Muncie has seen change in the last few years restoring fa+â-ºades, rebuilding streets and attracting Ball State University students to its downtown area.
Residents at a town meeting Wednesday decided to enhance this change by signing Muncie into the Indiana Main Streets.
Indiana Main Streets, a methodology created by the National Trust, helps cities in Indiana with fundraising opportunities, grants and networks with other Main Street communities.
The program aims to enhance the community's appearance, build cooperation among local groups, promote the city and strengthen its economy.
Webmaster for the Muncie Downtown Web site Carey Hays said the application to join the program will be sent in a month.
"This meeting was to officially agree on the program," she said. "And we are very excited about it, especially after many of the neighboring communities are already part of it."
Hayes said signing with the program is more of a formality guideline.
"We have done fa+â-ºade restorations and many other things to improve the community," she said. "We have the initiative to develop."
However, some support from the university would enhance the progress, Hayes said.
"Ball State students have helped downtown with planning landscape and interior design," she said. "But we would like to have more students participate, because it also benefits them, it gives them practical real life experience."
Graham Watson, Web development specialist for the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State, said the program goes along with a sense of community.
"I'm in support of having Muncie as a Main Street community," he said. "It will help rebuilding more infrastructure and fa+â-ºades and exploiting things of Muncie."
Watson said the barriers between the university and Muncie should be broken.
"Ball State needs to continue establishing relationships with the community and have students involved," he said. "And students need to avoid perceiving what divides people that live on campus and those who live out in Muncie."
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