Issue Paper 9: Agritourism as an Economic Infuser and Equalizer

Issue Paper 9: Agritourism as an Economic Infuser and Equalizer 

Indiana’s House District 3 is both a food desert and a burgeoning scene for urban agriculture. 

(Remus Farms Fall Harvest in Hobart, Indiana.)

With the loss of Lake Station’s Central Market, Jansen’s Fruit Market, along with the wide range of limited food options across Gary, our nutritional situation can seem bleak. 

(Volunteers plant the beginnings of an orchard in Gary's Emerson Community.)

However, there is some light here too. We have INHD3 anchors like Remus Farms and Johnson’s, as well as emerging groups like Gary’s Emerson Spotlight’s FAITH Farms initiative and the recently planted orchard in Emerson.

There's an #orchard going in #Emerson. It's taken almost 3 years from when we wrote the first draft of the #grant to the implementation of this #CommunityGoal but we're making it happen. #WeAreDistrict3 and we're here to work. 💪🍒🍐🍏 #CommunityOverCompetition #FocusOnOurFuture #INDistrict3

A post shared by Renslow4Rep (@renslow4rep) on Nov 10, 2017 at 8:54am PST

 

Marketing our area as a tourism destination is paramount to Indiana House District 3's economic development. Agritourism is a unique opportunity for INHD3 to capitalize on a combined blending of both the tourism and agriculture spheres to bring financial, educational and social benefits to our community. It will enhance the tourism industry by increasing the volume of visitors to our area and the length of their stay, while also infusing our House District with locally grown food sources.  

(Volunteers plant an orchard in Gary's Emerson Community with artist, Francis Whitehead.)

Agritourism grants farmers an opportunity to create extra revenue streams and a way for direct marketing to consumers. It also leads to a higher quality of product, which helps bridge the food desert divide. 

(The Renslow4Rep crew supporting one of Gary's Pop-up markets.)

(Shannon Farm Homestead is part of the effort to get Farmers Markets to urban communities.)

Agritourism can provide Hoosiers communities like ours the potential to expand their tax base and new job opportunities.  Additionally, agritourism provides educational opportunities to the public, helps to preserve agricultural lands, and allows House Districts to develop micro and macro enterprises. 

Checking out #INHD3's newest coffee shop. #CultivatedCulture on Lake Street in Gary, Indiana. ☕️✔️💕 #WeAreDistrict3 #CommunityOverCompetition #BuyLocal

A post shared by Renslow4Rep (@renslow4rep) on Dec 31, 2017 at 12:20pm PST

(The Cultivated Culture Cafe features locally sourced goods from INHD3 farmers on their menu. )

Agritourism can include:

• U-Pick operations

• hay rides
•on-farm farmers’ markets

• corn mazes
•demonstration farms
•cut-your-own Christmas tree farms
•living history farms

• pumpkin picking patches

• agricultural museums
•winery tours and wine tasting

• dude ranches
•garden tours

• bed & breakfasts

Tourisms will raise our quality of life, beautify our blighted areas, build up our transportation networks, all while raising Gary, Lake Station, New Chicago and Hobart’s profile on the national/international level. 

(Jessica Renslow helping plant the orchard in Emerson last November. Jessie helped Francis Whitehead write the original version of the grant for the orchard's seed funding.)

If elected, Jessica Renslow will fight to:

• Create and implement an INHD3 tourism strategic plan and marketing campaign that will give our area presence on the national/international level.

• Cultivate better communication between our rural and urban farmers so that they can advocate for Indiana House District’s nutritional needs on the local and state levels. 

• Pursue local businesses to start prioritizing active and passive tourism in all seasons as an economic driver.

• Advocate for business investment in INHD3 that is complementary to promoting life-long communities. 

• Foster sponsorship relationships between area businesses and industries to help infuse tourism initiatives, support active transportation, improve infrastructure and protect our environment, so that the burden of funding is not on INHD3 residents.

• Encourage local eateries and food venders to build relationships with local farmers to promote “farm to fork” products.

• Increase jobs and economic development by monitoring/ maintaining compliance of our local and targeted hiring programs. 

