County, where it would meet the CKIN. heavier freight transit — particularly agricultural — In White County, further economic development may from North Judson, and the teamtrack and the exten- focus on Reynolds, Chalmers, and Brookston sion into the industrial park will help to facilitate the development of industry, as well as providing new opportunities to current businesses. Rehabilitation c. Wind-Power Education/Visitors’ Center costs are estimated at $3,675,000. Currently, four wind farms — Benton County, Fowler Although this would initially have an impact Ridge, Meadow Lake I, and Hoosier Wind — pro- only on North Judson, the pairing of a revived CKIN duce green energy in the Region. When completed, line and the new trail being constructed between Fowler Ridge will be one of the world’s largest plants; North Judson and Monterey (Again, the presence of altogether, the Region’s wind farms will comprise

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 64 Regional Development Expectations the world’s largest concentration of turbines. These this would be considerations for easier access of data farms have brought and will bring hundreds of tem- for dissemination on a county-level basis and for up- porary construction jobs and a number of perma- dating it regularly with ease, without necessitating nent positions to the Region. As further construction frequent formal updates. This may involve utilizing across Benton, White, Jasper, and Newton Coun- Web- and electronic-mail-based surveys and in-person ties continues, and spreads to the other four coun- meeting with human resources departments. Costs are ties, the Region will become a national, if not global, estimated about $25,000. wind-power leader. The education/visitors’ site, to be housed as part of a larger community center for Ben- ton County, will help to draw attention to the innova- f. Establish Fiber-Optics Network and tive steps being taken in KIRPC counties to stimulate Improve Regional Connectivity the economy and to increase energy independence. To facilitate enhanced tourism, highway expansion Currently, this has been proposed in Starke County. In will eventually be included in plans. Monon, a conduit follows the CSX mainline. An ac- tive route runs from the northwest through Rensselaer Furthering the Regional scope of wind-power devel- and thence southeastward; eventually it connets with a opment, Benton and White Counties have been col- line that runs through Monticello, other parts of White laborating to find an appropriate lookout point for the County, and part of Benton County, and runs south- education center, and intend to involve local land- eastward toward Frankfort and Indianapolis. Mapping scaping businesses in the development of the site. and a planning study would be required to determine exactly where to lay new conduits, but Region-wide cooperation d. Region-Wide Transportation Study An adequate network would connect industrial parks This will help to identify key road and rail routes, and provide connectivity to schools, industries, medi- strengths and weaknesses in the Region’s transporta- cal facilities, and other firms that could benefit from it. tion network, products shipped, existing and poten- In addition to establishing a fiber-optics network, we tial companies, and ways to improve the Region’s intend to work with private-sector companies as ap- road and rail network beyond those already listed in propriate to ensure adequate high-speed Internet, by this section of the CEDS document. For White Coun- way of wireless, cable, or both, to underserved rural ty, costs have been estimated at $100,000. areas, residential and commercial alike. e. Region-Wide Wage-and-Benefit Survey g. Region-Wide Brownfield Survey

We intend to complete an update to a survey per- The KIRPC Region is home to several brownfields. formed in the Region in 2006. Involved in planning With proper clean-up, transfer of ownership, and mar-

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 65 Regional Development Expectations keting, these could welcome new economic-develop- ning to attend college to develop skills and to find ment opportunities. KIRPC will apply for the grant, well-paying positions for which they are qualified. dispersing funds to counties on a site-by-site basis. Steps would be taken to prioritize site-selection and We could start with one or two counties and then ex- not to usurp property owners’ rights. IWM Consult- pand to another with each school year. Initial costs for ing, of Indianapolis, will assist with this project. White County have been estimated at $60,000 for two years. This program has the potential to be particular- ly Regional in nature by offering cross-county intern- h. Regional Internship Program ship opportunities, pairing students in one county with employers in others when their home counties are not At present, White County alone is focusing on this. home to suitable host companies. As part of its efforts, with initial emphasis placed on the Youth Retention pillar, the White County Home- Employers would pay the students, with the possibil- Town Competitiveness (HTC)team is considering a ity of earning academic credit available to university- community-centered internship program as a vehicle student interns. The program is employer-driven, so for attracting and retaining young professionals. business owners and managers will determine who would be best for their project. It is important to have The program would be available to all employers, the employers involved first, telling us what skills with priority placed on those offering opportunities they need, rather than sending students into the pro- in manufacturing, logistics, agribusiness, advanced gram without the guarantee of a matching employer. materials/polymers, tourism, and entrepreneurship (encompassing those small businesses not tied to A community-centered program offers an additional one of the five listed sectors). Each employer would benefit in the four types of learning that are incorpo- benefit from the efficiencies and economies of scale rated into the program: formal, informal, experiential, associated with a program administered by the HTC and service. Service learning includes the involvement team at the community/county level. Additionally, of the intern in community-/social-service activities the program’s structure would be such that a univer- not generally a component of an internship program, sally applied format could be leveraged across all of for example, presenting to community groups, giving the participating employers with opportunities for back to the HTC program, addressing potential interns customization as needed. about the program and about coming back to the com- munity after school, etc. The program would focus on high-school students and then expand to college students. Ivy Tech stu- dents would be involved, also, from the outset. The i. Multi-Use Regional Trail System main goal is to connect our youth to a local employer and to bring them back to the community after gradu- We propose to build trails throughout the Region, con- ation. The program could also help those not plan- necting them to each other and to already extant paths.

