- Hello and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annalise Poorman. The Ellitsville Town Council met on March 23rd
- and discussed a mass gathering permit for the Ellitsville Youth Sports League season kickoff jamboree
- on April 11th. Councilmember Scott Oldham ran through the considerations for the event. Questions from
- council on this. This is a yearly thing that they do. Police and fire, public works all satisfied with
- the plans are in place.
- we good on parking? Because that's always a problem. Town manager Mike Farmer said that the permit fee
- was waived since the Ellitsville Youth Sports League is a nonprofit. The permit was approved unanimously.
- The council moved on to discuss the septic dumping rates increase, which was set to be tabled for another
- week. Farmer said that the increase affects four vendors. He said the new gates and security are not
- installed yet. Everything is in place, gates,
- key pads were waiting on the key pads and the new dumping station is not built yet, so. Farmer said
- that there is also a new security at the wastewater treatment plant. The rate increase was approved
- five to zero. During supervisor comments, Fire Chief Kevin Patton said that a fire truck is being repaired
- following issues found during routine aerial testing. The next aerial is supposed to be in
- middle end of next year it's not really a replacement it's an addition to with the size of the response
- area very true so right now it's it will be a replacement the hopes is we can get this one fixed and
- it'll still be in service he said that he is still waiting for a quote
- Next Street Commissioner Kip Heddy said that the town is planning to replace its street sweeper at an
- estimated cost of $383,000. The purchase would be funded through a trade-in of the current sweeper and
- the use of stormwater utility funds.
- On March 25th, the Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees met and received a department update
- from the Teen Services Program. Teen Services Manager Sam Ott shared program highlights, including expanding
- collections, upgrades, and a new arcade game. We have expanded our collections again. Manga has proven
- to be just incredibly popular with our teens, and we were able to work with Martha Odier up on the third floor to
- condense our graphic novels down and add a whole extra bay of manga, and that's already full, and we
- already could try to add more. And we've even condensed our collection so that we provide just the first
- five or 10 volumes of a lot of series, so we can provide more different series options and have less
- depth. But then that also encourages the kids to go up to the second floor, where the whole manga collection
- is, so hopefully they can make that connection, because a lot of them have no idea that there's more
- up there. And I think, Grier, do we have 8,000 manga, something like that in the collection?
- Yeah, there's a lot. There's way more than we have down there. Again, space upgrades for the arcade
- cabinet. Greer worked with me to get new seats for the video game area because the seats had been there
- for 10 years and were very much showing a lot of love is probably the best way to say that. After school
- snacks have still proven to be very popular and we've been able to work with Lorraine because she runs
- the Sam's Club membership there. So we've been able to get a bunch of stuff shipped in. I probably spend
- a quarter of my monthly budget on snacks because they're so popular every day and it's just amazing
- to be able to provide that but it's something we're committed to and been really happy to see the kids
- utilize every day. We refill all of them like three times in an afternoon because it's just so popular.
- The department staff work towards creating book lists that would be helpful for teens such as budgeting
- and car maintenance. Ott further highlighted how the library's young adult book list has reached a wide
- audience. Staff fix book list, you might have seen this
- I think in October of last year, but Fern did an analysis of all of our book lists and found that if
- you type in YA followed by like National Native American Heritage Month or some of our other cultural
- lists, we are the top one through three results in Google search for those lists. And some of our lists
- like YA novels and verse have actually had close to
- 6,000 hits in one year, which is great. So we're really excited that our lists are that popular and
- are reaching so many people. But it also shows that the curation that we do, we worked with Paula to
- figure out why, and she said one reason might be that because we consistently update them, like every
- year to two years, the secret Google metric realizes that it's actually being worked on and isn't just
- stagnant. But we're really excited that it's reaching so many people. Last year, the library distributed
- 665 teen summer reading guides, the most in library history.
- The program will continue with initiatives such as Circus Week and plushy making events. Teen Services
- also participates in helping hands where they create dignity kits.
- This year we were able to partner with the Children's Department and Adult Services Department on helping
- hands, which is where we assembled dignity kits to give to Beacon in town. We made over 200 as part
- of that event, which was great, particularly because we were able to really expand the amount of stuff
- that was offered in every kit. So it also included like thermal blankets, sanitary supplies and everything
- else like that, which was great. Teen Services will continue to expand on their community partnerships
- with school visits and outreach programs.
