ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR RURAL ST. JOSEPH COUNTY?
On Tuesday, June 11th the Community Forum for Economic Justice (CFEJ) and the Open Space and Agricultural Alliance (OSAA) will host Sybil Drew, a filmmaker from Elwood, Illinois at the New Carlisle Olive Township Public Library 408 S. Bray Street, New Carlisle, Indiana 46552. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Sybil Drew will discuss the impacts on the rural community of Elwood after becoming industrialized as a freight terminal (massive inland port). Elwood, Illinois and the surrounding area south of Chicago is now home to 500+ warehouses for major retailers Walmart, Amazon and IKEA.
Ms. Drew’s talk will discuss how the town's residents and local economy have been negatively impacted and a grassroots movement has formed to retake their community. This event will also provide information on the proposed Indiana Enterprise Center and the encroaching dangers of development-run-amok for St. Joseph County and our communities.
We encourage South Bend residents to travel to New Carlisle on June 11th to learn about the particulars of economic development in rural areas of our County. Policies and practices are developed collectively by all St. Joseph County elected officials and the economic health of St. Joseph County directly or indirectly affects all of us.
For more information:
“Elwood vs. New Carlisle: Could proposed industrial park backfire on St. Joseph County?”
By Ted Booker, South Bend Tribune, Mar 24, 2019