Bloomington’s state of city: Thomson covers housing, homelessness, police, parks, eclipse, and more

Demonstrators held signs outside the Buskirk-Chumley Theater before Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson’s State of the City Address. (April 9, 2024))

Buskirk-Chumley Theater marquee heralding the State of the City address. (April 9, 2024))

Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson delivers her State of the City address. (April 9, 2024)

On Tuesday evening, at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson delivered 25 minutes worth of remarks billed as the State of the City address.

The timing for the event was keyed to the 100-day mark since Thomson’s swearing in as Bloomington’s new mayor, on Jan. 1. Towards the start of her remarks, Thomson stated: “This is my 100th day in office.”

It was the first of a half dozen applause lines on the night.

Outside the Buskirk-Chumley, before Thomson’s address started, around two dozen demonstrators stood with signs in support of the city council’s resolution, approved unanimously last week, asking national leaders to work towards a ceasefire in Gaza, to allow for delivery of humanitarian aid. Their signs read: “Don’t veto peace.” Continue reading “Bloomington’s state of city: Thomson covers housing, homelessness, police, parks, eclipse, and more” →

Zero traffic deaths by 2039 says Bloomington, outdoor parklet dining program OK’d another year

Parklet for Metal Works Brewing on 6th Street looking southwest. (2022)

The west side of College Avenue from Kirkwood to 6th Street. (Bing aerial imagery 2022)

(B Square file photo from August 2020) College at 6th looking south.

Screenshot of a web-based survey that includes a way for respondents to place a dot where they feel unsafe (red) or safe (green) with comments. Link to survey: https://tooledesign.github.io/Bloomington_SS4A/

An image from Bloomington’s high-injury network from the slide deck presentation to the city council. Here’s a link to a version of the slide deck: https://bloomington.in.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024-04-03%20City%20Council%20Presentation.pdf

A graph showing Bloomington’s goal for reducing traffic fatalities to zero. From the slide deck: https://bloomington.in.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024-04-03%20City%20Council%20Presentation.pdf

Bloomington wants to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the city’s roadways to zero by 2039.

That’s one of the big points of a resolution adopted by Bloomington’s city council at its regular Wednesday meeting.

The other big point of the resolution is that the city will adopt a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Action Plan. The SS4A is a grant program administered by the Federal Transit Administration.

Presenting the resolution was Ryan Robling, who is the city’s planning services manager, and Dean Chamberlain, who is the engineering group manager for Toole Design’s Minneapolis office. Toole is helping Bloomington develop the city’s SS4A action plan under a $132,500 contract approved last year by the board of public works.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the city council extended for the 2024 season the outdoor dining program for parklets—on-street parking spaces that restaurants can pay a fee to use as additional areas to serve customers. The program this year runs from April 29 until Nov. 1. Continue reading “Zero traffic deaths by 2039 says Bloomington, outdoor parklet dining program OK’d another year” →

Cassady Electrical Contractors, Huston Electric announce merger in Monroe County courthouse

Cassady Electrical Contractors, Huston Electric merger, Monroe County courthouse rotunda (March 27, 2024)

Photo from July 29, 1973 edition of the Herald Times.

Article from July 29, 1973 edition of the Herald Times.

On Wednesday morning, representatives of Cassady Electrical Contractors and Huston Electric announced their merger, effective on April 1.

The venue for the announcement was the historic Monroe County courthouse rotunda. About the choice of location to release the news, Cassady Electric’s Randy Cassady described the rotunda to The B Square as the “heart of the community.” Continue reading “Cassady Electrical Contractors, Huston Electric announce merger in Monroe County courthouse” →

Bloomington withdraws appeal, BZA to re-hear request for Kirkwood condo groundfloor variance

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.

A variance that was requested by developer Randy Lloyd’s Cutters Kirkwood 123 for a condo development on the lot, was denied by Bloomington’s board of zoning appeals (BZA) in October 2020.

