Ball State University students present their plan to revitalize Swayzee 

A group of students from Ball State University’s Urban Planning Department presented their comprehensive study for the revitalization of the town of Swayzee on Wednesday at Swayzee Community Church.  

This project is in partnership with the Swayzee Economic Growth Council.

“So far I think we’ll be able to use this study that will help us go forward seeking out grants,” said Don Thompson, the president of the Swayzee Economic Growth Council. 

The study includes data taken from the United States census, conversations the students had with people living in Swayzee and a survey that the students emailed to members of the community.  

Dr. Michael Burayidi, an Urban Planning professor at Ball State said, as of the morning of the presentation 190 members of the Swayzee community responded to the survey.  

“He’s never had survey results like we have,” said Thompson. “So that tells us the community is ready to pitch our arms in together and move forward, because it is a great place to live and we’re going to make it even better.” 

Topics covered in the presentation included Swayzee’s assets, challenges and the purpose and process of the comprehensive plan.  

“One of the biggest assets we’ve heard of in Swayzee is its people,” said Kayla Ferguson, a Ball State student who worked on the study. “They have very engaged residents and a lot of neighborhood pride, which is really cool to see.” 

According to the survey 49% of people said that they talk to their neighbors at least once a week, while 30% talk to their neighbors daily.  

Ferguson said that Swayzee also has a lot of family-owned businesses and amenities, including libraries, parks and sports facilities. However, the study also revealed that only 6% of people living in Swayzee work in the community, while 94% work remotely or in other towns.  

“They don’t really have a localized economy,” said Remy Locke, another Ball State student who worked on the project.  

The comprehensive plan will focus on providing gathering spaces for the community, growing local businesses, preserving the small-town charm and improving the downtown area in order to take advantage of the traffic coming in from the two state roads that intersect in Swayzee. 

“More than 3,000 vehicles pass through town every day,” said Ferguson. “However, few stop in the town because they have not really been provided a reason for them to do so.” 

The report will need to be approved by the city council before any of these changes can be made. For now, Thompson said that the full study will be available to the public on the Economic Growth Council’s website onlyswayzee.org within the coming weeks.