Latest news with #RCCF
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Revitalizing neighborhoods and reviving communities
RUSH COUNTY – When she pulled through the quiet neighborhood in Milroy, she missed it. To Tara Hagan's disbelief, her GPS brought her to ferocious green shrouds burying a dreary abandoned property. Hagan is the executive director of the Southeastern Indiana Community Preservation and Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization that seeks partnerships to develop vacant and blighted properties and transform them into affordable housing. Observing trees dismembering the white house's walls and windows, Hagan pushed a yard sign into the ground that reads 'RURAL REVITALIZATION IN PROGRESS' before she left for a meeting. This sign marks the beginning of an ambitious project. Like many rural counties, Rush County endures the residual effects of dilapidated properties, called blight, overwhelming unincorporated towns and small communities. The Rush County Community Foundation is officially implementing its rural revitalization efforts to support livelihoods across Rush County by acquiring its first four properties. In December 2024, RCCF received a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment's Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII) initiative after months of intricate planning and collaboration with county officials and the public. With this funding, the Rural Revitalization Project and the county aim to eliminate blight on 30 properties, increase access to high-speed internet, improve county recreational opportunities and establish county ordinances and code enforcement. The first phase of this project focuses on blight elimination. The Rural Revitalization Project works closely with SICPDC to acquire vacant blighted residential properties and 'infill' plots. The Southeast Indiana Regional Planning Commission will orchestrate the building demolition with the prospect that interested developers and local buyers will build on these lots. The lots will be advertised locally and can be purchased through SICPDC's HOMEbuyer program. 'We're not here to come in and take over properties and hoard them for ourselves. ... This is a county project. We are a partner with the county to get this turned over very quickly to get infill housing into these lots, so families can start to move in,' Hagan said. The willing seller and willing buyer program has played an instrumental role in development projects throughout Southeastern Indiana. 'Through initiatives similar to the Rural Revitalization Project, SIRPC has helped towns remove blight, reinvest in aging infrastructure, rehabilitate existing homes and bring new housing options to life – all while preserving the character of the communities,' said SIRPC's project developer Victoria Bechert. For occupied blighted properties or those endangered by blight, rural revitalization will include free income-based owner-occupied rehabilitation grants for essential repairs. To qualify for the owner-occupied rehabilitation services, the property must be outside of Rushville's city limits. RCCF is still accepting owner-occupied rehabilitation applications that can be found in the RCCF Office at 117 N. Main Street, Rushville. 'Overall, the rural revitalization process is about creating safe, attractive communities where residents can live with dignity, and where future growth is possible,' Bechert said. However, there is a long way to go. 'The county has overlooked blight situations in our small communities,' Rush County Commissioner Jeff Wilson said. Commissioners Wilson, Kenny Aulbach and Ron Jarman reached consensus that the small county communities need this project. 'We have [blighted] properties in every one of our small communities. ... This project adds to the beautification of these small communities, and we're hearing loud and clear that residents want that,' Commissioner Wilson said. The aesthetic of a community may seem like a low priority; however, simple curb appeal has a direct relationship to the local economy. Blighted properties generate fewer opportunities for communities to thrive because they reduce property values, decrease tax revenue and decrease investment in communities. Blighted neighborhoods struggle not only to attract new residents, but also to retain them. This results in shrinking communities that do not have breadth to support their businesses and schools. The local economy's decline creates fertile ground for more blight to overtake the community, and the vicious cycle begins again. Projects like rural revitalization plan to break this cycle. Eliminating blight ushers residential and business opportunities, creating enriching communities. 'The nice thing about it is that you see the fruits of your labor, usually pretty quickly,' Hagan said. 'The end result is to just see something really fresh and revitalized. … I'm proud to be a part of these community revitalizations.' Although the community's looks are a significant piece of the puzzle, the Rural Revitalization Project reaches beyond community aesthetics. Blighted properties also invite health concerns. 'In some instances, it [blighted properties] can be not a safe place for children to play in or pets to be around because of all the trash and rubbish that's stuck around a property,' Rush County Environmental Health Specialist Dan Burklow said. The properties that Burklow describes are typically surrounded by overgrowth and debris, which beckon vermin that can carry diseases. Unkept homes and trash often contain glass shards, loose nails, and, in some cases, even asbestos. Through the revitalization efforts, the county seeks to prioritize the well-being of constituents as well as economic prosperity. Like SIRPC and SICPDC, RCCF desires a better future for Rush County residents. 