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 66 Regional Development Expectations Carroll County has a comprehensive system, and business programming to help to establish new home- Monticello hopes to connect trails to those in Car- grown employers in the Region. roll County. Recently, construction of a trail extend- ing southeastward from North Judson, along the Erie Lackawana rail bed, toward Monterey has occurred. 2. Vital-Project Funding Eventually, it could connect to the trails at Tippecanoe State Park, and thence to the nearly completed Pan- We anticipate diverse sources for the funding of our handle Pathway, which runs along the Pennsylvania Regionally significant projects. Support from EDA, Railroad bed between Winamac and Logansport (in OCRA, and INDOT are foremost amongst higher- Cass County); from the south, trails in Delphi could level-government sources; local-match support, TIF be connected to Logansport. Whenever possible, we districts, and other county- and municipal-level op- should prefer to use rail beds for new trails. Start-up tions exist, too. We particularly hope to increase planning costs are estimated at $150,000 per county. private-sector funding in the Region. As noted under III.B.1.b.ii above, CSX has expressed interest in devel- oping the corridor between Medaryville and Monon; j. Region-Wide Economic- as rail continues to make a resurgence and fossil-fuel Gardening Program costs limit on-the-road freight-hauling, private-public partnerships involving rail carriers may become more Economic gardening is an entrepreneurial approach frequent. Partnerships with alternative-energy compa- to economic development using analysis, research, nies seeking to take advantage of the Region’s pro- and search engine optimization for second-stage gressive attitude toward renewable energy (methane, companies. White County leaders have met with algae, etc.) may further increase the investments in Purdue Center for Regional Development and the economic development in the Region. Indiana Small Business Development Center to dis- cuss what is needed to develop a pilot program in multiple counties, and anticipate that the cost would 3. Comprehensive List of be approximately $85,500 for ten companies in three Suggested Projects counties. These costs would fund a “jump-start” team that would analyze existing companies, to determine On the following pages, spreadsheets for each KIRPC how best to encourage their growth, and data-mining. county detail all suggested county-level projects, pro- grams, and activities. The driving philosophy behind economic garden- ing — as opposed to “economic hunting” — is that a community “grows” its own jobs through entrepre- neurial activity instead of recruiting them. In addi- tion to helping existing local companies to grow and to add positions, this program could entail start-up-

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 67 Regional Development Expectations Estimate Estimate Estimated of Oxford of Location Sponsor Cost of Jobs Geographic Earl ParkEarl Park Earl of Town ParkEarl Park Earl of Town Boswell Boswell of Town FowlerOtterbein Fowler of Town Otterbein of Town Otterbein Otterbein of $1,200,000.00 Town OxfordOxford Oxford of Town Town Boswell Boswell of Town FowlerFowler Fowler of Town Oxford Fowler of Town Oxford Oxford of Town Oxford Oxford of Town Otterbein Oxford of Town Otterbein of Town $500,000.00 Page 1 Page Sheet1 ounty C enton B Description well Construct wastewater plant and run water thereto water run and plant wastewater Construct improvements plant Wastewater Beautification Avenue Grant revitalization Downtown project Sidewalk-replacement revitalization Downtown improvements Park Home Nursing Otterbein old for uses new possible of Study Otterbein trails nearby to connect to plans plan, master Park/trails Otterbein of Town Otterbein Repairs Street $50,000.00 Otterbein of Town Improve/rebuild/build new storm-sewer system storm-sewer new Improve/rebuild/build plant water new Construct plant wastewater Upgrade lines water Improve improvements Stormwater improvements Stormwater new Construct Type Infrastructure Improvements Planning Improvements Activities Road/Street Water/Sewer Improvements

