The Town of Newburgh’s application for funding at Lou Dennis Community Park received unanimous support from the Regional Development Authority (RDA), and town staff said they expect to receive a final letter of commitment from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) in the coming months.

The RDA action matters because the grant decision would contribute toward a roughly $1.8 million playground plan that the town is assembling from multiple sources, including town funds and outside grants. Staff said receiving IEDC’s commitment would allow the town to mobilize once, rather than staging two separate mobilizations, saving construction mobilization costs.

Andrea Balboni and other staff briefed the board on the RDA vote and the project timeline. Staff said the town already has funds set aside and that a recently announced $30,000 fitness‑court grant and other fundraising efforts will help close the funding gap. The board heard that the town has awarded the ninja course portion of the project and that, if the full package comes together, staff would aim for a single mobilization and a fall groundbreaking.

Board members asked about the source and stability of the funding after recent state‑level budget announcements; staff responded that the RDA vote and earlier funding commitments predate those changes and that, “as far as we know, we’re pretty confident,” referring to the current status of the RDA recommendation and pending IEDC confirmation. Staff said they expect to know whether the Lou Dennis application is funded within a couple of months and will update the board when the letter arrives.

If the IEDC letter is favorable, staff said the combined funds would put the town close to the total needed to build the planned playground and associated site work. Board members asked staff to continue coordinating fundraising and to return with a schedule once the IEDC letter is received.