map newsletter - january 2016 (2)
TRANSCRIPT
MAP Reading
Muncie Action Plan January Newsletter 2016Loading MAP 3.0Aimee Fant, MAP Coordinator
To display the good news and hard work happening around the
community of Muncie, MAP hosted a bus tour of Muncie, as its
report to the community on May 6. As outlined in MAP's May Newsletter, the bus tour celebrated the many local achievements that align with MAP objectives. MAP’s 90-minute tour departed from Minnetrista at 6:00 p.m. MITS provided two 35-seat buses for the tour which were filled to capacity. MAP’s Co-Chairs George Branam and Donna Browne used a script to provide commentary about the 25 locations featured on the tour. Special speakers, Susan Fisher (Martin Luther King Dream Team), Jud Fisher (Ball Brothers Foundation), and Jim Lowe (Ball State) boarded the bus at the Heekin Park Walk of Fame, Ross Center, and the BSU Geothermal North facility, respectively to give a brief presentation of key facts about their locations.
The bus tour highlighted new business and attractive property
development- consistent with MAP’s Task Force 4’s initiative to
help promote appealing city and business infrastructure to ultimately improve Muncie’s “quality of place”. Muncie’s parks, the newly renovated
Charles W. Brown Planetarium, the Rinard Orchid Conservatory, Shafer Tower, Dick’s Sporting Goods, McAlister’s Deli, Michaels, Motivate our
Minds, the Boys and Girls Club, the Unity Center, the Innovation Connector and Ball family homes were among the more than 30 spots visited,
but so were blighted and vacant properties, as a reminder there is still work to be done and for bus tour participants to imagine the possibilities
of what comes next. In 2015, MAP has strengthened and expanded its objectives with community partners; Habitat for Humanity, Vectren,
Muncie Redevelopment Commission, Neighborhood Investment Committee, among many others. Co-Founder of MAP Dr. George Branam
refers to MAP's partnership with the City of Muncie and Ball State University as the “Trifecta of our community.”
Linda Gregory, MAP’s Treasurer describes MAP’s role as a “silent partner, but loud advocate” in
the quest toward quality of place.
Ball State University and MAP— Immersed in Muncie
BSU’s Office of Community Engagement (formerly known as Building Better Communities) contin-
ues to launch a growing number of Immersive Learning programs that directly benefit our community and each of MAP’s five Task Forces-
particularly MAPTF2. Professor Lisa Dunaway’s Urban Planning students have developed neighborhood plans in 2015 for South Central,
Blaine/Southeast and Industry neighborhoods; complete with data collection, website and logo creation. MAP will be partnering with other
faculty and the following Immersive Learning projects in the Spring/Fall of 2016:
· Ray Montagno: “Assessing Business Success and Stability in Distressed Neighborhoods”· Bo Chang: “Big Read”· Susan Lankford: “Citywide Preservation Plan for Muncie”· Lisa Dunaway: “Riverside Normal Neighborhood Action Plan” and “Thomas Park/South-Central Energy Plan”
· Thomas Park/Avondale Neighborhood Action Plan
· Public Safety – Survey, Interviews, and Focus Groups
· ecoREHAB – 1215 W. 10th St. rehab
· In further celebration of Muncie’s Sesquicentennial another unique partnership formed and resulted in the following video; produced courtesy
of Ball State University’s Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts (IDIA) Lab:
"The history of Muncie gets Garfield treatment thanks to Ball State University’s IDIA Lab in partnership with Muncie officials and Paws, Inc. has created a special video in honor of the city’s sesquicentennial celebration. Jim Davis’ Garfield virtually hosts the montage, which features historical imagery and clips of Muncie mentions in pop culture. “We wanted to create something fun and tongue-in-cheek but also positive and optimistic about the city’s future,” said John Fillwalk, director of IDIA and senior director of the university’s Hybrid Design Technologies initiative. The video premiered during an Oct. 1 ArtsWalk event sponsored by DWNTWN, Muncie’s downtown development campaign. “John and his team’s creative ability to take an idea from conception to completion has been awesome,” said Cheryl Crowder, events coordinator for DWNTWN. “It was great working with him on this project.” Other community partners of the sesquicentennial video include the Delaware County Historical Society, Muncie Arts and Culture Council, Center for Middletown Studies and Ball State University Libraries."
NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS IN
FEBRUARY 2016
Anthony-Northside - No meeting
scheduled.
Aultshire - No meeting scheduled.
Blaine/Southeast - 2nd Tuesday,
January 12 at 6:00 p.m. at the
Serenity Club, 1218 S. Brotherton St.
Carlton - No meeting scheduled.
Cowing Park - No meeting sched-
uled.
East Central - No meeting scheduled.
Forest Park - No meeting scheduled.
Gatewood - No meeting scheduled.
Grove Park - 3rd Thursday– No
meeting scheduled
Gilbert - 2nd Monday, January 11 at
7:00 p.m. at Inside Out, 300 N
Madison St.
Halteman Village - No meeting
scheduled.
Indian Village - No meeting sched-
uled.
Industry - 4th Thursday, January 28
at 6:00 p.m. at Price Hall, 704 S.
Madison St.
Kenmore Neighborhood Association -
No meeting scheduled.
Ludingwood - 4th Tuesday, January
26 at 7 p.m. at Ludingwood/
Woodlands Nursing Home, 3820 W.
Jackson St.
Minnetrista Central Neighborhood
Association - 1st Tues-No meeting –
New Year’s Day.
Northview - 4th Monday, January 25
at 6 p.m. at Northview Elementary
School, 807 W. Yale Ave.
Old West End - 4th Tuesday, January
26 at 6:30 p.m. at Friends Memorial
Church, 418 W. Adams St.
Riverside/Normal City - 4th Wednes-
day, January 27 at 7:00 p.m. at
Hazelwood Christian Church Fellow-
ship House (Mansion), 1400 W.
University Ave.
South Central - 4th Tuesday, January
26 at 7 p.m. at Urban Light Education
Center, Corner of 9th and Madison.
Thomas Park/Avondale - 1st
Wednesday, January 6 at 6:30 p.m.
at Ross Center, 1110 W. 10th St.
University Heights - No meeting
scheduled.
Westridge - No meeting scheduled.
Western Woods - 1st Wednesday,
January 6 at 6:00p.m. at Westview
Elementary, 3401 W. Gilbert St.
Whitely - 2nd Monday, January 11 at
5:30 p.m. at the Muncie Area Career
Center, 2500 N. Elgin St.
Please check with your neighborhood
association to confirm the time and date
of the meeting as they sometimes
change.
Photo: September 2015- Blaine Southeast’s New Playground-Made possible by President
Clifford Clemons and MAP Volunteer Coordinator Isabelle Sowers who raised over $20,000
in grants in donations and recruited over 30 volunteers to: “build it, so families will come.”
Charles W. Brown - Planetarium; Ball State University
MAKERS' HUB MAKING ITS WAY IN MUNCIE
Sustainable Muncie collaborators have been asking Muncie's neighbors what it would take to change the game in their neighborhoods and in Muncie. Sustainable Muncie Executive Director John Fallon and Scott Truex met with residents of Gilbert-Goldsmith neighborhood, Having just received a revolving loan and vote of confidence in the form of $1 million in EDIT funds from the City of Muncie, Muncie's Maker Hub "Gearbox" is a go. 2015 to turn the former Midwest Towel/Cintas industrial laundry downtown into GearBox: Muncie, a makers hub aimed at fostering local businesses, artists and artisans.
"According to Rutger's University, Muncie is the third poorest city in Indiana and
25% of Muncie's children are living in poverty; 80% of those children are not reading
at grade level."- Jenni Marsh-MAP Board member and CEO of the United Way
of Delaware County.
These profound learning and resource gaps within our community are precisely why
Muncie needs MAP Task Force 1's BY5. BY5 has increased resources and
programs to under-served families by over 60% and increased Pre-K enrollment by
over 200% since 2012.
Led by Carrie Bale and Tom Kinghorn, BY5’s mission directs resources devoted to
lifting up young children and their families; infancy to age 5, with a special focus of
helping under-served families gain access to tools which will increase
literacy, health and economic outcomes. In 2015, the Nurse Family Partnership –
NFP began to pair nurses with expectant mothers in Delaware County before their
28th week of pregnancy to provide support services; including home visits
throughout the pregnancy until the child is two years old.
Information regarding BY5's 2016 Summit is forthcoming. Please stay tuned.
