Convention center: CIB takes steps to contract with architect, to include input from arts, entertainment

View looking south from the top of the 4th Street parking garage of property that could be used for the convention center. The convention center is in the right of the frame. (Aug. 9, 2022)

Galen Cassady addresses the Monroe County capital improvement board at its June 12, 2024 meeting.

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Kirkwood and Walnut streets looking south. (June 14, 2024)

Two big pieces of news came out of Wednesday’s meeting of Monroe County’s capital improvement board (CIB).

First, the CIB chose Weddle Bros. as the construction manager for the convention center expansion project. Second, it will be the real estate to the east of the current convention center that will become the location of the expansion of the current center, which stands at the southwest corner of 3rd Street and College Avenue.

But the CIB took another newsworthy step on Wednesday—giving a green light to its legal counsel, Jim Whitlatch of Bunger & Robertson to start working on a contract with its selected architectural firm, Schmidt Associates, for design work.

That contract will draw on around $6 million in food and beverage tax money that the city council already appropriated in 2019 for architectural fees. The purchase orders with Schmidt Associates are still open for those appropriations, according to CIB treasurer Eric Spoonmore and CIB controller Jeff Underwood.

The expansion design work will get input from an advisory group that the CIB has formed—on arts and entertainment matters for the downtown geographic area known as the BEAD (Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District).

The CIB plans to incorporate the city’s one-percent for art ordinance into the convention center expansion design work. Continue reading “Convention center: CIB takes steps to contract with architect, to include input from arts, entertainment” →

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” →

Purchase offers for Bloomington police station: Board of public works to mull proposals on Friday

From left, Bloomington BPW members: Jane Kupersmith, Elizabeth Karon, and Kyla Cox Deckard. (Nov. 21, 2023)

Park gets new name By Christy Mullins 331-42661 cmullins@heraldt.com The small public park on Third Street behind the Bloomington Police Department now bears the name of three prominent Bloomington families who deeded the land decades ago. In a celebration Sunday, the park was rededicated as the Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park. Members of each family attended, some from as far as New York, to thank the city for its recognition. But “the families didn’t seek this,” Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said. About a year ago, curious resident Evelyn Powers found the deed to Third Street Park on microfilm and brought it to Kruzan, the city’s parks director and the city’s legal department for some answers. The original deed stat- ed that the park would be named after the three famP lies who sold the land to the city in the early 1920s — for a lump sum of $5,400. Until Sunday, the land had been known as Third Street Park, although officials aren’t sure why. “Of course I thought she was wrong," Kruzan said. “There was no way. But she was right. "Some might say gov- ernment works slowly, but today we’re getting it right.” In the background, hun- dreds of people occupied the park, finishing a 5K walk through Bloomington for homelessness awareness. A smaller crowd gathered for the rededication cer- emony. Kruzan and others acknowledged that the park has remained free and open to the public, even during special events at its amphi- theater. “Call this park what you want,” said Nat U. Hill, rep- resenting the Hill family. "So long as you maintain the belief that it should remain a free, public park."

Aerial image of Bloomington police station.

At a 3 p.m. public hearing on Friday, Bloomington’s board of public works is set to consider three purchase offers that have been received for the city’s police station.

Under state law, the board’s role is not to approve one of the offers. It is Bloomington’s city council that has to approve the sale.

The board is just supposed to make a recommendation, then notify the mayor of that recommendation. The wording of the state law goes like this: “…the executive shall designate a board or commission of the municipality to give notice, conduct the hearing, and notify the executive of its recommendation.”

[Updated On Dec. 8, 2023 at 4:11 p.m. At the conclusion of the public hearing, at which just three people spoke, the three-member board voted 2–0 to forward no recommendation to the city council. Board member Jane Kupersmith recused herself from the vote, citing as the reason her pending appointment by mayor-elect Kerry Thomson as head of the city’s department of economic and sustainable development. The three purchase offers are available on BloomDocs.org]

Even if the board of public works were to recommend against selling the police station, the question could still get a vote by the city council.

Outgoing Bloomington mayor John Hamilton wants to put the question of a sale on the council’s meeting agenda for next Wednesday, Dec. 13. That is the city council’s final scheduled meeting of the year. Continue reading “Purchase offers for Bloomington police station: Board of public works to mull proposals on Friday” →

Bloomington budget notes: Vacant police positions help pay for elections, animal shelter lease buyout

The recruitment challenges faced by Bloomington’s police department are well established: Around 20 of the budgeted 105 sworn officer positions have been vacant through this year.

Bloomington Budget notebook: Election expenses, animal shelter lease buyout among year-end items — This image was generated by AI.

The year-end appropriations that are cued up for a first reading at this Wednesday’s meeting of Bloomington’s city council give a rough idea of how much money has been left unspent towards police salaries, due to the shortage of officers.

To be released out of the personnel category for the police department is $870,000, which will make that amount available to be spent by other departments on other things—like this year’s city elections and a lease buyout at the animal shelter.

When Appropriation Ordinance 23-08 is put to a vote at next Wednesday’s meeting, on Dec. 13, that will wrap up the council’s approvals of spending activity for the year.

Most of the financial activity that the council will be asked to approve with the ordinance is about moving money from one place to another inside the general fund, with no overall negative fiscal impact. Continue reading “Bloomington budget notes: Vacant police positions help pay for elections, animal shelter lease buyout” →

Bloomington mayor wants Dec. 13 vote by city council on police station sale

The police station is in the upper left corner of the aerial image.

