Delaware County Building Plaza
This spring, we began the process of making an impact on our community. As a county commissioner, we run the day-to-day business of county government. This also includes making decisions that make an impact on our community. We had a chance to make much-needed improvements to the 1969 plaza, and to complete 5.6 of the Muncie Action Plan:
- 5.6: Implement models of sustainable design around the city.
Create downtown parks and other projects using sustainable design methods to improve community amenities and to educate community members about water quality and storm water run-off, eco-balance, and climate-appropriate and native plant selections.
We accomplished the entire section with this plaza project along with becoming better equipped to give safe easy access for our ADA clients.
The MAP co-chairs stated it best, “Creating this first city-wide action plan has demanded the best from each of us. It is an expression of our hopes and dreams. It recognizes that we are in this together and that it is up to all of us…to turn ideas and dreams into reality.”
Wow! I couldn’t agree more. The commissioners used EDIT, an economic development fund, and Stormwater funds to complete this project. This money was earmarked for this specific project. How is this economic development?
Potential investors considering expansion or growth view our community everyday. The one thing they look at is how we are investing in ourselves. Our community has to care about itself before we can get others to notice. A community fairgrounds, an active and useful downtown, parks, urban and rural, and improved infrastructure. These are all the things we are investing in. I assure you of this, we could not use this money to make payroll for county employees. No jobs were lost and no income was reduced in county government to complete this project. In fact, this money was spent locally, with local businesses for many of the items necessary for the project.
Come downtown and take a look at the plaza. Walk around the beautiful landscape, day or night. See for yourself if this is an improvement on the downtown. Then you can see why investing in ourselves improves our chances to attract capital investment and jobs that will reduce the tax burdens on property owners and other local businesses.
Todd R. Donati
County Commissioner
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4 Responses to Delaware County Building Plaza
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While I appreciate the development of the plaza and am not one of the citizens crying about it while County employees get laid off, I haven’t agreed with the use of EDIT funds for this project. Stormwater funds are fine, but I think for the amount of EDIT money spent on this project that there might have been other ways to use that same money and get more economical development bang for our buck.
With that said, I really do like the plaza and am especially pleased the clock could be integrated into the landscape. I think this improved plaza is a great addition to Muncie’s downtown.
Hey Brad, I am curious about some of your ideas for economic development that will get more bang for you buck? I would agree that there is probably more ways to bring economic development to our community and the translation and interpretation of “economic development” is always up for discussion.
I believe this project went outside the box of traditional “ED” to establish ADA compliance and accessibility for the public as well as creaing green infrastructure to improve the water quality and watershed of our downtown area which has combined sewer systems.
Would or should it be considered economic development to allieviate the amount of polluted stormwater that drains to a combined sewer system which in turn can prevent the amount of combined sewer overflows that happen during a rain event? This in the long run creates a healthier watershed to our White River and creates more opportunity for healthier recreation along the White River, which in turn can attract long term economic development in my opinion. Interestingly enough, a hundred years ago the destruction of our White River was an economic development ploy to new businesses because they were told they could dump their waste in it as a part of the one of the benefits for locating in Muncie.
While I’ll have to admit I don’t know the exact dollar amounts that came from EDIT or Stormwater, I’d say that using that money to develop or redevelop the actual areas around were new industry and business are moving to would be a great incentive. Don’t get me wrong, beautification, infrastructure improvement are great and can help attribute to the value of our community. I just don’t think any potential employers are going to look at the plaza and say, “Oh look at that! You’ve beautified your county courthouse. We’re moving here!”
Again I think it is a nice addition to downtown but I can’t really see it bringing in “economic development”. It does help with the overall picture of amenities, look and of course attitude.
I hear you Brad. I am definitely biast on this topic because I was involved with it. It has been interesting to see the Occupiers using it as gathering space and I have enjoyed seeing it used a lot more by the public since it was re-done. Before it seemed like people just used it as a shortcut and passed by, now it seems more user friendly to the public in a myriad of ways.