Shelbyville, Indiana

SHELBYV I LLE , INDI ANA Shelbyville; that there was a gap in education for adults in terms of the economic drivers in town that had retooled automotive equipment to produce other goods, like medical equipment. There was also a gap in early learning and kindergarten preparedness. DeBaun admits, “We knew we had to do something and so we spent a lot of time looking at the ugly in our community and we identified those barriers to suitable labor, to just workforce attraction in general.” The city went to work forming committees and doing research to close these gaps and brought representatives from the local educational sector and local businesses to make changes that had measurable outcomes. DeBaun explains, “We were told that there were concerns for quality-based education, for lack of daycare, lack of amenities. We were told that they had concerns about higher education opportunities and so we spent a significant amount of time looking at other communities who had tackled these issues. We travelled to Tennessee, trees and traffic control measures including a traffic table, which is a small incline that makes drivers more aware of pedestrians. The revitalization also includes redesigning the public square with intricate, multi-coloured brick walkways. The Joseph Fountain was fully restored as the focal point and a historical landmark residents can take pride in. Sidewalks and plaza spaces were changed for merchants and business owners to establish temporary or permanent, small outdoor dining areas. Mayor DeBaun jokes, “Our town motto is ‘pride in progress’ and we thought we’d actually try to add a little credibility to that. I feel good about it.” After the 2008 recession, Shelbyville was having a hard time springing back. In 2012, DeBaun and other staff noticed that mid- and high-level management employees in the city were choosing to commute rather than live in