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, Richard Kingman (former resident and SP Alumnus), Dan Egolf, Jeff Jacobsma and Evan West. 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, 1717 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604. 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.

What is the status of the basketball/tennis court project?  The total cost of the basketball court/tennis court project is estimated to be $27,855 to resurface the courts and install goal posts. To date we have received $6,963.75 in grants and donations designated for the project. We recently prepared a proposal for US Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting $20,891.25 for the project so that it can be completed in the spring if the grant is awarded.   

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 is expected to occur 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. 

INDOT TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT PROPOSAL

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 and 2007, but we were encouraged to re-apply in 2008.The 2008 proposal to INDOT will be submitted in the spring of 2008. The proposal that will be developed will take into consideration the previous survey data, new information collected, planning grant survey data, and INDOT’s funding priorities. 

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. CROPS was informed last year that it is rare for a “first time proposal” to be selected for funding by INDOT. Since this will be our third request in 2008, we have a better chance than we did last year.

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.