Calendar of upcoming key dates in Showers West projectg.

At its Wednesday meeting in a little over a week from now, Bloomington’s city council will likely be asked by outgoing mayor John Hamilton to vote on the sale of the city’s police station.

That’s a key takeaway from a Monday noon work session of Bloomington’s city council.

Next week’s Dec. 13 council meeting is the city legislative body’s final regular meeting of the year.

But before the council is asked to approve the sale, Bloomington’s board of public works will hold a public hearing this Friday, Dec. 8. Even though the three-member board does not need to approve the sale, it is required under state law to make a recommendation to the city council and the mayor.

So on Friday, the administration is just looking for the board of public works to indicate its attitude about the sale—for, against, or no recommendation either way.

At Monday’s session, deputy mayor Larry Allen revealed that the city had so far received three offers for the purchase of the police station. The building is located on 3rd Street north of The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park.

One offer is right at the $3.2-million minimum offer specified in the city’s notice of sale, published on Oct. 11. The minimum offer is the same as the lower of two fair market value appraisals that were done by the city, Allen revealed.

A second fair market appraisal, Allen said at Monday’s session, put the value of the police station at $4.4 million. The city had also received an offer to purchase the real estate at that price, Allen said.

A third offer exceeded $4.4 million, Allen said.

Even though just five of nine councilmembers attended Monday’s work session, a measure of the topic’s importance was mayor-elect Kerry Thomson’s attendance. Continue reading “Bloomington mayor wants Dec. 13 vote by city council on police station sale” →

Sale of Bloomington police station: City officials look to smooth over objections based on century-old deed

Article from Herald Times Newspaper Third Street Park to be renamed By Christy Mullins 331-42661 cmullins@heraldt.com Third Street Park will soon be renamed after three prominent families who deed- ed the land 88 years ago. Members of the Waldron, Hill arid Bus- kirk families will speak at a rededication ceremony Sunday, when the small park behind the Bloomington Police Depart- ment changes its name to the Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park. The celebration starts at 1:15 p.m. A clause in the park’s original deed — that the patch of land would take the name of all three families — went unac- knowledged when they sold the land to the city of Bloomington in1923. When the mayor, the city’s parks director and a curi- ous Bloomington resident who found the document on microfilm began studying the land’s history, they began working to rename the park. Sunday’s ceremony is open to the public. Some elected officials, including Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, also have been invited to attend.

The police station is in the upper left corner of the aerial image.

It is agreed by and between the parties hereto that the principal consideration for the deed is that the above and foregoing described real estate shall be used exclusively for a Free Public Park, for the use of the Citizens of Bloomington, Indiana; and that the same shall be named and maintained under the name of The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park. And it is further provided that should the Grantee herein, or any other body that shall hereafter assume their duties, fail to maintain said Park as above described and for the use and purpose mentioned, the said real estate herein described shall revert to the Grantors herein, their Administrators, Executors, heirs and assigns.

Some wheels that were set in motion by Bloomington’s city council just about a year ago foresaw the sale of the current police station at 3rd and Lincoln streets.

But there are some major political and legal wrinkles that will need to be ironed out to make that sale possible.

On the political side, it’s not clear if there will be a five-vote majority on the city council, which would still be needed to support the sale of the police station.

On the legal side of things, there’s a century-old clause in a deed that is connected to a land conveyance to the adjacent park that is now called The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park. Continue reading “Sale of Bloomington police station: City officials look to smooth over objections based on century-old deed” →

Deer feeding ban to be mulled by Bloomington council, part of more than decade-old conflict

B Square file photo 1st and Lincoln streets (March 2022)

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In August of 2021, a Bloomington resident in the southeast part of town lodged a deer-related complaint in the city’s online reporting system:

A deer jumped my fence to attack my dog and ran up onto my patio before I slam[med] the door shut. My dog rolled and made it safely in the house. I’m tired of my neighbors in Winslow Farm feeding the deer and I’m willing to take action to stop the deer from killing my family. Take action or I will.

It is partly because of that kind of complaint about deer in neighborhoods that led Bloomington’s animal control commission to vote in April of 2022 to send a draft wildlife management plan to the director of public works Adam Wason for review.

At their May 10 meeting, Bloomington’s animal control director Virgil Sauder briefed city councilmembers on an upcoming ordinance that the administration will be proposing, to implement a deer feeding ban. Continue reading “Deer feeding ban to be mulled by Bloomington council, part of more than decade-old conflict” →

Column: Extra! Extra! Early voting, Little 500!

Screengrab: Breaking Away, crowd scene Mark Kruzan

Early voting at Monroe County election operations at 4th and Walnut Streets. (April 4, 2023)

Screengrab: Breaking Away, finish line “Cutters win, Cutters win!”

Today (Saturday April 22), walk-in early voters for this year’s May 2 municipal elections can cast a ballot at the election operations center at 3rd and Walnut streets. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bloomington voters will be electing party nominees for mayor, clerk, and nine city council seats. Ellettsville voters will elect party nominees for clerk/treasurer and town council.

Also today at 2 p.m., riders in this year’s edition of the Little 500 bicycle race will roll off the start line at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the Indiana University campus. You can also watch the drama unfold on the university’s live stream. Continue reading “Column: Extra! Extra! Early voting, Little 500!” →