- Hello and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annalise Poorman. The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission met on
- September 2nd. City Engineering Director Roy Ayton asked for funding to pay a disposal fee for lead-impacted
- soil taken from the future site of the Bee Line Multi-Use Trail. Ayton explained that parts of the project
- were already approved by the Redevelopment Commission. However, they had not anticipated a disposal fee.
- We have already approved to the RDC the resolution to have them do the actual contracting work of picking
- it up. What we did not have though was, because we did not know the quantities of soil until now, there's
- a disposal fee that is from waste management to take the soil up at twin bridges.
- They have invoiced us now. We've added that to our agreement with Caramida. So this addendum number
- two to their resolution is in the amount of $11,666 and is the disposal fees from Twin Bridges. Board
- members approved the request.
- Later in the meeting, City Attorney Dana Kerr introduced a request to allow Weddle Brothers Construction
- to temporarily store materials in the Convention Center parking lot, which is co-owned by the City and
- the Redevelopment Commission. The storage would be for the duration of construction of the new Convention
- Center expansion. Board member Randy Cassidy inquired about how the change might affect parking for
- the Convention Center. Kerr responded that they had not negotiated those
- terms. How's that going to affect parking? You mean current parking for the current park convention
- center? Yeah, current parking. Yeah, I was going to ask that same question. That's my concern as far
- as we're... I didn't negotiate that, do you?
- Board Vice President Sue Scambaluri asked if the Convention Center was aware of the request. Board Director
- Anna Killian Hanson then asked for more information about the deal. I wasn't even consulted about this.
- I don't know anything about this.
- Sounds like we have some additional questions before. Yeah, who negotiated this to begin with? Corporation
- Council member Margie Rice explained that the Convention Center is aware of the request and that they
- are in support of it. I did hear Dana just say that the Convention Center is aware of this. They're
- super excited about the
- convention center construction. They've been communicating on a regular basis with the CIB and their
- representatives. And they brought this to our attention to bring to you guys through your consideration.
- And so that's what we're doing tonight, granted to your consideration. There's been no concerns at all.
- Talisha was on the original email when Little Brother said, hey, we're gonna need some area for staging.
- And so they ask what area was available. And so Dana put this together for your guys' consideration.
- But for sure, the convention center is aware of this request. And I think they're on board because they
- want to do whatever they can to facilitate the construction of the convention center. Rice went on to
- further explain the process of approval in an effort to clear the air.
- As you can imagine, a lot of things that come to you guys have gone through a lot of different conversations
- with staff before it lands in a public meeting. And so this is just an example of that. I think the
- different boxes have been checked before it came to you guys for consideration. Secretary John West
- explained that the issue could have been clarified better to avoid confusion.
- Well, I think that this probably would have gone smoother if the resolution had maybe indicated that
- the convention center operators were involved in this and approved it because the way we got it, it
- was kind of a dead end topic. And as Randy said, it looked to me like we were just taking away parking
- spaces that the convention center might likely need. So that was the issue.
- The board ultimately voted on the matter and the request was passed unanimously. Next, Redevelopment
- Commission member John West introduced a proposed agreement regarding Merrill Lynch's lease termination.
- Okay, so we negotiated with Merrill Lynch their termination of their lease at Showers West. What they
- requested was to
- be able to stay until March 31, and they'd like to not have to remove their equipment and furniture.
- They want to just walk away. And in return for that, the city would not need to reimburse them for any
- moving expenses or anything under the lease agreement. So we considered it a win-win because the RDC
- is not paying anything.
- And they will be out. And we still got some tenants that we're working with. And so we feel that this
- is a good way to go. And if others wanted to do the same thing, stay till March 31st. And we already
- see not have to pay any moving expenses. Then they could step forward and do that as well.
- Margie Rice stepped in to share her personal experience with Meryl Lynch and add her opinion on the
- matter. Yeah, and I can jump in here. Meryl Lynch reached out to CBRE, which is a company that works
- in multiple states. I've been working with one of their transactions personnel at Cleveland, and he's been
- He's been interacting with Merrill Lynch in New York. And so the local team, I had originally reached
- out to the local team, Eric Sewer and met with him, and then was quickly directed to these
- other professionals to work with. And I think this is a great deal for the city of Bloomington. Frankly,
- it's probably the nicest office space in Showers West. They had not long ago updated that office.
- And so the fact that they want to leave their furniture And then I don't know exactly if they're going
- to take any of the furniture with them But what they don't want the leave and their fixtures will not
- be a problem for us To the city's advantage to walk away and they've been very professional they understand
- the terms of the lease I think from a kind of more global perspective and
- They have been very good to work with, and I would highly recommend that we take this offer.