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 68 Regional Development Expectations Jobs $800,000.00 Estimate Estimated City of Delphi Location Sponsor of Cost Geographic DelphiDelphi City of DelphiDelphi City of DelphiDelphi $2,500,000.00 City of Delphi Area 4 City of Delphi CamdenBurlington Town of Camden Town of Burlington Burlington Town of Burlington $560,000.00 FloraDelphi Town of Flora Carroll County Delphi $1,360,700.00 Delphi City of Delphi Delphi City of Delphi Delphi City of DelphiDelphi City of Delphi $2,500,000.00 City of Delphi $1,500,000.00 ounty C Page 1 Page Sheet1 arroll C Description Inter-Urban Trail Project Low-income housing project High-end housing addition on south side Redevelop Globe/P&R site Downtown Revitalization Upgrade fire station Demolish old Flora High School for econmic developmentConstruct new fire station FloraComplete development of infrastructure for South Delphi TIF site: Roadwork, fire-water surge protection, sewer, gas, fiber-optic, curbs, sidewalks Carroll County Utility improvement – east/Andersons/218 Downtown Revitalization Utility improvement in west Delphi Flood control upgrades Pedestrian Trail: Armory Rd. to Hamilton St. Bridge Downtown Revitalization Type Infrastructure Improvements

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 69 Regional Development Expectations $900,000.00 $155,000.00 Estimate Estimated Carroll County Carroll County Location Sponsor of Cost Jobs c ont i nue d Geographic

Delphi City of Delphi CamdenBurlington Town of Camden Town of Burlington FloraDelphi Town of Flora Delphi City of Delphi Camden City of Delphi Town of Camden DelphiDelphi City of DelphiCarroll County Carroll County City of Delphi $3,500,000.00 $1,500,000.00 Delphi City of Delphi Page 2 Page Sheet1 ounty C arroll Description C publicly accessible Wastewater capacity study (and project) Upgrade collector system Pave Water St. from Main to north end of Storm water study (and project) infiltration problems in waste water system Monitor water infiltration in waste system, prioritize and remediate to lower flow New well site development Ground storage tank – 200 N. US 421/Armory Rd. Interchange Upgrades Establish countywide GIS — zoning, land use; Identify, prioritize, and remediate water town to highway standard in anticipation of county upgrade; sidewalk and light installation Connector road: Dayton Rd. to US 421 Type Planning Water/Sewer Road/Street Activities Improvements Improvements

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 70 Regional Development Expectations $600,000.00 $600,000.00 Estimate Estimate Estimated Location Sponsor Cost of Jobs Geographic Rensselaer Rensselaer of City Rensselaer $2,500,000.00 County Jasper Rensselaer County Jasper $1,000,000.00 Rensselaer County Jasper Rensselaer County Jasper $1,250,000.00 Rensselaer Rensselaer of City CountyJasper $1,500,000.00 County Jasper $4,700,000.00 Rensselaer Rensselaer of City $3,750,000.00 300 ounty C Page 1 Page Sheet1 as p er J Description offices government to – 10 miles 430 E CR to US-231 from 400 N Extend municipal sewage and water lines water and sewage municipal Extend (I-65/IN-114) areas commercial affected adversely to jail county at HVAC Replace Courthouse County Re-roof * CR 1000 W from river to CR 850 S – 22.5 miles 850 S CR to river from 1000 W * CR – 9 miles 200 E CR to 700 W CR from N 1450 N/1500 * CR I-65 to accessible park industrial Create Convert old county jail in jail county old Convert electrical. and plumbing, HVAC, new with better for Courthouse on County windows Replace efficiency energy and use around downtown Renovate environs and square courthouse asphalt with roads county Resurface * CR IN-114 and Type Water/Sewer Improvements Improvements Infrastructure Infrastructure Economic Improvements Development Road/Street

