FRENCH LICK, Ind. (October 2, 2026) – Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (Aim) has announced that the City of Rushville is the recipient of a 2026 Aim Placemaking Award for the Love Community Center. The city was recognized during the Annual Awards Luncheon, presented by Baker Tilly, on Wednesday, September 30, at the 2026 Aim Ideas Summit in French Lick. Rushville earned the award in the 3,000 to 10,000 population category.
When Walmart closed its Rushville store in 2018, the 53,000-square-foot building became one of the community’s most visible redevelopment challenges. Rather than let the site sit vacant, local leaders reimagined it as a centralized hub for recreation, education, wellness, childcare, and essential community services. The Love Community Center opened in August 2025 following a $21.7 million investment, adding 16,500 square feet of new recreational amenities and bringing more than a dozen partner organizations under one roof, including the Rushville Public Library, Westminster Early Learning Academy, the Rush County Community Assistance Food Pantry, the Senior Center, the Rush County Recreation Center, and the Firefly Children & Family Alliance.
The financing reflected the project’s scale and ambition. It began with a $5 million award from Lilly Endowment Inc. through the Rush County Community Foundation, the largest grant in that funding cycle, followed by $4 million secured jointly by the City of Rushville and Rush County through the READI 1.0 program. Additional support came from Diamond Pet Foods, New Market Tax Credits, Indiana Redevelopment Tax Credits, Rush Memorial Hospital, Citizens State Bank, Gleaners Food Bank (the largest grant Gleaners has ever awarded), and dozens of local donors, including the Rushville-native Love family for whom the Center is named. In its first six months, the Love Community Center welcomed more than 50,000 visitors..
“This Aim Community Placemaking Award winner is a community that transformed a physical space into an anchor of community life,” said Aim CEO Matt Greller. “The Love Community Center reflects a bold vision for what adaptive reuse can achieve, bringing essential services, recreation, and connection together in a way that strengthens Rushville and the surrounding region. We are proud to present a Community Placemaking Award to the City of Rushville for the leadership and partnership behind this transformative project.”
Learn more about the completed project here:
The Placemaking Award recognizes completed projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to addressing municipal challenges. These initiatives should showcase how planning, revitalization, or economic development efforts have improved the physical environment and enhanced the economic and social well-being of the community. Eligible projects must include a completed physical component within the past year. Awards are presented in multiple population categories based on nominations received.
In its 50th year, the Aim Annual Awards program, presented by Baker Tilly, recognizes communities and individuals in municipal government for excellence and outstanding achievement. A seven-member panel of judges selected this year’s winners from a competitive field of nominees from around the state.
Conference Facts:
2026 Aim Ideas Summit
September 29-October 1, 2026
French Lick Springs Resort | French Lick, Indiana
Attendance: 1,100 (pending final registration count)
Further information: www.aimindiana.org
Since the 1890s, Aim, formerly the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, has been an advocate for Indiana municipalities. Aim is the official voice of municipal government in Indiana, with more than 460 cities and towns as members. Our purpose is to foster, promote and advocate for the success of Hoosier municipalities as laboratories of innovation, hubs of talent and the engines driving our state’s economy.