• Ensure that INHD3 tourism revenues and benefits stay in Gary, Lake Station, New Chicago and Hobart.

(The regionally famous Marilyn's Bakery at Johnson's Farm in Hobart sells a wide range of products.)

How do I volunteer for or donate to Jessica Renslow's Campaign?

Email renslow4rep@gmail.com or call (219) 292-2200 to volunteer for Renslow4Rep

DONATE ONLINE HERE

Or Make Checks out to:

Friends of Jessica Renslow

518 South Hancock Street

P.O.Box 2815

Gary, IN 46403

Issue Paper 7: Decorate District 3

On Monday, January 15, 2018 the Friends of Jessica Renslow volunteers gathered on the corner of 6th and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Gary’s Emerson neighborhood to kick off a different kind of campaign initiative. Covered in snow, eight hardy volunteers secured boards on a structure that had seen better days.

(Gary residents Aldwin Livingston and Katie Bohn creating a decorative board.)

Indiana House District 3 democratic candidate, Jessica Renslow stated, “We have so much potential in Gary, Lake Station, New Chicago and Hobart, opportunities for tourism and investment, but we also have a blight and illegal dumping epidemic. 

Unfortunately perception matters. When people drive by and see a blighted building predominantly situated, or large pieces of furniture laying in a ditch, they make assumptions. They usually don’t notice that the majority of the block is occupied. They don’t know that the ditch is a globally rare ecosystem. They don’t stop and chat with the neighbors who have been voluntarily mowing abandoned lots and maintaining their block. Outsiders see blight. Across House District 3 our cities are trying to strum up money to demolish structures, and keep up with people trashing our byways. It’s not easy. They are making strides, but they need all the help they can get. As a community builder I’ve always focused on blight reduction and beautification, this is just a natural progression for me as a candidate. I would rather raise funds to secure blighted buildings and conduct community clean ups than pay for billboards. Public safety and curb appeal are two of the main reasons we started our Decorate District 3 Initiative. We love our hometowns. We want them to flourish. We chose Martin Luther King Jr. Day as our kick off because naturally it’s become a day of service. It’s a great way for folks across the US to honor an American hero and give back to their communities. We started here in Emerson but this is just the first of many service projects.” 

(State Representative candidates Jessica Renslow and Chris Chyung securing a blighted building.)

What is a decorative board up?

When a blighted building has its windows and entrances secured by boards that have been painted.

(Before and after of the MLK Block Club House in Gary's Emerson Community.)

Why do a decorative board up if the building is just going to be torn down?

• It secures the building which promotes public safety.
• It aides in curb appeal.
• It can uplift community spirit.
• It can help create a community space.
• Sometimes the buildings get purchased and end up getting a new life.

 

(Last summer, an estimated 500 people attended the first annual Outdoor Adaptive Escapade at the transformed blighted Ralph's Grocery Store in Gary, Indiana.)

With the corner brick home on 6th and MLK Drive secured, the volunteers completed their first Decorate District 3 project. They have plans for more in the up and coming months. 

Do you know of a structure that needs to be secured, or a spot in need of a community clean up? Please email renslow4rep@gmail.com. 

(The Ken Parr Build a Bike volunteers are repurposing the blighted Ralph's Grocery Store in Gary, Indiana and tending its grounds.) 

Interested in joining the Decorate District 3 volunteer corps? 

You can sign up Here.

(Renslow4 Rep volunteers working on the MLK Block Club House in Gary's Emerson Community.)

Have you taken our INHD3 community survey  yet? 

(It’s just 4 questions.) https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/renslow4rep 

If elected Jessica Renslow will fight to:

• Protect our environmental jewels and promote public safety/curb appeal by focusing on properly managed blight reduction/beautification efforts across of all of Indiana House District 3.

• Advocate for green jobs that produce goods and/or provide services that benefit the environment, or conserve natural resources. 

• Work with state and local officials to ensure that all community environmental and health concerns are addressed at each stage of a bill's implementation cycle. 

• Foster sponsorship relationships between area businesses and industries to help infuse tourism initiatives, support active transportation, improve infrastructure and protect our environment, so that the burden of funding is not on INHD3 residents. 

