Project Overview

For years, public feedback in Rush County has pointed to the need for a community center to address the economic, population, and health challenges currently being experienced by the county. The Rush County Community Foundation (RCCF) has developed a community center concept that will support all ages and socioeconomic statuses in the community. RCCF’s community center concept will redevelop a large blighted and empty retail center in Rushville’s Opportunity Zone into a service hub for Rush County, bringing 5 nonprofit, social services, and government- related service providers together under one roof while also creating a recreation destination for the region through a fitness center and daycare facility. The Community Center directly supports ARPA’s Covid-19 pandemic relief aims by directly impacting Rushville’s low to moderate income households in the following ways: Public health - increases access to mental health, substance abuse, and physical fitness services; Negative economic impacts - assists households through food assistance programs and provides aid to numerous nonprofit organizations; Disproportionately impacted communities - increases access to early learning and childcare. READI funds will be utilized for the new construction of the facility. Construction documents for the project have already been completed and construction is scheduled to start in March 2023 and conclude in Summer of 2024.