Linda Thompson’s 2 decades of service honored by Bloomington’s environmental commission
On Thursday, senior environmental planner Linda Thompson attended her final meeting of Bloomington’s environmental commission (EC) as the city staff member who supports the group.
Thompson’s last day on the job is Friday, which ends two decades of service, starting in 2004.
Before starting with city government, Thompson served as the coordinator of the hazardous waste program for the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District. And before that, Thompson worked for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).
At the start of Thursday’s meeting, EC chair Carrie Albright asked members to vote to add to the evening’s agenda an item recognizing Thompson’s longtime effort for the city of Bloomington.
Part of that recognition was a motion to rename the city’s Eco-Heroes art contest as the Linda Thompson Eco-Heroes art contest. The motion passed unanimously.
Another part of the recognition was to present Thompson with a certificate of appreciation, signed by EC members.
Here’s the text from certificate:
The Bloomington Environmental Commission proudly presents a certificate of appreciation to Linda Thompson for her many years of devoted assistance and support. The commission could not have succeeded in most of its endeavors without Linda’s help. The commission sends its congratulations and hopes for an enjoyable retirement. We also hope you will continue to participate in our work in the future.
About her service to the city, Thompson said: “It’s really my honor.” About the renaming of the art award, Thompson told the EC: “I just can’t say how touching that is. I really appreciate it.”
In small talk before Thursday’s meeting, Thompson said that the city’s urban forester, Haskell Smith, had told her a tree would be planted in her honor in a city park—she would have the choice of the park and the species.
Thompson figured she’d probably choose Lower Cascades as the park, because that’s close to where she lives. After the meeting, she responded to a B Square question by saying she is planning to stay in Bloomington for her retirement: “I spent 30 years trying to make a home here. I don’t want to leave now!”
About the choice of species for her dedicated tree, Albright kidded Thompson, saying that perhaps she would choose a Callery pear tree. It was an obvious joke, because Callery pears are considered an invasive species and the city is systematically trying to eradicate them from public spaces.
On the topic of invasive species, Thompson told The B Square that Bloomington’s progress towards strengthening the section in the unified development ordinance (UDO) prohibiting invasives is part of what she considers Bloomington’s “stepping up to the plate” when it comes to environmental issues.
The UDO’s improvements in regulations on impervious surfaces also count towards Bloomington’s environmental progress, Thompson said.
Also on Thursday’s meeting agenda was a discussion about helping to identify air-quality monitoring locations for a project that the city’s economic and sustainable development department is undertaking.
During that discussion, Thompson fulfilled the hope expressed in the wording of the certificate she’d received earlier in the meeting, that in her retirement she would continue to participate in the EC’s work. Thompson volunteered her backyard as the location for an air-quality monitoring station.
