Board looks to potential fall 2026 opening of Monroe Convention Center expansion

The now hoped-for timeline for the opening of an expansion to the Monroe Convention Center is fall or winter of 2026.

That’s a takeaway from the third meeting of the capital improvement board (CIB) that was created by county commissioners in July.

Still pending is the ratification by Monroe County of an interlocal agreement that outlines how county government will work with the city of Bloomington on the Monroe Convention Center expansion.

But Wednesday’s meeting reinforced the impression left by CIB members when they met in October and November: They are not looking to dawdle in getting the convention center project back up and running, after it stalled out in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Invited to give a presentation on Wednesday  was a team from Schmidt Associates, led by Sarah Hempstead, which worked on the project four years ago before political wrangling led to a pause that was made longer by the pandemic.

Some key takeaways from the presentation include a hoped-for timeline that calls for occupancy of an expanded facility the fall or winter of 2026.

In order to hit that target, Hempstead described some tasks that need to be completed in the next 30 days, which includes finalizing contracts, procuring site surveys, confirming funding capacity, scheduling startup meetings, and determining the construction delivery method.

The construction delivery method would mean a choice between a construction manager as agent, as constructor, or a construction manager at risk.

Confirming the funding capacity means assessing how much revenue the county’s 1-percent food and beverage tax revenue would generate in the coming years—in addition to the money that has sat unspent since it started getting collected in 2017.

It is the city government’s share of the food and beverage tax revenue that is supposed to be used to pay for the convention center expansion. For  the city of Bloomington, the fund balance for the tax at the end of 2022 was about $13.1 million. Through October of this year, Bloomington’s share of the revenue amounts to about $3.4 million—which projects out to a fund balance of around $17.5 million by year’s end.

The high-end of construction costs for any proposal contemplated by the planning group  in 2019 was around $54 million.

Hempstead said that since 2019 construction costs have increased  between 50 percent and 75 percent.

The reason for the urgency, which is reflected in the 30-day task list, is a function not just of the CIB’s interest in getting a convention center expansion built.

Indiana’s state legislature has taken notice of the lack of progress towards a convention center expansion in Monroe County. So in its 2023 session, Indiana’s state legislature passed HB 1454,  which uses the local food and beverage tax as a prod, to require Bloomington and Monroe County to show some progress on the convention center project.

The new state legislation requires the city of Bloomington and Monroe County each to develop a plan to spend food and beverage tax revenue by Dec. 1 of this year, and to file that plan with the state. Both local governments have filed their plans:

• Food and beverage spending plan: City of Bloomington
• Food and beverage spending plan: Monroe County

The city’s spending plan notes that the 2024 adopted city budget includes an appropriation for $250,000 to support convention center expansion activities. The money is supposed to pay the expenses associated with creating a nonprofit building corporation to issue debt in support of design and construction of the convention center expansion.

The $250,000 is also supposed to cover the CIB’s personnel and administrative expenses—which include a controller and legal counsel.

The CIB has tapped Bunger & Robertson’s Jim Whitlatch as its legal counsel. On Wednesday, CIB treasurer Eric Spoonmore was authorized by his board colleagues to negotiate terms with retiring city of Bloomington controller Jeff Underwood, to serve as the controller for the CIB.

Along with Sarah Hempstead, who’s CEO of Schmidt Associates, giving parts of the presentation on Wednesday were Lisa Gomperts (Schmidt Associates), Bill Riggert (Bledsoe Riggert Cooper James), Deb Schmucker (Cornerstone Planning & Design Solutions), David Greusel (Convergence Design), and Rob Hunden (Hunden Partners).

In addition to the 30-day task list, Hempstead gave the CIB a 60-day list.

The 60-day task list includes confirming the site and program, updating budgets and market analyses, initiating schematic design, conducting geotechnical exploration, and ensuring completion of other site due diligence processes.

Based on the general reaction of CIB members to the slide deck presentation on Wednesday, the board will be looking to confirm the northward expansion option, which is to build on the former Bunger & Robertson lot that is now under complete control of the city of Bloomington.

Towards the end of Wednesday’s meeting, CIB president John Whikehart told board members that Whitlatch had drafted some proposed bylaws, which would be considered at their next meeting.

The next meeting of the CIB is set for Jan. 17, 2024.