• Promote private or environmental groups to develop preserves, solely funded via their revenue sources, on the edges of our already protected areas. This approach will benefit INHD3 by retaining our scenic beauty/ wildlife, reducing our blight situation and it will better guarantee our environmental jewels be allowed to retain their value.

• Create and implement an INHD3 tourism strategic plan and marketing campaign that will give our area presence on the national/international level.

• Pursue partnership opportunities between public school systems and aligned non-for-profits to help develop programming and stewardship of facilities. This approach will benefit INHD3 by lessening the burden of maintaining all of our school facilities on the taxpayer, while reducing our blight situation and better guaranteeing our residents receive meaningful education opportunities at all ages.

Renslow4Rep.com 

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Issue Paper 5: Equal Pay Affects all of Indiana House District 3

According to our census, our most common heads of households in Indiana House District 3 are our single mothers. If you consider that 51% of our families are only averaging 74 cents to the dollar, you can see how this wage gap affects funding for everything from our roads, to our schools, to our parks. (That 51% of our population is not even including our working single childless women, or our married mothers!)

Now think about how much money the majority of IN HD3 families can spend to support our local businesses. What does that 26 cent gap mean for all of us?

(League of Women Voters Members discussing issues that effect NWI and all Hoosiers with their senators. )

The wage gap is not a partisan issue. It is not just a problem for women, nor House District 3, it effects all Hoosiers.

On Wednesday, January 17, 2018 HB 1390 aka the Equal Pay Bill was reintroduced in Indianapolis. Why is House Bill 1390 different than the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990? 

In a Right to Work State like Indiana, employers can choose to fire workers at will. This can include if an employee discloses his salary to a female coworker.  House Bill 1390 provides protection for coworkers to discuss their salaries without fear of losing their jobs, which would lead to more transparency of discrepancies in the Indiana workforce, thus allowing all Hoosier heads of households to better advocate for wage increases with their employers. 

(League of Women Voters of the Calumet Area supporting Rep. Linda Lawson’s proposal, House Bill 1390.)

According to the Indiana Institute for Working Families, “In 2016 in Indiana, the median earnings of full time male workers were $12,717 higher than the median earnings of full time female workers. This is a 26 percent wage gap. Even as the nation’s wage gap narrowed between 2015 and 2016, Indiana’s wage gap widened 2 percentage points. The Hoosier gender wage gap is now the 6th highest in the nation, not far behind Louisiana and Utah, which, at 30 percent, are tied for the highest in the nation. Within Indiana, there is considerable variation from county to county, with some counties in Indiana showing nearly a 40 percent gap, while others have gaps in the teens.”

If elected, Jessica Renslow will fight to:

• Continue to advocate for equal pay for all working families.

• Promote business investment in INHD3 that is complementary to creating life-long communities. 

• Increase jobs and economic development by monitoring/ maintaining compliance of our local and targeted hiring programs. 

• Bring back the outreach and pride of the labor movement into our schools by facilitating mentorship opportunities to help bridge the disconnect between our educational institutions and our regional employers. 

• Advocate for entrepreneurial education and financial literacy across INHD3 via community partnerships with local financial institutions/ business incubators.

Renslow4Rep.com

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Issue Paper 4: What should DUAB do?

Issue Paper 4: What should DUAB do?

What is DUAB?

DUAB stands for Distressed Unit Appeal Board. Last year’s Senate Bill 567 gave DUAB control of the Gary Community School Corporation. 

What is a shared space?

Government entities recruit nonprofits and charge them rent, usually at reduced market rates, to help cover the building's maintenance and operational expenses.

(By combining a high school and a senior center, the town of Swampscott, Massachusetts, saved money and served residents of many ages. More info on shared spaces here.)

Within Indiana House District 3 there are two facilities that are prime candidates to become shared spaces. Both are owned by the struggling Gary Community School Corporation. The Deep River Outdoor Education Center located in Lake Station and Wirt-Emerson Jr./Sr. High School in Gary’s Miller Community are in desperate need of a community intervention.

