Connecting Muncie Neighborhood partners and resources
South Central neighbors enjoyed lunch with friends in the newly furnished neighborhood garden. Residents tested their knowledge of garden trivia for a prize and all were invited to roast their own s’mores!
The Neighborhood Leadership Council is an initiative of the Muncie Action Plan that brings together neighborhood association leaders from across the city of Muncie to share best practices, take advantage of educational opportunities, and connect with local resources and area non-profits. The group meets on the third Tuesday of each month on the third floor of the E.B. and Bertha C. Ball Center (400 W. Minnetrista Pkwy) at 6:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Updated list of neighborhood leaders for 2025
Our regularly scheduled monthly Neighborhood Leadership Council meeting will be held tomorrow — Tuesday, June 17 — from 6-7 p.m. at E.B. Ball. Joining us will be representatives from several neighborhoods to share their experiences in neighborhood fundraising. Dinner will be provided — we hope you can join us!
Thanks to funding provided by CenterPoint Energy Foundation, we have developed a training schedule for our Neighborhood Leadership Council / CenterPoint Scholar meetings that we hope will help build everyone’s leadership capacity. Here’s what you can look forward to over the next 12 months!
| Tuesday, April 15 6-7 PM The Importance of Neighborhoods | Tuesday, October 14 6-7 PM CenterPoint Scholar Project Pitch |
| Tuesday, May 20 6-7 PM Effective Communication – Listening with your Eyes | Tuesday, November 18 6-7 PM Celebrating Lessons Learned |
| Tuesday, June 17 6-7 PM How to Fund your Association’s Work | Tuesday, January 20 6-7 PM Recruitment |
| Tuesday, July 15 7-9 PM Neighborhoods Pool Party @ Tuhey | Tuesday, February 17 6-7 PM Stakeholder Meet and Greet & CenterPoint Scholar Presentations |
| Tuesday, August 19 6-7 PM Conflict Management | IDEA Conference – March 7 9 AM – 3 PM |
| Tuesday, September 16 6-7 PM Resident Listening |
Come hungry! We always provide dinner at the start of the training.
Gardens can be a great way to beautify your neighborhood, mitigate small scale flooding and drainage issues, and even produce fresh food for the community.
Gardens in Muncie
The Muncie Urban Garden Initiative (UGI) networks resources and community engagement to encourage more local urban food production. Gardens in the UGI network cover 1.75 acres across Muncie; these do not include hundreds of backyard gardens that are in production as well.
View maps of current UGI garden locations and potential urban garden properties.
UGI has many resources for potential gardeners, including a Facebook page, books, tools, rototiller, straw, compost, seeds, plants, and experienced gardeners to educate. If your neighborhood, church, school, or business.
Muncie also has an Urban Garden Committee. They have compiled a map of urban garden resources that you can view here.
Local Farmer’s Markets
| Flavor Fresh Mobile Market Tree Hill Farms Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays (Locations, start times, & options vary) |
Landess Farm Market Daleville Sunday-Friday | 10am-6pm (WIC/SFMNP) |
| Minnetrista Farmers Market Saturdays | 8am-212pm (WIC/SFMN_ & IU Health Bucks) |
Muncie Makers Market Saturdays | 4pm-7pm (SNAP) |
| Northern Tropics Greenhouse Monday-Saturday | 12pm-6pm |
Open Door Farmers Market Tuesday-Thursdays | 11am-2pm (Open July 18th | WIC/SFMNP) |
| Yorktown Farmers Market Wednesdays | 4:30pm-7pm (SNAP & WIC/SFMNP) |
Rain Gardens
Rain gardens are shallow landscaped area that collects rain water from roofs, driveways, sidewalks and lawns and filters it through soil and plants before it enters storm drains or streams.
Stormwater Educator Jason Donati from the Muncie Sanitary District created a presentation on creating your own rain garden: “Going Green with Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens.”
Learn more with this Rain Garden brochure from the Hoosier Heartland Resource Conservation and Development Council and the Clear Choices, Clean Water website.
Download the Neighborhood Organization Workbook (pdf)
Download a sample Articles of Incorporation (pdf)
Follow these Steps to Steps to Apply for a Bank Account (pdf)
Lisa Dunaway, Instructor of Urban Planning, is leading a class of BSU undergraduate planning students in developing a neighborhood action plan for the Blaine/Southeast neighborhood. During the development process, the students conduct an analysis of current neighborhood conditions and receive input from the neighborhood association. The students research best practices and assess the needs of the neighborhood to determine the action steps necessary to reach attainable goals. The final neighborhood action plan will include initiatives created by the residents but written by the students. Each initiative will include relevant case studies, step-by-step procedures, potential funding sources, priority levels, and target dates. The plan will conclude with steps for the residents to begin enacting the plan.
To view the Blaine/Southeast Neighborhood Action Plan online please follow this link.
The Old West End Neighborhood Association teemed up with the folks at Beech Grove Cemetery to host a historical tour of the cemetery’s Section B. Refreshments were available and displays presented both before and after the tour. The fundraiser was very successful, selling out the 125 available tickets the night of the tour. Pictures of the event can be found on the StarPress website.