 Applications are open for the City of Bloomington's new Racial Equity Task Force, a group that will address issues of racism in the community and develop recommendations to address them. Applications are due by midnight on Monday, Feb. 15. The application form is here.
The task force was created as part of the city's Plan to Advance Racial Equity. Members are being asked to make a two-year commitment. Click here for additional details.
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 Jim Whitlatch, an attorney and partner with Bunger & Robertson, has been appointed to the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners for a term ending Dec. 31, 2024. He was appointed by mayor John Hamilton to replace Les Coyne, who retired at the end of 2020 after four decades on the board.
The four-member Board of Park Commissioners is the policy-making authority for the Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department. Other members are Kathleen Mills (chair), Israel Herrera and Ellen Rodkey.  The Bloomington City Clerk is seeking applications for the new Community Advisory on Public Safety (CAPS) Commission. The commission, created by the Bloomington City Council earlier this year, aims to "to increase the safety of all Bloomington community members, especially those often marginalized due to race, disability, gender, sexual identity, or sexual orientation."
Click here for the City Clerk's press release about applying to CAPS. To apply for this or any city advisory commission, click here.  The Chamber would like to thank Alex Cartwright for his long tenure of service on the Public Transportation Corporation Board of Directors. The board oversees Bloomington Transit, our community’s public transportation system.
Alex has served on the board since 2005 and recently stepped down from that position. Alex is a longtime Chamber member and has served as a Chamber Ambassador for many years. His thoughtful deliberations and astute guidance are a valuable asset for the Bloomington/Monroe County community, and we appreciate the time and energy he has contributed on behalf of the public. Thank you, Alex!  The All IN 4 Democracy Coalition – a campaign to provide Indiana citizens a redistricting process that will be transparent and serve the public interest – is seeking applicants for the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC).
The nine-member bipartisan commission will:
The application deadline is Jan. 4. Click here for more details and to apply.  Christopher Emge Christopher Emge, principal of the Success School at the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, was appointed this month to the City of Bloomington Parking Commission.
He was appointed by Mayor John Hamilton for a term ending Jan. 31, 2022. The Chamber's Success School, formerly known as the Franklin Initiative, acts as the connection between the business community and the education community. Find out more about the Success School here.  Val Peña and Miah Michaelsen Several leaders of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce were named to the City of Bloomington Waldron Recommendation Task Force, a group appointed by Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton to give advice on the future of the Waldron building at 122 S. Walnut Street.
Task force members include Cindy Kinnarney, German American Bank regional president and Chamber board chair; A. John Rose, founder of Textillery Weavers and co-chair of the Chamber Advocacy Council; John West, commercial broker/owner of FC Tucker Realty and co-chair of the Chamber Advocacy Council; Travis Vencel, director of development for TWG real estate development company and a member of the Chamber Legislative Council; and Ron Walker, CFC Properties vice president of operations and Chamber director. The Waldron task force is co-chaired by Miah Michaelsen and Valerie Peña, who serves on the Chamber Advocacy Council. Michaelsen is deputy director of the Indiana Arts Commission. Peña is assistant vice president/chief of staff for the Office of Government Relations & Economic Engagement at Indiana University. More information and updates are posted on the city's Waldron task force website.  Staff from Bloomington's Economic & Sustainable Development Department updated City Council at their Nov. 4 meeting about the status of the Rapid Response Fund loan program.
To date, 62 loans have been granted totaling $1,760,770 using funds from both Food & Beverage Tax revenues and the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association (BUEA). The loans are intended to help local businesses that are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Chamber CEO Erin Predmore serves on the city's Economic Stabilization & Recovery Working Group, which oversees the Rapid Response Fund. Mary Morgan, the Chamber's Director of Advocacy & Public Policy, serves on the BUEA board. Click here to read the staff memo on the Rapid Response Fund update. Click here to watch a recording of the Nov. 4 presentation to council.  Miah Michaelsen and Valerie Peña were named co-chairs of the Waldron Recommendation Committee, a group appointed by Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton to give advice on the future of the Waldron building at 122 S. Walnut Street.
Ivy Tech, which has owned the former city hall for several years, is returning it to the city. That transaction is expected to be completed in early 2021, according to Sean Starowitz, the city's assistant director of economic development for the arts. He gave an update on the process at the Bloomington Arts Commission's Oct. 14 meeting. Michaelsen is Deputy Director of the Indiana Arts Commission. Peña is Assistant Vice President/Chief of Staff for the Office of Government Relations & Economic Engagement at Indiana University. According to the city's press release, the city will be seeking nominations for other committee members. To nominate or self-nominate, contact Mary Catherine Carmichael, the city's Director of Public Engagement, at carmichm@bloomington.in.gov or 812-349-3406. In addition, IU Professor Mark Levin is leading a Capstone class of graduate students to do a feasibility study of the Waldron. And a coalition of Cardinal Stage, Bloomington Playwrights Project and Pigasus Institute submitted a proposal to manage the Waldron. You can find a video describing that proposal here.  The Bloomington-Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has approved a new regional transportation plan through 2045, with new emphasis on safety, transportation equity and climate change. Approval came at the group's Oct. 9 meeting.
Pat Martin, City of Bloomington senior transportation planner, noted that this marks the first MPO in Indiana to endorse a "Vision Zero" action plan, with a goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and severe injuries. "Now the hard part comes in implementing the policy," he told MPO members. The plan will be submitted to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) for their review and concurrent approval with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Click here to view the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. |
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The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. All Rights Reserved.
421 W 6th Street, Suite A | Bloomington, IN 47404 Phone: (812)336-6381 | info@chamberbloomington.org | sitemap Office Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9:00am - 5:00pm Friday: 9:00am-3:00pm There is a no refund policy for events. If you need to reassign your ticket to another person we will be happy to update our attendance list. Thank you. |
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