By Heather Williams—
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Muncie Action Plan (MAP) spent much of 2021 in partnership with representatives from Delaware-Muncie Metropolitan Plan Commission and NEXT Muncie surveying Muncie’s citizens and working with the urban planning firm czb in the development of the new Strategic Investment Plan for the City of Muncie
The last large-scale MAP planning took place in 2009 and although two updates have been completed since, we are excited to put into place the newest large-scale engagement effort where Muncie’s residents helped create a new vision for Muncie’s growth and investment.
As we close out this year, we would like to share MAP’s successes as we approach our Annual Community Meeting on January 26th that will be both open for the public to join online (click here to register) and streamed on Facebook Live. Each of our five task forces will share the work completed during 2021. This is the second of five reports from our task force leaders.
Muncie Action Plan’s Task Force 2 works towards the mission to help grow strong neighborhood associations across Muncie.
Muncie’s neighborhoods continued to adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape in 2021. Many neighborhoods continued to meet virtually, held hybrid on-line and in-person meetings, or transitioned back to face-to-face meetings and events. No matter the venue, neighborhood leaders and members continued to work towards shared goals and fostering connections among residents.
Muncie Action Plan funded several community events and neighborhood efforts in 2021 through Neighborhood Project funding and Neighborhood Beautification funding, made possible by the support of the Ball Brothers Foundation, the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County and the Zeigler Foundation. Funds helped support East Central Neighborhood’s Old Washington Street Festival Car Show, the Industry Neighborhood’s summer picnic, and the Blaine/Southeast park project, among others.
Neighborhood signage was constructed and installed in fall 2021 through grant funding provided by the City of Muncie’s Community Development Department. These signs can be seen across the city and provide a visual reminder that Muncie’s neighborhoods are each unique in their culture and character. Many of the logos displayed were designed in partnership between the neighborhood association and Ball State University graphic design faculty and students working with Studio 165+.
MAP partnered with the City of Muncie to oversee the disbursement of $1 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Funding. Funds will be available to eligible neighborhoods in early summer 2022. More information on eligibility requirements and available funding can be found at muncieneighborhoods.org/arp/.
The Muncie Action Plan looks forward to an exciting 2022 as neighborhood associations continue to develop across the city and grow their capacity for positive impact. If you are interested in developing a new association or want to learn how to get connected to the work already happening in your neighborhood, please contact MAP Task Force 2 leader Heather Williams at hlwilliams@bsu.edu.