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 71 Regional Development Expectations Estimate Estimated Page 1 Page Sheet1 Location Sponsor of Cost Jobs Geographic Brook Town of Brook $5,500,000.00 150 Rural Brook Newton County $15,000,000.00 Kentland Town of Kentland Mt. Ayr Town of Mt. AyrKentland $16,500,000.00 Town of Kentland $979,000.00 Kentland Town of Kentland $3,200,000.00 Kentland Town of KentlandKentland $1,100,000.00 Town of KentlandGoodland $1,300,000.00 Town of Goodland ounty C ewton N Description Develop industrial park on Cassini property at northwestern corner of town Run water, sewer, electric to Newton County Renewable Energy Park, plan site; develop streets and lighting here. Replace/add fire hydrants, repair water tower, add water lines Extend water and sewer services from Newton County Reg. Water and Sewer District — Phase 5 of NC RWSD PER Install new storm sewer system, swales, flap gate Community Pool Project — Upgrade for safety and forty-five-percent decrease in operational costs US 24/US 41 Beautification project — drainage and infrastructure, landscaping Infrastructure and stormwater drainage at Ross Industrial Park Construct new fire station Type Economic Development Water/Sewer Improvements Infrastructure Improvements

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 72 Regional Development Expectations Estimate Estimated Page 2 Page Sheet1 Location Sponsor of Cost Jobs ont i nue d Geographic Lincoln Twp. Lincoln Twp. $3,900,000.00 Kentland Town of KentlandMt. Ayr $4,500,000.00 Town of Mt. AyrBrook $3,200,000.00 Town of BrookKentland Town of Kentland $800,000.00 $500,000.00 C ounty C ewton Description N Construct new fire station and training facility Runway expansion at Kentland airport for increased variety of serviceable aircraft Demolition of old school, construct new park and community center Addition to existing structure construct new fire station Develop Economic Development Strategy and Town Comprehensive Plan Type Infrastructure Improvements Planning Activities

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 73 Regional Development Expectations Estimate Estimated Location Sponsor of Cost Jobs Geographic Winamac Town of WinamacMonterey $4,100,000.00 Star City (CDP) Pulaski County Town of Monterey $1,826,000.00 Francesville $2,500,000.00 Town of Francesville Pulaski County Pulaski County Francesville Pulaski County Medaryville Town of Medaryville Winamac Town of Winamac ounty Page 1 Page Sheet1 C ulas ki P Description Install new storm water system, Repair/rehab sanitary sewer system Replace/add to current storm sewer system Construct new sewer system in Star City Rehab sanitary sewer system Countywide Economic Development Strategy Plan Acquire land within US 421/CSX corridor for construction-ready industrial park Construct new fire station Downtown Revitalization Type mprovements Infrastructure Water/Sewer Improvements Water/Sewer I Planning Activities Economic Development Improvements

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 74 Regional Development Expectations ounty C tar k e S

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 75 Regional Development Expectations c ont i nue d ounty C tar k e S

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 76 Regional Development Expectations c ont i nue d ounty C tar k e S

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 77 Regional Development Expectations 67 $58,000.00 Estimate Estimated Page 1 Page Sheet1 ounty Location Sponsor of Cost Jobs Geographic C West Lebanon Warren County $3,500,000.00West Lebanon 67 Warren County $15,000,000.00Pine Village Pine Village 66 arren W Description replace existing lagoon, add extensions Install intrastate natural gas Two new wells, upgrade chlorination house, new water main Redesign/implement new sewer system, West Lebanon Warren County distribution line with county ownership of local distribution system Upgrade HVAC, energy efficiency at current and old fire houses Type Infrastructure Water/Sewer Improvements Improvements

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 78 Regional Development Expectations $55,000.00 Estimate Estimated Town of Brookston Location Sponsor of Cost Jobs Geographic MononMonticello Town of Monon City of MonticelloWolcott $18,000,000.00 $900,000.00 Town of WolcottBurnettsville $900,000.00 Town of Burnettsville ReynoldsReynolds Town of ReynoldsReynolds Town of Reynolds $1,200,000.00 Town of Reynolds $3,700,000.00 Brookston $6,500,000.00 White County Wolcott White CountyMonticello White County $4,800,000.00 ounty Page 1 Page Sheet1 C h i te W Description Replace water main, improve plant Study, repair/install storm drainage tiles as needed,Investigate use of ponds Update water system WolcottRepair and line wastewater lines, replace leaky manholes Town of Wolcott ReynoldsConstruct new water tower and treatment facility Town of ReynoldsConstruct new wastewater treatment facility $900,000.00 Install new storm sewer system $600,000.00 Purchase backup generators for water and sewage plants ReynoldsRun water and wastewater to Brookston Industrial Park Town of ReynoldsRun water and wastewater to Wolcott Corridor $102,000.00 Comprehensive update of storm sewer system CSO long-term control plan Feasibility study for renovation of Old Hospital Countywide Strategic Economic Development Plan White County White County Type Water/Sewer Improvements Planning Activities

