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Construction to begin on Muncie's Storer Estates

MUNCIE, Ind.---There is new movement at the former site of Storer Elementary School as construction is set to begin on a redevelopment project that will bring 34 new housing lots as well as a park.

In a Muncie community update video, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour says the engineering portion of the project is completed and that construction to develop a new park and subdivision is set to begin on May 1.

In 2017, the Muncie Community School Board voted to close three elementary schools. One of which being Storer Elementary, the building that once stood on the now flat piece of land.

Before any building begins, construction crews are prioritizing one of the biggest issues that the land comes with, flooding.

According to a December 2021 article from the Muncie Journal, the Muncie Sanitary District collaborated with the city of Muncie to address drainage issues in the area.

Original plans called for a dry pond to help with flooding, however, with funding from the Muncie Redevelopment Commission and the mayor’s EDIT fund, the City of Muncie instead shifted its focus on turning a portion of the area into a new city park.

“It’ll be a lot of earth moving at the first because the main thing we’re wanting to solve early on is we’re wanting to help solve and work on those drainage issues in and around that area, not just where Storer Estates are going to be,” said Ridenour. “We’re putting in a number of new inlets and we expect for it to improve.”

City officials say that according to a contract, construction is expected to finish at the end of the 2022 year. This may change depending on multiple factors such as weather, the supply chain and the pandemic.

Contact Alex Almanza with comments and concerns at aalmanza@bsu.edu