Be Heard – Local political action | CARDINAL HALL A
10:00:
Participating in local planning, growing the population and more
Presenters: Steven Brand, John West Steven Brand will speak on growing the population in our county & John West will talk about local planning.
11:00:
Update on Community Policing
Panelists: Jeff Stanley, Deputy Chief, Delaware County Sheriff’s Department John Foster, Police Chief, Ball State University Arin Phillips, Officer, Muncie Police Department Jeff Hansard, Chief Probation Officer, Delaware County Circuit Courts Moderator: Andrew Payne, Lieutenant, Training Director, Delaware County Sheriff’s Department Community Policing focuses on trust, community engagement, community partnerships, and problem-solving to promote public safety. Join representatives from the Muncie Police Department, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, and Ball State University Police Department in a panel discussion on how they utilize principles of community policing as a core component of their crime reduction strategies and tactics, training, management, resource deployment, and accountability systems.
1:00:
Neighborhoods and Political Participation
Presenter: Linda Hanson There is one important thing to note at the outset about political participation. Anyone can participate in politics. There are no age or citizenship restrictions on participation, with one exception: voting. Informed political participation is extraordinarily important to make our representative democracy function for all of us. Our elected officials make decisions on our behalf–but they are not mind-readers.
This session will focus on using the League of Women Voters Citizens’ Handbook (available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole online at https://lwvin.org/ ) as a resource for intentional development and engagement for neighborhood associations. The Handbook is designed to enable citizens to make their voices heard at the national, state, and local levels, but we will emphasize working with Muncie and Delaware County government using scenarios with actual neighborhood issues. We begin with an interactive civics quiz tied to content in the handbook.
CenterPoint Scholars Track – Everyone’s invited! | FORUM ROOM
10:00:
Dignity Across Divides – Connecting and Supporting Our Neighbors
Presenter: Melinda Messineo Many neighborhood leaders report hesitancy among residents to get involved because they do not want to engage in conflict over differences. This session will explore a dignity and empathy-based approach to help neighborhoods leverage their different experiences and ideas as a way to support and enrich their neighborhoods.
11:00:
Understanding Local Government Structure and Finance
Presenter: Chip Taylor Citizen interaction with government occurs most frequently at the local level. Yet many citizens don’t fully understand the fragmented and overlapping nature of local government, making it difficult to know who is responsible for the delivery of vital services or how those services are funded. This session will provide participants with an overview of the structure, responsibilities, and funding sources for local governments in Indiana, with a focus on Muncie and Delaware County as examples.
1:00:
Code Enforcement Panel
Panelists:Jason Donati, Superintendent of Sanitation and Recycling, Tom Fouch, Building Commissioner – Zoning Administrator, DMMPC, Jeremy Pettigrew, Director of Environmental Programs, Delaware County Health Department Moderator: Dustin Clark, Special Projects, City of Muncie Learn how to best connect with code enforcement officials in the city of Muncie and Delaware County to effect real change in your neighborhood. This roundtable discussion will focus on responsibilities related to code enforcement within these departments. Come prepared to ask questions and make suggestions to streamline processes and current procedures.
Old IDEA’s Are New Again – You voted, we listened | CARDINAL HALL B
10:00:
Creative Space Action Plan
Presenters: Seth Beckman, Kallie Sulanke, Laura Williamson Discover how Muncie is shaping its future as a vibrant arts and cultural hub. This session introduces the Creative Space Action Plan, a community-driven roadmap to support local artists, expand creative spaces, and strengthen Muncie’s arts identity. Attendees will gain an overview of the plan’s development, key findings, and the community’s role in its success.
Learn about the bold actions being taken to create affordable spaces for artists, connect cultural hubs, and foster new opportunities for public engagement. The session will also highlight early progress since the plan’s release and outline key priorities for the months ahead. Whether you attended past public meetings or are hearing about this initiative for the first time, this presentation offers an inspiring look at how the arts can shape Muncie’s future. Join us to see how you can be part of this movement and help bring the plan’s vision to life.
11:00:
Land Banking, A springboard for collaborative, block-by-block comprehensive development
Presenters: Nate Howard, Brad King, Jeb Reece The Muncie Land Bank (MLB) is leading a transformative initiative to revitalize Muncie’s historic Old West End neighborhood. In collaboration with the Old West End Neighborhood Association and non-profit housing developers, including PathStone Corporation, ecoREHAB, the Old West End Neighborhood Economic Redevelopment Corporation, and Intend Indiana, the MLB is spearheading a multi-phase effort to construct 33 new homes, renovate 5 existing properties, stimulate small business growth, and create vibrant community spaces. This ambitious initiative is further supported by Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning, the City of Muncie, and the Delaware County Commissioners, whose resources and expertise amplify the project’s impact.
This session will examine how the MLB leverages land acquisition and planning to unlock financing and enable collaborative, block-by-block development in areas where high tax liabilities or deferred maintenance costs outweigh property values, or where widespread vacancy undermines neighborhood housing markets.
1:00:
Grant Writing 101
Presenter: Donna Browne Are you new to grant writing? Do you want to brush up your skills? Grant Writing 101 takes you through preparing a typical grant proposal, including preparation, what information to include, developing goals and objectives, writing tips, creating a project budget, and time management. This session will demystify the grant writing process, teach essential skills to get you started, and address some commonly held misconceptions about grant seeking.
Presenter: Frank Scott The Whitely Community Based Mapping and Story-Telling System is a website that will uncover and reveal the cultural wealth and rich history of a community.
It will take viewers on a journey as illustrated stories are shared highlighting historical landmarks and businesses, as well as presenting our most renowned and prominent residents (i.e. professional athletes, city and State officials, business owners and community advocates…).
It will provide an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the strengths and assets of the community.
It will illustrate the community’s excellent storytelling skills. It will show accomplishments, successes, programs, and projects (Awards, Food Pantry, Bill Assistance, Summer Reading Program, Adopt a Cop…)
It will map out our vision and goals for the future. (Centennial District Project)
It will be a repository of information on our past that will cause us to better understand and appreciate our present and inspire residents to be a part of the future.
It’s a dynamic tool that will be used to galvanize the community and help instill pride and hope in each new generation. The MASTS website will hopefully also inspire other associations to uncover and discover the richness and wealth within their neighborhoods.
1:00:
Assessing Educational Needs
Presenter: Joe Misiewicz A group or groups from various associations will spend time on a ‘quilt’ brainstorming a range of ideas and then break down their lists and ‘dreams’ into One of three categories. “We can do this early in 2025”, “Maybe we could start this in 2025”, or “May need more time for these ideas and goals.”All participants will leave with a commitment sheet to set up goals for 2025.
