(upbeat music) Hello and welcome to Cat's Week. I'm Annalise Poorman. At the Richland Bean Blossom School Board meeting on March 25th, instructional assistant and head of Edgewood High School's Innovative Learning Center, Lisa Wilson introduced a few of the program's interns. The ILC is a space for Edgewood high school students to collaborate, design, and produce creative projects for Edgewood schools and the Ellitsville community. Student Gabby Buckley is the head of the ILC engineering team and shared how working at the ILC has impacted her. I think that's one of the biggest goals in the ILC is to really just let students open up to all their possibilities and all the things that they're able to do. I completely changed my major after going into the ILC and now I've never been so sure about something in my life and I'm so excited to go to college knowing exactly what I wanna do. And I mean, our goals are to really promote outreach to the community and create things for people all across the community. But more importantly, it's to really show what students can do before they're being sent off to college and just show all the opportunities that they're able to give the school. And I mean, I've learned so many things that I never thought I'd be able to do. And it's just incredible having such a good mentor, Mrs. Wilson, she's one of the greatest people I've ever met, truly and honestly. And it's just really, it's a great feeling to be thrown into something so new, but to be able to thrive in a way you never thought possible. And I can say that about any other intern in there. We are all thriving in so many different ways. The next Richland Bean Blossom School Board meeting will be held on April 15th. The Monroe County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees also met on March 25th. Assistant Superintendent Alexis Harmon gave a presentation covering the district's progress towards the goals listed in MCCSC's strategic plan. We wanted to highlight two of our big professional learning days. One is our November 5th when all staff are able to get together. And we're very proud of the fact that we basically run kind of a mini conference with many of our sessions being provided in-house by our own teachers and administrators. So this year we really focused on supporting professional learning teams through professional learning related to what it means to offer a guaranteed viable curriculum, have high level strategies to deliver that curriculum, and to learn from each other as colleagues. And so we included a quote as we always like to do from our principal who, and I will read it here, "I've always felt our district PD day "is a wonderful opportunity for staff "to showcase their skill sets "while allowing others to build their own. "I love that teachers and staff alike "are able to choose options that best meet "their desired area for growth. "And I always enjoy learning from local experts "within MCCSC." She said that MCCSC offered additional professional learning opportunities throughout the year and will continue to emphasize professional learning in coming years. Later in the meeting, board member Ashley Pirani gave her monthly update on Indiana's 2025 legislative session. She noted that previous calls to senators seem to be impacting legislation and encouraged concerned constituents to continue contacting their representatives. There's also SB 287, which is about establishing a partisan school board elections. This is currently on the schedule, hopefully third time's the charm. On Thursday, it was supposed to be heard yesterday and today and it's been passed off. So if you are calling your legislators, keep doing it because it seems to be working, which is why I'm guessing it's getting pushed off. And finally, if you wanna know about any of these things, if you go to our website, under the board of school trustees tab, there's a link to our area legislators in these monthly updates. To access the automated list of bills ISBA is tracking, visit the ISBA website under the legislative services tab. Lastly, superintendent Dr. Markay Winston shared a thank you to Brandon Shure, the former district seven board representative who resigned from his position earlier this month. The Monroe County Community School Corporation, school trustees and I extend our sincere gratitude to Mr. Brandon Shure for his dedication and service to the students, families, staff and our community during his nearly six years as a board of school trustee. Mr. Shure held the position of vice president in 2021 and president for 2022 and most of 2023. He was a board of school trustee during the development of the 2021 to 2025 strategic plan and the passage of the 2022 and the 2023 referenda. We greatly appreciate his contributions to our school community. Applications to fill the vacant seat closed on Thursday, March 27th. The MCCESC school board will meet again on April 22nd. The Monroe County Council heard a request to appropriate $200,000 to the Monroe County commissioners for software expenses at their meeting on March 25th. The total cost of purchase is $500,000. Commissioners administrator, Angela Purdy, explained that the commissioners were given the option of paying the total amount upfront or entering into a five-year lease with interest. Purdy said that the commissioners found $300,000 in existing bonds that could be repurposed for the software. She requested that the remaining amount be funded through either the general fund or the rainy day fund. Council member, Marty Hawk asked why the funds could not be taken from the board's cumulative capital fund, noting that the county needs to be cautious with its spending. Either we're going to watch these budgets and watch these dollars, but to come up with the additionals when we're setting at the beginning of the year is, I mean, I just think you ought to go into your present dollars, the present