Cintas development director named

MUNCIE – A Ball State University faculty member has been named to help oversee redevelopment of a former industrial laundry the city hopes to fill with craftsmen, artists, entrepreneurs and makers.

Scott Truex of Ball State’s urban planning department has been named director of facility and program development for the former Cintas building downtown, Sustainable Muncie Corporation executive director John Fallon announced.

Truex’s duties will focus on making the Cintas building at Madison and Jackson streets ready for occupancy, aligning partners for development and exploring relationships with organizations that might locate in the building, Fallon said.

Fallon said Truex’s “strong track record” made him a good candidate for the role. Truex is also a co-director of the Sustainable Communities Institute in Muncie.

In a statement, Truex said his challenge was not only to get the building ready for occupants but reinforce its connection to downtown and Ball State University.

Cintas project principals have previously told The Star Press they hope that work to rehab the interior of the building could begin this fall. No firm timetable for redevelopment of the building has been announced, although principals have indicated they hope to see tenants in the building within a year or two.

The Cintas building — for decades the home of the Midwest Towel industrial laundry facility — has been mostly unused since 2009. Sustainable Muncie Corporation, a non-profit that has the support of the city and Mayor Dennis Tyler, bought the 85,000-square-foot building this year with plans to redevelop it as a makers space that could include a brewery, artisans and craftsmen and retail space.

Contact Keith Roysdon at 765-213-5828 and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.