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.

But on Jan. 31, 2024, the city of Bloomington filed a motion with Indiana’s court of appeals, to dismiss its own appeal. About a week later, on Feb. 8, 2024, the court issued an order granting the city’s motion. Continue reading “Bloomington withdraws appeal, BZA to re-hear request for Kirkwood condo groundfloor variance” →

Final leg of Bloomington stormwater project to affect status of downtown Kirkwood this summer

The view of the parking warnings on Jan. 30, 2024, looking southeast from Indiana University’s parking lot behind the Von Lee building.

A two-year old map showing the history of the underground culvert project.

The place where the Campus River (formerly known as the Jordan River) flows into the underground culvert at Indiana Avenue and 6th Street.

pictometry of 6th Street Dunn Meadown Clear Creek Tunnel 2024-01-30 at 7.05.34 PM

The final piece of a major years-long stormwater management project in downtown Bloomington got its greenlight from Bloomington’s board of public works on Tuesday.

The role of the board of public works at its Tuesday meeting was to approve the use of the right-of-way and the maintenance-of-traffic plan—which includes detours for vehicles and pedestrians while the project is underway.

The overall project involves increasing the size of an underground culvert that starts at the tunnel where the Campus River flows from Indiana University’s Dunn Meadow, under Indiana Avenue at 6th Street, southward to where it eventually emerges in the vicinity of Walnut and 1st Streets.

The literal signs of this year’s project have already appeared. In the surface lot owned by Indiana University that sits behind the Von Lee building on Kirkwood Avenue, orange placards warn motorists that starting on Feb. 5 they won’t be able to park there.

The end date for the parking prohibition is Aug. 1, which matches the time frame for the six-month-long project. Continue reading “Final leg of Bloomington stormwater project to affect status of downtown Kirkwood this summer” →

Bloomington MLK keynote speaker in letter to enslaved ancestors: “You will not be forgotten.”

Buskirk-Chumley Theater marquee on MLK Day (Jan. 15, 2024)

MLK Day keynote speaker Jesse Hagopian (Jan. 15, 2024)

Delivering the keynote address for the city of Bloomington’s Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration on Monday was Jesse Hagopian.

The annual event is held at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Kirkwood Avenue in downtown Bloomington.

Hagopian is an ethnic studies teacher at Seattle’s Garfield High School, who is an activist on issues of educational equity, the school-to-prison pipeline, standardized testing, the Black Lives Matter at School movement, and social justice unionism.

For the occasion, Hagopian wore a T-shirt with King’s image and a quote: “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” That was a thread running through his remarks, as he focused on states across the country that have enacted laws that prevent the teaching of an accurate history of slavery in the United States. Continue reading “Bloomington MLK keynote speaker in letter to enslaved ancestors: “You will not be forgotten.”” →

Boutique hotel above former Peoples Bank on Kirkwood OK’d for height

Rendering by Studio 3 Design, looking southeast.

The image is from the Pictometry module of Monroe County’s online property lookup system.

The former Peoples Bank building on Kirkwood Avenue now has a future as a 5-story 47-room boutique hotel.

That is made possible by Bloomington’s board of zoning appeals (BZA), which has granted a variance that allows for the adaptive reuse project to exceed the height that would ordinarily be allowed.

The existing building will be preserved as a part of the project.

Project architect Tim Cover, with Studio 3 Design, told the board that the existing bank building walls would not support additional construction on top of them. Cover said that means a kind of skeleton structure has to be built through the existing building.

The board’s action came at its meeting last Thursday (Dec. 21). The decision was not controversial among the three members who attended: Barre Klapper, Flavia Burrell, and Nikki Farrell. Continue reading “Boutique hotel above former Peoples Bank on Kirkwood OK’d for height” →

Bloomington council votes down proposed law against camping, storing property in right-of-way

Bloomington city council (Sept. 13, 2023)

Josh Montagne

Kemal Perdana (Help Ourselves)

Soha Vora (Help Ourselves)

Sydney Zulich, Democratic Party nominee District 6 city ouncil

Abhinav Kotaru (Help Ourselves)

Nick Angelos (Help Ourselves)

Christopher Emge (Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerc)

Pauly Tarricone

Tim Dwyer

Mike Rouker, Bloomington city attorney

Voted down on Wednesday by Bloomington’s city council, with just two votes in favor, was an ordinance that would have explicitly prohibited camping, storing personal property, or blocking the public right-of-way, among other things.

Supporting the ordinance were Sue Sgambelluri and Susan Sandberg. Abstaining was Dave Rollo. The other five councilmembers who were present all voted against it. Ron Smith was absent.

Rollo said he was inclined to bring a motion to table the ordinance. Councilmember Jim Sims said he was inclined to put off a vote, but if it came down to a vote that night, he would vote no.

A basic concern for those who opposed the ordinance was that it punishes the unhoused population, without offering a solution for storing their belongings in a place other than the public right-of-way.

Councilmember Matt Flaherty’s sentiments reflected the views of others, when he said that crafting a better ordinance “will take months of community engagement and outreach and collaboration between the executive and legislative branch and the whole community to arrive at a solution.”

Flaherty added, “So I don’t think this is honestly well suited for just tabling or postponing and bringing back with a few clarifications, in a few weeks time.” Rollo said it was clear that there would not be majority support for tabling, so he did not make that motion. Continue reading “Bloomington council votes down proposed law against camping, storing property in right-of-way” →

It’s not just parks: Bloomington looking to add law against camping in public right-of-way

B-Line Trail (Aug. 14, 2024)

Walnut Street (Aug. 14, 2024)

B-Line Trail (Aug. 14, 2024)

Bloomington mayor John Hamilton’s administration wants to put a law on the books that prohibits camping or storing personal belongings in the public right-of-way.

To that end, at its Tuesday meeting, Bloomington’s three-member board of public works will consider a resolution that asks the city council to consider a new ordinance against camping in the public right-of-way.

It’s part of a general effort that the administration is now making, to regulate occupancy of public property—in light of its use by many members of the city’s unhoused community.

In addition to the resolution to be considered by the board of public works on Tuesday, the board of park commissioners is set on Wednesday to consider a change in the current policy on tents in parks during the day. Tents are currently allowed.

But under a proposed policy change to be considered at Wednesday’s special board of park commissioners meeting, tents and other “enclosed structures” would be prohibited in public parks. However, “shade structures” would still be allowed.

The draft ordinance that the board of public works will consider recommending to the city council states: “It is unlawful to camp in the right-of-way, store personal property in the right-of-way, or otherwise block the right-of-way in a manner that obstructs pedestrian traffic, vehicular traffic, or public travel on any sidewalk, street, or other public right-of-way.” Continue reading “It’s not just parks: Bloomington looking to add law against camping in public right-of-way” →

Rita’s Italian Ice gets OK from Bloomington

Schematic showing layout of planned Rita’s Italian Ice at Dunn & Kirkwood

August 2018 Google Streetview looking northwest along Dunn Street.

The Rita’s Italian Ice website store locator shows the Dunn & Kirkwood location on the map.

Rita’s Italian Ice is now set up to establish a Bloomington location—at the southwest corner of Kirkwood Avenue and Dunn Street.

A right-of-way encroachment agreement—to put a Rita’s in the old Falafel’s space of Dunkirk Square—was approved by Bloomington’s board of public works on Tuesday.

In the Hoosier state, Rita’s has stores in Fishers and Carmel. Nationwide the number of Rita’s stores is around 560.

Rita’s wants to encroach on the public right-of-way, in order to be able to serve customers from a walkup window along Dunn Street. Continue reading “Rita’s Italian Ice gets OK from Bloomington” →