Muncie City Board approves summer street closures, demolition contract and parks master-plan contract

Muncie City’s Board of Public Works and Safety approved several routine and project-focused items at its June 3 meeting, including two summer street closures, a demolition contract, and a professional services agreement for a parks master plan.

City Controller Craig Wright presented the register of claims and highlighted recent payments and one-time costs. "We did have to replace an HVAC unit at the animal shelter," Wright said, and he also noted payments to Flatland Resources for ADA sidewalk work as well as routine health-care and utility bills. A board member disclosed that a listed claim is for her employer, Canon Brunson Murphy, and a separate $13,212.56 item for the Innovation Connector was identified as a state-grant reimbursement. The board moved to approve the claims, recorded in the meeting as $992,253.22, and the motion carried.

The board granted a street-closure request for the 25th annual marching band contest at Muny Central on July 25. The event organizer, who did not give a name on the record, said the request would close Walnut Street from Maple to Columbus from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and maintain access to an adjacent parking lot. "We'll just be on one side of the road...if emergency crews needed to pass, we certainly could open that up for very easy passage," the presenter said. The closure was approved.

Tran McDery of Cornerstone Center for the Arts requested a one-block closure of Main Street between Madison and Monroe for First Thursday, with setup beginning an hour before a 4:00–9:00 p.m. event and food/drink vendors on site. McDery said the group would follow the fire chief’s recommendation to use hard barriers to prevent vehicle incursions. The board approved that closure.

Nikita Adams of the Office of Community Development presented bids for demolition of the property at 719 West Charles. Adams said the low bid, $72,300, came from Yarberry and that required bid documentation was in order. The board approved the demolition contract.

Staff also brought forward a $97,500 professional services contract with Randellberger Associates to develop a five-year parks master plan. Staff said the parks board selected the firm through a public request-for-qualifications process and that completing a five-year plan is a requirement to receive parks grant funding through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The contract was approved.

The meeting closed after brief business and the board adjourned with no further action scheduled at that time.