The CenterPoint Scholars Program kicked-off with a weekend retreat April 19-21 at Hueston Woods, OH. The retreat set the framework for the year-long program and built connections between participants.
Meetings are held monthly at the E.B. and Bertha C. Ball Center (400 W. Minnetrista Blvd.)
Building Relationships with Elected Officials How to Run a Meeting Effective Communication for Neighborhood Leaders (part 1)
Tuesday, April 16, 5 – 7 p.m.
Effective Communication for Neighborhood Leaders (part 2)
Friday, April 19 – Sunday, April 21 Retreat at Hueston Woods | Schedule
Developing Your Personal Why The Importance of Neighborhoods Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Active Listening Effective Leadership Community Connections An Introduction to Advocacy
Tuesday, May 21, 5 – 7 p.m.
Project Management and Goal Setting
Tuesday, June 18, 5 – 7 p.m.
Project Management and Data Analysis / Financial Literacy
Tuesday, July 16 7 – 9 p.m. POOL PARTY @ Tuhey
Neighborhoods Pool Party @ Tuhey
Tuesday, August 20, 5 – 7 p.m.
Trust Building
Tuesday, September 17, 5 – 7 p.m.
Crowdbased Fundraising
Tuesday, October 15, 5 – 7 p.m.
Pitch 2025 Projects
Tuesday, November 19, 5 – 7 p.m.
Celebrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Tuesday, December 17, 5 – 7 p.m.
Project Work Day
2025
Tuesday, January 21, 5 – 7 p.m.
Delegation
Tuesday, February 18, 5 – 7 p.m.
Presentation to Neighborhood Leadership Council and Elected Officials
The program will culminate with a lunch keynote presentation by the Scholars at the 2025 IDEA Conference, Saturday, March 8, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Ball State University Student Center.
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.
We’ve enjoyed many neighborhood successes this year, from cleanups to community events, park additions to tree plantings. Thank you all for the difference you have made in your neighborhoods.
We will see you again in the new year at our January 20th NLC meeting. Until then, we wish you the very best this Holiday Season!
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.
In 1927 Edwin Faye Kitselman was one of four brothers who were industrialist leaders in Muncie Indiana. The inventive Kitselman brothers originally made roller skates in a factory east of Muncie in Ridgeville, Indiana, and eventually the company became a manufacturer of steel and wire fences. Mr. Kitselman, who was also a golfer, hunter, politician, and fisherman, bought several wooded acres at what was then the west end of University Avenue. He and his wife, Edna F. Leach Kitselman, had four children: Richard, Alice, Nancy and Jean. They built the stately brick home pictured here. Unfortunately, a short time later, in 1928, Mr. Kitselman died, leaving the land and the home to his wife and children. Almost three decades later, in 1956, the surviving Kitselman children, Richard, Nancy and Jean (all now deceased) deeded the Tudor Gothic home and 2.65 acres to the Ball State University Foundation. The home became known as the Kitselman Center and was utilized by Ball State University in succeeding years as a venue for conferences and special events.
On October 12, 1956, the Gatewood neighborhood plat was proposed by J. Roberts Dailey (local realtor and civic leader) and other partners, and on November 8, 1956 the Gatewood subdivision was approved with 92 lots all designed as single-family residences with the exception of three lots on the south side of Riverside where duplex rentals were permitted. Over the next thirty years homes of varying styles were built and occupied.
In 1987, Lot 4 of the Gatewood subdivision was split into a north half and south half and sold to the homeowners of lots 3 and 5, thus ending the 60 years of Kitselman ownership of this segment of wooded land west of the city of Muncie. Gatewood has 92 homes and is a thriving neighborhood.
In 2000, Virginia B. Ball, local philanthropist and active supporter of education, the environment, the arts, and the humanities, established the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry at Ball State University. With the approval of the Ball State University Foundation, the Kitselman Center was chosen as the home of that center which still exists today.
Gatewood is bounded on the North by Riverside Avenue, the south by Gilbert Street, the west by Greenbriar Road and Bittersweet Lane and on the east by Forest Avenue, comprising 92 homes and approximately 80 acres. Today Gatewood is a neighborhood made up of accountants, artists, bankers, business men and women, children, counselors, doctors, engineers, fathers and mothers, grandparents, inventors, judges, lawyers, musicians, nurses, pharmacists, plumbers, professors, realtors, school administrators, teachers and very good neighbors.
