Category News

PLAINFIELD, IND. –
Duke Energy customers in Indiana are getting a break on their summer electric bills, and they can expect additional savings through the end of the year due to lower fuel costs.

Rates for the average residential customer have declined about 8 percent compared to last July, in large part due to lower coal costs. That amounts to about $10 in savings on a monthly bill for a customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours.

Costs in 2015 are also lower because extreme winter weather in 2014 drove up fuel and purchased power costs.

Rates for more energy-intensive customers, businesses that use large amounts of power, have declined about 9 to 10 percent compared to last summer.

Costs will reduce further over the next few months as lower-cost fuel replaces higher-cost supplies. Those additional savings, if approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in a filing made today, would amount to $2 monthly for an average residential customer during October, November and December. Some of the savings are also due to a true-up of previous cost projections.

“A large part of the decreases is due to a settlement with one of our large coal suppliers, which means reduced fuel costs to produce electricity—savings that we pass along to customers,” said Duke Energy Indiana President Melody Birmingham-Byrd. “These are significant rate decreases that will help our customers, especially industries and large businesses, reduce and control their costs, particularly during the summer when customers use more power and bills are higher.”

Indiana state utility regulators review utility fuel costs four times a year, and costs fluctuate, but a significant part of these decreases are due to lower pricing for a long-term coal contract. Fuel costs are one of the largest components of a customer’s bill.

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission first approved a portion of the decreases in late March as part of the company’s quarterly fuel clause filing. Lower costs began appearing in customer bills in April.

Duke Energy Indiana

Duke Energy Indiana’s operations provide about 7,500 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 810,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it the state’s largest electric supplier.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.

In a concerted effort to promote private investment in broadband infrastructure, The City of Rushville and the Rush County Economic & Community Development Corporation completed all steps required to apply for the Broadband Ready Community certification. Application was made to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and its Broadband Ready Communities Development Center.

The City of Rushville has been notified that it is the first of Indiana’s 119 cities to be certified as a Broadband Ready Community (BRC). “Having this certification sends a signal to the telecommunication industry that our community has taken steps to reduce barriers to broadband infrastructure investment”, said John McCane, ECDC Executive Director. “We have been meeting with our partners at NineStar Connect to move this process forward; they of course are extremely supportive, and have been a partner with Rushville and Rush County for several years.

Kroger Central Division leaders celebrated the grand opening of a new fuel center adjacent to the company’s Rushville store at 202 South Main Street in Rushville Friday morning.
The total economic investment in this fuel center is $1.2 million. Kroger’s project was led by Project Manager Reggie Henderson. This investment strengthens Kroger’s economic and workforce commitment to the local Rushville community and will create additional jobs.
At a time when many companies, particularly retail companies, have slowed or stopped their investments in facilities and job creation in Indiana, Kroger Central Division has accelerated their pace of investment.
According to President of Kroger Central Division Jeff Burt, “The grocery, pharmacy and fuel markets are very competitive in Indiana, but also very important for The Kroger Co. Our solid success in the marketplace allows us to make significant economic and work force investments in our Indiana stores. Our investment in Rushville is a strong vote of confidence and allows us to continue providing quality products, competitive prices and outstanding customer service, while being a supportive community partner. The Rushville fuel center will allow us to provide the nation’s best retail fuel rewards program to customers in that neighborhood.”
As part of the grand opening event, Kroger is donating $250 in fuel gift cards to the Rushville Volunteer Fire Department and $250 in fuel gift cards to the ARC of Rush County.

Does your organization have a website? What’s its purpose? Brand identification, public relations, and lead generation?
If you want to improve your SEO (search engine optimization), which means increasing visibility, therefore, bringing more visitors to your site, great, fresh content is the key. Effective blogging can and will improve SEO, which leads to a higher ranking, more hits, more leads, and more sales.
Join a group on Wednesday July 22nd, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Rush County Economic & Community Development Corporation Office, 210 E US52 Rushville, IN., upstairs conference room for “Blogging 101” with Randy Clark of TKO Graphics.
“We at the ECDC have been talking about doing a blog for a while, but have just not sat down to define what that would look like and the main topics we would write about,” Carolyn Bunzendahl of ECDC stated. “We do know that having a regular blog would help our website rise to the top of Google search rankings. We’re looking forward to learning about the process and hearing the suggestions of Randy Clark. We are so fortunate to have the East Central Small Business Development Center as a partner; they are the ones who continue to bring these great resources to our community.”
Blogging 101 covers:
•Why blog, how often, and what about
•Blog planning and promotion
•Creating ideas, using an editorial calendar, and copy editing
This presentation involves action plans that you’ll work on during the presentation and take away to improve the consistency, subject matter, and quality of your business blog.
Randy Clark is the Director of Communications at TKO Graphix, where he blogs for TKO Graphix Brandwire Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. He is a beer geek and on weekends he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under The Radar. He is the proud father of two educators has four amazing grandchildren, and a public speaking wife.

Duke Energy Indiana has selected 100,000 square feet of available space at the Industrial Jordan Manufacturing Building in Rush County for the utility’s 2015 Site Readiness Program. The building is located at 1250 Commerce Drive in Rushville.
The Site Readiness Program is a key component of Duke Energy’s economic development model. It identifies, evaluates, and improves sites in the company’s service territory for potential industrial development.
“We see distinct potential for this available building space to attract businesses that can bring economic growth to this area,” said Cathy Wenning, Duke Energy Indiana community relations manager for Rush County. “Helping promote economic development is an important part of our commitment to serving our customers.”
As part of Duke Energy’s evaluation of the Rushville location, site-selection consultant InSite Consulting will conduct a comprehensive assessment. Based on consultant recommendations, Duke Energy will collaborate with county leaders and local economic development professionals to develop a strategy for increasing the industrial building’s marketability and help prepare the space for future businesses.
Schmidt Associates, an architectural firm in Indianapolis, will produce conceptual drawings and site plans.
“The Duke Energy Site Readiness Program reinforces our work to attract jobs and industries to this area,” said John McCane, executive director of the Rush County Economic and Community Development Corporation. “We appreciate Duke Energy’s partnership and collaboration, and we look forward to seeing the consultant’s final recommendations.”
The recommendations from the site consultant will be presented to local officials in early summer. Duke Energy will also present a check for $10,000 to help the community implement the recommendations.
Other sites selected for the Duke Energy Indiana 2015 Site Readiness Program include properties in Clark, Howard and Vermillion counties.
Ideal properties for Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program are 60 acres or larger, served by the utility, or a vacant industrial building at least 20,000 square feet identified to support renewed industrial growth and sustainable development in a community.
Duke Energy Indiana’s overall economic development program has also been consistently named by Site Selection magazine as one of the nation’s “Top 10 Utility Economic Development Programs.” Since 2008, the company has participated in the creation of nearly 20,000 jobs and total capital investment of approximately $4.5 billion.
For more information about Duke Energy Indiana’s economic development programs, visit www.locationindiana.com.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy Indiana’s operations provide about 7,500 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 810,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it the state’s largest electric supplier.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.

The Rush County Economic and Community Development Corporation announced today that Rush County is now certified as an ACT™ Work Ready Community (CWRC). The process of working toward this goal began last April when they publicized participation in the program.
The CWRC is an initiative that showcases the highly skilled workforce that businesses require in a competitive economy. The foundation of a community’s certification is based on individuals at the county level across the current, transitioning and emerging workforce earning a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) and employers recognizing the NCRC. The NCRC is a portable, industry-recognized credential that clearly identifies an individual’s WorkKeys® skills in reading for information, applied math and locating information. These workplace skills are highly important to the majority of jobs in the workplace.
“Being a certified work ready community helps make our county more competitive when it comes to attracting new business”, said John McCane, Executive Director of the ECDC. “Rush County is leading our state to close the skills gap and provide skilled workers to our employers. Focusing on these initiatives helps Rush County grow and prosper. We are the first county in Indiana to achieve this designation”.
“Meeting the goals was a combined effort of many entities”, said Carolyn Bunzendahl, Client Services Manager of the ECDC. She cited the leadership of individuals on the K To Success Education committee, encouragement of the ECDC Board of Directors, and hard work of the WorkOne agency, especially Business Services Representative Leslie Shaul, as being paramount in reaching those goals. “We want to congratulate those 281 individuals who have earned a National Career Readiness Certificate, and over 19 employers who have signed up as being in support of the program. They are the ones who are most important to this initiative”. Now that the county is certified, maintenance goals will be set to ensure an ongoing supply of skilled employees.
For more information about this program, go to http://www.workreadycommunities.org/IN/139,; www.rushecdc.org or call the ECDC at 938-3232.

Lt. Governor Ellspermann sends official announcements to Hometown Collaboration Initiative Finalist Communities.

INDIANAPOLIS – Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann electronically sent congratulatory announcement videos to the six newly designated finalist communities for the Hometown Collaboration Initiative (HCI). The program, in its inaugural year is administered by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) in partnership with Ball State and Purdue Universities and was unveiled by Ellspermann at regional conferences held around the state last fall.
“Congratulations to each of the HCI finalist communities. As Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, I am a strong proponent of growing rural Indiana. That means ensuring our communities provide quality of place where residents and talented people choose to live, work and raise a family. I am confident the HCI program will assist the communities in further developing opportunities for growth and prosperity,” stated Lt. Governor Ellspermann in the recorded messages.
2015 HCI Finalist Communities include:
• The Town of Corydon
• The City of Lebanon
• Perry County
• Pulaski County
• Rush County/Rushville
• The City of Seymour
This initiative is open to communities of fewer than 25,000 people that want to expand their pipeline of local leaders, strengthen and expand jobs by building on existing economic assets and improve the attractiveness and quality of life of their hometowns. A core principle of HCI is that broad-based input and buy-in is vital to the long-term success and sustainability of all community development initiatives.
Eligible applicants were asked to choose between three building blocks:
• Economy – Strengthening our Hometown Economy
• Leadership – Developing our Hometown Leadership Pipeline
• Placemaking – Focusing on our Hometown’s Natural & Built Resources
The application consisted of six open-ended questions that demonstrated the community’s ability and need to participate in the program as well as identified the current strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, they were asked to explain why their community was prepared for this program.
After semi-finalist communities were announced in early December 2014, the HCI team conducted site visits at each of the local communities who were able to further elaborate on their need for the program and allow the team to experience each community.
The congratulatory videos from Lt. Governor Ellspermann are available on You Tube.
For further information on the Hometown Collaboration Initiative or to contact a regional Community Liaison with questions, please visit http://www.in.gov/ocra/2732.htm or http://www.in.gov/ocra/2330.htm.

