The cities of Greensburg and Madison are finalists for the state of Indiana’s Stellar Communities awards. Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch made the announcement this morning.

The Stellar Communities program was started in 2011, and it provides resources to make community improvements.

Communities are chosen in two categories, Division 1 for cities of 6 to 50 thousand residents and Division 2 for towns with less than 6,000 people. Both Greensburg and Madison are in Division 1 along with the city of Vincennes, the other finalist.

Division 2 finalists include Churubusco, Culver and Union City.

Our most recent local winner was North Vernon which has used Stellar Community funds to improve the downtown area.

Stellar Community efforts focus on building human capital, supporting existing businesses, creating a spirit of entrepreneurship, redeveloping commercial property and infrastructure, preserving natural and cultural amenities, and improving the health and well-being of residents, which fosters the creation of a vital destination.

According to the lieutenant governor’s office, finalist communities each will receive a planning grant to either create or build upon existing local Strategic Investment Plans, detailing projects, partnerships, and proposed sources of funding.

Site visits will then be conducted by the Stellar Team which is comprised of representatives from the partnering agencies who follow a standard agenda and set of questions. Later this summer, one community from each division will be named a 2017 Stellar Communities Designee.