- The Redevelopment Commission approved the motion. John West then went on to introduce a similar proposition
- in regard to the termination of the Bloomington Health Foundation's lease at Showers West. This resolution
- is similar to the Merrill Lynch, but this is the Bloomington Health Foundation.
- And the key terms that were negotiated with them was that the RDC would waive the lease payments for
- August, September, and up to October 15, that they would leave the property by October 15 of this year.
- And for their moving expenses, they
- would they are asking for the sum of $19,542.50. Again, with the other potentials, Margie had mentioned
- with litigation and things like that. The fact that they're going to be out earlier and be able to get
- moved to a new location, I believe this would be
- benefit to the RDC and the community. The motion on the Health Foundation passed unanimously. The next
- meeting of the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission will be held on September 15th.
- The Monroe County Commissioners met on September 4th and approved the schematic design for the Monroe
- County Justice Center. DLZ project manager Scott Carnegie explained the process, saying the schematics
- must be approved before moving on to the design development phase. Commissioner Jody Madeira says despite
- roadblocks put in place by the state, the project should keep moving.
- we know that it's important to move ahead and we know that there is a legislature that's looking at
- us to move ahead. And so we need to send a very clear message that we are moving ahead. And I think
- this is the clearest way to send this message. So. Commissioner Julie Thomas asked about the timeframe
- for the project. Carnegie said that they have a tentative plan in place if the schematics and additional
- approvals move forward in a timely manner. And then if we receive design development approval,
- Then we have construction document presentation to the county and for approval on June 23rd, 2026. Receive
- bids August 2026. Begin construction in October 2026 with construction substantially complete in June 2029.
- The commissioners approved the schematic design, allowing DLZ to continue onto the next step in the
- design process. Also during the meeting, Rural Transit Director Chris Myers reported that ridership
- rates have remained similar to last year. He also explained that the program recently replaced
- two 16-passenger vans. Going into next year, Myers said the insurance for the vehicles will be increasing.
- Public transit is one of those high-risk areas just by the nature of being on the road the way we are,
- unfortunately. We're at the whims of insurance and I hate it.
- Also during the meeting, the commissioners ratified the renewal for the High Tech Crimes Unit Memorandum
- of Agreement, totaling $285,000 annually for the next two years. The agreement covers the administration
- and maintenance of the unit. The High Tech Crimes Unit serves multiple surrounding counties in addition
- to Monroe, including Owen, Marion, Morgan, and Orange.
- Um, so our high tech crimes unit is a hidden gem. Literally it is hidden back there, uh, in Ellisville
- and it is something that we should all be very, very proud of. It enables us to do a lot of good work,
- um, for a lot of counties. And, um, I'm personally very, very proud of it and honored that we have it
- within our borders. The next Monroe County commissioner's meeting will be held on September 11th.
- At the Bloomington City Council meeting on September 3rd, council members heard a resolution that would
- designate the city as a certified Bee City. Chair of the Bloomington Environmental Commission,
- Kerry Albright, presented the resolution.
- I appreciate getting a moment just to talk a little bit about the Bee City USA program just so you understand
- I'm happy to take your questions if you have them after but basically we are hoping for your approval
- of a resolution that we would then submit to be a certified Bee City so as is
- Common knowledge at this point, climate change and human practices are endangering pollinators.
- Right now, I believe 35% of native bee species, for example, are at risk. And what we would like to
- do is participate in a program that shows that Bloomington is taking steps and has taken a lot of steps
- to protect pollinators.
- So there are different reasons why pollinators are struggling, and a lot of those things are elements
- that we can do something to address. Some examples are habitat loss and degradation, use of pesticides,
- certainly diseases and pathogens, and a larger scope of the climate crisis impacting pollinators. Albright
- went on to describe the rationale behind why the Environmental Commission believes that it's important
- to cultivate a pollinator-friendly habitat.
- And I'll just go ahead and read these are that it helps ensure the survival of vital species crucial
- to our planet's functioning ecosystems the certification through Bee City USA which
- Basically provides a framework for how municipalities can implement pollinator habitat improvement programs
- It recognizes and it celebrates our city's ongoing work on cultivating pollinator friendly habitats
- and removing invasive species And it joins Bloomington's other existing certifications. We're a bird
- town. We're a tree city I believe we're a gold level bike friendly city So there's a lot that Bloomington
- has to feel proud of and we'd love to incorporate this certification as well as well as some of the
- different partnerships that we've participated in
- project wingspan MC Iris Obviously the work that we've done the habitat connectivity map and then recently
- IU was certified as a B campus So we worked with them as well on getting steps forward in the earlier
- months of the year So we would be one of the first cities in Indiana. That would be the city We were
- beaten out by Columbus and Avon, but we'd be very proud to be the third one and
- City Council member Isak Asari said that he is supportive of the resolution, but he wondered how much
- of the Bee City certification is symbolic and how the city could actually ensure success of the initiative.
- Thank you so much and I'm super supportive of this.
- amuse me with my line of questioning. Trying to understand a little bit between the balance between
- what we're doing that's symbolic and what we're doing that would actually have specific outcomes to
- our practices. Specifically within the packet, we outline annual requirements such as hosting an event,
- submitting reports to Xerces, but
- We haven't talked about like local evaluation. And so like beyond the required report, how will we measure
- success in Bloomington? Like what do we want to see happen here? Urban green space manager for the city,
- Joanna Sparks responded that the city is already following some of the guidelines outlined by the Bee
- City certification. Albright agreed and said that the certification would give the city recognition
- for work it's already doing.
- and I will say for I answer your question that we're already doing lots of the things and it's It's
- really exciting to have potential to be acknowledged and to have sort of an a license if this is approved
- to Collaborate more deeply with the community on what we're doing because that's where our biggest impact
- will be For the community as if we can can broaden our outreach aspect and as an
- As an additional note,
- Obviously, we will be following up on this with the EC's annual report. So it may be that there are
- things that trickle through through collaborative events that we host or different outreach activities
- that we participate in, but that would be something that informally we would be sharing. But as far
- as an official report or evaluation of if it's worth it or if we're finding value just as a local group,
- I think that as Joanna said, we have a lot of initiatives that are already in place at this point. So
- it really is just kind of being able to be recognized for something that the city
- already invested so much time and interest in. And I think that really clarifies it, like the work that
- we're already doing, do you feel like there's going to be additional work with the certification, like
- outside of some of the required, you know, alignment with some things that Xerces is doing? But it sounds
- like, yeah, I mean, maybe not, let me not answer the question for you, but is there additional work
- associated with this?
- Certainly a little bit there and we will form a committee of composed of different members from the
- throughout the community We already have commitments from be campus and I you be campus some the Monroe
- County identify and reduce invasive species
- sycamore land trust and of course the environmental Commission Carrie and Matt are gonna gonna help
- us I'm get the I'm sorry Carrie Carrie and Shane and will actually yeah be be actually helping us get
- our committee started and we We have requests out to to several other organizations just to help build
- bridges and expand the work that all of us are doing individually and into a more of a collective effort, but
- As the committee liaison for the city, I will be responsible for submitting an annual report where we
- will, the Parks Department loves data and we love metrics and we love reports. So we will have information
- to share for sure. Thank you so much. The resolution was approved unanimously. The Bloomington City
- Council will meet again on September 10th.
- Monroe County Election Board met on September 4th. ADA coordinator with the City of Bloomington Michael
- Shermas gave a presentation on accessible polling sites. So many people around the county would know
- me as directing the Bloomington Monroe County Human Rights Commission, but the other half of my job
- is to be the liaison to the Council for Community Accessibility and the ADA coordinator at the city.
- and we train volunteer surveyors on how to do accessibility surveys of businesses, generally restaurants
- and retail kind of locations. But we have been asked in the past to do things like the Monroe County
- Community School Corporation and the county itself asked us to do several of their facilities as well
- as to work with the election board about
- years ago or so to do all of the polling sites and we greatly enjoyed that. It increased the interest
- of our volunteer surveyors getting to do something that was really about civic engagement and so we
- appreciated that opportunity and we
- worked out several things to help us make the polling sites more accessible and feel good about that
- contribution. Shermas went on to make election board members aware of a new software that would make
- polling more accessible. Since that time in the last year, we have purchased a software to help us with
- that. And I'd like to say the difference is almost night and day because the surveys that we've done
- in the past
- I would have to say it lacked professional look to it and didn't really show it well in terms of what
- we know and what we can do. This software, which is called Blue Dag, is a software that allows us to
- do this on an iPad or a tablet or a smartphone, and a volunteer surveyor can be quickly trained. We
- could train them within one hour, and then they can go out and
- sites fairly easily. We've been working with it for a year and have learned how to customize it to the
- purposes that we are interested in.
- which is, yes, ADA compliance, but it's more about a functional accessibility. So how can people who
- are blind and people who use wheelchairs get into places that they need to get into? And what kind of
- barriers might they run into if they're not been addressed? So this software is fantastic at being able
- to do that. You don't show anything that's fine. You don't worry about that. What you say is,
- see if you see a barrier as you take a photo of the barrier. So say something is like paper towels are
- 54 inches high. You'll put them tape measure and you'll take a photo of it showing that this is too
- high. And then when you compile a report, it comes up with
- This is exactly why it's too high. You can see the photo and here's the diagram of what it's supposed
- to be. So it offers the ADA rule and a diagram and an explanation of what it is. Included are like Indiana
- building codes and whatever other kind of regulations and laws are relevant to this. He suggested a
- similar software for the county to use for polling sites. Now the difference between
- The software that we have and the software that I would suggest that the county might consider purchasing
- is that that software is more customized for voting centers slash polling sites and takes into account
- HAVA as well. It will also offer mitigations.
