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Last updated on Tuesday, July 10, 2018
(BEDFORD) - The Lawrence County Commissioners renewed their contract with the Southern Indiana Development Commission.
The county has been under contract with SIDC for 44 years. The contract has remained the same for all those years, 25 cents for every resident.
The vision of SIDC is economic development and to maintain the region's federal designation as an Economic Development District which allows communities in the region to be eligible for funding opportunities through the Economic Development Administration, a Division of the United States Department of Commerce.
For every $1 the county pays SIDC they receive $109 in grant funding. Last year the county received more than $1.2 million dollars in grant funds in the last couple of years.
Greg Jones, of SIDC told the commissioner one issue they are attempting to address is bringing broadband internet service to rural areas of Lawrence County.
"Currently there are 9,000 homes with children that do not have internet service," Jones told the commissioners. "There is either only one provider or no provider available and that is not acceptable. These children can't even do their homework from home. We hope in the next year to address the issue."
Another issue SIDC helped the county address recently was the demolition of the old Huron School, once an eyesore to the community, the area is being returned to a green space.
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