Little Free Libraries Making a Big Difference
By Heather Williams
Program Manager - Building Better Neighborhoods -
Office of Community Engagement - Ball State University
MAP Task Force 1
BY5 — Linking Learning, Health and Prosperity
On November 5th the BY5 Little Free Library Initiative cele-brated the “birth” of its LFL network with cupcakes, party hats, and rousing renditions of Happy Birthday. Little Free Libraries provide access to books and encourage a love of reading.
Anyone visiting a Little Free Library may take a book to enjoy or leave a book for others to read. The BY5 Little Free Library Task Force is under the Encouraging Supporting Communities Initiative that works with individual communities and neighborhoods within Delaware County to help them accept responsibility, embrace BY5 goals, and take actions towards supporting families and children. The Task Force has put together a resource packet that includes an application, tips for builders, local regulations and how to connect with the worldwide movement. As the network continues to grow, locations of the local Little Free Libraries can be found on the BY5 website. To access the information packet and to view the map, please visit the BY5 website http://www.muncieby5.org/encourage-supportive-communities/.
MAP Task Force 2
Fostering Collaboration
From the desk of Ginny Nilles-
MAPTF2 Chair:
One of the most exciting
developments in 2015 for Task
Force 2 is the creation of the
“Neighborhood Project Fund”-
(generously funded by the Ball
Broth-ers Foundation). Seed money
is available to support start-up of
new neighborhood associations or
projects initiated and approved by
neighborhood associations. It
removes the financial barriers that
neighbors sometimes face when
starting an association.
$250 may be requested for a start-
up or project
Short application form and follow
up report required
Neighborhoods need to provide By
-Laws or Articles of Organization
Copies of last two bank statements
Email: Ginny Nilles ([email protected]) or Jim Wingate ([email protected])
The first grant went to Pettigrew
Acres! They were able to purchase
trees for a beautification project.
Ideas for projects might include
community gardens, neighborhood
park beautification, chili supper start-
up event and more. Imagination
coupled with the support of your
neighborhood association board is all
that is needed to get started. Don’t
delay; let’s get YOUR neighborhood
projects funded and underway,
Muncie!
Craig, Anna and Elianor Priebe beside their new neighborhood "Little Free Library." Photo: Mike Rhodes
The mission of MAP
Task Force 2 is to
help grow strong neighborhoods by
forming supportive association
networks within Muncie’s
neighborhoods. Co -Chairs Jim
Wingate and Ginny Nilles, Heather
Williams, Program Manager for
Building Better Neigh-borhoods,
Aimee Fant (MAP Coordinator and
Neighborhood Organizer) and
Isabelle Sowers- MAP Volunteer Coordinator- have formed over 27
active neighborhood associations and
that list is growing.
Muncie’s Whitely Neighborhood Association
Through years of hard word, determination and
leadership, Cornelius and Mary Dollison have
grown Whitely’s Neighborhood Association,
exponentially; it is an independent 501c3
organization and often attracts over 80 neighborhood members to monthly meetings.
Whitely is a pinnacle model of community and
inspiring change. Cornelius and Mary have
handed the Whitely leadership baton to new
President, Frank Scott.
Muncie Pride and MAP
Neighborhoods on a T-Shirt
Sporting a design created by Delaware County GIS Coordinator Kyle
Johnson for MAP TF2, TF2 t-shirts are creating a lot of conversation
and until now, were not easily available. Now, the shirts are available
at Refresh Muncie- Downtown! Visit MAP TF2’s Facebook page: /
MAPNeighborhoods or
Twitter: @MAPTF2 for more information.
The t-shirt incorporates the names of Muncie neighborhoods and
their boundaries into a graphic map showing the city limits, major
streets, and White River. Robinwood Neighborhood Association
brings back its Historic Fourth of July
Parade after a 20 year hiatus- July 4th,
2015
MAP Task Force 2
Fostering Collaboration - Building
Better Neighborhoods in Muncie
The Idea Behind I.D.E.A.
Mitch Isaacs - Executive Director- Shafer
Leadership Academy
Shafer Leadership Academy has been working
with Task Force 2 to build interpersonal and
leadership skills within neighborhood
associations’ leaders over 2014 and 2015;
Tisha Gier-hart has conducted workshops with
the Neighborhood President’s Council and to
provide level of tools and resources available to
help move neighborhoods toward self-
sufficiency, the “Idea Conference” was born.;
Intentional Development and Education for
Association Members “The Muncie Action
Plan, Shafer Leadership Academy and Ball State's Building Better Neighborhoods are
partnering with the City of Muncie and Vectren
Foundation to host a conference to support the
development of neighborhood leaders. The
Neighborhood I.D.E.A. Conference is
scheduled for March 5th at Ball State’s Student
Center. Over 100 of Muncie’s most active local
leaders will gather to listen, learn and meet like-
minded individuals to share ideas and best
practices. Each neighborhood will be asked to
select five people to represent their association
at the conference.
The 150-room Courtyard Muncie Marriott at Horizon Convention
Center in Muncie, Ind. will open with a ribbon cutting on Dec. 22.
MAP congratulates all who made this possible.
Task Force 4 Spotlight
Courtyard Muncie Marriott Leaps Ahead for Special Needs Workforce
Working with the City of Muncie, Muncie Redevelopment Commission, Historic Preservation and a wide variety of other partners, Task Force 4’s charge to
make Muncie resilient by helping to contribute to the formation of the Artswalk, to form partnerships that make structures like Canan Commons, the Cultur-
al Trail and other infrastructure improvements possible, has created
prime conditions for Downtown Development partners to reinvent
the wheel. Together with the Arc of Indiana, Muncie’s collaborative
effort has attracted a one of a kind workforce training facility for the
developmentally disabled in the field of Hospitality. A fully-
functioning teaching hotel designed to provide job training and
employment for people with disabilities has now opened its
doors to the public.
MAP Task Force 4 Chair Betty Brewer, CEO- Minnetrista reports the completion of the redesign of the Appeal to the Great Spirit City Park. Its members facilitated the work between the city and Community Enhancement Project.
Task Force 4 members, in alignment with TF 3 (Strengthening Pride & Image) also helped to facilitate the inaugural Mayor’s Arts Awards event as part of Muncie’s Bicentennial. The event was produced by the Muncie Arts & Culture Council along with the City of Muncie and will be a biennial program.
Our group also monitored the enforcement of corridor development standards, addressing Board of Public Works when necessary to express MAP’s interest in maintaining these new standards.
The Image Committee (comprised of expert
communications leaders from within MAP, the
Delaware County Chamber of Commerce,
Mymuncie.org, Ball State, and the Muncie Visi-
tor’s Bureau) is in full-swing in planning for 2016
developing new and exciting
projects.
We’ve again partnered with
the Cardinal Communications
team to help us develop additional content,
manage social media calendars, and help in
execution on the Facebook fan page. Speaking
of Facebook, we are nearing 1,000 likes and
growing at a rate of just under 15% every
month. We’ve changed our messaging to not
only highlight volunteers but people and places
that make our community great.
2016 we are expanding content to assist com-
panies with materials for potential employees
looking to relocate to Muncie or Delaware
County. It’s a different focus for us and will fit
nicely with an updated website highlighting
quality of life, additional content and videos
about Muncie.
We have a “special ops” group forming that are taking on different goals to move projects for-ward and to keep initiatives fresh and opening communications between organizations. It’s not rocket-surgery, but it’s the little things.
Task Force 3 Spotlight
Building a Better Muncie Brand - by Gary Thomas
“It’s not rocket-surgery, but it’s the
little things.” - Gary Thomas
MAP, the Facing Project and R.A.C.E Join
Forces to Create “Facing Racism”
by Dr. Jay Zimmerman Ph.D. - Psychologist and Emeritus Professor
of Psychology; Ball State University
Facing Racism began at a series
of meetings at the Muncie Public
Library (MPL), where a diverse
group of people from the
community came together at the
invitation of the Director, Ginny
Nilles to discuss a Community
Read. A Community Read would
mean that a book is chosen to be
read and discussed throughout the
community. The books discussed
all had to do with issues of race
and racism. Those of us on the
committee from the group
R.A.C.E.
(Reconciliation Achieved through
Community Engagement)
suggested that instead we create
a Facing Project focused on
issues of race and racism in
Delaware County. After talking
with the founders of the Facing
Project, Facing Racism was born.
