Infrastructure

INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure development involves the construction of foundational services to stimulate economic growth and quality of life improvements. Infrastructure helps communities improve safety, efficiency, and competitiveness.

Project Highlights Below

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT:

Waterloo Train Station

"Sturtz Public Management has been a reliable partner for me on several projects. From navigating a federal TIGER grant to developing community projects, I trust Kristi’s expertise to bring a successful outcome. She’s a proven leader."

-Tena Woenker, Projects with a Purpose and previous Waterloo Town Manager

In 2005, Sturtz Public Management secured a Transportation Enhancement grant through the Indiana Department of Transportation to restore the historic Waterloo train depot, built in 1883 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Following the completion of the restoration in 2010, the structure began being used as a community meeting facility. Sturtz then assisted Waterloo in applying for the only Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant awarded by the US Department of Transportation in Indiana in 2010 toward making the depot available for use by train passengers at the Waterloo Amtrak stop. The $1.82 million grant completely funded numerous projects including moving the depot 640 feet, constructing a new parking lot and sidewalks, installing new street lighting, landscaping, and making roadway and curb improvements. A modern electronic Passenger Information Display System was also installed to update Amtrak riders with train arrival times and to provide free wi-fi. The depot opened for passenger use in late 2016. Currently, an average of 60 people board the train every day in Waterloo adding up to more than 20,000 passengers annually.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT:

Northeast Indiana Regional

INTERSTATE ACCESS ASSESSMENT

For this project, Sturtz Public Management assessed transportation projects selected and prioritized by Local Economic Development Organizations (LEDOs) within eleven counties across the northeast Indiana region. The process entailed working with the Regional Infrastructure Task Force to develop project qualification metrics, developing an Economic Development Impact Profile for each project, and facilitating a qualification workshop with the LEDOs to tier the projects. As a result, the northeast Indiana region has a list of qualified transportation projects to advocate for funding and advancement. The top project was U.S. 30. As of February 2021, the Indiana Department of Transportation initiated a study to establish US 30 as a freeway from the Ohio line in Northeast Indiana to Valparaiso in Northwest Indiana, near the City of Chicago.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT:

John Jay Center

for Learning

The John Jay Center for Learning, in concert with Jay County, the Portland Foundation, and the City of Portland, Indiana restored the Weiler Building, a former 40,000 sq.ft. department store and outstanding historic structure in downtown Portland, IN. The structure is now used by the learning center to provide educational programs and classes in coordination with Ivy Tech, Indiana Tech, Vincennes University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Purdue Polytechnic Institute, and Jay County Schools, in addition to a host of other community offerings.

The Weiler Building was originally constructed in 1926-27 as a store and office building for the Weiler Brothers by the noted local architect Walter Scholer. While the envelope was sound, the building had set vacant, and the roof had been partially removed causing a significant environmental issue of water infiltration, widespread mold growth, and rodent infestation.

Sturtz Public Management was hired as a grant writer for the project and secured a $500,000 CDBG grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The remaining $3.5 million was raised through local investment, no small feat for a community with a population under 7,000! This project received the Historic Preservation Project of the Year award in 2008 by the Historic Landmarks Foundation.