(Wirt-Emerson Jr. /Sr. High)

Recently, an Indiana Department of Education report highlights that public schools within Indiana House District 3 have experienced some of the most losses of enrollment to charter and private schools this year. 2017-18 school year data figures showcase the loss has been concentrated in Gary where the ratio of students not attending the city's public schools is nearly 2-to-1.

On Wednesday January 17, 2018 data presented at the Wirt-Emerson walk through stated the following: 

1. West Side Jr./Sr. High School currently has about 750 students, and operates at just 22 percent capacity. The school can hold about 3,400 students. 
2. Wirt-Emerson Jr./Sr. High School, has about 530 students, operates at 49 percent capacity. It can hold about 1,090 students.

One of the most popular types of shared spaces is a school-senior center combo. Wirt-Emerson is located within the 46403 zip code which is estimated to have roughly 13,869 residents. 3,796 are school age and judging by the Indiana Department of Education report roughly only 1,265 attend Gary public schools. The 46403 zip code is famous for its civic engagement and strong senior citizen presence. With 2,157 residents over the age of sixty-five, Wirt-Emerson is a prime candidate to become a school-senior center shared space. This coupled with the need for aquatics education in Gary proves critical mass for such a venture, as Wirt-Emerson hosts a pool that, if fixed up, could be accessed by the public when school is not in session. DUAB should actively pursue the shared space model, as it is working across the country and Gary residents already vocalized strong interest in such a partnership in their community plan (see page 35).

(Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Junior high school shop.") 

Until the 1950s American high school students were standardly taught vocational and job-readiness skills were integrated into their curriculum. The siphoning of students into ability tracks in the fifties, led to the misconception that vocational education should only be associated as a remedial option. This misconception has flourished under the charter school regime as charters have even more state pressure to produce college-ready students. Meanwhile we are facing an international labor shortage. The labor shortage will hit America very hard in the next decade with the baby boomers retiring in droves. By 2040 43% of the US’s population will be under the age of 18 and over the age of 60; thus building communities that residents can grow up and grow old in is our nation’s future. 

(A community built for for all is our nation’s future.)

On January 9, 2018 in his State of the State address, Gov. Holcomb, proclaimed that re-training Indiana workers was the top priority of his administration. Holcomb said, “85,000 jobs are unfilled in Indiana because employers can’t find people with the right skills. New job commitments and retiring Baby Boomers will only add to that number… This is the defining issue of the decade, and we don’t have a day to waste.” 

Holcomb’s controversial overhaul of the state’s graduation requirements and diploma system has come under heat this winter. Holcomb’s new pathways system will effect students now in seventh grade. The state graduation exam will be replaced with one of several new graduation pathways requirements. These pathways could include passing a college-entrance exam, taking career and technical education classes, or passing advanced courses.

DUAB has suggested transforming one of Gary’s two remaining high schools into a junior high. 6-8th grade has been a problem area for both public and charter schools within the Steel City. Wirt-Emerson’s budget is lower than Westside’s. It is located in a heavily populated area known for its civic engagement. Perhaps transitioning Wirt-Emerson into a shared space public school (either as a middle school or Jr/Sr high school), specializing in providing after school and summer programming surrounding readiness for the state’s new pathways requirements would prove a viable option for the 46403 zip code. 

(Learning the basics of bike repairs at the Ken Parr Build-A-Bike.)

Such a space could help bring back the outreach and pride of the labor movement into our schools by facilitating mentorship opportunities to help bridge the disconnect between our educational institutions and our regional employers. Other possibilities could emerge for Wirt-Emerson as capacity and community buy-in is achieved. Wirt-Emerson could eventually come full circle. It could become a junior/ senior high school and an active community hub, as it was in the not so distant past. 

The fallowed grounds of The Deep River Outdoor Education Center also have huge potential. Under House Bill No. 1012 the property could be donated to a non-for-profit with a mission that is aligned with state level education outcomes for a dollar. (There is precedent of the Gary Community School Corporation donating property to a non-for-profit entity for $1, per their agreement with The Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Indiana acquiring Tolleston Middle School.) GCSC could also allow an existing community partner like the Nature Conservancy to manage The Deep River Outdoor Education Center, as they are aiding Gary's Ivanhoe Park, which is adjacent to the closed Ivanhoe School.

