Indiana Main Street communities to participate in Community Transformation Workshops

Mar. 14—INDIANAPOLIS — Main Street Greensburg is among the Hoosier communities participating this year in Community Transformation Workshops being made available by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and OCRA have announced that 21 Indiana Main Street organizations will participate in the workshops, which will be held from now through December with the assistance of Main Street America consultants.

"I am excited that these Indiana Main Street organizations are being provided another resource to help strengthen their communities," Crouch, Indiana's Secretary of Agricultural and Rural Development, said. "By utilizing opportunities like the Community Transformation Workshops, communities can continue their efforts to support economic and cultural growth."

The 21 organizations are required to participate in the workshops sponsored by OCRAs Indiana Main Street program. The two-day workshops will help programs to become or stay accredited through Main Street America.

Additionally, the workshops provide services to assist the organizations to define community-informed and market-driven strategies that can direct and strengthen its revitalization efforts.

"The Community Transformation Workshops are a great opportunity for our Main Street organizations," OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner said. "Each community can learn more about how to best carry out efforts for economic development and community engagement in their unique city or town."

The 21 communities participating include Huntingburg, Greensburg, Lebanon, Lawrenceburg, New Albany, Muncie, Logansport, North Vernon, Franklin, Auburn, Pendleton, Kokomo, New Castle, Aurora, Jeffersonville, Corydon, Crawfordsville, Columbia City, Coatesville, Noblesville and Greencastle.

"Every community is unique, with its own distinctive assets and sense of place. We are excited to hone in on what makes our community distinctly Greensburg, and how Main Street Greensburg can use that as part of a focused, deliberate path to further support our Historic Downtown and the small businesses that call Tree City home," Main Street Greensburg Executive Director Rose Cronley said.

"As the president of Main Street Greensburg, I'm excited to see that our Main Street organization will be participating in the Community Transformation Workshops," Greensburg Mayor Joshua Marsh said. "This training opportunity gives our organization the chance to collaborate with our neighboring communities, grow our resources, and give us the tools necessary to continue making Greensburg a great place to live, work, and play. I look forward to Main Street Greensburg and Executive Director Rose Cronley utilizing this training and sharing the knowledge gathered with our downtown merchants."

All participating communities have demonstrated the effective implementation of the Main Street Four Point Approach. This approach will help each community and their Main Street organizations identify and build on their greatest economic strengths through targeted community development strategies.

For more information on the Indiana Main Street program, visitin.gov/ocra/mainstreet.

For more information on Main Street America, visit mainstreet.org/home.

For more information about Main Street Greensburg, visit their office at

314 W. Washington Street, call (812) 222-0037, or email execdirector@mainstreetgreensburg.com.