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FAQ'S
If I have questions who
should I ask? Please
feel free to call Beverly Santicola, Executive Director of CROPS anytime
with a question. The toll free number is 866-843-3493. You can also send
an e-mail to her at santicola@sbcglobal.net. In January 2007 CROPS
established a San Pierre Revitalization Project Committee comprised of
local stakeholders so that we could improve communication with the
residents of San Pierre. Members of the San Pierre Revitalization
Committee are Kay Chaffins, Tom Torsell, Harry Cummins, III, Dan Egolf,
and Jeff Jacobsma. Kay Chaffins, Railroad Township Trustee and Tom
Torsell are local people you can call. Their phone numbers are
574-896-2100 and 219-828-7941 respectively. Angelique Milo has
volunteered to direct the activities of the Youth Leadership Committee.
Her number is 574-772-7012 and her e-mail address is jonquildesign@earthlink.net.
How can I thank the
International Boxing Club for the work they did in San Pierre this
summer? Letters of
appreciation, thank you cards or tax deductible donations can be sent to
Harry E. Cummins, III, President, International Boxing Club, P.O. Box
1468, Toledo, OH 43603. Nine amateur athletes provided more than 1,000
volunteer hours this summer in service learning projects to help
revitalize San Pierre. They raked leaves in the park, pulled weeds in
the tennis courts, painted the tennis court fence, and painted the Lions
Club building inside and out, as well as cleaned the kitchen stove,
washed walls, and polished the paneling. During their stay here, they
camped out at the Bass Lake Campgrounds.
If a skateboard plaza
is built in San Pierre, will the town be held liable?
The risk of liability can be managed through procurement of safe, proven
equipment, proper signage, and liability insurance. The Youth Leadership
Committee will be learning how other skateboard facilities manage their
liability risk and incorporate appropriate features into the detailed
plan for San Pierre.
What’s going on with
the landscaping project around the Welcome Signs?
The landscaping project was completed on October 28, 2007 but needs
volunteers to help keep it watered and weeded. A grant from the
Indianapolis Colts for $300 paid for some of the costs associated with
the project. Additional costs were covered with local donations. Youth
were involved in the design, plant selection, and installation of the
plants. Kacie Schumacher and Angelique Milo created the design. Nine
Starke County Youth participated in the installation. Watch for photos
in the Annual Report!
Did the Lions Club
donate their building to the Town of San Pierre?
No. The San Pierre Lions Club has donated the use of their building to
the Town of San Pierre for educational programs. The building will
remain in the Lion’s Club name, but it can be counted towards some of
the matching grant requirements as an in-kind donation to the project.
Some grants require cash contributions, and some allow for the inclusion
of material contributions that add value to a project.
What improvements are
being proposed for the San Pierre Lions Club building?
Capital improvements being proposed to USDA and the SIA Foundation
(Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.) are new roof, ADA compliant
restroom, septic, well, electrical, HVAC, new windows and doors,
ceiling, floor, and training room partitions.
Why can’t we spend
the grant money on things we want for San Pierre?
All grant opportunities have funding restrictions. CROPS is going after
every grant opportunity it can for San Pierre and trying its best to
match the requests of the people with opportunities, but unfortunately
there is no grant funding available for some of the things that people
have requested. Some grants that we have gone after will help build the
capacity of CROPS to do more, and all grants give us the opportunity to
prove that we can lead a successful project. Grant funding organizations
are only interested in funding successful organizations so the more that
we can demonstrate our success the better chance we have at getting
grants. Unfortunately, grants do not go to for-profit organizations for
starting up a gas station or grocery store.
PLANNING GRANT PROPOSAL
What is a planning
grant? How does it work?
A planning grant pays for the development of a plan. The planning grant
we are developing for San Pierre does not pay for any project expenses
or for any improvements to the town of San Pierre. The money that is
received for a planning grant is used to pay the Institute for Small
Town Studies to work with the residents of San Pierre and local agencies
to develop a comprehensive plan for what the people want the town to
become. A planning grant covers the costs associated with needs
assessments, community surveys, environmental studies, architectural
drawings, engineering designs, and travel costs associated with the
consultants meeting with the residents. The only “deliverable” that is
produced in a planning grant is a COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. The maximum amount
available from the US Department of Agriculture through the Indiana
Office of Community and Rural Affairs for a community development
planning grant is $50,000. The amount of matching funds that is required
to receive the planning grant is 10%. CROPS will be required to pay 10%
for the planning grant out of the money raised in individual donations
for the San Pierre Revitalization Project.
Why does San Pierre
need a planning grant?
The planning grant will give the residents of San Pierre several
opportunities to talk about what they want, consider various options
presented by the consultants, and finalize a plan that they want for
their town. San Pierre needs to have a planning grant and a
comprehensive plan to maximize its fundraising potential. Major donors
and grant makers will be more willing to give money to the San Pierre
project if it has a well-thought out plan that includes resident
involvement in the development of the plan.
Who will be involved
in leading planning grant activities?
Three engineering firms submitted proposals to the Starke County
Commissioners describing their qualifications to work with the residents
and local agencies in developing a plan for San Pierre. The agency
selected for the task was the Institute for Small Town Studies because
they had the most experience in working with towns similar to San
Pierre. The Institute for Small Town Studies will work with the
residents of San Pierre, Starke County Commissioners, Kankakee-Iroquois
Regional Planning Commission, Center for Rural Outreach & Public
Services (CROPS), San Pierre Revitalization Project Committee, and Youth
Leadership Committee to develop a COMPREHENSIVE PLAN for San Pierre.
