The city of Muncie is buying the Mulberry Street YMCA building, as the organization plans its relocation to another portion of downtown.  But as IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, the city will lease-back the building to the YMCA until its building project can be finished.

Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour says what happens to the Mulberry Street YMCA building is important to the city because of where it sits.

“I mean, it is right across from Canan Commons, which is where everything as far as entertainment activities downtown start.  It’s just the prime location.”

The YMCA announced in May of last year that it would relocate to the Muncie Central High School campus and build a new facility there.  That was after plans to build adjacent to the public Tuhey Park were fought against by neighborhood associations and residents.

It’s begun a capital campaign and the $500,000 sale of its Mulberry Street building to the city will help that effort.

Ridenour says the city will lease-back the building to the YMCA for $1 a year until its new facility is done.  He says the organization will continue to pay all expenses, like utilities and maintenance.

Muncie Redevelopment Commission president Jeff Howe and other members support the move.

“You don’t know what the possibilities are, but, if you don’t control it, you don’t have any say-so in what the possibilities are.”

YMCA President Chad Zaucha did not attend the MRC meeting.  But in a statement, he says the organization and the city share “common goals in unity.”

The YMCA has not announced a timeline for building its new building at MCHS.  But a memorandum with Muncie Community Schools details that the new facility will include an indoor swimming pool natatorium, indoor gym and walking / jogging track, teaching kitchen, café, meeting rooms, child watch services, and outdoor play areas.

In statements, Zaucha has said the Christian recreational organization can share services with the school.

Ridenour told the Muncie Redevelopment Commission that there are currently no solid plans for the Mulberry Street building once the YMCA moves out.

He says it’s a reasonably solid building, even though the pool will likely have to be removed.  There are almost no windows on the building, and Ridenour says those might be added as Accutech did with its downtown location.  Or it could be sold to someone who doesn’t need windows.

There’s also the option of demolishing the building and starting something from scratch.

Ridenour says when the time comes, the city will put out a “request for proposal” on the site.

This isn’t the first public lease-back agreement in Muncie in recent history.

In 2017, Ball State University purchased Northside Middle School from Muncie Community Schools for $1.27 million.  The university leases it back to the district as it continues to be an active school building for $1 a year.  And Ball State’s purchase agreement said it would pay the district $60,000 a year for each year the building is leased.