City of Bloomington to release Annexation Fiscal plan
Please note that the City of Bloomington administration and council leadership have agreed to reschedule the presentation of the annexation fiscal plans to Wednesday, May 19 in order to create more room in the council’s schedule. The fiscal plan will be shared publicly on the City website during the week of May 10th. For more information about the proposed annexation, including maps and frequently asked questions, please visit https://bloomington.in.gov/city/annexation.
Waldron Recommendation Task Force issues findings
The Waldron Recommendation Task Force issued a report summarizing its activities, findings, and recommendations for future uses for the circa-1915 building at 122 South Walnut Street. The ownership of the building reverted from Ivy Tech Community College to City of Bloomington in January 2021. The report, available here, will inform the City’s actions with regard to the building’s future. The task force has been working since November 2020 in preparation for the ownership reversion to provide an evaluation of the building and offer short- and long-term recommendations for its future use. The 21-member task force consulted with eight specialized stakeholder focus groups in January 2021 to develop recommendations for the building’s future uses.
The task force recommends “leveraging the building to its fullest extent to support the performing and visual arts in the community,” with three specific recommendations:
- Extend the initial short-term use period to five years, allowing arts organizations utilizing the facility a secure, yet temporary opportunity to rebuild operation revenue post-pandemic. Provide minimum yet adequate funding for general upkeep and maintenance of the building.
- Continue public ownership of the building throughout the five-year short-term use period, through the creation of a new Cultural Improvement Corporation, which should oversee both the Waldron and the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and seek venue management from interested organizations, one proposal for which has already been received.
- Commission a third-party study to determine type, size, location, and cost for a future arts facility to be built within the downtown region, ultimately replacing the need for the Waldron as an arts facility.
The report also includes an appraisal of the property’s value at $2.8 million as of November 6, 2020, and reviews of the physical plant and estimates of critical capital improvements needed to maintain the building of $264,000 and an additional $251,000 in lower priority needs. Annual operational costs were estimated at $117,500.
Ivy Tech Bloomington’s 2021 Graduation Celebration scheduled for May 15
Ivy Tech Community College’s Bloomington campus will host an in-person graduation celebration event and virtual commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021 on Saturday, May 15th. Celebration events will be held on the main campus starting at noon, followed by the premiere of the virtual commencement ceremony that evening at 6pm on Ivy Tech Bloomington’s YouTube channel. Ivy Tech Bloomington will confer approximately 1,482 associate degrees and certificates to 2021 graduates.