County 12: Whitley

In Whitley County, I loved seeing the positive things happening thanks to their Real Estate Capital Access Program (RECAP). Three of my agencies – the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority along with the Offices of Tourism and Community and Rural Affairs – launched RECAP in 2007 as a way to encourage the redevelopment of downtown “Main Streets”.

You don’t need me to tell you that Main Streets are often the heart of Indiana communities and each one is as unique as your fingerprint. But over the years, many have suffered from age and apathy. I’ve noticed that deterioration affects the mood of a community and can often contribute to a depressed downtown.

Local leaders often lack the funds necessary to fix these issues, and that’s why we created RECAP. Columbia City’s share of RECAP 2.0 – the second round of the program – was $100,000. Columbia City maximized that contribution by moving it into a Revolving Loan Fund for business loans, and also leveraging an additional $100,000 from their Tax Increment Financing District funds.

I toured the Van Buren building in Whitley County, which will soon house a restaurant, a banquet center, and office space. Those types of improvements to long-abandoned or underutilized buildings can really make a difference for downtowns.