- The Richland Township and Town of Ellitsville Reorganization Committee met on March 25th. During the
- meeting, committee members discussed the composition proposals for the government board if the reorganization
- passes. Committee member Andrew Henry said the governance subcommittee presented two options. Option
- one begins with the seven member structure on January 1st, 2027, and keeps that structure in place.
- Option two uses a nine member transition board
- during 2027 only then moves to the same seven member structure on January 1st, 2028. So the question
- is whether or not we want to create two single year temporary seats to make sure that representation
- is as broadly spread out across the considered area as possible.
- in that first transition year. Committee member Kevin Farris expressed concern that a seven
- member composition would risk a reduced representation for the township. Governance subcommittee member
- Tom Spencer explained how the plans were created. There was no direct answer to get equal or close to
- equal representation from the township and the town board without completely starting from
- scratch for election or something else that we were told just legally wasn't really possible or fiscally
- wasn't possible. So I wanted to add that color for anyone else as well. That was mostly what we talked
- about is how could the township get representation and get it faster. Unfortunately, there's no magic
- bullet or magic pill that does that quickly without running into a bunch of other confusing mechanisms and
- The committee debated the merits of each plan, eventually deciding on the nine-member temporary board.
- Committee member Scott Reynolds said a larger board would also be useful while the reorganization settles.
- In that first year of a reorganized entity, there's going to be a lot of decisions that are going to
- be made that are going to set the tone and the framework to implement this plan.
- And I think that actually raises the need to ensure that there's a geographically broad set
- of representation. It makes sense. So that it doesn't feel as though that first year's decisions are
- all being set, whether in reality or just from people's perception by the town, the existing town, as
- opposed to the township. The Vinyl Plan for the Reorganization Committee is expected to be completed
- by April 1st.
- On March 25th, the Richland Beam Blossom School Board met and discussed campus safety measures. Sergeant
- and School Resource Officer Alec Leggio explained the Navigate 360 contract, which has the ability to
- digitally map the school. We currently already contract with Navigate 360 for our ALICE program throughout
- the school.
- and we're missing a bunch of missing pieces for our safety across the campus and Navigate has a solution
- for all of those. Legio said the digital map will include the locations of defibrillators, fire extinguishers
- and other equipment.
- the startup fee for the program would be approximately $31,880. This includes the cost of emergency,
- visitor and volunteer management, implementation and most of the equipment.
- There will also be an annual recurring cost for this program of over $15,000. The second quote addressed
- the tip line and storing the behavioral threat assessments. This startup fee is over $11,000 with an
- annual cost of nearly $10,000. The motion passed unanimously.
- The board also discussed how to improve traffic flow at the elementary school. Technology director Rick
- Routen presented the board with a study addressing alternative means for traffic circulation. He explained
- why it is crucial for the school to develop a traffic solution or alternative. This is a combination
- with Dr. Sanders and myself and we have brought in Andy and
- Matt to talk about the traffic flow issues at the elementary schools. Has anybody been around at early
- in the morning or trying to get to school in the afternoon? It's near impossible. I have actually sat
- in line for a good while to get down to EECC when it was under construction and it's like, oh, I forgot
- I should have left about a half hour earlier to get through this. So we're looking at hiring an engineering
- company to come in and help us do a study and
- give us some preliminary information to move forward with a better solution in traffic flow, parking,
- and pick up. Something that we need to do down there because we're growing and we need to get the people
- off of Reeves Road as much as we can to keep that open, not only for ourselves, but for public safety.
- That road gets blocked and it's really tight. Routon further explained the agreement and what services
- would be provided.
- The company we went with is a company that does a lot of civil engineering work. They've done other
- big projects and someone I've known for over the years. And he understands our problems and has seen
- other schools and is excited to work with us. This is just a small piece. We have talked about a bigger
- piece for the whole entire campus, but we're only concentrating on just the elementary schools because
- we really need to improve that traffic flow down there.
- and he'll look at utilities, he'll look at the easements and anything we can do to shape our traffic
- pattern. The contract with GIA consultants will cost just under $37,000. The motion passed unanimously.
- The Monroe County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees met on March 24th and voted unanimously
- to sell the former Herald-Times building. Board members said the cost of renovations is too high to
- justify keeping it.
