714 S. Rogers St. looking south from 1st Street (March 4, 2024)
714 S. Rogers is at the eastern (right) edge of the blue-shaded area.
Buildings shaded in green are authorized for demolition. The building shaded orange is 615 1st Street and would need to be reviewed by the historic preservation commission before demolition. The building shaded red is 714 S. Rogers St.
The now vacant former Bloomington Convalescent Center at 714 S. Rogers will have entrances and windows boarded up in the next few days to secure it against intrusions.
The building, which is now owned by Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC), sits in the area of the planned new Hopewell neighborhood, near the site of the former IU Health hospital at 2nd and Rogers streets.
At its regular Monday meeting, the five-member RDC approved a $8,560 contract with Ann-Kriss, LLC to undertake several different tasks meant to secure the 714 S. Rogers building against break-ins.
Both races for Monroe County commissioner are contested this year. In one race, incumbent Democrat Julie Thomas is competing with Peter Iversen for the party’s nomination. Iversen currently serves on the county council.
In the other race, incumbent Democrat Penny Githens is competing for the nomination with Jody Madeira, an Indiana University law professor, and Steve Volan, who lost his re-election bid to the Bloomington city council last year.
Monroe County council, from near to far: Peter Iversen, Kate Wiltz, Jennifer Crossley, Trent Deckard, Geoff McKim, Cheryl Munson, and Marty Hawk. (March 26, 2024)
At its Tuesday meeting, the Monroe County council voted to adopt a procedure to start using a consent agenda in the course of its regular business.
A consent agenda is a subset of actions that could be voted on separately, but that are collected as a single item on the agenda for one vote. The items making up a consent agenda are supposed to be perfunctory and uncontroversial.
The idea is that a consent agenda will help the county council “efficiently accomplish statutory responsibilities:”
Bloomington city councilmembers from near to far: Matt Flaherty, Sydney Zulich, Dave Rollo, Andy Ruff, Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Hopi Stosberg, Isak Asare, and Courtney Daily. Kate Rosenbarger attended via Zoom. (March 27, 2024)
Councilmembers applaud Bloomington city clerk Nicole Bolden’s achievement of the status of master municipal clerk. (March 27, 2024)
An additional Bloomington police officer was assigned to city council chambers. (March 27, 2024)
Many in the audience held signs that read: “Cease Fire Now”. (March 27, 2024)
Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson. (March 27, 2024)
Bloomington city council meeting audience. (March 27, 2024).
Bloomington city council meeting. (March 27, 2024)
On Wednesday night, Bloomington’s city council just barely passed a resolution opposing the construction of a pipeline in north central Indiana for the diversion of water from the Wabash River.
The resolution, which had been put forward by Andy Ruff, got support from just five councilmembers, which is a majority on the nine-member body. Voting for it were: Ruff, Dave Rollo, Isabel Piedmont- Smith, Hopi Stosberg and Courtney Daily.
Abstaining on the vote were: Matt Flaherty, Sydney Zulich, Isak Asare, and Kate Rosenbarger.
The resolution passed with some amendments, including one that added a request that the General Assembly establish a comprehensive water management plan.
The council had discussed the resolution opposing the LEAP pipeline at its March 6 meeting, but postponed it until this week.
Before the council voted, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson gave a clear indication she would not be signing the resolution, or any similar resolutions in the future.
Addressing the council, Thomson put it like this: “While it is your prerogative to pass resolutions that express viewpoints on matters that we do not oversee, as a matter of principle, I will not be signing any resolutions that do not directly impact the business of our city.”
From left: sheriff’s office financial coordinator,Jordon Miller, chief deputy sheriff Phil Parker, and Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté. (March 26, 2024)
Monroe County council, from near to far: Peter Iversen, Kate Wiltz, Jennifer Crossley, Trent Deckard, Geoff McKim, Cheryl Munson, and Marty Hawk. (March 26, 2024)
Six additional corrections officers for Monroe County’s jail were added to the 2024 salary ordinance by county councilors at their regular Tuesday meeting.
The six positions, which are connected to Monroe County’s plans to design and build a new jail at an undetermined location, got some preliminary discussion at the county council’s meeting two weeks earlier.
The basic idea for assembling a transition team is to draw from current jail staff who know the ins and outs of Monroe County’s current jail and its processes. But in order to do that, the jobs now being done by those staff will need to be backfilled. The added six positions reflect the work by transition team members that still has to be covered.
Two weeks ago, the source of funding for the six positions that was identified by county councilors is revenue from the corrections local income tax (LIT), which county councilors enacted last year.
But revenue from the corrections LIT—which reflects a tax rate shift, not a rate increase—was conceived at the time of enactment last year as a funding source for a different purpose. That purpose was to pay for three mental health positions at the jail—a qualified mental health professional, charge planner, and a substance use counselor.
An appropriation will still have to be made by the council, likely at a meeting in April, to fund the six positions. A contract with jail transition director Cory Grass was already signed by the sheriff last year, funded by (ARPA) American Rescue Plan Act money.
