Community group leaders and city officials signed an agreementFriday on the future of Muncie race relations.
The It's Time for a Change committee and the Mayor's committeehave agreed to push for Broadway Avenue to be renamed Martin LutherKing Boulevard after three months of negotiation with a federalmediator.
They also proposed building the Martin Luther King Jr.Institute, a minority community center.
Chuck Leonard, president of the Muncie Common Council, said thatthe council would reconsider naming Broadway Avenue after the slaincivil rights leader in June or July. Leonard said the council voteddown the issue this June because of the expense businesses wouldface in changing their addresses.
"I voted it down because I was concerned about the businesses,"Leonard said. "We'll be going out there to talk with the individualbusiness owners and to address their concerns."
The proposal has two phases in the signed agreement. In phaseone, committee members will address the concerns of business andhome owners on Broadway. In phase two, the city council willvote.
Only four council members attended the agreement signing Fridayat City Hall. The five absent voted against the proposal inJune.
As for the MLK Jr. Institute, no possible locations or budgetswere considered yet, mayor Dan Canan said.
"We've only talked about this for three months," Canan said."That isn't enough time to hammer out a budget."
Canan said that after the Institute opened, BSU would evaluateits programs. Details, like how BSU would construct evaluations,were unavailable, Canan said.
"I can't say at this point in time (what any of the detailsare)," Canan said. "We'd just like to make sure that we have some(evaluative) checks from our community and friends at theuniversity."
Al Rent, director of university marketing, said that BSU wouldtake interest in the institute's efforts after receiving somedetails.
"It seems like a good idea on the surface," Rent said. "Thesekind of things fit right into the mission of the university. Butdetails are details."
The It's Time for a Change committee and the Mayor's committeeplan to hold monthly meetings to further develop their agreement,Canan said.
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