A New Economic Development planning organization, tentatively named the Southwest Indiana Regional Planning Partnership (SWIRPP), is in the process of being formed to serve the four southwest Indiana counties of Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh and Warrick.
The organization is filling a heretofore unfilled need for economic planning services in the four county region.
The new group is an outgrowth of a regional strategic planning effort that began in 1999, conducted by a committee whose members represented business and government in the four counties.
Over the course of nine months, meetings were held where regional issues and goals were identified. The committee focused on key issues and formed several regional strategies for the future. One of the recommendations arising from that effort was to form a regional planning group to provide economic development planning to the counties, cities and towns of the region. Such a group would be similar to multi-county planning groups in adjoining regions (Region 15 and SIDC) as indicated on map above.
Other Action Strategies developed by the planning committee related to transportation systems, workforce development and environmental quality. The new organization will assist in implementing these strategies, as these issues cannot be effectively addressed at the county level due to watersheds, transportation networks and workers crossing county lines.
The mission of the group is to work together to improve the attractiveness of Southwest Indiana for economic development. They plan to create and retain jobs and improve the quality of life for the residents. It is anticipated that the major beneficiaries of this alliance will be the smaller to mid sized communities in the area.
Space for meetings and staff will be provided by USI as a part of the university’s outreach mission to the community.
For more information on the Southwest Indiana Regional Planning Partnership, contact:
Linda Cleek 812-464-1863
(lcleek@usi.edu)
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