budgets, and find a way to cover this. The board voted to table the discussion in order to look into alternative payment methods. Throughout the meeting, Hawk consistently voted against motions that would cost the county money. In a previous meeting, she voted against hiring a new public defender in an effort to save money. In response, senior attorney, Amy Payne, attended the meeting to express her concerns over that decision. The last two weeks, there has been a harm every single day of the last two weeks waiting. And so by Councilwoman Hawk voting no on the KSA request, there has been every day a tangible harm, especially when there's no fiscal impact to the county. This is not asking for a raise. We are not asking for more money. And it's doing a disservice to the people that we all serve. So I don't anticipate that Councilwoman Hawk is gonna change her vote tonight. I just wanna make sure that it's clear that that vote has caused me, my coworkers, and my clients more strife than is necessary with no benefit to the county whatsoever. Hawk responded apologizing that the office is going through a tough time, but explained that everyone has been affected by the $3.8 million mistake made in the budget. I just wanna make the point, and I'm sorry it caused anybody any hardship, but there's a lot of hardship going on here in county government and it's going to be for some time. I didn't make that $3.8 million mistake, but I think each of us need to see where we can possibly try to live within what has to be a reduced budget because of reduced revenue, in my opinion. And so it was not particularly this department. I just think we should stop the KSA thing altogether until we see where we're going to be on this budget and revenue coming in. But clearly it's only the first go. I can say no, but what it does, it just delays everything. Without APS programs, house checks and other services would fall to the Sheriff's Department. Henry emphasized the importance of considering how each service is being used in the community. The next Monroe County Council meeting will be held on April 8th. On March 25th, the City of Bloomington's Board of Park Commissioners presented two members of the community with the Bravo Award to honor their volunteer work. The Bravo Award is presented by the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department to recognize contributions from volunteers in the community. This month, the award was granted to Paul Howitt and Annalise Stalinga by Community Relations Coordinator, Emily Buch. So on behalf of Brandon Olson and the entire Adopt-a-Stream program staff, I am happy to recognize these two with the March of Bravo Award. According to Brandon, the dedication and passion of Annalise and Paul for our parks and streams has made a lasting impact on our community. As the Adopt-a-Stream volunteers for Latimer Woods, Paul and Annalise have totaled 45 volunteer hours of service both at Latimer and elsewhere. They are also the first and only Adopt-a-Stream volunteers in Brandon's tenure who have submitted their JotForm report every single month since they have started. Their commitment to this program, as well as their attendance at other weed wrangles and various nature programs, have provided a remarkable example for all of us. Their hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated, and we couldn't be more proud to have them as part of our team. So we're very happy to recognize them with this award. Okay, thank you, Emily, and thank you to Paul and Annalise. (audience applauds) Yes, oh yeah. Hi, I am Annalise of the slide. Okay. (laughs) I just wanted to say, so I'm what people call a bloomerang. Like, I came to Bloomington for grad school, intended to leave, did leave, and now here I am with an Indiana driver's license. And one of my regrets upon coming back was that I hadn't gotten involved in the Bloomington community before. And Bloomington Parks and Rec has been like the thing that has helped me connect with Bloomington now that I am a resident. The weed wrangle is the adopt a stream, the naturalist programs, I've met a lot of people, I've learned a ton, so I just really appreciate this opportunity and I feel like this award kind of sums up a very nice experience and relationship I've had. The Board of Parks and Recreation Department presents the Bravo Award to new volunteers every month. The next Board of Park Commissioners meeting will be held on April 17th. The Bloomington Board of Public Works met on March 25th. First, the board heard from engineering field specialist, Kyle Ball, about a lane closure request from Duke Energy for pole work. This includes lane closures at six different locations across town. Duke Energy is requesting lane closures for pole replacement and overhead equipment installation at six different locations spanning from South Walnut Street Pike and Henderson intersection to East Heather Drive. Each of these six locations is expected to take one or two days for the work to be completed. The closures are scheduled to take place during normal business hours, sometime between July 15th and October 31st of this year. The board also heard from the engineering department's senior project manager, Roy Ayton, regarding a request with Caramita for B-Line Environmental Professional Services. This project is constructing a multi-use path on the east side of North Fountain Drive and North Crescent Road, connecting the B-Line Trail to the multi-use path along 17th Street. Additionally, the intersection of Crescent Road and Fountain Drive has been realigned. This service agreement with Caramita will provide testing of soils along the B-Line Trail section for levels of lead that are above the I-DEM closure limits for a trail facility. The total not to exceed amount to the agreement will be $5,340. The board voted to approve the request unanimously. The board also heard from Engineering Public