convention center renovation

Logo for F.A. Wilhelm Construction.

Logo for Weddle Bros. Building Group

Logo for Shiel Sexton.

JS Held’s Deb Kunce briefs the CIB on the scoring rubric before the construction manager interviews. (June 4, 2024))

On Tuesday morning, members of the Monroe County capital improvement board (CIB) interviewed three firms who want the job of construction manager for the Monroe Convention Center renovation and expansion project.

A decision on the choice between F.A. Wilhelm Construction; Shiel Sexton; and Weddle Bros. Building Group could come at the next meeting of the CIB, on Wednesday, June 12.

It was just the first of two days in the spotlight for the convention center expansion project.

On Wednesday, June 5, Bloomington’s city council is expected to consider the draft of a letter, which it might adopt, expressing the city council’s view on 21 different aspects of the convention center expansion.

The points in the letter range from use of on-site fossil fuels, to inclusion of space dedicated to monthly or biweekly youth and/or senior activities.

Also on Tuesday, the CIB agreed on a proposed revision to its 2024 budget, which the city council approved only recently, at its April 10 meeting.

The biggest difference between the proposed new budget and the one that was approved by the council two months ago is another $255,000 to pay for the CIB’s owner’s representative on the project, which is JS Held. Continue reading “Bloomington city council letter looms, CIB wraps up convention center construction manager interviews” →

From left: Monroe County councilor Trent Deckard and Bloomington city councilmember Andy Ruff. (April 5, 2024)

Bloomington city council work session. (April 5, 2024)

At the table from left: Bloomington city councilmember Kate Rosenbarger, Monroe County councilor Geoff McKim, and Bloomington city councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith. (April 5, 2024)

Panorama of convention center looking to the southwest as seen in August of 2022.

The topic of the Monroe Convention Center renovation and expansion project has recently been prominent on the work plan for Bloomington’s city council.

This coming Wednesday’s (April 10) council meeting will make two out of the last three regular meetings that the council has had an item on its agenda involving the convention center project.

At its March 27 meeting, the council voted to ask the food and beverage tax advisory commission (FABTAC) to review a $250,000 expenditure from the revenue generated by the tax, to support the 2024 budget for Monroe County’s capital improvement board (CIB). That’s the group of seven people who are providing the governance for the convention center expansion project.

This coming Wednesday, the council will be asked to approve the CIB’s budget, based on the $250,000 appropriation, which was already a part of the 2024 adopted budget for the city of Bloomington.

This past Friday, the council held a work session on the topic, at the urging of councilmember Kate Rosenbarger, who is looking to spend food and beverage tax money on projects other than the convention center.

Based on Friday’s work session discussion, besides Rosenbarger and Matt Flaherty, there’s little appetite among city councilmembers, or other elected or appointed officials, for altering course from the current plan in any significant way.

That plan is for the city to use the vast majority of its food and beverage tax revenue to pay for the convention center expansion project. Continue reading “CIB budget cued up for Bloomington council, no big course change in sight on convention center project” →