Ginny Nilles, MPL, and Yvonne
Thompson, Director of the Muncie
Human Rights Commission
provided the initial funding to
enable the project to move
forward. Mayor Dennis Tyler was
an early contributor to the project.
The Facing Project is an
international storytelling project
about issues important to
individuals and their communities.
Kelsey Timmerman and J.R.
Jamison-Pippin from Muncie
started the Facing Project. The
project brings together writers and
storytellers, those with stories
about a particular issue, and
culminates in a book and a
community event(s) to bring the
stories to the public to enhance
awareness, create dialogue, and
impact change.
Facing Racism is a project of the
group R.A.C.E started by Jason
Donati and Yvonne Thompson
and is dedicated to respectful
dialogue and moving the
community forward. Jay
Zimmerman and Jason Donati,
working collaboratively with a
team of organizers, are
coordinating the Facing Racism
Project. Tania Said has been in
charge of soliciting and matching
writers and storytellers. Daniel
Stallings is focused on fundraising.
Laura Williamson, from Civic
Theatre (a partner in the project)
will work with actors to make the
stories come to life. Jamie Reece
is coordinating a team of editors.
Others with various roles on the
team are Lynne Stallings, Maude
Jennings, Ruby Cain, Renae
Mayes, Joshua Hollowell,
Kimberly Hamilton, Kevin Nolan
and Kelby Stallings
The group felt that stories emerg-
ing from members of our own
community would be a powerful
tool to create dialogue and impact
change throughout the community.
Facing Racism will explore the
impact of racism and the meaning
of race in people’s lives in
Delaware County. Engaging with
personal stories and evocative
theater performances as well as
dialogue, we will explore both the
negative impact racism has had in
people’s lives and the positive
responses to dealing with racism.
Stories and programs will expose
the harmful nature of structural or
institutional racism, and reveal the
ways in which our community can
triumph over ignorance and act for
positive social change. Facing
Racism will educate, inform, and
encourage ongoing dialogue to
mobilize community action. The
project has recruited nearly 40
writers and 40 storytellers. The
project will culminate in the
publication of a book of stories as
well as a presentation and a
performance at the Muncie Civic
Theatre on Saturday, November
12, 2016 followed by ongoing
performances throughout Muncie
and Delaware County that we
hope will spur further dialogue.
In need of a fiscal agent that was
a not for profit 501c3 organization,
the project team considered nu-
merous possibilities and finally
decided to request the Muncie
Action Plan (MAP) be our agent
given its broad impact on the com-
munity and the quality of its Board
of Directors. We are proud and
pleased that they responded
positively and will be a partner in
this important endeavor. The
organizing team has been working
hard on making this project a
success and look forward to
bringing it to the community in the
Fall of 2016.
For more information contact Jay Zimmerman at 765.717.9657 or [email protected]
Task Force 5 Spotlight Scout Muncie and Bike Muncie are Born
by Kyle Johnson Kyle Johnson - GIS Coordinator, Delaware County
GIS & Data Projects In 2015, the GIS Department tackled several projects to help gather valuable data about our community and make it available to those who could put it to use. Early in 2015, GIS Department staff attended a Neighborhood Presidents meet-ing and gave a presentation about what the GIS Department provides in terms of applications and services. Through that conversation, the "Muncie GIS Resources Map for Muncie Neighborhoods" was created bit.ly/MuncieNeighborhoodGIS. This interactive map provides a single application to view various GIS data sets that are useful for neighborhoods planning initiatives. Map data includes: neighborhood boundaries, bike-pedestrian infrastructure, historic districts, past tax sale properties, unsafe building hearing authority cases, zoning, properties with homestead exemptions (owner-occupied), crime report density, and more. In 2016, we would like to add additional data
and promote the use of the application through MAP and
provide training for users that could benefit from assistance. Also this year the Scout-Muncie project was born scout-muncie.wordpress.com. In conjunction with the Muncie Historic Preservation Com-mission, this Initiative was created as a volunteer-based inventory of all prop-erties in Muncie in order to get an overall picture of Historic structures in Muncie.
