Hundreds of Muncie residents are expected to show up at Minnetrista on Tuesday to show their support for a movement that has already involved thousands in the area.
The meeting will mark the start of phase two for the Muncie Action Plan, which will involve implementation of a comprehensive plan put together by over the past year in hopes of improving the city.
MAP co-chairmen George Brannam and Ginney Nilles said they would like to see as many residents as possible come out to share ideas and participate in making Muncie all it can be.
"MAP is about civic engagement. It's a call to action and our community needs people to get involved if it's going to move forward in a very energetic, very positive way," Nilles said.
Branam said Muncie is not often seen in a flattering light by its residents, but it should be.
"From my point of view, I think the people who live and work in Muncie by-and-large, including the students, don't really see Muncie for what it is," Branam said. "They're hung up on one issue or one situation without stepping back and looking at the whole picture.
"If you do that, Muncie has a lot of assets."
Since planning for the MAP began about a year ago, more than 2,000 residents have been involved with sharing ideas and finding ways to make Muncie a better place to live.
According to the plan, many of the ideas for improvement agreed upon by area residents include a number of infrastructure projects and a code of ethics for local politicians.
Nilles said she hopes after MAP really starts to be implemented to start seeing a more progressive community.
"We hope to engage the community; we hope to start changing some of the culture here; some of the culture that values education, a culture that values learning and civic engagement and a culture that is respectful," Nilles said. "The nature of the plan is that it will never be accomplished fully; these are things we will always be working on."
The plan already saw its first victory this summer when Muncie City Council approved a $2 million bond to renovate the public pool inside Tuhey Park near the center of Muncie.
Tuesday's MAP meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.. More information about the MAP can be found at facebook.com/MuncieActionPlan.
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