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 79 Regional Development Expectations Estimate Estimated Location Sponsor of Cost Jobs Geographic Monticello City of MonticelloMonon $2,700,000.00 Monticello Town of Monon White County Monticello $750,000.00 City of Monticello $3,200,000.00 c ont i nue d

Page 2 Page Sheet1 ounty C h i te W Description Multi-modal access, trees, plants, trash bins Historic District Streetscape Rehab of Old Hospital — Business incubator, Ivy Tech expansion, other possibilities Spec building/infrastructure in South TIF District Water, sewer, electric, zoning: Shovel-Ready-anticipated Building replacement/public usage improvement: NewTown hall/police/clerk-treasurer/fire/superintendent bld. MononConstruct new community center/municipal-office/shop building Town of MononDowntown Revitalization — sidewalks, lights Reynolds $2,000,000.00 Town of Reynolds $350,000.00 Type Infrastructure Improvements

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 80 Regional Development Expectations C. Implementing the CEDS The Town of Reynolds, in White County, is experimenting with a wastewater-processing system 1. CEDS Plan of Action that relies on algae to treat the water and to produce gas and oil through photosynthesis. Fair Oaks Farms We shall encourage Regionalism in our efforts, estab- uses biodigesters to convert animal waste into fertil- lishing cross-county relationships and using KIRPC izer and biogas for heat and energy. to share costs and benefits, aware that a new plant in Winamac will provide jobs not only to laborers there, We shall provide greater development incentives to but also to residents of, for example, Monterey, Me- locally based firms and to employers where projected daryville, and Francesville, and Starke, White, and pay and benefits will improve the quality of life of Jasper Counties. Region residents by increasing average annual wages. (See page 53.) We shall actively seek private-sector investment in our Region, especially from parties whose involve- Using data from the forthcoming Region-wide wage- ment is most likely to encourage sustainable growth. and-benefits survey (See III.B.1.e. above.), we shall Rail companies and alternative-energy providers are establish an easily accessible, distributable, and ma- logical choices here. Although freight rail is not as nipulable database that allows us regularly to track predominant as it was in the Region’s history, it re- and to record changes in these data. mains vital, and is likely to increase in significance as transporation costs — especially those associated We shall work with communications firms and gov- with trucking —, both financial and environmental, ernment agencies to increase rural access to high- continue to climb. speed Internet, employing broadband, fiber-optics, and wireless connectivity. The Region already has a strong base in al- ternative-energy production. Not only do four wind We shall pursue, when possible, growth in sectors farms operate here, but in Newton County, the land- best suited for our Region, taking advantage of our fill is a source for methane gas used to power one in- transportation-crossroads location, proximity to major dustry — INIG (a part of Urban Forest Recyclers), a markets, heavily agricultural nature, and alternative- manufacturer of food packaging made from recycled energy potential to become a leading national agricul- materials — presently, with plans for an expanded tural-products producer and distributor, and producer, Renewable Energy Park. The INIG plant and other consumer, and exporter of renewable energy. proposed industries help to offset recent job-losses in the county and to create additional new positions, to We shall focus on development in brownfields, open decrease energy costs, and to make Newton County parcels within corporations limits — especially in and the KIRPC Region leaders in alternative-energy already-developed business districts —, and where solutions. The Liberty Landfill in rural White County utilities already exist to promote ecologically sound, could become the source of energy for a similar park. sustainable, and human-scale development, preferring

