Regional planning group outlines grants, internships and $20 million airport proposal for Grant County
Loading...
Summary
ECI told Grant County commissioners it closed a $500,000 SS4A planning grant, helped secure $1.6 million in community‑matching transportation grants, and is pursuing a roughly $20 million EDA proposal with a 20% local match to expand Marion Municipal Airport and add an aviation mechanics program.
Anna King Cross, ECI’s officer of community engagement, told Grant County commissioners on Feb. 2 that the regional planning district has been running paid internships, hosting workshops and pursuing federal and state grants to support small towns and economic development.
"ECI is a planning district... we work as a quasi government organization that works with the county to pursue different endeavors," Cross said, describing a 2025 golf fundraiser that raised about $11,000 for school supplies and an internship program the group has funded since 2020.
She summarized several grant efforts: ECI is closing out a $500,000 SS4A (Safe Streets and Roads for All) planning grant and is seeking an implementation grant to follow. Cross said the group secured about $1,600,000 in Community Cross‑Matching Grants to support road and transportation projects across five small towns, and earlier closed a Brownfields program that used a $500,000 EPA grant to address more than 20 properties with two redevelopments.
Cross also described an Economic Development Administration (EDA) disaster‑relief proposal affecting Grant County that she said would be approximately $20 million with a required 20% local match. "We're looking to expand the Marion Municipal Airport's pilot program along with developing an aviation mechanics program," she said, adding that ECI is coordinating closely with the Marion mayor and a grant‑writing team in Washington.
Cross outlined community training and outreach efforts — financial literacy workshops funded through Three Rivers, a 'Building Blocks to Grant Writing' workshop developed after a Purdue partnership, and a USDA‑funded entrepreneurship program — and said an online survey and multiple public events will support future regional planning work.
The commissioners thanked Cross for the update and confirmed that two commissioners serve on the ECI board. The presentation ended with no formal action; commissioners indicated they will continue supporting regional grant applications and outreach work.
