April 6, 2026: Batman, Flock cameras, Hopewell South PUD

Civic Solver

We don’t have a fresh Civic Solver game this week, but we will return next week with a new one!

Weather Talk

Based on the National Weather Service forecast in text and charts here’s some advice.

Monday: A light jacket to start the day would be a good idea as we’re coming off an overnight low from Sunday of around 37F°. Wear sunglasses, because it will be totally clear and sunny, with a high near 59F°. Wind gusts could go as high as 24 mph.

Tuesday: There’s a freeze alert for the overnight low from Monday. Put on a warmer jacket than you had on Monday, especially if you are planning to stand outside North Showers at 8 a.m. to be the first person to cast a ballot during the early voting period. There will be no sun to help warm you up and the high will be just around 50F°.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system

Recent articles

• Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish.  Did Coffee actually win the election for Best Bloomington Beverage? Read the hilarious banter between Hawk and Fish to find out!
• Monroe County property transfers through March 30, 2026.  This report includes new property transfers in Monroe County that haven’t previously been reported by The B Square, with dates ranging from March 7 to March 30, 2026. The data in this report comes from Beacon, the county’s online geographic information system for property and parcel data.
• Batman House: The inside story.  Pinnacle Asset Management has purchased Bloomington’s historic Batman House at Kirkwood and Madison for $770,000. Developer Peter Dvorak says possible uses range from offices to lodging or apartments, but plans remain under study. The article includes photos from inside the building.
• Bloomington police policy on Flock cameras revised ahead of April 15 city council briefing.  Opponents of Bloomington’s Flock Safety cameras protested outside and inside Mayor Kerry Thomson’s State of the City address on Tuesday. Thomson said the city will brief the council on April 15. BPD has updated its ALPR policy, including new audit rules and limits on certain investigations.
• Hopewell South PUD pushed to April 22 as Bloomington council, mayor spar over conditions.  On Wednesday, Bloomington’s city council postponed a vote for a third time on the Hopewell South PUD after a long debate over permanent affordability levels, street design standards, and whether the council can legally impose “reasonable conditions” on the project.

Quick notes

Politics of paving. In Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson’s State of the City address last Tuesday (March 31), she stated: “In the first two years of my administration, we paved over 32 miles of streets. ... To put that 32 miles in perspective, that’s more than the city paved in the previous four years combined.”

There is a data set on paving maintained by the city of Bloomington that appears to support the mayor’s claim—at least at first glance. It’s a dataset of geographic line segments with distance for each segment, which is used by public works “to track current and previous year’s street paving.” It’s a useful set of geographic information for tracking the location and status of paving projects. Adding distances of segments by year yields 32.13 miles in the last two years (2024 and 2025) and 29.41 miles for the previous four years, which is consistent with the mayor’s claim.

What appears to be missing from that set of data, however, is any way to differentiate a two-lane road from a four-lane road. Surely paving a mile of a four-lane road counts twice as much as a mile of two-lane road.

The public works street division maintains a different dataset for paving work in a year—by measuring “lane miles.” According to that dataset, the city’s paving output for the last two years (2024 and 2025) totaled 29 lane miles. For the previous four years, the city’s paving output was 50 lane miles. That appears to contradict the mayor’s claim. The B Square sent a question last Friday to the mayor’s office asking for clarification. This shared Google Sheet compiles the information and analysis from both city datasets.

City council legal staff. After its two staff attorneys abruptly resigned in February, the city council established a hiring committee to look into a strategy for getting the needed work done. Reportedly, the committee is looking to bring Larry Allen on board—on a temporary basis, and for a limited number of hours a week. Allen formerly served as city attorney in the Thomson administration, before leaving to join Paganelli Law Group. He’s no longer with that firm.

Recorder warns of schemes. Monroe County recorder Amy Swain has alerted residents to various schemes that offer to provide services to residents for hundreds of dollars, which her office provides at no cost. Swain’s news release describes how one company is asking for $285 for a property alert monitoring system. From the release: Such an alert system is available free from your Monroe County Recorder’s Office.”

Another company is offering to send you a copy of your deed at a cost of more than $100, according to the release. From the release: “Copies of your deed are available in the Recorder’s Office for $1.00 per page. Most deeds are 1-3 pages.”

Eco Heroes art contest! This year’s theme of the city of Bloomington’s Eco Heroes art contest is: Our Nature at Night. From the city’s website: “Entries based on the theme are encouraged in a wide range of formats, including written, visual, or performance art. We welcome posters and illustrations, sculptures and 3D art, textiles, essays and poems, photography, music, or whatever best connects you to the theme Our Nature at Night.”