- School Board President Erin Cooperman said she was initially excited about the idea of using the space.
- However, she says the financial situation of the school corporation has changed since purchasing the
- property in 2022. I think that this is sort of a, for me, a sad symbol of how much our financial situation
- has changed since we decided to buy the property.
- Chief Financial Officer Matt Irwin said the cost to renovate the building would be too high and limit
- their ability to make other improvements across the school system. The initial estimates that I think
- we had were around 34, 35 million. So it would eat up a significant portion of the debt capacity we
- would have over the next few years as we continue to stay within the confines of what it is, is the
- ask of the community as it relates to supporting our property tax levy funds.
- And so we're just continuing to be mindful of those things. So yeah, it would limit our ability to make
- other necessary improvements that are wanted and needed at some of our other facilities. The process
- of selling the building is underway. The Bloomington Board of Public Works met on March 24th and discussed
- removing trees along Pete Ellis Drive on the city's east side.
- Fewer trees will be removed than previously planned following an agreement with the Indiana Department
- of Transportation. The number was reduced from 15 to 7. Senior project engineer Neil Copper says the
- issue has drawn increased public attention in recent weeks.
- An aspect of this project that has gotten a lot of public attention is the plan to remove 15 mature
- oak trees on the south side of SR 45 on Pete Ellis. We've had significant coordination with NDOT and
- we are going to be able to save eight of those 15 trees. This transfer agreement wouldn't normally be
- required to approve the tree removal that has been discussed a lot, but
- You know, we've been coordinating with our urban forester and typically that would be more of a staff
- level approval. But given that it's wrapped up in our discussions with NDOT and there's been so much
- attention on it, we did want to bring it in front of you specifically for just for that transparency
- and just wanting you to be aware of it and that it is a part of this project. Board President Kyla Cox
- Deckard asked whether NDOT plans to plant new trees that avoid right of way interference. Comper responded.
- Regarding the trees, since that is an issue that has had a lot of attention and there's been a lot of
- conversation and compromise in the way that the trees are handled. Is there a planting plan? Like, do
- you know if NDOT is planning to plant new trees that don't interfere with the right of way? So NDOT
- is planting a small number of trees. I don't know that there are any planned
- replacements actually in these areas where the trees are being removed. But we have been working with
- the Parks Department. One of the things that they have said is the most important thing to them was
- protecting as many trees as we could. They had had a goal actually of protecting seven or eight of them
- and we achieved eight. They also said replanting is what we would typically
- require in a project and what we want. But what's most important is if we have a space where we can
- replant, we don't mind as the city going back in and replanting some of those trees ourselves. That's
- not a huge cost to replant them. Given that this will become city right away, again, we'll have the
- authority to go in and replant some of those. The answer is there are some replacements, but not to
- a scale that we want.
- agreement at least hasn't been reached yet, but we do have the ability and the intention of replanting
- some trees there. The tree removal is expected to be completed before April 1st. The Monroe County Storm
- Water Management Board met on March 25th. Executive Director of the Lake Monroe Water Fund,
- Michelle Cohen, gave a presentation and requested funding for lake monitoring. Tron Enright Randolph
- responded to her request.
- I support of this and also I'll kind of just leave it with what I say all the time when we look at this
- as I think this is one way that we can do water monitoring is by creating these partnerships and not
- necessarily taking on all that effort in house. So I appreciate the opportunity to support these efforts.
- This motion passed unanimously.
- Next, the Soil and Water District requested a memorandum of understanding and a grant partnership for
- their projects. Board member Lee Jones commented on pollinator planting in the city. I will repeat a
- comment that I made last Thursday at our meeting where a pollinator garden came up, which is hopefully
- more people will be listening and will hear that we have a worldwide problem
- in insects and this is this of course affects our food security but also before we're affected a lot
- of other things are affected and the bird populations are falling because of this I'm sure the same
- is true for many reptiles. Insects are kind of the
- ground level for many, many species, eating chain or food chain and more pollinator gardens that people
- can plant and hopefully teach, help teach people that insects are not scary, that insects don't really
- chase people down to bite them. At least not in most cases.
- And they really need all the help we can give them at this point. The board unanimously passed the motion.
