Solar panel design work OK’d for The Forge, recertification from state for Bloomington’s technology park

The Forge, which is the technology center currently under construction in the southeast corner of the Trades District,  just south of The Mill coworking space, will have a set of solar panels designed by MPI Solar.

The $1,900 contract for the solar panel design work was approved by Bloomington’s redevelopment commission at its regular Monday meeting.

When it’s completed, the 3-story 22,000-square-foot building that’s going up north of 10th Street, and west of Madison Street is supposed to provide office space for technology companies that are beyond the startup phase.

The Forge will also appear on the agenda for the Tuesday night meeting of Bloomington’s board of public works, for use of the right-of-way in Madison Street and Maker Way next to the building site. The construction crews are already using the street to reach the upper stories with boom lifts.

At its Monday meeting, Bloomington’s RDC also learned that the 65-acre Technology Park, of which the 12-acre Trades District is a part, has been recertified by the state of Indiana.

As a certified technology park (CTP), that means it is now eligible to receive $250,000 a year in sales and income tax revenue that is shared back from the state. Continue reading “Solar panel design work OK’d for The Forge, recertification from state for Bloomington’s technology park”

City council mulls future local funding for Bloomington Transit investments, as 2020 budget relies on feds for electric buses, shared-ride microtransit

Possible federal grants are a key part of the Bloomington Transit 2020 budget presented to the city council on Tuesday by the public transit agency’s general manager, Lew May. Councilmembers appeared receptive to the planned $4 million in capital expenditures to acquire four more alternative-fuel buses.

BT is also applying for a federal grant to fund a shared-ride microtransit pilot program to take up the slack on certain routes after fixed-route service ends for the day.

Council president Dave Rollo suggested looking beyond traditional federal funding sources. Among the local funding sources he suggested were tax increment finance funds and local income taxes.

A budget increase of $87,000 to cover an outside contract to add a security officer at BT’s downtown transit station drew scrutiny from councilmembers.

As it did on Monday, which was the first day of a week’s worth of departmental budget hearings, climate change drove a lot of the council’s commentary. Councilmembers wanted BT to consider adding solar panels to a new roof for the BT facility on Grimes Lane, which is currently budgeted for $363,250.

Before the unanimous straw vote was taken by councilmembers in support of the proposed budget, Dave Rollo said, “We are running out of time. And we need to direct capital to Bloomington Transit, if we’re going to be serious about climate—it’s got to be part of the strategy.”

The council’s vote to adopt the budget is scheduled for Oct. 10 after getting a first reading on Sept. 25.

Continue reading “City council mulls future local funding for Bloomington Transit investments, as 2020 budget relies on feds for electric buses, shared-ride microtransit”