'I've witnessed how investment in housing can restore pride, create opportunity, and rebuild a sense of community. I'm excited to see this successful model generate results throughout Rush County,' Bechert said. The Rural Revitalization Project will collaborate with Rush County officials to establish county ordinances and code enforcement to maintain community and neighborhood upkeep. Rush County Planning Director Mike Holzback recognizes that blighted buildings are prevalent across Rush County, and he is working with a committee of local stakeholders guided by professional help to create appropriate ordinance policy. 'UDO is a Unified Development Ordinance. This will add ordinances to address blighted properties. It will enforce the care of properties in small towns with regard to abandoned houses, overgrown with weeds and grass, mainly in residential zones,' Holzback said. The enforcement will ultimately raise property values for residential zones and eliminate health risks for neighborhoods, benefiting communities through aesthetics, economics and standard of living. Rural revitalization seeks to improve quality of life across the county beyond housing as well. The project plans to increase access to high-speed internet by adding dozens of miles of broadband infrastructure. To increase recreation, the project plans to improve playgrounds and develop entry points along the Flatrock River for canoeing and kayaking. The Rural Revitalization Project also partners with the county to assess the potential for future recreational projects. Brian Sheehan worked with Rushville's blight elimination project in the past and is a key member in the Rural Revitalization Project. Hearing the growing cry to 'clean up the town' from constituents, the city started planning how to fulfill this request back in 2012. The goal was simple: accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, Sheehan said. Because blighted properties affect both a city economically and residents' livelihoods, 'it takes away from the whole community… Our purpose is not just to clean up properties, but to set the property up for development, new life and hopefully, a new family in the near future,' Sheehan said. 'I think the biggest win will be restoring confidence and pride in our small county communities and encouraging development in those communities. Working to clean up the town paid high dividends in Rushville and I think it will do the same in Rush County towns,' Sheehan continued. Although it is ambitious, RCCF's Rural Revitalization Program not only seeks to rebuild damaged properties but also to restore livelihoods across the County. By directly impacting health, local economy, and sense of community, RCCF's revitalization project helps Rush County refurbish today to provide a better tomorrow. Signs are in the ground on four properties already acquired through the project's blight efforts, in Carthage, Arlington, Manilla and Milroy. The process to remove those blighted properties will begin soon, along with more properties being acquired into the project. 'It is rewarding to see public-facing work starting to occur in our Rural Revitalization Project and we are excited for the positive impact it will have on Rush County,' notes RCCF Executive Director Chris May. 'Our mission is to cultivate resources to enhance life in Rush County. We are committed to being a future-focused leader to support our community, and projects like this hopefully prove we are fulfilling that mission.' To participate in SICPDC's HOMEbuyer program, consult or contact Hagan ( Bechert ( or Hagan ( Stay caught up on the rural revitalization effort on RCCF's website and social media pages. Established in 1991, the Rush County Community Foundation cultivates resources to enhance life in Rush County. With nearly $30.5 million in assets, 2024 was a record year for RCCF, reaching all-time highs in assets and in grantmaking – supporting Rush County with nearly $1.1 million in payouts, including over $250,000 in scholarships. Through its Lilly Endowment GIFT VII receipt of $5,000,000 in 2020, RCCF played a leading role in planning and creation of the Love Community Center. The Rush County Community Foundation continues to imagine and strive for a future that best serves our community. For more information, visit and follow us on Facebook @rushcountycommunityfoundation.
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Forest guard killed by armed poachers during patrol near Odisha's Satkosia Tiger Reserve
BHUBANESWAR: A forest guard was gunned down by poachers while carrying out his duty in a protected area close to Satkosia Tiger Reserve, highlighting the perils of frontline forest staff and the prevalence of armed criminals in the state. Prahallad Pradhan was serving as the forest guard of Sinkol beat and also the in-charge of Hindol section in Dhenkanal forest division. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi who paid condolences to the bereaved family of Pradhan announced Rs 30 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of the slain forest guard. Official sources said the incident took place early morning on Saturday, when the forest officers and staff of Dhenkanal Forest division led by regional chief conservator of forests (RCCF), Angul were on night patrol in and around Rajmanoharpur reserve forest of Hindol range. The patrolling started on Friday night and continued till early hours of Saturday. During their duty in the small hours, the forest team came face to face with a group of poachers, equipped with country-made firearms in the area. The poachers immediately resorted to firing in which Pradhan sustained grievous injuries and succumbed to the bullets.
