A new national designation for Northwest Indiana could help secure more federal funding to spark economic development in the Region.
The Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce recently designated the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission as an economic development district, NIRPC said in a statement. The designation for the Region including Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties, opens doors to additional funding assistance from the EDA for economic development-related purposes that previously were not available to Northwest Indiana.
“Many individuals contributed many years of effort to achieve this designation,” said Diane Noll, clerk-treasurer for the Town of Wanatah and chair of NIRPC. “With so much else on the positive upswing in our Region, the timing of this designation could not be better to leverage more economic resources for the wide range of communities that make up Northwest Indiana.”
John Fleming, the EDA’s assistant secretary of commerce for economic development, said NIRPC’s designation “will serve as the foundation for future economic successes that will benefit both families and business and will strengthen the economies of the Northwest Indiana region.”
Ty Warner, executive director of NIRPC, said the designation will “significantly enhance the services NIRPC provides the Region and its 41 municipalities.”
“This additional role as an economic development district enables for NIRPC to step solidly into economic development assistance, leveraging NIRPC’s experience in bringing Federal funding to northwest Indiana and building upon our longstanding Federal partnerships,” Warner said.
