Vectren Partners in Urban Revitalization Program in Marion, IN

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November 15, 2011

News Release

Marion, Ind. – In May 2011, Vectren Corporation (Vectren) assembled a strategic partnership with the City of Marion, Ind., including representatives from City Hall, businesses, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and faith-based communities, to develop a unified, collaborative approach for revitalizing economically-challenged neighborhoods.

“We reviewed a number of cities in Vectren’s service area before settling on Marion to jumpstart our company’s new emphasis on community sustainability,” said Vectren Vice President of Community Sustainability and President of the Vectren Foundation Jeff Whiteside. “This community has an outpouring of financial and volunteer support, which is essential to guiding this revitalization effort. Ultimately, Vectren’s investment in community redevelopment projects like this will create strong, sustainable communities, which are the core of growth and development for the state of Indiana.”

The partnership will officially launch with a community-wide presentation featuring national community organization and development expert, Jim Capraro. The Vectren-sponsored event will take place on Dec. 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Marion Public Library.

Capraro is chief executive officer of the Chicago-based Greater Southwest Development Corporation. Marion residents are invited to attend the presentation to learn more about how to mobilize resources to positively impact their respective neighborhoods in addition to learning more about the City and Vectren’s partnership and how Jim Capraro’s 35 years of community organizing and development experience will help provide direction for this effort.

“In the past few months, we have assembled a group of highly-engaged community leaders and residents to ensure this community revitalization effort is a success, and we’re hopeful even more will be a part of this initiative,” said Jacquie Dodyk, executive director of Marion’s Affordable Housing & Community Development Corporation. “Although the key strategies to enable this holistic revitalization are still materializing, we’re looking forward to improved neighborhoods throughout our city and appreciate Vectren being a catalyst for this endeavor.”

About Vectren

Vectren Corporation (NYSE: VVC) is an energy holding company headquartered in Evansville, Ind. Vectren’s energy delivery subsidiaries provide gas and/or electricity to more than one million customers in adjoining service territories that cover nearly two-thirds of Indiana and west central Ohio. Vectren’s nonutility subsidiaries and affiliates currently offer energy-related products and services to customers throughout the U.S. These include gas marketing and related services; coal production and sales; and energy infrastructure services.

To learn more about Vectren, visit http://www.vectren.com.

Source: Vectren Corporation

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31 COMMENTS

  2. LOL….this story has every PC buzz word that is popular today, but doesn’t this seem well beyond the scope of what a utility company is suppose to be doing? oh I know good community stewards right? Whenever I see the words “sustainable communities” or anything that uses the term “sustainable” it makes me cringe and think of this…

    http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_02.shtml

    But then I do enjoy a good conspiracy. 😉

    JMHO

    • If we shipped the entire ERC to Marion via common carrier, would that aid in making Marion “sustainable” ?

      • LOL…maybe, but it would do wonders for Evansville….sit tight Biscuit “the great calibrator” will have his board picks out shortly and we’ll start moving Evansville forward at about warp 9. 😉

        JMHO

  3. Blanger, I agree with you, they have all the buzzwords. It looks like they are taking a holistic approach.

    • Agreed….I wonder if this is the position that Weinzapfel will be taking with Vectren after the first of the year, given his past experience as mayor he would be will suited to be “Vice President of Community Sustainability” for SW Indiana….but like I said yesterday that is just a rumor… :O

      JMHO

        • Of course! just being me….kinda’ like a Evinrude in a septic tank if you follow me. 😉

          BTW Happy Thanksgiving!

      • By the way, Jonathan Weinzapfel has received national awards for his efforts toward greening the municipal fleet and other programs and policies toward sustainable and green management practices. Weinzapfel’s staff has been very active in developing green policy and code changes such as green parking island requirements and the current effort to establish riparian buffer zones along major tributaries, etc.

        • LOL, all with federal grant money….but try to put a wind generator at your home and see what happens, Johnny will be a perfect fit with Vectren…like two peas in a pod.

          JMHO

          • No, not all with federal money, but then if federal grants are available for greening Evansville, would you rather they be spent in Owensboro or Tibuktu?

            And yes you can put a wind generator on your property so long as the tower height does not exceed the current code. And APC offered Peterlin the opportunity to write and submit code changes to allow tower heights exceeding the current limit. Did he follow through?

            Do you have a better idea? Feel free to submit your proposed code amendments to APC for consideration by the city council.

          • No.

            First off, I did not say I agreed with all of the green ideas and policies that came out of Weinzapfel’s office. I simply thought Blander should know they did come out of Weinzapfel’s office.

            Secondly, I think the riparian buffer code language as proposed goes way too far with regulation of private property, and oversteps by a long shot the original intent of the idea.

            Lastly, I don’t think Weinzapfel wastes his time writing in these blogs under a silly nickname. In fact, I pretty much know who most of the pro-administration bloggers are, and none that I know even work in the mayor’s office … including Queen Della! LOL.

          • No offense….but when you get the time could you post all the green projects that originated from the mayors office? Every one I can think of either came from another department and was approved by the mayor and city council, or was part of a green program that originated at the federal level and was picked up locally.

