Cole Miller, contractor with Morton Buildings appeared. He stated that this was not just an average pole building, Mr. Hiatt was going out of his way to make sure that it was nice and that it would add value to the area.

Commissioner Brand, appeared to speak in support of the request. He stated that Mr. Hiatt demonstrated care and concern for all of his properties and with the addition of planting a natural screening showed his thoughtfulness and encouraged the Board to approve the request.

Mark Merdue, 2808 W. Burgewood Dr., Muncie, Indiana, appeared. He stated that he lived to the north of Mr. Hiatt who moved in to the neighborhood 5 years ago. He stated that they were very close to the Ball State stadium and could hear all of the games from their homes. He stated that they were on a caul-de-sac and that everyone knew each other, had picnics together, and that Mr. Hiatt fit in nicely. He stated that Mr. Hiatt was a good neighbor who maintained his property and was a valuable part of the community. He stated that when a fence had been damaged at the dead end, Mr. Hiatt had fixed it at his own expense, to keep people from cutting through the area. He stated that the new garage would be visible from his property but that it would not bother him. He did note that the house directly across form Mr. Hiatt was taller than the proposed building and was visible from Tillotson Avenue.

Robert Koester, W. Burnell Dr., Muncie, Indiana, appeared in opposition. He stated that he and his wife had lived there for 43 years and that they were opposed to the height of the building. He stated that this would be twice the height than the house, the footprint of the building was too large, and that the application submitted showed support form neighbors even though no one had ever talked to them. He stated that the project was already under construction and that the land facing Burnell Drive had the topsoil removed and had been graded and covered with gravel. He stated that the drawings provided were not to scale and there was a lack of consistency and information in the materials provided. He stated that the meaning of pole barn had not been made clear and asked if this would be a wood or steel framed structure with siding, and if the roof would be pitched or flat. He sated that if the board approved this request, they would only be approving the 23’ height, not the materials. He stated that there were no photos provided of the look of the building and no overlay to show the existing house and how tall this will be in comparison. He stated that they did not believe that the approval of a construction scale building made sense in a quiet, lovely, residential neighborhood. He stated that it would reduce market value and that people would be less likely to look at homes in that area due to the taller building. He stated that the fact that Mr. Hiatt planted all of the trees was noble and would help with screening to Tillotson Avenue, but there was no mention of the impact this would have on the neighbors. He stated that he believes that the members of the board received an incomplete application and should therefore not approve the request.

Jill Gauker, 2709 W. Burnell Dr., Muncie Indiana appeared in opposition. She stated that she had lived there since October of 1980, and that here husband had mentioned many of the same concerns she had. She stated that a pole barn was out of character for a quiet residential neighborhood and was the type of structure that you consider on a larger tract of land, not on .90 acres. The visual impact for everyone would be more or less an industrial