Hello and welcome to Cats Creek. I'm Annaliese Poorman. The Monroe County Capital Improvement Board
will move forward with plans to demolish Seminary Point.
During its meeting on August 19, the CIB approved a 90-day letter of intent with Dora Hospitality to
work toward an agreement to develop a convention center host hotel. However, the CIB plans phase opposition
from the local advocacy group, Homes for All. During public comment, Homes for All organizer Barry Herbers
says he does not believe the Seminary Point property is needed for the convention center.
The CIB is no longer even planning to use Seminary Point as the site for a subsidized Convention Center
host hotel. It instead appears that the CIB intends to give this land away to Dora Hospitality. It was
a lie that the CIB ever needed this land for the Convention Center, and that lie is more clear now than
it has ever been. The idea that 29 units of super affordable housing must be destroyed, several beloved
businesses displaced, and dozens of people forced to leave their homes was manufactured. This is a corporate giveaway.
The CIB is a quasi-government entity, that is, an unelected body with no accountability to the public,
but which receives millions and millions in taxpayer money. They have found a way to give millions in
free capital to their business pals like Vincent Dora of Dora Hospitality. Jason McCullough, another
Homes for All member, said that advocates had developed an alternative plan to preserve affordable housing
at Seminary Point.
of advocates instead took matters into their own hands, speaking to mission-based investors and affordable
housing developers. They ultimately devised a cooperative business plan which could ensure the renovation
and affordability of Seminary Point. And for a moment, it seemed like local government and even the
CIV were actually listening until they weren't. The land swap to preserve affordable housing in one
place and let Dora take a corporate subsidy to build a host hotel in another was abruptly abandoned.
In its place, we are now facing down the barrel of two subsidized hotels, a brutal astronomical corporate
giveaway that spits in the face of the working class of Bloomington. Meanwhile, C.I.B. President John
Weichart pointed out that many of the displaced commercial spaces are finding locations in other parts
of town. Furthermore, he argued that Seminary Point apartments continue to cost them money and ongoing
security problems.
We've now had 27 documented incidents in the last 25 days. They would now be, now we've had 15 trespassing,
four vandalism, one missing person that we've been involved with looking for, two of drug use, one indecent
exposure, one person urinating in public, three police calls and one drug arrest. So that's what we've
dealt with since the 23rd when we secured the buildings.
Our security costs, we have now contracted with MSI to provide additional security to those properties
to view them more often, to check them out more often. We're now paying $8,680 per month for eight hours
of overnight monitoring. I have the distinction, Talisha gets them first and then I get them second.
I get to read all the security reports. And so I've read all of these reports of the 27 incidents in the last
25 days. If we extrapolate that 8680 out over a period of time that could include up to December when
demolition could be completed, that means we're absorbing $43,500 in additional security costs. Next,
the board approved a contract with Weddle Brothers Construction to start the demolition process. Project
Manager Andrew Sherry detailed the demolition timeline
Again, we have already started the coordination with BRCJ and BET Environmental as far as their environmental
reports. It would include the coordination of the consultants, the pre-construction services, and the
permitting coordination and applications where needed. The pre-construction schedule has been created
to account for
all the permitting, the surveys, the drawings, the title searches, and utility disconnections, which
currently, based off the schedule and all the dates that we've heard, could happen by November 4th.
Weichart asked when the demolition would be complete. Sherry said that the job would be finished by
the end of this year. When would you anticipate, if all goes well, that this process would be concluded?
In other words, we would have
As I understand it, we would have buildings down and then we need to do some remediation of the service.
Yes, we would have to stabilize the job or the site after we remove all the buildings and we would plan
on having that done by December 31st. OK, so by December 31st, all of it would be completed. Yes. Matthew
Joseph, representing Homes for All, questioned whether the land and financial support offered to Dora
could be used for development beyond the hotel.
And generally what it is, it's a letter of intent to work towards a definitive agreement that spells
out the obligations of DORA and CIB towards the construction and completion and operation of a host
hotel. That letter of intent includes as the guidelines or the basis for that, the proposal,
that Dora made at their presentation and that we selected in response to our request for proposals.
That's incorporated into that letter of intent is what we are expecting as the hotel that will be developed
and the parameters of that hotel. And so we are here today asking that
that letter of intent be improved and that we move forward with seeking the definitive agreement that
will spell all of that out. The agreement letter of intent calls for a 90 day period for us to work
towards that definitive agreement. So at this time I'd ask for approval to allow John to sign that letter
of intent with Dora so that we can move forward towards a definitive agreement for a host hotel.