A proposal for a three-county (Fayette, Henry and Rush) wind farm project gained local support earlier this week. A similar project a few years earlier never got off the ground following a number of meetings with the counties involved. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is looking into placing eight wind turbines in Henry County, 60 in Fayette County and 25 in Rush County.

According to Rush County ECDC Director John McCane, as proposed, the local wind turbines would be located on rural property in Washington and Union Townships with construction beginning in 2016. Earlier this week, a public meeting was held on the proposed project with members of the county council and the Rush County Commissioners and representatives from NextEra Energy Resources in attendance. Following an explanation of the proposed plan in which NextEra would invest $82 million in equipment and real estate improvements, they requested a 10-year property tax abatement.

A number of individuals voiced their concerns and thoughts on the project prior to the county leaders rendering a decision. County commissioner Bruce Levi said that this week’s decision is only one of the numerous steps necessary for the project to move forward. “Essentially, we have opened the door to the possibility of this becoming a local reality. It all depends on if they (NextEra) can sell the power they generate,” Levi said. The county leaders agreed to an economic development agreement, which, once set in place, Rush County would receive $12,000 per megawatt of electrical power generated by the wind turbines. The county leaders then turned their attention to an agreement regarding drainage and county roads issues. McCane said that any damage to Rush County roads or drainage infrastructures due to size and magnitude of placing the turbines and gaining access to the rural property will be replaced and would be covered by Whitewater Wind, LLC.

A decommissioning agreement was the third agreement the county leaders agreed to. If the project is decommissioned, Whitewater Wind, LLC would be responsible for the cost to remove the turbines and up to four feet of the base they rest upon. In a final matter, a majority carried the vote by the county council to grant 10-year property tax abatement for the project. Commissioner Mark Bacon said that roughly a single acre of land is necessary for each turbine, a plot that includes roadway access and a station and the tower itself. “I’m not so sure I wouldn’t put one on my property if I was asked to do so,” Bacon said.

McCane agreed with the county leaders in that Wednesday’s decision was just one step in the process with similar proposals and meetings being held in Fayette and Henry counties. “Rush County made the first step in the process today. I see it as a win-win in a number of areas. If the project is realized, the county will see financial growth by the workers placing the turbines, the property owners will be compensated for their rural ground and the county will receive funding from the energy provided,” McCane said.

Contact: Frank Denzler @ 765.932.2222 x106.

By Kate Thurston, Reporter/Photographer for Rushville Republican.

Tuesday night before city council, there was a public hearing on the comprehensive plan for Rush County.

The plan was completed and adopted at the meeting.

Cory Daly with HWC Engineering along with Scott Burgins of SDG spoke to the council and those who attended.

“Over the last 12 months or so, we have went over the plan. This has really been a publicly fed process. When you look at how this was structured, it was led by a steering committee. This community held the entire process together and hung together throughout all the meetings. Beyond the steering committee, the most important thing to think about is how it was a publicly driven process. This plan is a guide for the city with short and long term goals. There are two basic fundamental questions that were asked,” Daly said. “‘What do you want to change and what do you want to protect?’ The comprehensive plan is a guiding document, but that does not mean you have to do what it says. This plan reflects the public’s opinion and what they want to see happening down the road. It is important to remember this was a community driven process. There were a series of public meetings and we tried to include as many people as possible during the process.”

The plan conducted a survey between March and April to get feedback from the community. Information was collected through a public survey, steering committee workshops, focus group workshops, individual stakeholder interviews, public meetings, community website and press releases.

“The public survey was a main catalyst for some of the big decisions that were made. Rushville can pat themselves on the back because there were over 1,000 responses for the survey. This showed many people were interested and wanted to see this happen. This helped give people some say and speak their opinion. We found that overall agriculture is a large identifier of the community and community growth was essentially important along with improving existing neighborhoods. We also heard quite a bit about downtown and what it could be along with the small businesses. Long story short, we found people really love Rushville. People also thought that there needed to be better opportunities in Rushville.”

Mayor Mike Pavey commented, stating the plan was a great way to start making improvements.

“We can take a lot from the plan,” Pavey stated. “There are many items we can work on, starting with short term. The plan helps because we can work at our own pace and it does act as a road map to reach our goals. We would like to start on some of our short term goals right away.”