North gateway at Miller-Showers Park to be completed this yearBloomington Parks and Recreation on July 30 received the necessary approvals for temporary vehicle lane and cut-through closures to facilitate construction of Bloomington's Bicentennial gateway and associated curb and sidewalk improvements beginning Aug. 5. The Board of Public Works at their July 30, 2024 meeting approved periodic lane closures on North College Avenue and North Walnut Street for contractor Reed & Sons of Bloomington, Ind. to unload materials and equipment. The cut-through segment of Old State Road 37 between North College and North Walnut will close Aug. 5 and will remain closed during the gateway construction and site improvement work. Completion is scheduled for late 2024. Sidewalks at the north end of Miller-Showers Park, 1500 N. College Ave., will temporarily close during gateway construction. Detours will be provided for the closed routes. The Board of Park Commissioners at their June 25, 2024 meeting approved an addendum to a contract with Reed & Sons to prepare the site on the north side of Miller-Showers Park for the Bicentennial gateway. Reed & Sons was also awarded a second contract to fabricate and install the limestone gateway wall. Bo-mar Industries of Beech Grove, Ind. designed the metal lettering and LED lighting for the limestone gateway, and was awarded a contract for its fabrication and installation.
The Bicentennial gateway is a wall approximately 52' long and 10' high, composed of stacked limestone blocks and the word "Bloomington" in backlit letters mounted to the limestone. The Bloomington Arts Commission (BAC) will solicit design proposals for an additional public art piece located about 60 feet north of the gateway wall. The BAC will receive $125,000 from the Bicentennial Bond fund to solicit, select, and install a piece of public art in this location. Further announcements on this art piece will be made by the BAC. Funding for the Bicentennial Gateway comes from a series of municipal bonds approved by a vote of the City Council in October 2018. A total of $1.25 million was earmarked for the design and construction of the city gateway. With the exclusion of the additional funds to the BAC, which will come from proceeds of the same Bicentennial Bond account, the project is expected to remain within the original budget. Bicentennial Gateway Project Timeline
In all, the cost impacts of the redesign include:
This brings the net impact of the redesign to $42,339.87 and brings the total project cost to $1.23 million out of an original budget of $1.25 million. However, as part of the redesign, Parks and Recreation also worked with the Bloomington Arts Commission (BAC) to include a separate art element. The BAC will receive $125,000 from the Bicentennial Bond Series C fund to solicit, select, and install a piece of public art in this location. Enough additional funds remain in this bond fund from the original issuance and interest accrued in the intervening years to pay for the art element through the BAC without negatively impacting other projects.
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