- People frequently like, what does that mean exactly? My quick response would be something like, so let's
- say that a bathroom has the soap dispenser that is too high. It's too many inches. It's above 44 inches,
- so it's too high. A mitigation for that, there can be several possibilities. One is just to place a
- soap squeezy thing that's there on the counter.
- That's a mitigation. There are several other mitigations involving parking, path of travel, bathrooms,
- the common areas where people might be signage. There are things that they can offer and say, here's
- the suggestions if you can't fix this barrier.
- And the idea is that we potentially do these surveys in the next couple months, and then you can prepare
- all of those locations by the time that they would need to be addressed for the next election. Shermas
- then said that the software Blue Dag could give the county a discount for services of around $12,000
- per year. He recommended that the county election board implement the software. Republican board member
- Danny Shields asked about the length of the contract and how long it would
- be needed, Shermus responded. So is it required that this would be a long-term deal if we sign with
- them? One year. Okay. And so then you... Because it's, you know, like, once you get it fixed, if we
- don't change polling places, it wouldn't need to be fixed again. I would hesitate to say that just because
- people frequently remodel, change things up, and remember,
- I'm assuming, and you can correct me if I'm wrong in this assumption, that when you set up a site, you're
- customizing that site. You're putting up cones, you're doing different things, and some things can change.
- So I would say it would probably be smart to do it every couple of years to make sure that it stayed
- accessible. But once would be better than not at all.
- Election Supervisor Kylie Morland said she thinks the county could use the software once every four
- years to ensure that they remain ADA compliant at polling sites.
- I would say even doing it once every four years like in the non-election years when we're able to have
- time to look at the polling locations the election board see if they're planning on using the same ones
- and then the ones that we're not using update those with the ADA compliance with the software. I also
- want to say thank you for giving us the survey on the parking lot at North Showers. That's where early
- voting will be next year so seeing that and seeing the things that need to be updated beforehand is
- This is great. Thank you. We need showers worked on before what? It would be, how soon, early voting?
- Early voting will begin in April. Okay, January. Yeah. Okay, that's why we thought, oh, we'll give them
- this so they know right off where they need to start. And this, the survey would be even more comprehensive
- than this, but this is a start for you to be able to see quickly what kind of problems that need to
- be addressed.
- Democratic board member Penny Githens expressed concern about accessibility at the North Showers building.
- Sherma said that he has received complaints about the parking lot in the past. Shields then asked about
- ownership of the parking lot. North Showers is used for a lot of other things besides early voting and
- I would think that the county would want that to be ADA.
- Absolutely. I've had other complaints about that parking lot. Because I'm the ADA coordinator at the
- city, everybody thinks that my powers extend far beyond that, and so I get complaints all the time.
- And I've had complaints about that parking lot before, and it's never been kind of clear, like, why
- it's not being addressed. But there are many issues with that parking lot. So who owns showers?
- Well, the county has responsibility for that parking lot. I did talk to the building department and
- our public works person. It was the city. Okay, city, you're on it. No, it's the county in this case.
- Yeah. But I think there were plans, too, for repaving that particular parking lot, but I'm not sure.
- Yeah, repaving and restriping are minimum. I mean, there's some things that wouldn't be too difficult
- to deal with, the signage, but that's the issue, is repaving and restriping.
- County Clerk Nicole Brown reiterated that the North Shower's location needs to be in compliance before
- the start of early voting, saying the county has 12 violations concerning accessibility. Let me be sure
- that I understand, because I appreciate the citations. The citations are, this is what it should be.
- And then your finding is this is not, it is not compliant at this time.
- If I read this correctly, Monroe County government has 12 violations not being in compliance
- with accessibility issues so that if we are going to use it for early voting, we have at least 12 things
- that need to be mitigated or brought as much as possible to put us closer to compliance. Yeah, I would
- use the word mitigated.
- heighten that word because in some particular cases some of those barriers we could negotiate. So for
- example there's a stairwell that you get up to the second floor which I assume many of the people who
- are going to the second floor to do polling work would go up there. It's supposed to have a continuous
- rail and there is a section that's not continuous. That is a minor violation and doesn't
- really affect most things because people can use the elevator. There's other things around. So for example,
- that might be something that you could consider way down lower. And that's a further down the line barrier.
- But some of the other things are definitely, yeah, you should get those fixed before you do this kind
- of thing. The County Election Board will meet again on October 2nd. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank
- you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.
- you