One Marshall County presents strategic plan to council, stresses grant readiness and health‑care priorities
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Summary
Representatives from One Marshall County outlined a strategic plan focused on housing, infrastructure, arts and culture, workforce and health-care priorities, said the group is not a funding body and urged municipal collaboration to position the county for regional grants including REDI 2 and Lilly endowment funds.
Representatives of One Marshall County briefed the Marshall County Council Feb. 9 on the nonprofit’s strategic planning work and its role in positioning the county for regional and statewide grant opportunities.
Matthew Selmer, introduced by Gary (both identified in the meeting), described the organization’s five strategic priorities: housing and infrastructure, quality of life and place (including arts and culture), business growth and workforce, education and workforce pipelines, and community wellness with an emphasis on rural health care. Selmer and colleagues said One Marshall County is not a funding entity but aims to help communities prepare competitive projects so local organizations can access funds from sources such as the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s REDI 2 program and the Lilly Endowment arts and culture initiative.
Presenters said the region has been allocated approximately $45 million for REDI 2 and that Marshall County has had projects identified that could receive an estimated share (one speaker estimated roughly $8 million to Marshall County but said he would confirm the figure). The presentation listed more than 120 candidate projects across the county, including sidewalk and downtown placemaking projects, arts facilities such as the Heartland Arts Center, and housing projects in Bremen.
On health care, members of the public and One Marshall County emphasized gaps in local critical‑care and staffing. A resident told the council that family members must travel to neighboring counties for care; board members said One Marshall County is prioritizing rural health grant opportunities and has nominated local representatives to a regional board the state plans to form.
What’s next: Presenters offered to share their list of identified projects with the council and to coordinate with the county’s comprehensive‑planning work. They said they were not seeking funding at this meeting but may request a modest token contribution in a future presentation to support capacity and collaboration work.
Representative quotes are included directly from the meeting record below.