The Ball Brothers Foundation provided seed funding through their rapid grant to help with costs of running the volunteer-based program. The inventory was collected using a free smartphone appli-cation and the GIS Department's online GIS system. Through September and October volunteers, Commission Members and Ball State Students from the Urban Planning Department Neighbor-hood, Landscape Architecture and Historic Preservation Studios were able to collect data on 40% of Muncie's 30,000+ properties. The in-progress map can be viewed at the project website, and for GIS users, the raw GIS data can be downloaded from Delaware County's Open Data site at getdata-1.delcogis.opendata.arcgis.com. We are working to create a plan to complete this inven-tory in 2016 and distribute the data and maps and provide training to all
agencies, departments and organizations that can utilize it (including adding the data to the Neighborhood Map). MAP could assist this project by helping to acquire funding to employ student volunteers to help complete the study.
Bicycle Projects The Muncie Bicycle-Pedestrian Committee has kicked it into high gear in 2015 and built some great momentum for bicycle advocacy in our community. After successfully updating the nearly 50 year old bicycle code at the beginning of the year and receiving an honorable mention for our Bicycle Friendly Community Application in February, we have concentrated on education and outreach efforts.
BikeMuncie was created as the social media and education arm of the committee (bikemuncie.org). A fun & colorful brochure was provided to all elementary school kids before the school year ended in the spring that highlighted bicycle safety tips and the benefits of cycling. We held a "Bike to work with the Mayor" event in May (Bike Month) and offered a historical bike tour in July in coordination with the Historic Preservation Commission. Bike Muncie also hosted Bicycle Indiana's "Active Transportation" seminar as part of the Indiana Metropolitan Planning Organization Conference, as well as leading a cycling tour of Muncie for conference participants. We have also created a Bicycle-Friendly Business Program that we will be implementing in 2016 that provides discounts for cyclists that ride to participating businesses. A BikeMuncie Map will be printed and distributed in early 2016, providing residents and visitors with the best routes to navigate our city on a bike. BikeMuncie received a grant from the Ball Brothers Foundation for a large cargo bike that will be converted into a mobile bicycle advocacy station and pedaled to local events to provide educational materials, kids activities, bike safety checks and skills courses. You can learn more about "Big Blue" at bikemuncie.org and click on "The Big Blue Bike". In 2016, look for a re-imagined of the Cardinal Greatway(Greenway) Tour" that will take more of an "All-Muncie" bicycle festival approach to the event!
In off-road cycling news, the Prairie Creek Trail Project (PrairieCreekTrails.org) completed it's first loop of single-track hiking and biking trails. This is in addition to the 1 mile long crushed gravel path that connects to the Cardinal Greenway. There is currently 1.5 miles of trails to ride, with another 4 miles planned for completion in 2016/2017. The trail group also hosted a 2-day International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) Trail Care Workshop that provided presentation to elected officials, land managers and stakeholders on the economic and health benefits of having quality trail opportunities, as well as an all day sustainable trail building workshop that was attended by 23 vol-unteers. The trail group is working to become a chapter of IMBA in order to be able to apply for future funding.
MAP - Muncie Action Plan
Contact: Aimee Fant
MAP Coordinator
2005 South High Street
Muncie, IN 47302-4073
Phone: 765-730-1944
Email: [email protected]
MAP - Board Members George Branam, Co-Chair, Director of Laboratory at IU Health-Ball Memorial
Hospital
Donna Browne, Co-Chair, Grant Writer, Center for Energy Research/
Education/Service at Ball State University,
Terry Whitt Bailey, City of Muncie Community Development Department
Dale Basham, Muncie Community Schools, retired
Betty Brewer, CEO/President, Minnetrista
Cornelius Dollison, Whitely Community Council
Linda Gregory, current member of Muncie City Council
Roni Johnson, formerly affiliated with The Community Foundation of Muncie &
Delaware County
Tom Kinghorn, Ball State University, Vice President for Business Affairs and
Treasurer, Emeritus and Executive Assistant to the President for
Commercialization and Community Engagement. retired.
Jenni Marsh, President/CEO, United Way of Muncie and Delaware County
Marta Moody, Director, Muncie-Delaware County Metropolitan Plan
Commission
Ginny Nilles, Director, Muncie Public Library
Kelly Shrock, President, Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware
County
Jim Wingate, Retired, Midwest Metals Executive
Traci Lutton, Chamber of Commerce
John Craddock - Director Emeritus, Muncie Bureau of Water Quality
Jeff Scott - Dean and Assistant Professor at Ivy Tech State College