Funding from the Seymour Redevelopment Commission made an impact on two local organizations in 2022.
As 2023 is underway, the funding continues for the Jackson County Education Coalition ($255,000) and Seymour Main Street ($200,000), and leaders of both organizations are ready to have further conversations with the commission to determine the needs going forward.
During Monday’s meeting in the council chambers at Seymour City Hall, Dan Davis, chief executive officer of the education coalition, and Bri Roll, executive director of Seymour Main Street, provided updates for the commission.
Davis said the grant money helps support the operating costs of the Jackson County Learning Center in Seymour and the programming work in the community, most extensively in connection with Jackson County Industrial Development Corp.’s workforce partnership program.
The coalition’s work includes serving as the local funder and supporter of the On My Way Pre-K program in Jackson County, which has 73 kids enrolled in preschool this year, Davis said.
“That’s up from 58 last year, and it seems that families are coming back to that program now that we’re getting two, three years ahead of the (COVID-19) pandemic,” he said.
One plus from the pandemic that’s going to help the program is the state has decided to allocate some of its American Rescue Plan Act money this school year and next to take care of the local matches, Davis said.
“The state is looking at trying to end that local match entirely, maybe at the end of that three-year period, so we can look at using some of this money for other early childhood purposes in the county,” he said.
The coalition’s work with JCIDC includes the Maverick Challenge high school business planning competition and the VEX Robotics program, both of which Davis said have really taken off as a result of the commission’s grant funding.
“Robotics, we are now in 21 schools. That’s public, private, we have a program at the Boys & Girls Club and we also have a homeschool team,” said Jackie Hill, workforce partnership director.
Hill said she recently talked to a robotics team member who has chosen that field for a career, and the kids also are learning soft skills, including problem-solving, teamwork and communication, through participating in robotics.
JCIDC also has been able to partner with schools on graduation pathways, including career and technical education courses at Seymour High School, and connect them with local industries.
“A lot of good work in that career and tech ed as a result of some of this additional funding that we’ve been able to receive,” Hill said.
Davis said according to the initial memorandum of understanding between the commission and coalition five years ago, this year’s grant payment is the last, and JCIDC Executive Director Jim Plump would like to begin discussing what Round 2 or an extension of the MOU might look like moving forward.
Commission President Mark Dennis asked Davis to come up with a plan for what’s needed and what continued funding would be used to accomplish the long-term goals that were set five years ago.
In the beginning, Cummins Inc. provided funding to the commission to free up some debt service it was going to have in the future, and the commission chose to use that to help fund operations of the education coalition so it could get its footing.
“The funds, they are appreciated and needed, and they are making a difference in the lives of folks here in the community,” Davis said.
Seymour Main Street has benefited from annual grant funding from the commission for at least 12 years.
Roll said in 2022, the organization was able to award $125,000 of the commission’s funding through a grant program that helped 16 projects. Those included six buildout projects, five façade, awning and signage projects, two awning restorations, two rental assistance programs and three roof projects.
“We ended up seeing one property reactivated, so that’s exciting,” Roll said of the buildouts. “It has not been occupied yet, but it has been fully protected, sealed, saved and it’s working its way up the floors. This year, they are hoping to get into the second and third floors and renovate those, as well.”
The rental assistance program helps with rent for the first year of a business opening in the downtown.
“That’s an exciting trend to see that continued investment in downtown,” she said of the grant program. “We’re continuing to see more and more applicant requests at this point, so it has been a very rewarding program.”
Seymour Main Street is going to make some slight edits to the grant program this year, Roll said.
“We’re wanting to do a health scan of that. Are we on track, meeting needs of the community?” she said. “We’re also hoping to discuss the idea of reviewing grants as they are applied for, reviewing them all together so that we are placing funds in the most strategic and beneficial way possible for the downtown. … We believe those changes are just going to have positive impact on the overall program.”
Another $40,000 of the commission’s grant funding went to a consulting firm to create a streetscape master plan for the downtown. Roll said a more detailed presentation from the consultant is expected later this year.
Several projects will be identified, and the hope is to gain a lot of consistency in the downtown, she said.
“So working with the city to have consistent amenities, features, looking at our current patterns to make sure that we’re using space the most effectively and also identifying future development projects and potential for us to expand even outlying properties outside of the downtown that are contributing,” she said. “Are there ways for us to promote development on both sides, which will directly impact the foot traffic and business to the downtown?”
The remaining 2022 funding from the commission went to support Seymour Main Street’s events and minor projects, including maintenance and amenities. Roll said last year’s 14 signature events brought more than 5,000 people to the downtown.
She also said this past year, there were 12 new businesses downtown, while three closed and two relocated out of the downtown district, resulting in a net positive of seven. In total, she said there are 183 active businesses in the downtown.
Plus, more than 194,000 people were reached on social media, and there were more than 35,000 website visits.
“The organization is working, it’s gaining attention, it’s being supported, and that’s a direct reflection of your investment in the organization. I very much appreciate the ongoing support,” Roll told the commission. “We need to have further discussion in the coming months to plan for the future and how the redevelopment commission has a presence in our organization financially. I look forward to those discussions.”