The deadline for submitting entries is April 7. That’s tomorrow. Get onnit! Here’s a poem to inspire you:

Owl-gebra
Our nature at night,
listens for wings we cannot see,
adds the hoots, subtracts the shadows,
until the forest solves its own equation,
in all the unknowns of the universe

On the calendar

Transfer of city-owned land to CIB for host hotel. On the 5 p.m. Monday (April 6) meeting agenda for Bloomington’s redevelopment commission is the authorization for the transfer of city-owned property south of the current convention center, to the Monroe County capital improvement board (CIB), for the purpose of constructing a host hotel for the convention center. The land, now used as parking lots, is just north of the real estate that Monroe County government has been asked to consider transferring to the CIB for the same purpose. On the map that The B Square has published in connection with this topic, the city-owned land is shaded green.

Traveling town hall: April 6. According to the city of Bloomington, mayor Kerry Thomson and planning director David Hittle will appear at a Traveling Town Hall on Monday (April 6) from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Morgenstern Books, located at 849 S Auto Mall Rd. The news release from the city says: “The evening will begin with brief updates from the mayor, followed by a Q&A session based on submitted questions. If time allows, the event will conclude with live questions from attendees.”

First day of early voting: April 7. Early voting starts on April 7 at 8 a.m. sharp and goes through 6 p.m. The 8 a.m.–6 p.m. schedule is good for weekdays before the primaries on May 5. There are some Saturdays on the schedule but not this week. Here’s a link to the complete schedule. Remember, there’s a new new early voting location—in the North Showers building at 9th Street and Morton Street.

Pushcart, food truck licenses. On the 5:30 p.m. Tuesday (April 7) agenda for Bloomington’s board of public works are several routine agenda items, among them approvals for food truck licenses (Doner Kebab and Top Notch Filipino Fusion) and a pushcart license (Rasta Pops).

Jail deadline: April 7. The Monroe County council has given itself an April 7 deadline to “identify the funding source for ... construction” of a new jail. That’s not actually the date of a county council regular meeting. The next county council meeting on the calendar is April 14, when the council could also have on its agenda a transfer of land to the Monroe County CIB for a new host hotel for the convention center.

Nerd Nite: April 9. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bishop Bar, the next edition of Nerd Nite features presentations on “Aphrodisiacs: A History, A Science, A Folktale,” “Tracking the ‘Misinformation Beat’ In the Press,” and “What’s in a Month?”

Trashion Refashion: April 12. Trashion Refashion has announced the release of ticket sales for this year’s event, which is set for April 12, at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Organizers describe the event like this: “This beloved event blends high fashion with sustainability, showcasing over 50 original, upcycled designs modeled by a diverse cast of community members. A highlight of Bloomington’s arts scene since 2010, the show promotes environmental sustainability and artistic creativity while challenging conventional notions about beauty and consumerism.” It’s a fundraiser for the Center for Sustainable Living. There’s more information in the link to the news release, but here’s a direct link to purchase tickets.

Ms. Lake Lemon: May 16. Start your training regimen now. This amazing contest of skill is to be held at Riddle Point Park this year. Monitor the Ms. Lake Lemon Facebook page for details, as they become available. The B Square covered last year’s inaugural event.

Meet Turkey Dirk!

This very, very good boy is a mountain cur mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Turkey Dirk:

Dirk is a young, gentle-hearted pup who is looking for a calm and patient family to call his own. He’s incredibly sweet and has the softest soul—you can see it in his eyes and feel it in his snuggles. While he’s still a bit nervous around new people and situations, Dirk is getting braver every day. With a little time and TLC, this silly boy is sure to blossom into the confident companion he’s meant to be. Dirk adores other dogs and comes alive when he’s playing with his furry friends or chasing after toys. Cats? He has successfully lived with them before and wouldn't mind sharing space with them again!

Photo Finish: 6th Street & Walnut Street

The Photo Finish items are drawn from the B There section of the B Square website.

Thanks for reading. I hope your week is off to a great start!

Dave Askins
734-645-2633
dave@bsquarebulletin.com

Sponsors stand with local civic journalism

The B Square Bulletin is made possible by financial supporters who believe in informed, engaged communities. Learn more about how you can help ensure The B Square survives to serve Bloomington residents now and for generations to come.