MUNCIE — Two years after it received $4 million to demolish blighted houses, the city of Muncie still hasn't razed a single building, even though it has won an extension from the state.
As officials once again acknowledged their blight elimination progress has been slow and other Indiana cities have razed dozens of houses through the Hardest Hit program, Muncie faces deadlines in just a few weeks to use its funding — or lose it.
State officials told The Star Press this week they want to work with Muncie to make its blight elimination effort successful, but deadlines to spend half of the city's $4 million are fast approaching, on Sept. 15 and Oct. 1.
In the worst-case scenario, according to the state, all or part of the $4 million that had been earmarked for Muncie could be given to another community that is effectively fighting blight.
In the meantime, other cities have used their Hardest Hit funds to make a real dent in their blight problems.
In Indianapolis, 99 of 336 abandoned houses targeted by the city have been torn down with the first of the city's $6.3 million in federal funds as distributed through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA).