Crouch, OCRA Announce New Rural Strategic Plan

By Emily Ketterer
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS — Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced their new rural strategy Wednesday at a press conference held in Greensburg, Indiana.

The public announcement touched on the five strategic priorities, which will set the agency’s direction for the next few years:

• Provide opportunities and programs focused on people and place-based investments
• Expand OCRA’s role as a Center of Excellence
• Build a capacity of rural leadership
• Support economic growth and preservation in downtown and commercial districts
• Facilitate strategies to address rural broadband access

Of the five priorities, a top initiative is facilitating strategies to address rural broadband access. Crouch focused on broadband development when she spoke today.

“In order to give rural Indiana the ability to compete with our urban centers, they must have access to fast, accurate and reliable broadband services,” Crouch said.

During the 2018 session, legislation was passed to further assist and lay the groundwork for developing broadband in rural areas. Crouch also mentioned the recent creation of the director of Broadband Opportunities cabinet position.

Jodi Golden, executive director of OCRA, said they are looking forward to working with the new director and she is also excited about the broadband initiative.

“When Indiana’s rural communities have access to quality broadband, they are able to keep up with the rest of the state, and right now that’s not the case in every area,” Golden said. “Our administration fully recognizes the importance of broadband.”

Golden also briefly explained each of the other four frameworks. She said Indiana is home to one of the largest contingents of Main Street organizations in the country, with 132 Indiana Main Street organizations across 81 counties.

“These organizations will play a pivotal role in helping us continue to grow and cultivate downtown development,” Golden said.

Crouch said through the leadership of OCRA, the state is seeing rural communities thrive and become areas people want to visit.

“I know that the agency has received input from various members of these rural areas and has configured a plan to take this input and put it into action across the state,” Crouch said.

Crouch said rural communities make up the “heartland” of Indiana.

“I was ready to get to work on rural initiatives because there is such an opportunity to showcase the best of what Indiana has to offer through rural Indiana,” Crouch said.

FOOTNOTE:  Emily Ketterer is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.