            Thank you…..

            JMHO

          • Look, most green projects are stimulated by federal and state regs that come to us in the form of unfunded mandates. Locals must be creative in funding for these mandates, and when local funds are short, federal and private foundation grants are the source.

            I don’t expect you to agree or applaud since all you do is complain and find fault.

            As far as original ideas, how many are generated where you work? Credit is due where it is found.

            If you really need to know what ideas were generated or stewarded by the Mayor’s staff, why don’t you get offline long enough to do your own real research.

          • LOL…I’d be happy to applaud if I knew what I was applauding for? I’ve never been a fanboy of frivolous spending at any level unless it is justified by a ROI….as for original ideas in my business…too many to mention, when you work in a industry that is constantly evolving and changing, where new problems and challenges are par for the course because of a lack of documentation or patents/trade secrets protect the manufacturer from divulging information, you learn how to adapt and overcome the hurdles or go out of business.

            Of course continuing education helps also, field training, seminars, workshops, and clinics all help but really you just have to innovate your way out of some situations, which is why I guess I’m critical of all the waste in government at every level but more so here locally because it has the biggest effect on all of us.

            I don’t expect you or really anyone else to understand my point of view, until you’ve ran your own business, had to make payroll, pay your taxes, grow your business and provide employment opportunities for others, basically contribute to society instead of being a drain…you really wouldn’t understand my point of view.

            Again it’s JMHO

          • Blanger,
            It is true that unless you are the one and only person who: is keeping the engine running with spit and duck tape because the special part to fix the problem just went out of production,
            AND writes the payroll and finds the funds to cover it and maybe doesn’t write yourself a check this week,
            AND returns that call to the 401k guy,
            AND has no one to blame but yourself when your new concept on how to rewire the widget press to double its speed and accuracy caused the thing to explode
            AND ………You realize you wouldn’t trade it for the world.

            It is why I get frustrated with work in the public realm and that done by many large corporations not done carefully and accurately, using poor quality materials, and overtly wasting products. It is why I am angered when people are hurt through the poor decisions and the mistakes of others who know better but who do not care. If there is a mistake I want it to be mine to rectify. I want no on to blame but me. It is the way our city should work but it never will. The greed astounds.

          • True_Lies….

            Then you should understand my point of view explicitly, and wrapping your head around it shouldn’t be a stretch at all.

            292….

            Thank you, I see you have been there also. 😉

            JMHO

          • I understand your point of view about business, Blanger. I don’t understand how you, as a realist, cannot accept that government does not operate strictly as a business. That if it did, it would be a facist government by definition. And I don’t understand why you spend so much time whining about something you apparently don’t understand, don’t accept, are not willing to work hard to change, and should then simply accept what is, and move forward.

          • LOL…it’s my hobby, everyone needs a hobby!

            Besides I do understand how government is and works very well, doesn’t mean I have to like it or accept it, and I do like to bitch it just part of my German heritage. 😉

            JMHO

        • Blanger, you may have just hit on the answer to the overall reason why people have turned away from involvement in bettering our local governments and gone on to other pursuits like the Fall Festival, the Circus, and going out to eat at the newest hamburger joint. It is easier to just let someone else break their back attempting to address the nuts and weasels who hold offices in our vanishing woods. Bitching and passing the buck: part of our German heritage. Sure hope not. That encompasses a high percentage, don’t you think?

          • Maybe…I only know about myself, if I was 30 years younger I would be more incline to try to take some action, but I’ve started over twice in my life and have spent all of my life watching the government at all levels roll over people who have tried to buck the system, granted some do succeed but most do not and are either broken or turned.

            All one has to do is look at Mr Davis and his future in government, do you think there will be no retaliation for his insubordination? I can tell you there will be and he would be smart to start looking for a position in the private sector…or you may ask Bill Kramer, Lon Walters and Alan Leidundguth how quickly they will stick their neck out again.

            My point is, myself, I’m old and have no desire to fight the system and risk the future I have built for my family…sometimes it’s better to voice your opinion and hope to motivate, or help people see the obvious, than to stick your head in a guillotine. Young people don’t understand this simple fact of life ” There are consequences for your actions”

            JMHO

          • Blanger,

            I, like you, am too old to jump in the fray. Have organized some citizen groups to help solve problems locally and also have helped stop some really stupid moves in process. But I also know when to get out and now is the time. I am slowing down and just doing private sector as opposed to private sector day job and caped protester during off hours. I am comfortable with the past and plan on picking future battles (if any) very carefully. Sounds good so far.

          • 292, didn’t you just recently move back to Evansville, and more recently save the Wesselman Park from the scourge of greener parking lots and a lowered commercial use of the Robert’s Stadium property?

  4. It’s like ‘You don’t have to call me darlin’.

    Except they left out, vector,and template, and paradigm.

  5. Sounds like a great project for Whiny-Zapple when his regime in the mayor’s office ends. As far as I’m concerned he can do anything he wants, as long as he does it somewhere between Indy and Lake Michigan. Good riddance, ya crook!

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