 (Ivanhoe Park in Gary.)

Indiana House District 3 community members and educators both agree that training our young leaders to be ready for 21st century jobs will give us a competitive advantage in our state, national and world markets. However, requiring all of that training within a standard school day on top of the established graduation requirements is just not feasible. We need to work collaboratively with teachers to sustain and improve the performance of our schools. Across Indiana the education scene has drastically changed in the past two decades. It is up to our communities to collectively advocate for the best options for all of our children. We need to examine what is working and take a hard look at what is not. Optimizing our distressed school facilities to become shared spaces should be an option we pursue. 

(Youth service employes in action at the First Annual Outdoor Adaptive Escapade.)

If elected, Jessica Renslow will fight to:

• Pursue partnership opportunities between public school systems and aligned non-for-profits to help develop programming and stewardship of facilities. This approach will benefit INHD3 by lessening the burden of maintaining all of our school facilities on the taxpayer, while reducing our blight situation and better guaranteeing our residents receive meaningful education opportunities at all ages.

• Bring back the outreach and pride of the labor movement into our schools by facilitating mentorship opportunities to help bridge the disconnect between our educational institutions and our regional employers. 

• Demand transparency of funding for all INHD3 schools whether they be voucher, charter, or public.

• Support a moratorium on virtual charter school growth.

• Make kindergarten mandatory across Indiana, while advocating for students to attend school by age five and require attendance by age six (current compulsory schooling age in Indiana is seven). 

• Ensure Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds are properly allocated among all schools within INHD3.

• Refocus state policies to promote hybrid schools, over virtual charters, for non traditional learners seeking high school diplomas. 

• Promote inclusive community wellness programming across INHD3.

• Advocate for entrepreneurial education and financial literacy across INHD3 via community partnerships with local financial institutions/ business incubators. 
• Require safe fails and oversight of all HB 567 elements and any additional education legislation effecting Indiana House District 3.

(Ms. Renslow's Podcasting 101 at Gear and Flame Week in Glen Park's Steel City Academy.)

Renslow4Rep.com 

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Issue Paper 3: Meaningful Education

Meaningful education is the key to creating Northwest Indiana’s new workforce. We need to work collaboratively with teachers to sustain and improve the performance of our schools. Across Indiana the education scene has drastically changed in the past two decades. 

(Jessica Renslow teaching an interactive history lesson about Drusella Carr.)

It is up to our communities to collectively advocate for the best options for all of our children. We need to examine what is working and take a hard look at what is not. Training our young leaders to be ready for 21st century jobs will give us a competitive advantage in our state, national and world markets. 

(Jessica Renslow helped create a program that brings the basics of bike mechanics to Gary, Indiana.)

If elected, Jessica Renslow will fight to:

• Pursue partnership opportunities between public school systems and aligned non-for-profits to help develop programming and stewardship of facilities. This approach will benefit INHD3 by lessening the burden of maintaining all of our school facilities on the taxpayer, while reducing our blight situation and better guaranteeing our residents receive meaningful education opportunities at all ages.

• Bring back the outreach and pride of the labor movement into our schools by facilitating mentorship opportunities to help bridge the disconnect between our educational institutions and our regional employers. 

• Demand transparency of funding for all INHD3 schools whether they be voucher, charter, or public.

• Support a moratorium on virtual charter school growth.

• Make kindergarten mandatory across Indiana, while advocating for students to attend school by age five and require attendance by age six (current compulsory schooling age in Indiana is seven). 

• Ensure Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds are properly allocated among all schools within INHD3.

• Refocus state policies to promote hybrid schools, over virtual charters, for non traditional learners seeking high school diplomas. 

• Promote inclusive community wellness programming across INHD3.

• Advocate for entrepreneurial education and financial literacy across INHD3 via community partnerships with local financial institutions/ business incubators. 

(Jessica Renslow teaching the basics of computer coding and podcasting to middle schoolers.)

Renslow4Rep.com 

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