In the early 2000’s, student rental properties continued popping up in residential neighborhoods in Muncie. The Gatewood Neighborhood Association was formed in an effort to sustain and support the Kitselman families’ original intent to develop a single family residential neighborhood and to support good neighboring.
In 2018 Gatewood completed neighborhood sponsored leveling, cleaning, tuck-pointing and restoration of the 1927 Gate Pillars at University and Forest Avenues.
Neighborhood Association
President: John Pinckney Vice President – Dan House Secretary-Treasurer: Sue Whitaker
Other Board Members and Street Representatives:
Bittersweet: Susan Leffler
Gatewood: Dan House
700, 704, 707 N Greenbriar + 3509 Riverside: Jim Wingate
University: Don Whitaker
Brentwood (north of University): Larry Stange
Brentwood (south of University): Larry Strange
Forest (west side of street – University to Riverside: Pat Nelson
Forest (west side of street – University to Gilbert + 3300 W Gilbert
Greenbriar: Molly Graybeal
Wildwood: Ron Martin
Committees:
Social Media Committee—Casey Stanley
Welcome Committee—Molly Graybeal and Anna McGlinchy
Government Liaison—Larry Strange
Newsletter Editor—Sue Whitaker
Neighborhood School:
West View Elementary, MCS 3401 W. Gilbert Street
Landscaping and neighborhood sign completed with ARP funding280 Items were collected at the Gatewood Holiday Party in December 2025 for the Clothing Closet at West View Elementary School.Below: Neighborhood Children building an igloo following the January 2026 SnowstormNeighborhood Easter Egg Hunt
Minnetrista Central is a welcoming neighborhood that offers a variety of amenities and is conveniently located at the heart of Muncie. Friendly neighbors, charming historical homes, and impressive tree-lined streets make living in this serene neighborhood a delight. Outdoor recreation opportunities abound: Walk or ride on the City’s two premier greenway trails that intersect our community and follow the scenic horseshoe bend of the White River. Hike through the nature area and explore the many manicured gardens at Minnetrista. And while you’re there, take advantage of the walkable distance to the local farmers market, experience world-class arts and cultural exhibits, and stand in the exact spot Bob Ross filmed The Joy of Painting. Take a selfie with the affectionately nicknamed “Chief Munsee,” give your five senses a whirl at the Delaware County Fair, and enjoy a 4th of July fireworks show from your front porch. All this and more can be found in Muncie’s hidden gem of a neighborhood.
History
The five Ball brothers, Frank Clayton Ball, Edmund Burke Ball, Lucius Lorenzo Ball, William Charles Ball, and George Alexander Ball, moved to Muncie between 1888 and 1897 during this time of expansion and prosperity. In 1894, Frank, Edmund and George purchased approximately 30 acres of land on a bluff above the White River. The property was located north of the Muncie city limits and extended from Wheeling Pike to the Children’s Home near the intersection of Walnut and Granville Pikes and extending back several hundred feet. A boulevard was to be built along the bluff. When the Children’s Home moved to nearby Yorktown, Frank purchased that property. Family lore says that the Ball sisters, Lucina and Frances, selected the name Minnetrista for the land by joining the word “minne” for water and “trista” meaning gathering place. Here, between 1894 and 1907, the brothers constructed the homes in which they would live for the remainder of their lives. The wealth that they acquired through their enterprises allowed them to build impressive homes, which now comprise the Minnetrista Boulevard Historic District. The homes that were built in the surrounding area became part of what would be known as the Minnetrista neighborhood. This neighborhood boasts an eclectic mix of large and small homes and a resident population of both homeowners and renters.
Neighborhood Association Meetings
The Minnetrista Neighborhood Association meets quarterly at 7:00 pm in the Minnetrista Cultural Center. 2026 meetings will be held March 9, June 8, and September 24. All are welcome.
Minutes of the Neighborhood Association Meetings can be found here. You can contact them directly at minnetristacentral@gmail.com
In 2025, the McKinley Neighborhood Association will meet on July 23, September 24, and November 19, 6:00 pm at 7Rock Brew 613 N Madison. St. All are welcome.
