Ball State University students who filled the Village during last week's St. Patrick's Day festivities got a taste of the district's potential.
For years, university officials and Village business owners have quietly grappled over a potential revitalization of the area, with no real progress made. Wednesday was a testament to what the Village could be.
Ball State's role in a potential Village overhaul has been confusing and often contradictory. There have been reports that Ball State is indeed interested in purchasing some, if not all, of the space and revitalizing it themselves. At the same time, it's been argued that Ball State looks at the Village primarily as competition to both the bookstore and dining options offered by the university.
I'm a Village regular. The area provides some good options for students looking to binge and dance their evening away (see Dill Street) or just relax and enjoy the company of friends (see Mugly's or the Locker Room). I certainly fall into the latter category. Still, like everyone else, I've always thought the area could be so much more.
The revolving door of businesses that come and go makes it impossible for the area to develop an identity beyond Scotty's and a handful of other mainstays. Fingers have been pointed at high rent prices as the primary reason; regardless, it seems the first thing that should be addressed is how to keep businesses from going under every few months.
Wednesday was as lively as I have ever seen the Village and that's not just because of the mass amounts of green beer and Irish whiskey that were being consumed. The party spilled out of the bars and restaurants and into the streets with hundreds of students milling around and enjoying themselves. For one of the first times, it felt like an actual community.
That doesn't have to happen only on special occasions. A few tweaks here and there, and the Village could be a regular destination for all students, not just those boozing on a Friday night.
Many students living in the residence halls who are under 21 have complained they don't have many options in the Village. This is especially true on the weekends when most establishments are off-limits to minors. The Mad Hatter responded by offering 18-and-over nights on Thursdays, but that went awry earlier this month when more than a dozen students were charged with underage consumption.
It's clear now why the event was so popular, since obviously the establishment wasn't playing close enough attention to whom they were serving alcohol.
A number of other ideas have been thrown around about how to rejuvenate the area from new apartment complexes to an ice cream shop to a laser tag venue. Any of those options at this point would be an improvement.
Even if the Village stays exactly how it is, it's not like the area is a complete failure. Students will continue their weekly march to the Village no matter what. However, that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be improved in order to make the experience even better.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be speaking with university officials and Village business owners in an attempt to reconcile the confusion and understand what steps have to be taken to make the Village revitalization a reality. Students may not have a long-term vested interest in the Village, but we still deserve a vibrant off-campus community to call our own during our four years here. As much as I enjoy peeling my feet off the Dill Street floor after each step, we can definitely do better.
Write to Dillon at dekimmel@gmail.com.
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