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Stephanie Wiechmann
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 Ridneour first announced the lease, he said the YMCA would pay $1 a year until a new facility is done and the YMCA would continue to pay all expenses like utilities and maintenance.

00;00;20;08 - 00;00;30;11
Stephanie Wiechmann
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.

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Dan Ridenour
I really didn't have it on my schedule of activities that we were going to engage in until about 25. We thought that maybe they would be open until the new Y opened up.

00;00;41;04 - 00;00;51;19
Stephanie Wiechmann
Ridenour had 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 Shereen Wagley worried about humid summer temperatures.

00;00;51;21 - 00;00;56;12
Jeff Howe
We've seen too many times when buildings sit empty, they seem to age at a much more rapid rate.

00;00;56;15 - 00;01;00;09
Shareen Wagley
Yeah, I would hate to see that happen. To that building.

00;01;00;11 - 00;01;10;04
Stephanie Wiechmann
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 to 2 split. In Muncie. Stephanie Wiechmann, IPR news.