Town Of Dillsboro Selected For New Main Street Pilot Program

The program is focused on attracting and retaining businesses.

(Dillsboro, Ind.) - Dillsboro's downtown will benefit as the town has been selected to participate in a state pilot program. 

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development has announced that Dillsboro is among nine communities that will be take part in the IMPACT Main Street program.

The Office of Community and Rural Affairs was awarded a $100,000 grant from the USDA Rural Development to create the IMPACT Main Street program.

The program is focused on attracting and retaining businesses.

“This new Main Street program is an opportunity for Dillsboro to collaborate with ICI to obtain vital demographics and data which would otherwise be very costly for us to obtain,” said Susan Greco, Director of Economic Development. “It will also put us on the forefront of entrepreurship.  Susan Greco, Executive Director of the Dillsboro Community Partnership, chatted with Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch about the opportunities that Indiana is creating for small rural towns through collaboration.”

The Town of Dillsboro will work with Ball State University’s Indiana Communities Institute to design and implement business investment strategies in its downtown.

“Collaboration between local, state and federal partners allows for these communities to create a stronger environment in their core commercial centers,” Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch said. “Rural Indiana is the next great economic frontier, and we will continue to do what we can to support them and help them thrive.”

Once the pilot program is complete, OCRA intends to extend the program to other Main Street organizations.

To learn more, visit www.in.gov/orca/mainstreet.htm.