City Asks for Input on Redesigned North Gateway Concept
The City today announced it is seeking feedback on a modified gateway for Miller-Showers Park. This new gateway concept, developed by Indianapolis-based landscape architecture firm Rundell Ernstberger Associates (REA), stems from the incorporation of public feedback received through 2023.
The new concept includes stacked limestone approximately 10′ high, reminiscent of blocks from local quarries, with the word “Bloomington” in letters mounted to the limestone. The letters are backlit with adjustable LED lights that can be color-themed for community events.
Feedback on the gateway concept is welcome online at bloomington.in.gov/parks/gateway through Dec. 15. Comments may also be emailed to parks@bloomington.in.gov; mailed to Parks and Recreation at PO Box 848, Bloomington, IN 47402; or shared by phone at 812-349-3700.
A contract addendum with REA is scheduled for presentation to the Board of Park Commissioners at their regular meeting Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers in City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. The addendum will include the development of this gateway concept from schematic design to construction documents. Public feedback will be considered as the concept is finalized.
Site improvements planned for Miller-Showers Park will be adjusted to accommodate the updated footprint of the gateway element. Most improvements, including removing invasive Callery pear trees, installing sidewalks, reconstructing the pedestrian island on Gourley Pike and repairing asphalt, and landscaping and tree installation will be completed in the spring. A 120-foot section of new sidewalk has already been installed on the west side of College Avenue to facilitate appropriate and safe pedestrian and cyclist detours during construction, as well as to make permanent improvements to the gateway area.
A separate request for quotes for the construction of the updated gateway element will be used to select a contractor for the final installation of the gateway. That contract will be subject to approval by the Board of Park Commissioners.
The Bicentennial Gateways project was approved by the Bloomington Common Council on Oct. 31, 2018 as part of the Bicentennial Bond package. A total of $1.25 million was set aside for the development and installation of the gateways.
Plans for the future of the Bicentennial gateway project will be shared with the community via City-issued news releases, social media channels, and on the Bicentennial Gateway Project website at bloomington.in.gov/parks/gateway as plans are developed. Community members may sign up to receive email updates on the gateway project by registering at bton.in/inbox.
Violent Aryan Brotherhood member sentenced to 7 years in Federal Prison for Illegal Gun Possession
Barry Willis, 49, of Anderson has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Willis was released from the Indiana Department of Corrections to parole on January 17, 2022. He failed to contact his parole agent, and a warrant for his arrest was issued on February 17, 2022. On April 6, 2022, law enforcement officers obtained information that Willis was dealing narcotics, was in possession of a firearm, and had pointed a firearm at a juvenile.
ATF agents went to Willis’ home in Anderson to execute search and arrest warrants. Willis saw investigators arrive and barricaded himself inside the attic. Willis refused to comply with commands to surrender and A SWAT team was called in to assist and deployed chemical agents and a K9 to force Willis outside. Willis continued to resist arrest, leading to a four-hour standoff before he was finally taken into custody.
Once inside the home, agents located a loaded, green 9mm pistol under the bed. Forensic examination located Willis’ DNA on the gun’s trigger guard, magazine, and a bullet. Willis is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law following each of his six previous felony convictions in Anderson and Muncie between 1994 and 2017, including for dealing methamphetamine, burglary, theft, resisting law enforcement, and intimidation. Willis has an Aryan Brotherhood tattoo and has been previously established as a member of the violent, white supremacist gang.
Public invited to “Science of Scale” Mural Celebration on Sunday, December 3rd
The City of Bloomington, in partnership with a Center for Chemical Innovation sponsored by the National Science Foundation (CSENND: csennd.iu.edu/) that includes researchers from Indiana University’s Chemistry Department, and in collaboration with the WonderLab and CFC Properties, invites the public to celebrate the new mural Science of Scale by local artist Erin Tobey at 3:30pm on Sunday, December 3.
The mural project was conceived of by Indiana University James H. Rudy Professor Sara E. Skrabalak, who received a grant from the National Science Foundation in part to create an artwork to enhance scientific literacy of the general public about a topic that affects their quality of life. The Bloomington Arts Commission worked with Skrabalak and her team to select artist Erin Tobey to execute the mural Science of Scale, a visual journey through the microscope to the inside of plants and a demonstration of how its properties can be turned into useful technologies to enrich human and environmental health.
The celebration will kick off in front of the mural located on the alley wall on the east side of The Kirkwood Apartments, 315 W Kirkwood Ave, directly west of WonderLab, and continue in the lobby of WonderLab, with mural-based activities for all ages.
The mural site is accessible from the alley immediately west of WonderLab and visible from Kirkwood Avenue and the B-Line Trail.
This Week in Hoosier History
William Henry Harrison, former Governor of the Indiana Territory, was elected President of the United States, defeating the sitting President, Martin Van Buren. Harrison served only one month in office before dying of pneumonia.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson