Ind. selects 7 finalists for Stellar Communities

INDIANAPOLIS — Lt. Governor Becky Skillman says the cities of Auburn, Crawfordsville and Delphi are among seven finalists for Indiana’s Stellar Communities program.

The other finalists announced last week are the cities of Petersburg, Princeton and Richmond and the Boone County town of Whitestown.

Each of the finalists will receive $10,000 to prepare a strategic investment plan proposal that will be used in May to select this year’s two winning communities for a year of state-funded projects. The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and Department of Transportation support multiple projects such as housing, road work, and community revitalization projects in those communities.

Skillman says it’s a chance for communities to transform themselves. The program began last year with Greencastle and North Vernon.