Apr. 15—EDWARDSVILLE — As work proceeds on Floyd County's Novaparke development, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch said the technology park is "really a park for the future."
"It's an incredible collaboration that incorporates the past, the present and looks to the future," she said.
On Wednesday, Crouch was among the state and local officials to visit Novaparke Innovation & Technology Campus, which is expected to open later this year. The group toured the historic Whistle Stop Inn building, which is under renovation for use as a business incubator space and will be the first building to open at the park.
The 60-acre business park in Edwardsville is expected to bring about 400 STEM jobs to the area. The first floor of the Whistle Stop building will include co-working space on the first floor and five offices on the second floor. Faculty from Indiana University Southeast's School of Business will use the space to provide resources for entrepreneurs and to launch its small business accelerator program.
Crouch said Floyd County has a "wonderful opportunity" to keep college students in the area, "especially if you have opportunities for them here at the park with the businesses you'll be able to attract."
"And then you're going to have the workforce that those businesses will be looking to right here," she said. "It's a beautiful path forward to economic development in the future with what you're doing here."
She emphasized the partnerships involved in the development of Novaparke.
"It's really about leadership, and you have to have people who are willing to look forward and be able to have a vision for the future and pull the right people to collaborate," Crouch said. "I know this is really the perfect example of partnerships — you have the partnership with the county, you have the partnership with higher education, the private sector is a partner. ..."
Novaparke will also include the renovation of a cattle barn and dairy barn on the property, which could potentially be supported by the Indiana Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) grant. Our Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority's READI plan includes a request for $5.5. million for the technology campus.
The former cattle barn on the property will be used for entrepreneurial space, and the dairy barn near the pond will be used for lab space. Construction is ongoing for a building near the Whistle Stop Inn that will be used for classroom space and conference space.