Members of the San Pierre Revitalization Committee are Kay Chaffins, Tom
Torsell, Dick Kingman, Dan Egolf, Jeff Jacobsma, and Evan West.
How and when do I
participate in the planning process?
Town Meetings will be held to obtain resident input for developing the
plan. Grant guidelines require participation of community residents in
the planning process. This is an opportunity for town residents to
consider the pros and cons of various proposed improvement changes and
to decide whether or not to include them in the COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. Town
residents will be made aware of the estimated cost impact of each change
and will decide whether or not to include the change in the
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. The first Town Meeting was held on October 21, 2007,
and a second Town Meeting held in January 2008. Notification of Town
Meetings is made through media releases, flyer distribution, and signs
in the Commons.
What is the
relationship between the planning grant and the INDOT grant?
The planning grant will help increase our chances of getting the INDOT
grant in the future because it will assure INDOT that 1) residents will
be participating in the decisions, 2) professional engineers and
architects will be working with the community to provide expertise, and
3) that the USDA and Lt. Governor’s Office of Community and Rural
Affairs (OCRA) are interested enough in our project to award us a
planning grant.
SANDHILL CRANE BIKEWAY SYSTEM
Just what is being
proposed for San Pierre?
In the spring of 2005 a town meeting was conducted in San Pierre to
inform the residents of CROPS willingness to apply for grants for San
Pierre. Following the town meeting a community survey was conducted to
assist CROPS in determining what should be included in future grant
opportunities. Over one hundred surveys were distributed and 85% were
returned listing resident concerns and recommendations. Based on that
town meeting and survey information, CROPS developed a grant proposal to
INDOT in January 2006 that included sidewalks, streetlights, bike paths,
skate plaza, landscaping and a Welcome Center. While these were not the
only wishes of the residents of San Pierre, they were the only ones that
matched what INDOT is willing to fund. Unfortunately the San Pierre
project was not selected for funding in 2006. In 2007 and 2008, CROPS
revised the proposal to better align with INDOT’S priorities as well as
information gathered through the Comprehensive Master Planning process,
but the project was still not selected for funding. A copy of the 2008
proposal in its entirety is posted on the website. Alternative sources
of funding for this project will be sought.
How likely are we to
win this proposal?
The competition is intense for this funding. Every year INDOT receives
about one hundred grant applications requesting more than $100 million
dollars. There is only about $16 million available; therefore only about
16 projects get funded. Some organizations have applied 3 or 4 years
before getting a grant.
How much money will
we receive and when?
We can request up to $1,000,000 from INDOT as long as we have the
required matching funds. Applicant’s showing matching funds of greater
than 20% are looked upon more favorably than ones with only 20% in
matching funds. Matching funds can include in-kind donations of land and
building such as those offered by the San Pierre Lions Club last year.
The grant from INDOT is not a grant in which we will receive a check.
Instead, INDOT chooses who does the work and pays them for it. INDOT
will work with the Starke County Commissioners and representatives of
San Pierre to assure the money gets spent appropriately.
Will I have any say
in how the money is spent?
The proposal was developed to align with INDOT’S funding priorities and
resident wishes. All organizations that give grants make the rules on
how the grant money is spent. The key to success is in the alignment of
community needs to a grant maker’s funding priorities and eligible
activities.
Can the plans be
changed after award?
All grants are negotiable after they are awarded as long as the proposed
changes meet with the approval of the grant maker.
Is San Pierre to be
incorporated? The
residents of San Pierre will decide whether or not they want to be
incorporated. None of the grants submitted by CROPS’ on behalf of the
residents of San Pierre will include provisions for incorporation unless
it is the wishes of a majority of San Pierre residents. The INDOT
proposal does not include any provision for incorporation.
Will property be
condemned? State and
county government agencies are the only ones that have the authority to
condemn property. The INDOT proposal does not include any provision for
property to be condemned.
How much will it cost
me to maintain additional streetlights?
Streetlights were proposed in the 2007 INDOT grant along US 421, but
installation will not proceed without approval of Railroad Township
residents once maintenance costs are known. Cost estimates for
maintaining streetlights will be developed by CROPS’ San Pierre
Revitalization Project Committee and Youth Leadership Committee and
presented to the residents of San Pierre at a Town Meeting. The
residents of San Pierre will have the final say as to whether or not
they want streetlights based upon any cost associated with maintaining
them.
Will new
sidewalks/streetlights be considered property improvements and increase
my property taxes?
For the INDOT proposal we are only proposing upgrades to public
sidewalks and public areas – therefore the improvements will not
increase the value of individual’s properties.
If bicycle/pedestrian
paths are built, who will pay for their maintenance?
Grants and donations will be sought to pay for the maintenance of the
bike path. In addition, an annual fundraising event will be conducted to
raise monies for maintenance expenses.
Who will be the Local
Public Agency (LPA) for the INDOT project?
According to INDOT, the only agency that is eligible to apply for the
INDOT grant on behalf of San Pierre is the Starke County Commissioners.
The Starke County Commissioners approved CROPS to develop the proposal
for them to approve and submit to INDOT in 2006 and 2007.
How is public
interest and support evaluated?
Public interest and support is demonstrated and evaluated by such things
as town meetings, community surveys, and local donations. All three were
done in connection with the 2006 and 2007 INDOT proposals. A Town
Meeting was held in 2008 prior to submission of the 2008 proposal.
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