- Let me call this special meeting of the Monroe County Capital Improvement Board of February 5th, 2026
- to order. So I will ask Mr. Whitlatch to take the role. John Weichart. Present. Doug Bruce. Here. Galen
- Cassidy. Here. Joyce Poling. Here. Jim Silverstein. Here. Adam Tease. Here. Jay Baer. I am here remotely.
- I will announce that prior to our meeting,
- Mr. Teese was newly sworn in to a new term as a member of our board. Congratulations. Thank you. Yeah.
- I'm sorry I missed it. We were going to have a cake and everything, and it's just happened around us
- and everything. We have one item on our agenda today, a board discussion about the hotel, the interlocal
- agreement, real estate. Before moving to any discussion and actions,
- On matters on the agenda, it's helpful to summarize events that bring us to today. In April 2024, the
- CIB requested identification from the city of Bloomington and Monroe County of properties for transfer
- for the Convention Center expansion project. The project was defined to include a host hotel. This request
- was required by the Monroe County ordinance that created the CIB in 2023 and the 2024 interlocal agreement
- between the city and county.
- In May 2024, the county identified parcels to the east and west for transfer for the project, and the
- city identified parcels to the south and north for transfer for the project, but distinguished parcels
- to the north, what we refer to as the Bunger Robertson site, from the south parcel, stating that the
- north parcels require negotiation with the city for purchase. The CIB subsequently chose the east location
- for the new construction, for the convention center expansion,
- Upon this selection, the county donated the east parcels to the project. At the same time, the CIB released
- a RFP for hotel development, identifying the south and west parcels as available for a hotel and the
- north parcels for purchase through negotiation with the city. Through the RFP process, the CIB selected
- Dora Hospitality as the hotelier.
- Dora preferred the North site. So in October, 2024, the CIB referred Dora to the city for negotiations.
- The CIB was not involved in those negotiations. At the December 17th, 2025 meeting of the CIB, both
- Dora Hospitality and the city reported that after 14 months, there was no path forward between them
- for a host hotel on the North site.
- The CIB then set a deadline of the CIB meeting of January 21st, 2026 for Dora to advise the CIB whether
- it would commit to a host hotel on the South parcels with the understanding that the CIB had no other
- incentives to offer, but the land identified by the city in May, 2024. At our January 21st,
- 2026 CIB meeting, Dora proposed a letter of intent
- to build on the south parcels without any additional public subsidies but for the donation of the land
- and the LOI did not address the issue of parking. An inquiry was made to the city regarding the transfer
- of the south parcels for a hotel consistent with the May 2024 letter from the city. The city scheduled
- today's meeting to give our hotel evaluation group time to review the LOI under the above scenario.
- On January 28, 2026, City of Bloomington Corporation Council Margie Rice responded on behalf of the
- city to the Southland Transfer Inquiry. The response stated that the properties to the south would require
- review and negotiation for price or consideration from the CIB to the city for transfer of the south
- parcels for a hotel or other purposes.
- This past Friday, our hotel evaluation group met to discuss Dora's LOI and the position from the city
- regarding the south parcels. Dora confirmed their commitment was to the LOI of January 21st, 2026, which
- required the land donation. We now find ourselves in the following position. The city's position on
- acquisition of its parcels north and now south is clear.
- and the CIB does not have the ability to meet any price or consideration it requires. The CIB cannot
- agree to the LOI from DORA because we do not have the land it requires. The CIB needs to consider its
- obligations and the need for access to land for parking, a hotel, and for other purposes for the project.
- We now find ourselves at an impasse. For us to proceed, it is imperative that the issue of transfer
- and ownership of land
- for any needs of the project must be resolved. To move our meeting to discussion, I am asking if there
- is a motion for the following. To inquire if the county will review its parcels near or adjacent to
- the Convention Center expansion project for the purpose of donation and transfer to CIB ownership. And
- to notify Dora Hospitality that at this time we are ending the original RFP process regarding a host hotel.
- If and when the CIB has ownership of real estate determines its best uses for a convention center host
- hotel and issues a new RFP, we will invite Dora Hospitality to respond if they still have interest.
- So I am asking at this point if there is a motion to that effect so that we can have discussion. It's
- been moved. Second. And seconded. So it's been moved.
- And seconded, I would now open the floor for discussion or comments from members of the CIB regarding
- the motion. Mr. Teese. I think it's really good and wise that we would kind of back up here. And while
- this comes across as very dramatic of ending, this is a process. And cities evolve and they take time
- and they move in different directions.
- So in some ways, I think the reality is we're on the cusp of building a really exciting center. It's
- really fun to see this deal go up. I would encourage all of the people who are paying attention to our
- meeting or who read the media that's involved that we've got a real success happening here. It's gonna
- be very exciting. And I think at the end of the day, it's gonna help preserve this facility that we're
- sitting in. And so there's success that's happening.
- I think starting to think about how to redevelop adjacent land, you want to do it thoughtfully. You're
- not making a throwaway item that goes away in two days, two years, or hopefully not even 20 years. You're
- making an item that lasts many, many, many decades, if not longer. So I think the overall general tone
- of this is being thoughtful, and being thoughtful leads to hopeful city building success. So I just
- want to...
- encourage the group that as we consider this seems logical to be moving methodically and thoughtfully
- on these topics. Thank you. Other comments, discussion? Other board members? Yes, Mr. Bruce. Yes, as
- part of the hotel evaluation committee, I think it's really fair and I agree that we should release
- Dora from the LOI
- and halt the RFP process. Again, as you stated, we don't have the land and we don't really want to impose
- any more time or money, dollars of DORA's time, putting something together for which we do not own or
- cannot offer at this time. So I would agree completely. Thank you. Other comments, Mr. Silverstein?
- Yeah, I think it's critical that we have clarity on
- the control of the property, which properties we control around the Game Management Center. And we don't
- have clarity on that at this point. Anyone else? Yeah, I want to re-emphasize when we talk about the
- project, there are multiple aspects to ownership of land. We have parking we're going to have to deal
- with. We certainly have a host hotel that's been assigned to us as part of the project.
- There will be much to consider, but we can't consider any of it until we have ownership of real estate.
- Other comments? Mr. Baer? Yeah, just to reiterate, I mean, it's unfortunate that we have to set this
- aside for now, but this is not a circumstance where anybody has necessarily fallen short of
- their expectations or what they have talked about in the past. I think we, as a CIB, thank the city
- and their staff for all the work they spent negotiating this program. Certainly we thank DORA for the
- time and effort they put into responding to the RFP initially and negotiating with the city for now
- what is nearly a year and a half. So I think it's unfortunate that we have to take a step back, but
- it's the wise and prudent thing to do.
- Sometimes this is the way these kind of projects unfold and certainly optimistic that we will get a
- circumstance that will be to the ultimate benefit of the citizens of Monroe County and the
- city of Bloomington at the end of the day. Thank you. Any other comments from board members? Okay, seeing
- none, we have a motion.
- to inquire if the county will review its parcels near or adjacent to the Convention Center expansion
- project for the purpose of donation and transfer to CIB ownership and to notify Dora Hospitality that
- this time we are ending the original RFP process regarding a host hotel. If and when the CIB has ownership
- of real estate, determines its best uses for a Convention Center host hotel and issues a new RFP, we
- will invite Dora Hospitality to respond if they still have interest. So that's the
- Motion on the floor. Would you please take the role? Yes, and the role will not include Mr. Baer, who
- is being sworn in on Monday. So we'll have the next meeting for him to be officially sworn in and voting.
- But the individuals that will vote, John Weichart? Yes. Doug Bruce? Yes. Galen Cassidy? Yes. Joyce Poling?
- Yes. Jim Silverstein? Yes. Adam Tease? Yes. Thank you.
- So the motion passes. Let me conclude by simply asking Mr. Whitlatch to formally communicate this information
- to both the county and to Dora Hospitality to thank Dora Hospitality for their time and effort to date.
- I would also comment that we've known for quite some time that we're going to have a gap between the
- completion of the Convention Center expansion and when a host hotel would ever be online. And we've
- always known that that hotel process would be probably a two and a half year process. And it continues
- to move out two and a half years. So now it's two and a half years from today or two and a half years
- from ever we get all of this resolved. So we've always known that that gap would exist. And I wanna
- mention he couldn't be with us today, but Mike McAfee from Visit Bloomington wanted me
- to emphasize that we continue to work on attracting and booking conventions with our local hotels. And
- Mike has told me how pleased he is at the cooperation he's receiving from our current group of local
- hotels as we book conventions out. Even now, we're looking at them out into 2028.
- and that we now are able to work with our local hotels and we're able to get more guaranteed rooms in
- that process and that he's pleased with that, pleased with that cooperation. He and the staff at the
- Convention Center have been working very diligently on that and so this doesn't mean that we're
- not going to open an expansion and not have dealt with hotel spaces. And the staff of Visit Bloomington
- and the Convention Center are working diligently on that as we move forward and will continue to do
- so. So having said that, that concludes our business for today. Our next board meeting is February 18th,
- 2026 at 3 p.m. and we are adjourned. Thank you.