The board also approved a letter of intent with Dora Hospitality for the host hotel. Board member Jim
Whitlatch explained what the LOI entails. It's also very clear that the subsidy is not just going for
the hotel. It's very clear that the subsidy is also going for the land that Dora is not using for the
hotel. And the question I asked at the last CIP meeting was, what's going to happen to Seminary Point?
Still unanswered, yet at the two RDC meetings ago, Vince Dora made it very clear that they are wanting
to build housing on top of Seminary Point. Looks like a subsidy to Dora, not for the hotel, does it?
That's a subsidy to Dora for market rate apartments. Even if they want to build 10 affordable housing,
that is not a replacement of what they destroyed.
We need to set a precedent that if you're going to destroy affordable housing that you're going to build
more than what you destroyed. Double it and make it for those that are most vulnerable. The Monroe County
Capital Improvement Board will meet again on September 16th. The Richland Bean Blossom School Board
had their first meeting of the 2026-2027 school year on August 18th. The meeting began with public comment.
multiple parents from Edgewood Primary School's Journeys special education program pressed the district
on recent changes. Parent Nicole O'Neill summarized her frustration. Parents should not have to organize
or and advocate in order for a high needs program to be appropriately staffed and supported at the start
of the school year. Our children require consistent specialized support and they deserve that from day one.
While we recognize the district's response and the circumstances at the beginning of the year have really
impacted our family's trust. The question now is what systems oversight and safeguards will be put in
place to ensure this does not happen again and to restore that trust going forward. Thank you.
Parent Samantha Parker called for stronger safeguards and more clear documentation for special education
students, particularly when it comes to incidents, injuries, and parent notification. We as SPED parents
have further requested that the safeguards and documentation systems are broader than health documentation
alone. Our children, your students, require additional accommodations that children in gen ed classes
may not need such as routine,
consistency and additional security or reporting of incidences and injuries. This for us may include
but does not limit to aforementioned incidents and injuries, medical or safety events, required parent
notifications, follow-up and corrective actions, and other defined safeguards which may require more
physical tangent means. One major concern we immediately noticed and are still actively addressing with
the primary school are on staffing,
coverage and documenting relevance when noting significant events. What constitutes per legal guarantee
an incident requiring documentation? Who determines whether parents are notified and within what timeframe?
How are these conflicts conflicting accounts of an incident involved and what actions will be taken
to prevent this feed of miscommunication moving forward?
The final speaker, Jeremiah O'Neill, urged the board to consider cameras and stronger digital documentation.
The point is that safeguards shouldn't be created after something terrible happens. I don't think any
of us families want to see something happen to our kids. That's why families have proposed two forms
of objective accountability. The cameras, if there's an injury, behavioral event, allegation,
or conflicting account, an objective record can protect the student, the teacher, the administration,
and the district. Digital communication and documentation. If an IEP safety plan, medical need,
accommodation, or other required support says something is supposed to occur, there should be a simple,
auditable way of documenting that it occurred. This isn't about assuming teachers are doing something
wrong. It's about creating a system where nobody, parents, teachers, administrators, or the board has
to rely solely on memory,
verbal assurances or conflicting accounts. Later in the meeting, the board turned to a detailed construction
update. The most immediate problem being water damage due to issues with a roofing project at Edgewood
Junior High Gym. Construction staff said that they plan to start replacing the floor in early September
and finish by the end of October while the district and its attorneys work with the roofing contractor's
insurer. School board president Dana Kerr explained the timeline.
The first goal is to get the job started and then work on the percentage, if not the company paying
for all of it. But we have to get started on it now. We can't wait to negotiate who's going to pay what
or we could be in this situation for a year.
The district is moving ahead with a $22.8 million package of additions and renovations at Edgewood Junior
High and High School. After years of piecemeal HVAC fixes, construction manager Martin Truesdale said
that the project will connect all buildings to a single modern controls platform while keeping much
of the existing equipment in place. You have had, over the years, incremental improvements.
And the challenge with that is that, you know, you're mixing old... The meeting ended with board members
saying that they took the Journey's parents' concerns seriously while also praising transportation crews,
custodial staff and administrators for what they call a strong start to the new school year.
The Monroe County Commissioners met on August 20th. The board heard a presentation from the County Women's
Commission on a survey that they are conducting. Commission Chair Susan Hingle said that the project
began because the county lacks comprehensive data on the experiences and needs of women and marginalized
genders. While state and national data exist on some issues, there is very little local data available.
particularly for gender diverse residents. We do not currently have a comprehensive community wide data
set that tells us what people in Monroe County are experiencing, what challenges they face, what resources
they need and what they believe should be addressed. After the first round of data collection, Hingle
said the commission needs more participation to make the findings representative. One of the strongest
recommendations was the importance of continuing outreach
to ensure we hear from a broader and more representative cross-section of Monroe County residents. As
a result, the Women's Commission is launching phase two of data collection and outreach. The quality
of our findings depends on the diversity of voices represented. The survey remains open until October
1st and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Hingle said that all responses are confidential.
