The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $3.5 million to the City of Bloomington to support construction of the Trades District Technology Center. The center is intended to facilitate the growth and commercialization of second stage, tech-based businesses. The city applied for the grant in partnership with the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, and the EDA funds will be matched by $1.6 million of local investment from the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission. Read the city's press release here. The Trades District is a 12-acre area that's part of the Bloomington Certified Technology Park. Learn more here.
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The Bloomington Council held four nights of budget hearings from Aug. 23-26, with staff presentations and discussions about priorities for the city. Each night focused on different areas. You can watch the presentations by following the links below to CATS recordings for each department. The Council is expected to hold a public hearing on the budget on Sept. 29, with final action on Oct. 13. The City of Bloomington's 4th Street parking garage, at the corner of 4th and Walnut, will open on Monday, Aug. 23. The structure has over 500 spaces, a covered bicycle area, public bathrooms and retail space. The smaller parking garage that had been on the spot was closed in 2018 and taken down. A public art display will be installed in early October. The city plans to have a dedication ceremony in the fall. Responding to an increase in complaints about vandalism, aggressive behavior and other public safety issues, the City of Bloomington has released a statement about actions to improve safety in public spaces. Among the actions are:
The Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association is seeking applicants to serve on its board, which meets monthly. The applicant must live in the BUEA zone and be affiliated with the non-dominant political party. (In Bloomington, the Democratic Party is the dominant political party.) More information about the BUEA's work and how to apply can be found at https://bloomington.in.gov/business/buea. At their Aug. 11 meeting, Monroe County Commissioners voted to officially oppose the City of Bloomington's proposed annexation. The vote on the 3-person board was unanimous. Watch their comments on CATS here. The commissioners previously hired Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to do an independent fiscal analysis of the City of Bloomington's financial plan, to help gauge the impact on Monroe County government. The county also held three informational forums in late July and early August to discuss the plan and hear from residents. On Aug. 10, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton recommended removing Area 7 from his original annexation proposal. That area covers much of the northern gateway into the city. Read his press release here. Bloomington City Council will continue a public hearing annexation on Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 6 p.m. via this Zoom link. Learn more about the city's annexation process here. They are expected to vote on adopting annexation ordinances at their Sept. 15 meeting. Several business owners spoke about issues related to Wheeler Mission at the Aug. 9 Bloomington Plan Commission meeting. The shelter is seeking approval for expansion of its facility on South Westplex Avenue, off of West 3rd St. Business owners cited property damage, aggression, drug use, theft, trash (including needles) and urine/feces left on the grounds. They discussed the expense of installing security and paying for cleanup, and frustrations that the problems have exacerbated in the past few months. Similar concerns have been reported by businesses along the B-Line, South Walnut and Kirkwood areas. Watch the discussion on CATS here. Read the Wheeler Mission proposal here. Citing public health concerns related to COVID-19, Bloomington Council canceled the in-person part of its Aug. 4 public hearing on annexation and held the hearing only via Zoom. The public hearing had been promoted as a hybrid meeting for months – in-person at city hall, and over Zoom, starting at 3 p.m. Less than an hour before the hearing started, the council issued a press release stating that they might hold the hearing over Zoom only. The capacity was limited in council chambers, with chairs spaced more than 6 feet apart and a limited number of people allowed to enter. Nevertheless, councilmembers cited the fear of crowds as endangering attendees. Though the Monroe County Commissioners had issued a mask mandate earlier that day, it did not take effect until Aug. 5. The health order did not limit the size of gatherings or indoor capacity. After convening the meeting in person at 3 p.m., the council voted to recess and continue the hearing at 4 p.m. over Zoom only. You can watch the meeting via CATS here. The annexation public hearing will continue on Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 6 p.m. via this Zoom link. Learn more about the city's annexation process here. Consultants with Baker Tilly presented a financial analysis of proposed annexation at the Monroe County Council on July 27. The report was commissioned by the county to independently assess the financial impact of Bloomington's annexation. The report noted some variances between the Baker Tilly analysis and the City of Bloomington's fiscal plan, which is posted on the city's annexation website. Some of those variances are due to different approaches taken in calculating the impact. For example, the city used 2019 assessment data, while the Baker Tilly consultants used data from 2020. Read the report here. Watch the Baker Tilly presentation on CATS here. An "impact calculator" is available on the county's website. The county has scheduled three public forums to discuss the Baker Tilly report:
The Bloomington Council will hold a public hearing on annexation at their Aug. 4 meeting starting at 3 p.m. The council is expected to vote on Sept. 15. More about the city's annexation process here. On July 27, the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners approved a contract extension with Marshall Security, a private firm, to provide extended security coverage in downtown area parks. The unarmed guards would be staffed in shifts from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Last month the board approved an initial contract with Marshall for one shift at Switchyard Park, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Tim Streets, operations and development division director, told the board that there had been numerous security incidents during daytime hours throughout other parks and on the B-Line Trail, including physical altercations, unconscious persons, assault, and destruction of public property. In addition to Switchyard Park, the security guards will now patrol these parks: RCA Park, Seminary Park, B-Line Trail, Building Trades Park, Butler Park, Crestmont Park, Miller Showers Park and Third Street Park. This new contract of $52,500 runs through Dec. 31 and adds to the previous contract of $60,588. The funding will come from the city's share of CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act funds. This is the first time that the parks department has hired private security for regular patrols Watch the discussion on CATS here. Read the staff memo here. |
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