By Jason Donati—
MUNCIE, IN—As the Muncie Action Plan (MAP) wraps up another productive year, we are excited to reflect on our efforts to enhance the quality of life in Muncie and Delaware County. As we gear up for our Annual Community Meeting on Wednesday, January 29th, at 6:00 p.m., we invite the public to join us in the Multi-purpose Room at Ivy Tech. Each of our four task forces will present their accomplishments and progress throughout 2024 during this gathering. This article marks the final in a series of updates from our dedicated task force leaders, showcasing the impact of MAP’s initiatives and collaboration within the community.
Task Force 4 is tasked with increasing investments in Muncie’s parks and improving the quality of place along corridors, parks, and city neighborhoods. Muncie has some amazing amenities in our parks and one of the best trail systems in East Central Indiana. The Muncie Sanitary District has invested millions of dollars in improving the water quality of the White River through many years of combined sewer separation projects. The Cardinal Greenway continues to network and leverage funds to maintain, expand, and improve the Cardinal and White River greenways. The next phase of the Kitselman Trailhead project will begin in the spring of 2025, and it adds to the connection of the White River and Cardinal Greenways and connects to the Craddock Wetland Nature Preserve.
In 2024, we saw an extensive amount of programming and mentorships added to the Muncie Parks Department thanks to the hard work of the Program Director and the park’s staff. They offered a successful youth employment program through the summer for high school-age kids. Sports programs increased including recreational soccer, flag football, youth basketball, youth baseball, and adult softball. Saftey town was resurrected to be used for a bicycle safety class for youth in partnership with the Girl Coalition of Indiana. Participants received a free bicycle, safety gear, and instruction on how to follow traffic rules and practice safe riding.
Our parks also saw an increase in music offerings at Heekin, McCulloch, Westside, and Canan Commons with multiple concerts offered for free to the residents of Muncie. Pickleball courts have been installed at Halteman, Jacks, Storer, and Riverview parks, and they are seeing an increase in usage immediately after installation.
Muncie hosted a highly successful National Parks Day event, Black Expo festival, and Juneteenth Celebration in our parks. Beautiful murals were added to the bathroom exterior walls at Westside, Heekin, and McCulloch parks by local youth and artist Leon Crosby. Storer, Gilbert, Cowing, and McCulloch Park added new and accessible playground equipment. New shelters were added at Riverview, Cowing, and Heekin Park, and some were built by the Muncie Teen Internship program in partnership with Eco-rehab. The historic McCulloch Park Lodge got crucial upgrades completed with funding help from the City of Muncie Community Development office. Muncie’s first skate park is being completed at West Side Park as I type this, and it will be a destination for many local and area skaters and bike riders.
In 2025, we will continue to collect more input through a community survey as we draft and complete the new 5-year park master plan that needs to be completed by November 2026. Taskforce 4 will also support the park’s completion of an ADA accessibility assessment for every park, participate in the Tuhey Park focus group, and help seek alternative methods for park project fundraising by supporting the “Friends of Muncie Parks” fund.