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 81 Regional Development Expectations mixed-use downtown district, pedestrian-oriented To retain both college graduates and those shopping districts, and green building technology, who choose to enter the workforce through a different which itself provides jobs. route, as well as to encourage others to move into the Region and to contribute to its growth, we shall better Recognizing that the low number of KIRPC residents publicize the benefits and amenities that the Region with higher-education skills influences what job sec- offers: A reasonable cost of living in a places that offer tors are appropriate, wishing to provide jobs accord- the benefits proximity to metropolitan centers, but also ingly, and also wishing for educated youth in our Re- afford the slower pace and quality of rural life; recre- gion to return home after completing their schooling, ational opportunities ranging from Indiana Beach to we must seek an appropriate balance between manu- annual fairs to state parks; and vast economic-growth facturing, agriculture, and service-sector jobs, and potential. “knowledge-worker” fields. We shall work to pro- vide opportunities for today’s KIRPC kids to become tomorrow’s leaders in their communities, rather than 2. Performance Measures office-workers in Indianapolis, Chicago, or Wash- ington, DC, both by creating jobs suitable for them To track our municipal, county, and Regional progress and by first encouraging higher levels of college-at- accurately, we must abide by objective standards of tendance when students are in high school, through measurement that offer insight into how our econo- internship programming, information-dissemination, mies are performing, how they have improved — or and financial incentives. worsened —, and how we expect them to change in the future. EDA’s baseline list provides a helpful, but To ensure an appropriate balance, especially insufficient, rubric by which to judge the conditions in as we recognize economic trends and the need better the KIRPC Region: to train students who choose paths other than four- year-degree schools, we shall solicit local-industry i. Number of jobs created after implementa- input to determine what skills laborers need to help tion of the CEDS firms to compete, to expand, and to provide good jobs, ii. Number and types of investments under- and shall take what we learn from employers to work taken in the Region with local educational institutions, high schools, and iii. Number of jobs retained in the Region jobs-skills centers to establish, to improve, and to iv. Amount of private-sector investment expand job-training and re-training programs. It is in the Region after implementation also essential to reach students as early as possible, v. Changes in the economic environment of working through high-school guidance counselors the Region. and other leaders to present to students opportunities available to them besides four-year degrees — voca- Knowing the high rates of unemployment that have tional training, two-year degrees, internships, certifi- hit the Region, we believe it unwise to leave the first cation programs, and apprenticeships. criterion as is. We intend, in judging the success of

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 82 Regional Development Expectations our efforts, to emphasize job retention over creation of employment options to allow college-educated res- in the short term. Because many communities in the idents of the Region to return home to jobs that allow Region are underserved by infrastructure, it would be them to capitalize on their talents and schooling is es- highly imprudent to advocate too-rapid development; sential if we hope to enable sustainable, economically in the name of stability, we hope to witness slower, strong communities and to maintain our identify as a steady employment increases, rather than enduring Region and as locales. Likewise, we must monitor job the risks of high-growth, high-loss fluctuations. opportunities for those who do not obtain four-year degrees, being sure that vocational programs are in- To determine how positive changes in the economic structing students in ways that prepare them for the lo- environment have been, rather than focusing simply cal workforce, and that our job-creation attempts lead on the quantity of jobs created, we plan to focus on to neither too many nor too few jobs in any sector for the quality of jobs that come to our communities, as the number of workers suited for them. well as whether they are the result of economic hunt- ing or gardening. Whether the gap between KIRPC Seeking both to guarantee that we improve the eco- employment levels and state and national levels de- nomic situation of the Region while protecting the en- creases will be monitored, but so will be whether the vironment and to create jobs in those sectors where jobs-increase has closed income gaps. doing so makes the most sense, we shall gauge our successes based on how many jobs are created, indire- A plethora of entry-level factory jobs and re- clty or directly, by renewable-energy programs: How tail and fast-food positions improves the Region’s many laborers find work at Newton County’s Renew- success rate superficially, but such opportunities may able Energy Park; how many maintain wind farms provide little in terms of long-term expectations, liv- and work in fields — e.g., food-service — that benefit ing-wage potential, personal development, more vi- from eco-tourism here; and so on. brant communities, or sounder tax bases. Entry-level positions are to be welcomed when the potential for Additionally, we shall measure our successes by gaug- promotions and wage-increases exists. Solid mid- ing how much interest prospective employers show in dle-class jobs — jobs that help to boost the average opening facilities or expanding extant operations in incomes of wage-earners —, especially those with the Region. In an economically stunted Region, espe- homegrown employers whose ties to the community cially during a recession, even if we fail to reel them provide a stronger guarantee of long-term committ- in, so to speak, that the fish are biting is a good sign. ment, are to be preferred. Further, we shall consider how many jobs have been created per population of A final measure of success will be how effectively we the location of any particular employer as much as facilitate economic development that preserves posi- we shall look at overall numbers. tive features of our communities, protects the environ- ment, and does not strain municipal and county re- Tracking changes in the “brain-drain” effect also sources and infrastructure. Brownfield development; must be a priority. Providing for sufficient diversity mixed-use development (especially in downtowns and

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission 83 Regional Development Expectations other already-developed business districts); sensitiv- ity to architecturally, historically, and ecologically significant buildings and settlement patterns; and sustainable, walkable urban design are all important factors to consider when evaluating how well we have implemented the CEDS.

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