Terre Haute, Ind. – Vigo County highlighted its work during Wednesday’s annual Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce County Update on Wednesday Morning at the Terre Haute Convention Center. Vigo County Commissioners Mark Clinkenbeard, Mike Morris and Chris Switzer gave a presentation on the strategies Vigo County is pushing to advance the goals of the See You In Terre Haute Community Plan.
The Commissioners explained that halting population decline and increasing per capita income, as laid out in the See You In Terre Haute Community Plan, drive all of their work and decisions.
The County has been hard at work with the City of Terre Haute and Thrive West Central to address our housing shortage. The production goal is 3,420 to 4,570 homes in West Central Indiana over the next 5 years. The Homes for the Future program, through Thrive West Central, has supported the construction of 322 homes over the last 6 months. This means that West Central has already almost reached 10% of its goal.
Proposed plans for the recently-vacated Vigo County Security Center along 3rd Street were announced. The Commissioners would like to demolish the Vigo County Security Center building and turn it into a green space in conjunction with Wabash Valley Art Spaces. A new road for the Sheriff’s Department to drop off inmates and 5 additional handicapped parking stalls would also be added.
The Vigo County Commissioners have continued to push state and federal leaders on a third lane on I-70 that would help alleviate many economic and safety pain points. At this time, INDOT doesn’t have a third lane from Terre Haute to Indianapolis along I-70 scheduled for another 30 years.
According to the Commissioners, tourism continues to be a crucial component of Terre Haute’s economy. The Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau collected $3,254,962 in Innkeeper’s Tax in 2023, shattering the previous record. The Vigo County Capital Improvement Board collects $275,000 a month in food and beverage tax collection. With the Terre Haute Casino Resort opening, Total Eclipse of the Haute, Terre Haute Air Show, and more, 2024 is shaping up to be another historic year for our local tourism economy.
Vigo County improved 36 miles of roads in 2023. It plans to improve about 45 miles of roads in 2024. The county maintains 827 miles of roads, 200 Bridges (20’+), 227 Small Structures (4′ to 20′), and thousands of structures smaller than 4’.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds were put to good use for a variety of projects. Vigo County received $20,790,877 in funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Details about projects that have been funded can be found at www.arpathvc.com.
“We appreciate the Commissioners’ dedication to the goals of the See You In Terre Haute Community Plan,” stated Kristin Craig, Executive Director, Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce. “Their joint partnership with community leaders to advance initiatives around housing, I-70, and quality of life are helping blaze a path forward to create a county where people want to work and live.”
This year’s County Update broke an all-time attendance record, with over 200 people from different industries and organizations present for the event at the Terre Haute Convention Center.
