Knox County Foundation’s 5-Year Economic Development Initiative
The Knox County Foundation Board of Directors embarked on a 5-year Economic Development Initiative in 2018. Over the next five years, the Board committed one-third of the Foundation’s discretionary grant-making funds, which will total nearly $1 million, to bolster economic development throughout Knox County. This is the first time in its 75-year history the Knox County Foundation has focused such a significant portion of its grant funding to a proactive Impact Investing approach.
During the first year of the Economic Development Initiative, the Knox County Foundation, in partnership with the Ariel Foundation and Knox County Commissioners, provided funding for a Projects Coordinator and Vice-President positions for the Area Development Foundation, Inc. Additionally, the Knox County Foundation funded strategic, comprehensive plans for each of Knox County’s four most populous villages: Centerburg, Danville, Fredericktown, and Gambier.
After collaborating with representatives from each of the villages, MS Consultants of Columbus, Ohio was selected to work with each village in developing individualized plans. MS Consultants is an award-winning engineering, architecture, planning, and environmental consulting firm. They worked with community members, the Knox County Foundation, and the Area Development Foundation, Inc. throughout 2019 to establish long-term, multi-faceted goals.
The resulting strategic plans for each village are intended to reflect both county-wide and village-specific visions, market conditions, and both present and future needs. The plans provided immediate action steps on policy, projects, and programs which serve as road-maps to help drive economic growth in the Villages of Centerburg, Danville, Fredericktown, and Gambier for years to come.
Throughout 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Knox County Foundation supported the plans by strategically funding prioritized projects, contributing matching funds, and assisted to leverage additional funding sources for various projects in each community.
Examples of funded projects in each village included:
Centerburg
-Reestablishing a business association (Heart of Ohio Business Association)
-Zoning Code Audit and Rewrite
-Plans drawn up for a Heart of Ohio Trail Welcome Center
-Decorative streetlights with banner poles on Main Street
Danville
-Formalizing a business association (Main Market and Beyond)
-Zoning Code Audit and Rewrite
-Informational kiosks purchased and installed in public areas and Village entryway signage
-Hired a consultant to work on connecting two trails
-Decorative streetlights with banner poles on Market Street
Fredericktown
-Used $128,000 as matching funds for a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Grant for reconstruction of roadways and sidewalks in downtown Fredericktown
-Zoning Code Audit and Rewrite
-Hired a firm to draw up plans for a Downtown Redevelopment District
-Banners to place on light poles along Main Street once the streetscape project is complete
Gambier
-Gambier Welcome Signs and a centralized village informational kiosk
-Zoning Code Audit and Rewrite
-Village Website redesign
-Created a “Pocket Park” with landscaping, tables, and benches
-Natural playground designed and created
To see each Village’s Strategic Plan, visit www.knoxcoplans.com or contact Lisa Lloyd, Program Director, at [email protected].