With funding from both Knight Foundation and Jilly’s Music Room and the support, guidance and hard work of over twenty community organizations, businesses and stakeholders, Neighborhood Network facilitated the Middlebury Better Block on July 30th-31st, 2016 at the intersection of East Market, South Arlington and East Exchange Streets. The Better Block was a way to transform the intersection into a walkable, vibrant district for a weekend. Community-built installations included outdoor seating, temporary plazas, food trucks, kids’ play areas, community garden, live entertainment and improved bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
Since the Middlebury Better Block, most of the participating organizations continue to meet monthly as part of the What’s Next Committee which was formed to address the common question “What comes next after the Better Block?”. The What’s Next Committee created The Middlebury Neighborhood Survey in 2017 and collected input from 211 residents and community stakeholders.