Muncie to take over utilities earlier than planned for now empty Mulberry Street YMCA

The YMCA of Muncie has ceased operations on Mulberry Street as it begins to build a new location next to Muncie Central High School.  The city of Muncie is now taking responsibility for the current downtown building it already owns.  And as IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, the move came earlier than city leaders anticipated.

Muncie announced last September it would buy the Mulberry Street YMCA building and lease it back to the private Christian organization as it continued planning to build a new location.

When Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour first announced the lease, he said the YMCA would pay $1 a year until its new facility is done.  And, the YMCA would continue to pay all expenses, like utilities and maintenance.

But on Thursday, he told the Muncie Redevelopment Commission the YMCA has moved out this month.  He asked the commission if the city should keep the utilities on by putting them in the city’s name.

“I really didn’t have it on my schedule of activities that we were going to engage in until about [2025].  Because there was a hope and – we thought that maybe they would be open until the new Y opened up.”

Read More: YMCA Of Muncie To Build Facility At Muncie Central High School

Ridenour has said the building’s lack of windows would make it hard to show the building to prospective buyers without working lights.  And commissioners like Jeff Howe and Shareen Wagley worried about humid summer temperatures.

“We’ve seen too many times – when buildings sit empty, they seem to age at a much more rapid rate,” says Howe.

“Yes,” replies Wagley. “And I would hate to see that happen to that building.”

Commissioners voted to keep the building’s utilities on and market the building as soon as possible.  But that vote nearly failed, with a 3-2 split.

The building’s pool has already been drained.  City leaders have said that pool and the lack of windows will hinder the building’s prospective buyers, even with its location across from Canan Commons.

Ridenour wants to put out a “request for proposal” on the site to see who’s interested in its reuse. There’s also the option of demolishing the building and starting something from scratch.

Meanwhile, YMCA members will use its northwest-side location near Bethel Avenue and the Muncie Central High School pool for services until the new building is built.  The organization has begun construction next to the high school as it continues to fundraise for the project.

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.

Stephanie Wiechmann is our Managing Editor and “All Things Considered” Host.  Contact her at [email protected].