Low-maintenance projects yield high-impact results
Now in its 18th year, Community Enhancement Projects, Inc., can measure its success in ever-mounting numbers. Since completing its first beautification project at Tuhey Park in 1991, the volunteer organization has added more than 2,800 trees to the local landscape, placed and planted 29 colorful containers in downtown Muncie, upgraded dozens of public green spaces and provided attractive signage at key points throughout the city. Recent projects, funded by two Community Foundation grants that total $65,000, continue this "growing" legacy.
"The 2006 grant enabled us to do some low-maintenance plantings around four bridges on White River Greenway," explains Bill Reiter, president of CEP's 15-member board of directors. Also included in the grant award was funding for six welcome and directional signs, strategically located for high visibility. "Visitors who come into Muncie from almost any angle will encounter a sign with appropriate landscaping around its base," says Reiter. Another project involved a grassy median in the Whitely neighborhood on Muncie's eastside. "We had a series of meetings with the residents to gather their input on the design for the area," says Reiter. "We agreed on a beautification plan that included a variety of annual and perennial plantings."
The most recently completed project is a sizable wedge of land at the heavily trafficked intersection of Ind. 332 and Chadam Lane. CEP had been eyeing the area for quite a while because "it's a major entry point to the city," according to Reiter. Like all CEP beautification efforts, once planted, the triangle will be maintained through private donations. The availability of maintenance dollars is assured because CEP has had an endowment fund for several years within The Community Foundation.
A shared history
Although CEP and the Foundation are separate organizations, their early histories are intertwined. Originally called the Environment Enhancement Project (EEP), the beautification initiative was based within the Foundation during EEP's "incubation" years. With the Foundation's encouragement, EEP evolved into CEP, a free-standing nonprofit entity with its own officers, directors, mission and fund-raising activities. "We still support CEP efforts," says Foundation president Roni Johnson. "We applaud the group's goal-to improve the community-and appreciate the fact that every CEP project includes a built-in maintenance plan. As the endowment grows, so does the ability to create and care for more green spaces. CEP is a great example of neighbors coming together to create a legacy."
CEP's work is a year-round endeavor. Spring and summer may be the most obvious seasons to showcase accomplishments, but winter is the time to tackle important behind-the-scenes tasks. Ron Spangler, a Ball State professor and long-time CEP volunteer, writes landscape maintenance contracts and sends them out to bidders, while his colleagues on the CEP board solicit new project ideas from the community. The results are far-reaching and often serve as catalysts for spin-off projects. Example: The number of downtown planters has more than doubled since the original plantings, thanks to private businesses joining in the effort and adding splashes of color to the urban environment.
Positive first impressions
"We take on projects that make positive long-term impressions on residents and visitors," says Reiter. These impressions support economic development in at least three ways: diverse civic groups become acquainted with each other as they work toward shared goals; newcomers to the city are favorably influenced by the well-groomed grounds; and local landscape professionals benefit from having their work displayed in very public ways. "People drive by, admire a project and ask, 'Who did that?'" says Spangler.