Monroe County election supervisor Kylie Moreland. (March 26, 2024)
Monroe County chief deputy clerk Laura Wert. (March 26, 2024)
Monroe County council, from near to far: Peter Iversen, Kate Wiltz, Jennifer Crossley, Trent Deckard, Geoff McKim, Cheryl Munson, and Marty Hawk. (March 26, 2024)
A pay increase for the election workers who handle the various kinds of absentee voting was approved by Monroe County councilors at their regular Tuesday meeting.
The workers who will receive some additional pay are those who process mail-in absentee ballots, the “leads” who help train poll workers, and the workers who handle early in-person voting.
Tuesday’s pay increase was, as councilor Geoff McKim put it, an attempt “to fix something that we did, that we got wrong.”
On Tuesday, the pay for three subcategories of election workers was increased from: $17 to $20 an hour; from $18.50 to $25 per hour; and from $20 to $33 per hour.
Samantha Kerr with B&L IT Services, feeds ballots into a scanner. In the background are B&L owner Bob White and Monroe County election supervisor Kylie Moreland. (March 26, 2024)
From left: Monroe County election board member Judith Benckart and LWV spokesperson Deborah “Ralf” Shaw. (March 26, 2024)
Seated from near to far: election supervisor Kylie Moreland, deputy clerk Ashley Lirot, and chief deputy clerk Laura Wert. Standing is Bob White, owner of B&L B&L IT Services. (March 26, 2024)
From left: election board member Judith Benckart, deputy clerk Ashley Lirot, election supervisor Kyle Moreland, and election board member John Fernandez. (March 26, 2024)
Bob White, owner of B&L IT Services (March 26, 2024)
On Tuesday morning, Monroe County’s election equipment, manufactured by Hart InterCivic, passed the logic and accuracy test mandated under state statute.
That means the machines are ready to go for the May 7 primary elections.
On Saturday afternoon, a total of five candidates in two different Democratic Party primary races for county commissioner fielded questions at a forum hosted by League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County.
The forum took place in the auditorium of the downtown Bloomington location of the Monroe County Public Library.
In one race, incumbent Julie Thomas is competing with Peter Iversen for the party’s nomination. Iversen currently serves on the county council.
In the other race, incumbent Penny Githens is competing for the nomination with Jody Madeira, an Indiana University law professor, and Steve Volan, a former Bloomington city councilmember.
As a group of five, over the course of 90 minutes, they answered a dozen questions that asked for their thoughts on a new jail, housing, and more.
This report focuses on just the race between Thomas and Iversen. The B Square will report on the other race separately.
At a mid-February event hosted by the Building Association of South Central Indiana (BASCI), Iversen and Thomas answered questions from moderator John Fernandez, who is now vice president for innovation and strategic partnerships at The Mill.
The full forum from Saturday (March 23) is available to watch on CATS. Below is a summary of just a few highlights, which are not necessarily organized in the chronological order of the forum.
The event was cosponsored by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Monroe County NAACP, Monroe County NOW, IU PACE, IU BIG Voting Challenge, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Kappa Tau Omega Chapter.
On Saturday afternoon, four Democratic Party candidates for the three at-large seats on the Monroe County council fielded questions at a forum that took place in the auditorium of the downtown Bloomington location of the Monroe County Public Library.
Over the course of 90 minutes, they answered more than a dozen questions that asked for their thoughts on balancing mental health services against building a new jail, financing a new jail, housing, and reducing the cost of child care, among other topics.
In the council at-large race, eligible voters in Monroe County choose up to three candidates. No Republican candidates declared a candidacy in the primary.
Vying for one of the three seats are incumbents Trent Deckard and Cheryl Munson. Hoping for their first turn of service on the seven-member county council are Matt Caldie and David Henry. Incumbent Geoff McKim is not seeking re-election.
The full forum is available on CATS. Below is a summary of just a few highlights, which are not organized in the chronological order of the forum.
The event was hosted by the League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County, and cosponsored by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Monroe County NAACP, Monroe County NOW, IU PACE, IU BIG Voting Challenge, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Kappa Tau Omega Chapter.
Rendering of proposed building from the corner of Kirkwood Avenue and Washington Street.
Panorama of existing site, looking north from Kirkwood Avenue (Oct. 20, 2022)
Excerpt from Indiana Court of Appeals order on dismissal.
The surface parking lot just east of the courthouse square next to the CVS on Kirkwood Avenue could soon have a path to development as a condo project.
But that variance request will now be re-heard, possibly in April. That’s Lloyd’s hope, based on his response to an emailed B Square question.
The variance request seemed like it was on course to be re-heard sooner than that. In mid-November 2023, Monroe County’s circuit court ruled that there was a clear error in the standard of law applied by the BZA in the case. The order from judge Emily Salzmann said the BZA had to re-hear the variance request.
But the city of Bloomington filed a notice of appeal in the case. The city filed its notice of appeal on Dec. 13, 2023, which was just ahead of the 30-day clock that started after Salzmann’s order was issued on Nov. 14, 2023.
