Tag: Thomas Park/Avondale

Thomas Park/Avondale is a neighborhood in Zone 4.

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Thomas Park – Avondale Neighborhood Action Plan

The Thomas Park/Avondale Neighborhood Action Plan (TPANAP) is a citizen-generated policy regarding the future of the neighborhood, containing initiatives that will developed by the residents of the neighborhood with the assistance of the students.  The TPANAP will fall under the umbrella of the Muncie Action Plan (MAP), which is a strategic guide for the city to create an action agenda for the future.  A partnership has been established with MAP and Ball State University to help with the organization of neighborhoods, to assist with needs assessment/goal setting and to develop collaborative projects that meet the unique needs of each neighborhood.  In addition to the Action Plan, a TPANAP Handbook will also be produced as a document to aid citizen planners when they begin to enact initiatives from the Plan.

Learn more by visiting their website: Thomasparkavondale.wordpress.com.

Faculty Mentor:  Lisa Dunaway
Department:  Urban Planning
Community Partner:  Thomas Park – Avondale Neighborhood Association
Students: Unai Miguel Andres, Robin Behery, Simran Bhinder, Zane Bishop, Jessie Boshell, Julia Chanen, Chelsea Fenimore, Tiffany Gehrke, Cody Hedges, Amber Janzen, Paul Jones, KyeongHyun Kim, Sravani Mikkilineni

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ecoREHAB Studio: Thomas Park Avondale House Rehab

The Thomas Park/Avondale neighborhood has suffered since the closings of multiple important employers over recent years.  To help combat neighborhood decay ecoREHAB hopes to help stabilize the area by improving the housing stock. To initiate this endeavor, ecoREHAB identified an ideal property located 1 block from the Ross Community Center.  In 2014, the house was tagged by Muncie’s Unsafe Building Hearing Authority. Without costly remediation the house cannot be occupied and in its current state it could quickly fall into disrepair and become unsalvageable, leaving a hole in the urban fabric of the neighborhood that may never be mended. Working with Ball State University architecture students, ecoREHAB will rehabilitate this house turning it into a home that is affordable to operate and act as a catalyst for neighborhood improvement. LEARN MORE

Faculty Mentor:  Jonathan Spodek
Department:  Architecture
Community Partners:  Ball Brothers Foundation; ecoREHAB of Muncie, Inc.
Students: Craig Adams, Allison Berry, Brian Bracht, Hunter Crews, Alex DeKemper, Jordan Duke, Ana Karen Garcia, Jacob Hurt, Molly Schultz, Taylor Sheppard

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Spring 2016 Ball State Immersive Learning Projects

Ball State students are busy around Muncie this semester!  Here’s a list of projects taking place in our community.

Building Better Health: Developing a Community Gold Standard
Community Partner: Little Red Door East Central Indiana
Faculty Mentor: Peggy Fisher, Department of Communication Studies
LEARN MORE

ecoREHAB Studio: Thomas Park Avondale House Rehab
Community Partner: Ball Brothers Foundation
Faculty Mentor: Jonathan Spodek, Department of Architecture
LEARN MORE | READ ARTICLE

Families for Forward Thinking: Partnering with Parents in the 21st Century
Community Partner: Wee Wisdom Nursery School and Child Care Facility
Faculty Mentor: Stacey Allred, Department of Elementary Education
LEARN MORE

Heath Farm Sustainability Park Planning
Community Partner: Red-tail Land Conservancy
Faculty Mentor: Dave Ferguson
LEARN MORE

Louis E. Ingelhart Scholars and Facing Cancer
Community Partner: Little Red Door
Faculty Mentor: Adam Kuban, Department of Journalism
LEARN MORE

Muncie’s Sports Tourism Potential: Strategies to Make the SportsPlex Serve the Community Better
Community Partners: City of Muncie, Muncie Visitors Bureau
Faculty Mentor: Craig Webster, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
LEARN MORE

Public Safety Committee Interviews and Focus Groups
Community Partner: Whitely Community Safety Committee
Faculty Mentor: Melinda Messineo, Department of Sociology
LEARN MORE

Serve to Learn Youth Development Project and Focus Groups
Community Partner: Whitely Community Council
Faculty Mentors: Dorshele Stewart, Department of History; Melinda Messineo, Department of Sociology
LEARN MORE

Thomas Park – Avondale Neighborhood Action Plan
Community Partner: Thomas Park – Avondale Neighborhood Association
Faculty Mentor: Lisa Dunaway, Department of Urban Planning
LEARN MORE

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ecoREHAB and Ball State Students Rehabilitate Former Meth House

Ball State architecture seniors have partnered with Building Better Neighborhoods and ecoREHAB of Muncie to rehabilitate a house in the Thomas Park/Avondale neighborhood. While ecoREHAB has completed a number of projects in Muncie, this one is unique – the house is a former methamphetamine lab. According to ecoREHAB, “The problems created by the production, sale and consumption of meth amphetamines spells disaster for a neighborhood.  Even when the drugs are gone, left behind are the contaminated buildings where the drug was produced.”

The experience has been unique for the architecture students as well, many of whom are working on a real-life project for the first time. Student Jordan Duke said, “What I’ve learned most from this studio is the possibility of the ripple effect. We’re trying to rehab one house in the Avondale community in hopes that it begins to start a chain of reaction within the community. This house’s success is critical so that it might kick start a movement that will reinvigorate the neighborhood.”

Read additional reflections from students on ecoREHAB’s blog.

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Ex-Chevy Plant Site will become Neighborhood Asset

A portion of the ex-Chevy property on East 8th St. has been acquired by the Ross Community Center and will become part of a revamped and enlarged youth baseball facility. Funds for the purchase were provided by the Ball Brothers Foundation, which has remained committed to supporting revitalization efforts in the city’s Thomas Park/Avondale neighborhood. More information about the sale can be found in this Star Press article

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Neighborhood Rummage Sales

Many of Muncie’s neighborhoods are working together to organize and host rummage sales. Please check back as this list will be updated as new sales are advertised.

Robinwood: May 16th (8:00 am – 12:00 pm)

Ludingwood: June 5th – 7th (starting at 8:00 each day)

East Central: Saturday, June 6th (8:00 am – 2:00 pm)

Indian Village: Friday & Saturday, June 12th – 13th (starting at 8:00 am each day)

Old West End Bazaar: August 8th

Thomas Park/Avondale: September 12th (8:00 – 1:00 pm) in conjunction with and located at the Avondale United Methodist Church

*The Delaware County Sheriff’s Department created a short blog to educate the public on rummage sale safety.