She said the ultimate goal is to make sure residents have an opportunity to contribute to the county's
understanding of local needs. We hope this will spread the word and encourage participation through
the community. Thank you again for your time, your support and your commitment to ensuring that all
Monroe County residents have an opportunity to be heard.
We look forward to sharing the continued findings with you once data collection and analysis are complete.
The next County Commissioner's meeting will take place at 10 a.m. on August 27th. The Bloomington Board
of Public Safety met on August 20th. Scott Oldham, Deputy Chief for the Bloomington Police Department,
reported a decrease in call volume for the year.
So far this year, we're a little bit down on call volume. Don't worry, we'll catch up. Currently 44,018
calls as of the time they put this slide together. That's a decrease of about 5,500 or 11.2%. Last couple
days, we're making up ground. Oldham said that traffic stops increased and crime involving weapons and
adult arrests decreased.
Meanwhile, the fire department saw 471 total runs in July, a 4 percent increase from last year. The
Board of Public Safety's next meeting is on September 17th.
The Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees met on August 19th. The board discussed a $14.6 million
spending budget for 2027 with a library tax rate of about 8.5%. Financial Officer Gary Letelier said
that the budget is subject to change following county budget hearings in September. Growth quotient
for 2027 is 6%.
Total estimated operating revenue for 2027 is about $12.7 million. And revenue in the debt fund to cover
bond payments will be about $640,000. So total spending budget, including the operating fund, the bond
payments in the debt fund, and the rainy day fund, is about $14.6 million.
Letelier says that the library's proposed 2027 tax rate would be about 8.5% after changes to property
values in Monroe County. So in 2027, the assessed value is $11,068,322,579. And so when to calculate
the tax rate,
It would be the operating levy divided by the assessed value $100. Well, it's the assessed value divided
by $100. And that's the figure that we divide the operating levy into to get the 7.93% operating fund
tax rate and the 0.58%
debt fund tax rate. So a total tax rate of 8.51% for 2027. And then comparing that to the current year,
2026, the assessed value went down by about $21 million. So in 2026,
the assessed value dropped from the previous year by close to $100,000. But when you look at 2025, the
assessed value in 2025 increased by more than a billion dollars. The board does not simply choose the
tax rate. Letelier said that the growth quotient set by the state of Indiana plays a major role. Basically,
numbers that determine that. And so it's the growth quotient. So when we take last year's tax levy and
apply the growth quotient, that's the tax dollars we're going to get. And when we know that and we know
what the assessed value is, that it's just a calculation of those tax dollars,
their percentage of the assessed value and that's the library rate. So it's really the growth quotient
that is set by the state that is the real determining factor along with total assessed value.
The board also looked at renewing its employee health insurance benefits. Human resources director,
Becky Throckmorton said that she does not know what the library's rates will be. However, industry-wide
increases could be higher than usual. Industry-wide, kind of what we're seeing and hearing is that like
20-ish percent is what folks are anticipating for premiums to increase. That's not specific to us. That's
just like, when you look industry-wide,
So typically we plan for about 14%, so 20%. It's a little bit higher than what we usually expect to
see, but a lot of that has to do with things that are going on in the wider world. The library won't
know what the actual renewal costs are until later this fall. Library Director Greer Carson said that
they're working with the library's insurance broker, JA Benefits, to prepare for whatever increases
may be coming.
we work with JA pretty early in the season to anticipate what may be coming and then develop some strategies
for either absorbing or deferring and passing on or whatever we have to do. So we can bring all those
options to you all in November. Depending on what JA brings to us in the next couple of months, we may
want to schedule a work session in November if those numbers are
bigger than we want them to be, we'll probably want to take some extra time to talk through what our
options are. And that's when we would schedule sort of a work session a week before our actual board
meeting where you all would vote on it. Because once you vote on it in November, we got to move and
do the open rule pretty quickly. Later, Carson said that the library's new bookmobile is nearing completion.
We are in the final stages of building the new Bookmobile with a handful of expected wrinkles to iron
out in terms of our original specifications, the products available, and all of those things. We're
getting about bi-weekly updates at this point from the vendor, and we expect the vehicle to be ready
close to the stated deadline of late September. To be safe, we might say it'll be early October, but
we're getting pretty close.
The MCPO Board of Trustees will meet again on September 16th at the Southwest Branch with a public budget
hearing slated on the same day. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and
WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.