Francesville holds hearing on downtown revitalization plan

The Francesville Town Council held a public hearing during their regular meeting on Nov. 5 to hear any comments on a proposed Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Planning program grant. Edwin Buswell from the Kankakee Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (KIRPC) explained that the town intends to apply to the Indiana Office of Community Rural Affairs (OCRA) for a CDBG grant to be able to develop a downtown revitalization plan. Buswell explained that a consultant would be hired to come in and create a plan on what improvements might need to be made, what businesses they might be able to attract, what kind of programs they may need to attract businesses, and things of that nature. The total amount of CDBG funds that the town is planning to request is $30,000 and it will require a local match in the amount of $2,650. The Uptown Project is planning on providing those match funds to the town. The application was set to be submitted on Friday, Nov. 15 and the town should know by the end of December if it is awarded or not. Buswell explained that the Uptown Project is taking the lead on this, but the town has to be the applicant because this type of grant is only applicable to towns or municipalities. The town will ultimately have to sign all of the grant paperwork and be responsible for the grant being properly followed. The floor was opened, but no public comments were brought forward.