- On March 25th, the Bloomington City Council met and discussed the Hopewell South project, which is being
- delayed for a second time. The Hopewell project is a city-led redevelopment of the old IU Health Hospital
- site. Proponents of Hopewell say it will drive more affordable housing to Bloomington.
- Mayor Carrie Thompson has made Hopewell a centerpiece on how she hopes the city will address housing
- needs. I know that there are many possibilities of the impact that we can make when we create housing.
- When we have a project like Hopewell, we are prone to see an opportunity to live into a kind of housing
- utopia. Perfectly adorable units,
- dwellings that are walkable to all of our resources, affordable to anyone, no matter your income level,
- the best climate ratings, the biggest sidewalks, the widest lanes, but the fact of the matter is that
- we can do exceedingly well at one or maybe two of those things. And the rest of that catalog of desires
- that we have on any given project, we must choose to prioritize
- where we want to have a clear impact, where we want to be best at something. Mayor Thompson said this
- housing project has been discussed since 2017, emphasizing community involvement. In order to remain
- affordable, construction would be led by local builders and the mortgages provided by local lenders.
- The mayor further explained what this project would entail for the community. Hope All South is simply
- phase one.
- It is not Hopewell in its entirety, and we have picked two specific goals to focus on. Be affordable
- at market rate to as many people as possible at the lowest income possible, and attainable to many more
- of our residents. And be a neighborhood that makes the most of walkability.
- It is an idyllic walking distance to all of the resources of family or individual needs. The design
- presented to you tonight does an exceedingly good job of meeting those two goals. We also meet climate
- goals and will commit to exceeding the base level in at least one other area. Council members discussed
- legal concerns, reasonable conditions, and amendments for the planned unit development. Speaking on
- topics such as affordability and utilities,
- Councilmember Dave Rallo proposed to postpone further discussion on this ordinance. Other councilmembers
- agreed, saying that they would have time to consult with legal counsel and research further questions.
- Sydney Zulek, however, was one of three councilmembers who opposed further postponement. She explained
- the reality of the housing affordability crisis.
- Earlier today, I heard someone say that we've been discussing Hopewell since 2017. So on January 1st
- of 2017, I was 14 years old. Since then, I turned 16. I graduated high school. I turned 18. I graduated
- college. I turned 21. I ran for office and won. Almost 10 years later, I'm 23. I'm this council's vice
- president. And our city still has a housing crisis.
- Out of the nine of us up here, I am the only one who does not own property. All of my eight colleagues
- do, and my generation has no hope of following in their footsteps if we continue to let perfect prevent
- good. So the people of this city deserve results, and that is why I will be voting against postponement.
- The council voted six to three to postpone the ordinance.
- The Monroe County Commissioners met on March 26 and heard from Women's Commission President Susan Hingle
- about an incident involving the county's digital calendar. Hingle said that the Monroe County Women's
- Commission gathered for their March 19th meeting at the county courthouse and found that the doors were
- locked. Once they were eventually let inside, they were told that they could not remain in their regular
- meeting space because their meeting was not on the county's digital calendar.
- This was inconvenient and frustrating, but more importantly, it put us in a position where a public
- body that had followed the law was effectively prevented from using public space to conduct public business.
- We did what we were required and allowed to do. We had quorum and agenda and a lawfully noticed meeting,
- so we met anyway outside on the Sophia Travis bench.
- on county property. I want to be clear, I don't believe this was intentional, but I do think
- it is symptomatic of a deeper issue, namely the fragility of the systems that support boards and commissions.
- Next, Tia Arthur, executive director of Monroe County Court appointed special advocates, highlighted
- several events the organization will host for Child Abuse Awareness Month. We're rolling out a training
- in April called Stop It Now to help people understand
- and learn about the signs to protect children from sexual abuse. Those are things that are very important
- to us. And I just wanted to invite everyone here to please join us. We're doing a kickoff rally next
- Wednesday at noon here on the south side of the courthouse lawn. I wanted to extend my gratitude
- to Monroe County. They are supportive of the welfare of children. They're concerned about the welfare
- of children as we are at CASA. And I want to thank Commissioner Thomas and Commissioner Madera for being
- willing to speak on behalf of this issue at the kickoff rally. The Monroe County Commissioners will
- meet again on April 2nd. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB,
- I'm Annalise Poorman.
- you