Improvement Manager Maria McCormick about some improvements at Atlas on 17th Street. This is acceptance of the public improvements from the Atlas on 17th subdivision. We will be accepting a little over seven acres of new right of way, which includes the roads of Englewood Drive, Aurora Drive, Redlands Drive, Telluride Street, and Breckenridge Road along with two alleyways. It's a total of 5,052.20 feet, linear feet of new roadway. There is a 10-foot wide multi-use path through this subdivision, as well as five-foot sidewalks that are in the right of way as well, along with street trees, new storm sewers, sanitary sewer, domestic water service. We will be providing street maintenance and repair, snow removal for the city streets, and then there are 35 lots that were given to the housing authority for low-income housing. We will provide sanitation services to those lots. The improvements were approved. The next Bloomington Board of Public Works meeting will be held on April 8th. The Ellisville Town Council approved a new voluntary employee retirement option at their meeting on March 24th. Nationwide retirement specialist, Patrick Ballard, presented the Hoosier Start 457 plan. Ballard noted that declining social security funds make retirement savings increasingly important for employees. The importance of retirement savings is only becoming more and more topical, if you will. It's becoming a more serious talking point about people not saving enough for their own retirement and planning properly and so forth, and that's where we try to come in. Town Clerk Noel Conyer clarified that adopting the Hoosier Start 457 plan does not require the town to contribute to a 401(a) matching plan. The Council approved the 457 plan and tabled discussion of the 401(a) plan. Next, Allatsville resident Jim Perry spoke to the Council, expressing his frustration that the sidewalk near his house, which he says he was promised by the end of March, had not yet been built. Perry also raised concerns about speeding in his subdivision, stating that speeds are exceeding 40 miles per hour. He called for action to address this issue. There are now probably about 17 kids in a very close proximity to that road, and the parents are afraid, because they're gonna prevent their kids from enjoying the neighborhood, in part because the speeds are going through, the cards are going through the area at 40 or more miles an hour. Kip, do we still have-- - Folks who travel with canes across the road also sometimes, and walking the dog have problems too. Do we still have the road surveys? Where we-- - They're outdated now. The software that I did have for them are not working with the new windows that we got now, so I need to upgrade that or get newer counters is what I need to be able to do that, and I don't have that at this time. Also, the residents in both areas in Meadowlands and in the subdivision that he's talking about, at the end of Nicholas for many, many, many, many years-- Overgrip. - Overgrip, thank you. There was a stub out there, and there was a stub out at the end of Clover Drive, so everyone that's lived in them associated areas all should realize that that would connect eventually, so. Whenever there's a stub or something as developing-- You don't even know what a stub is. That just means it's a dead-end street that would go into the woods or a field or whatever, and that's gone all over our town, and it's everywhere. I mean, if there's a stub there, you can guarantee eventually there's gonna be a thorough way through there. So, I mean, I understand your frustration, but-- But at the same time, we're investing a lot in the redevelopment, Ellisville Redevelopment Commission, and simultaneously we have a much larger part of the community that's not getting the attention it needs, and what I'm arguing for here or suggesting is that we use some good human judgment and actually talk to the citizens. Councilmember Dan Swafford responded that the town is addressing many issues and encouraged Perry to meet with Planning Director Denise Line for further discussion of his troubles. Swafford also noted that speeding is a town-wide issue in need of a solution. Street Commissioner Kip Hedy then informed the council about House Bill 1461, which requires municipalities to implement a wheel tax to continue applying for in-duct community crossings grants, which have been crucial to funding Ellisville's road projects. Hedy says that he understands concerns on implementing a new tax, but emphasized its importance for the town. I am a taxpayer as well in Monroe County. I am just like the rest of you. I don't wanna see my taxes go up, but the citizens of Ellisville deserves to keep this service going on. And therefore we need-- This year, Ellisville received over a quarter million dollars from the community crossings grant. If the tax is not implemented by June 30th, the town will not be able to apply for the grant next year. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman. 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A contribution to children who are vulnerable and in need of an advocate. A staff that goes above and beyond to support and advocate for children in need of services. The web of remarkable people who are dealing with difficult situations. So many young people that are in need of help and trying to find a stable family, stable place to live without the CASA's to make that happen. Many of them would be unable to find a good home. I love being that voice for the child who can't speak for themselves in court. It takes me out of my comfort zone and it also helps others. CASA means supporting our community. Being a CASA is making sure that your village is healthy and whole and that the children in your village will someday be able to help the village as well. A child who doesn't have a voice may be in their family situation or a school situation now has a voice.