Jeremy Stutsman

I had the honor of accepting the AIM Green Communities Project of the Year Award, a state wide award for our community acknowledging the impact we have made in the environment through our many solar projects. This award is possible because of the residents, businesses, MACOG (Leah Thill) and the city who worked together investing in our future.

Right now, our communities, our county and our region are faced with a proposed project that would impact everyone for decades to come. While some might point to certain potential positives, I believe the overwhelming evidence points to negative effects that far outweigh any positive benefits. The proposed CoreCivic detention center would have many aspects that are not beneficial to our quality of life/place and would detract from the vibrancy of our area.

A column that talks about Environmental Issues in the Goshen Area.

Right now, our communities, our county and our region are faced with a proposed project that would impact everyone for decades to come. While some might point to certain potential positives, I believe the overwhelming evidence points to negative effects that far outweigh any positive benefits. The proposed CoreCivic detention center would have many aspects that are not beneficial to our quality of life/place and would detract from the vibrancy of our area.

Introduction
At a time when most downtowns are dying and the recession in the late 2000s has taken its toll on small businesses, downtown Goshen, IN, continues to thrive. With a two percent vacancy rate and new businesses starting up monthly, the downtown has found a way to survive one of the worst economic storms. What is it doing right?

Goshen is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, IN, and as of the census of 2010, there were 31,719 people residing in the city. Goshen was chosen as the county seat on February 10, 1831. Four years prior to Goshen becoming the county seat, liberal arts school, Goshen College was founded. Goshen College has deep roots in the Mennonite Church, and has a motto of “Culture for Service.” Today, Goshen College has an enrollment of 923 students, 37 full-time faculty and 34 part-time faculty (“Quick Facts,” Goshen College, 2013).

Starting in 1985, local developers Dave Pottinger and Faye Peterson Pottinger took on their first revitalization project with a local restaurant located on South Main Street. Many of the historic buildings were in substantial decay, and Pottinger and Peterson Pottinger had a passion for seeing them restored. Pottinger could easily be called the “Father of Downtown Goshen,” and his work along with wife, Faye Peterson Pottinger, began the downtown revitalization that is being enjoyed today. Peterson Pottinger’s daughter, Maija Walters Stutsman, and husband, Jeremy Stutsman, began helping with the revival and to date the four of them have completed 41 projects in downtown Goshen. Together they own a development/consultation firm where they completed a study with downtown Goshen business owners to explore place-making ideas such as façade redevelopment, parking, business signage and streetscaping (Walters Stutsman, Peterson Pottinger, Stutsman, & Pottinger, 2010). Their study led to the implementation of a multi-year streetscaping project which included planters, bump-outs and outdoor seating, to name a few.

When the large retail establishments began opening in the county in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, downtown retailers began to feel the negative effects. However, with the help of local visionaries and developers, downtown Goshen managed to stay vibrant and continue to grow. The purpose of this study is to explore exactly what happened from 2006 to 2011 that helped Goshen experience this revitalization despite the recent economic downturn nationwide with a record-high unemployment rate since The Great Depression. To this end, this study examined relationship maintenance strategies that were employed by these key leadership figures that led the revival, and, if any, these strategies’ positive influence in downtown Goshen. Further, the study aimed to identify key elements that might have contributed to the revitalization of downtown Goshen during that period.

Diversification in communities is often talked about. Goshen is backing up its discussions with action – creating a vibrant quality of life that supports a growing small business base while maintaining the manufacturing strength that has been so important to the city’s history.

In the fall of 2016, Mayor Jeremy Stutsman assembled a team of 12 local artists to form Goshen’s first-ever Mayor’s Arts Council.

Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (Aim) announced Goshen as the recipient of the organization’s first Green Project of the Year award. Mayor Jeremy Stutsman accepted the award during the Aim Annual Awards Luncheon presented by Umbaugh, Oct. 3, during the 2018 Aim Ideas Summit in French Lick.

A proposal for a special resolution to reduce carbon emissions, increase energy efficiency and renewable energy use, to create a climate change-resilient City of Goshen Municipal Government that will protect the future members of our community.

In a last-minute Hail Mary by Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman, plans for a long-discussed redesign of Goshen’s Main Street were salvaged late Tuesday afternoon after Goshen Redevelopment Commission members initially withheld their support for the project.