The City of Bloomington Planning and Transportation Department will release their preliminary design plans for their upcoming Neighborhood Greenway projects at two public input meetings at the beginning of October. Those who are interested in providing feedback or learning more about these projects are encouraged to attend these meetings at the following outdoor locations:
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• October 1st from 3-5 p.m. at the intersection of E. 8th Street and N. Overhill Drive to discuss the proposed E. 7th Street Greenway from N. Union to the 7th Street Underpass.   
• October 5th from 4-6 p.m. at the Broadview Park Pavilion (704 W. Graham Drive) to discuss the Broadview/Graham Neighborhood Greenway from S. Rockport Road to S. Rogers Street.    

For more information on these Neighborhood Greenway projects, please follow this link to the project's webpage. Staff members will attend both meetings to answer any questions from the public.  

Indiana Senate Democrats have scheduled three in-person input sessions this month, including one in Bloomington, to get feedback on proposed maps for Indiana House, Senate and Congressional districts. The Bloomington session is on Monday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave.

The Republican-controlled legislature released State House of Representatives Districts and Congressional Districts earlier this week. Proposed Senate maps are now available here.

The House has already held public hearings. The Senate hearings for its plans will be held on Sept. 27, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Residents can also submit written testimony for the Senate Elections Committee hearing on Sept. 27 by contacting State Sen. John Ford (R-Terre Haute) at [email protected]. 

Last spring, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) on March 11, 2021 to provide economic relief to state and local governments as they confront fiscal challenges caused by the ongoing pandemic. As one of the many recipients of this 350 billion dollar aid package, Monroe County is set to receive 29 million dollars in funds to address the specific needs of its unique community.

​To help decide how this federal funding should be well spent, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners is asking the public to share their ideas on their website, here, on how these funds can be best allocated to ease the economic challenges caused by COVID-19. Be sure to follow the previous link to let your funding suggestions be known.    

To read more about ARPA and the specific areas where Monroe County can apply these funds, follow this link to US Department of the Treasury's website. ​

The Monroe County Affordable Housing Advisory Commission has three vacancies. The AHAC makes recommendations to the county Board of Commissioners, which appoints the members.

The commission meets on the third Friday of each month from 8-9 a.m. Meetings are currently held via Zoom. 

Learn more about the AHAC here. Find the application form here.

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.

Leadership Bloomington-Monroe County, a program co-sponsored by the Indiana University Alumni Association and the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce – is accepting applications for the 2021-22 cohort. The deadline to apply is Sept. 17.

​The 7-month program, which costs $1,000, includes classes every other Thursday from October through April. Classes meet from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The course includes a small group project that addresses a community need or opportunity. 

Click here for more information and to apply.

Bloomington coucilmembers Susan Sandberg (At-Large) and Dave Rollo (District 4) have scheduled their first joint constituent session for Saturday, July 17 from 10-11:30 a.m. at Bloomington City Hall's McCloskey Room, 401 N. Morton.

Several other councilembers have been holding regular constituent sessions: Matt Flaherty (At-Large) on 3rd Mondays at 5:30 p.m., Isabel Piedmont-Smith (District 5) on 2nd Saturdays at 11, Kate Rosenbarger (District 1) as announced, and Sue Sgambelluri (District 2) on 1st Saturdays at 1:30 p.m.

More information about the Bloomington Council is here. The council's next meeting is on Wednesday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Applications are being accepted for the 2021 City of Bloomington Residents Academy, formerly known as the Citizens' Academy. The deadline to apply is July 12.

Classes will be held every Thursday from August 26 through October 28 from 6-8 p.m.  Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, a resident of the City of Bloomington, and willing to commit to one evening per week for 10 weeks to participate in the academy.

Participants learn about the different departments within the city, and learn about the challenges of running a municipal government. Click here for more information.

A public forum is planned for Wednesday, June 2 focused on  a digital inclusion plan to improve infrastructure, internet speed, connectivity, access to devices, and digital literacy in Monroe County. 

The June 2 forum, which starts at 5:30 via Zoom, is hosted by ​the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, along with members of the County Digital Advisory Team. The event will review and seek feedback on initial findings of a digital inclusion survey. To receive the Zoom link, RSVP by emailing Meagan Niese at [email protected].

​More information about this initiative is available here.

The City of Bloomington is holding a public forum on Thursday, May 13 to review the reconstruction of West First Street from South Fairview to South College. The project is part of the broader redevelopment of the Bloomington Hospital site, which the city is acquiring later this year.

The forum runs from 6-7 p.m. via this Zoom link. Click here for the project's website. For more information about the overall hospital site redevelopment, click here.