College Avenue and Walnut Street Corridor Study calls for community input
The City of Bloomington’s Planning and Transportation Department is launching a Corridor Study of College Avenue and Walnut Street based on recommendations from the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Transportation Plan. In this critical corridor, there are challenges too: the sidewalks, ramps, and crosswalks along the corridor do not all meet current accessibility standards; many bus stops lack shelters; and each year, several hundred motor vehicle crashes occur along the length of the corridors.
The Comprehensive Plan and the Transportation Plan reflect extensive input from many Bloomington residents. The City Council unanimously adopted the Transportation Plan in May 2019 and the Comprehensive Plan in January 2018. The College and Walnut Corridor Study is a key recommendation in the Transportation Plan, and the City is pleased to be implementing recommendations from our adopted community plans. The Corridor Study will examine College Avenue and Walnut Street from the SR 45/46 Bypass to Allen Street. The study will look at what’s working well, where challenges exist, and where improvements can be made. Using public input, research, and analysis, the Corridor Study will propose conceptual designs for the streets.
The City wants to hear from all members of the community who use these streets. Visit the project website to sign up to receive project update emails, share your perspective, or sign up for an in-person Stroll and Discuss event. Residents can invite staff to attend a meeting to discuss the project. Finally, plan to participate in public meetings during the week of June 12, 2023. For more information, the project website is available at: https://bton.in/R1fAW
City of Bloomington connects residents with Indianapolis Zoo to rid invasive plants
The City of Bloomington encourages residents to reduce invasive and undesirable plants on their properties by donating them to the Indianapolis Zoo for animal food. Invasive plants often eliminate native plants, decreasing biodiversity and altering the ecosystem. The types of plants that may be donated include:
- Yellow Groove Bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata)
- Callery/Bradford Pear (Pyrus calleryana)
- Elm (Ulmus spp.)
- Alder (Alnus spp.)
- White Mulberry (Morus alba)
- Maple (Norway: Acer platanoides; Amur: Acer ginnala)
- Box Elder (Acer negundo)
Residents who plan to remove any of the approved plants from their properties may offer to donate the cut vegetation to the Zoo by signing up at this link: https://bton.in/a9aE4
INverse Poetry Archive Now Accepting Entries
The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), in partnership with the Indiana State Library, announced today that INverse, the state poetry archive, is accepting entries. INverse, an initiative of former Indiana Poet Laureate Adrian Matejka, celebrates and preserves the diverse range of Indiana poetry for future generations of Indiana writers and readers. Entries are due April 30, 2023.
Learn more and submit your poem.
ISP Master Trooper Kurt Jack retires after 39 years of service
On Thursday April 6, 2023, Indiana State Police Master Trooper Kurt Jack retired from the department with over thirty-nine years of dedicated and honorable service. Master Trooper Jack’s law enforcement career has been a lifelong journey. He was literally born into the ISP family, as his father, the late Sergeant Thomas Jack, was also a state trooper assigned to the now decommissioned Ligonier Post in Noble County. Although never confirmed, there have often been rumors suggesting that some of Kurt’s “Safe Driving Miles” may have actually been logged long before he became a state trooper. Kurt graduated from Michigan State University-East Lansing in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. His professional policing career began as a Patrolman with the Elkhart Police Department shortly after graduating college.
Master Trooper Jack was appointed as a trooper on December 25, 1983 after graduating from the Indiana State Police 41st Recruit Academy. He was assigned to the Fort Wayne Post after graduation and would remain here for the duration of his entire career. During his thirty-nine years, M/Trooper Jack has primarily been assigned to road patrol duties in the counties of Adams, Wells, Jay, and Blackford. He was extensively trained and highly skilled in several specialty certifications and assignments, including thirty-four years of experience as a certified Technical Crash Investigator with Vehicle Dynamics, as well as aircraft crash investigations, Background Investigator, and Field Training Officer. The latter two assignments directly involved him in the processes of hiring, training, and mentoring numerous Indiana State Police personnel.
In 2014, M/Trooper Jack was named the Trooper of the Year for the Fort Wayne Post, and he achieved over 1.6 million safe driving miles over the course of his career. Kurt has spent his entire adult life as a resident of Wells County. He has three adult children- Brian, Amy, and Chris; and five grandchildren. Moving into retirement, Kurt has been appointed as the new Police Chief for the town of Ossian.
This Week in Hoosier History
1827 – Lew Wallace was born in Brookville. The son of Indiana Governor David Wallace, he became an attorney, Civil War General, Governor of the New Mexico Territory, and best-selling author (Ben Hur.)
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