Trades District Garage Opening
The Trades District Garage supporting the city’s newest employment hub and cultural destination will open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 17 at 10 a.m. Members of the public are invited to attend the event, which will feature remarks by Mayor John Hamilton and other local leaders, tours of the facility, and an opportunity to collaborate in the artwork commissioned for the structure. The ribbon-cutting will be held in keeping with current public health protocols for physical distancing and face covering. Event parking is available in the gravel lot just north of West Tenth Street off Rogers Street.
Located between the Showers City Hall building and the B-Line Trail, the 350-space garage featuring commercial/retail space facing the B-Line will complement the Trades District’s burgeoning business activity at The Mill, the Kiln (future office and commercial space) and additional sites in development, for which Bloomington is being recognized as Indiana’s Rising Tech City. Equipped with electric vehicle charging stations and a solar array, the Trades District Garage and the replacement Fourth Street Garage (scheduled to open this August) will be the first in Indiana to achieve Parksmart certification, a sustainability credential. Realized through the One Percent for the Arts Ordinance, the artwork “Aurora Almanac” by Lafayette-based artist Esteban Garcia Bravo will be installed in the stairwells of the Trades garage in the second half of the year. The ribbon-cutting will offer one of numerous opportunities for community members to collaborate in the artwork by designing tiles to be included in it.
More information about monthly or annual parking at the Trades District Garage is available online at Monthly Garage Parking Permits and Parking Garage Information | City of Bloomington, Indiana, through the Garage Customer Service Representatives during regular business hours at (812) 369-3622, or through the Parking Customer Service Office at (812) 349-3436. Inquiries about leasing commercial space in the Trades garage may be made through the City’s Economic and Sustainable Development department, at (812) 349-3418.
Lawrence County Sheriff Deputy patrol vehicles now equipped with AEDs
Deputies from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department have acquired 17 new Automatic External Defibrillators or AEDs. This means that all patrol cars in the uniform division will now be equipped with an AED should the need arise for officers to use them. An Automated External Defibrillator ( AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of the heart and pulseless. The AED is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. If necessary can deliver a shock or defibrillation to help establish an effective rhythm.
“All our officers maintain CPR certifications which include the use of an AED. These certifications are taught by our two departmental CPR Instructors,” said Chief Deputy Taylor. “In the past, the department utilized 6 AED units which had to be rotated between shifts. With these new units, officers will have one in their car at all times that can be utilized both on and off duty. This is just another way that the men and women of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department will be able to serve the citizens of Lawrence County.”
Bloomington recognized with Rising Tech City Award
TechPoint, a nonprofit, industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s tech ecosystem, announced today that it will recognize the City of Bloomington with a prestigious Rising Tech City Award during the 22nd annual Mira Awards gala on Thursday, April 22. The Mira Awards celebrate the outstanding people, companies, and products in Indiana’s tech sector each year. In recognizing Bloomington, Techpoint cites the city’s “thriving tech culture” that “grows from a deep partnership between The Mill, the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, Indiana University, the City of Bloomington, and Regional Opportunity Initiatives,” among others. The presenter also commends the City’s establishment of the Trades District Certified Tech Park in 2005 and continued investment in its growth, even in the midst of the global pandemic and economic crisis. Since the dedication of the coworking/entrepreneurship nonprofit The Mill in a renovated furniture factory in 2018, the City has continued to promote the tech economy centered at the Trades District. The dynamic start-up and venture capital activity at the Mill (with its 255 individual members and 38 companies), the sale of the Kiln building–which will become a new office and commercial building–and the more recent application for federal funding to develop the Trades District Technology Center, are among additional factors Techpoint noted in Bloomington’s selection for the award.