Former Bloomington Deputy Mayor to receive over $11K for marketing City property
It has been reported by WFIU that Donald Griffin, Bloomington’s former Deputy Mayor under the Hamilton Administration, will be issued $11,250 for efforts in marketing the property that the Bloomington Police Department occupies. The project which Mayor Hamilton had taken on involved selling the current Police Department property and relocating the department to the Showers Building along with the Fire Department.
Although the project was opposed by the majority of the community and the members of both the Fire and Police Departments, Hamilton used public safety grant funds to purchase the Showers Building, and hoped the future sale of the Police property would supply the needed funds for renovation. . . he was wrong, as the estimates greatly outweighed the market value of the property.
Donald Griffin, who is a Real Estate Agent in Bloomington, was offered the contract to broker the sale, after resigning as Deputy Mayor for his failed Mayoral Campaign. Griffin was a major player in the management of the project as former Deputy Mayor.
To add extra controversy to the mix, even though Griffin planned to sell the property on behalf of the City for a new housing project, the original deed of the property, which was donated to Bloomington a few decades back, stipulates that the gift is only to be used for public space. This contractual aspect was one the Hamilton administration felt was either non-binding or simply not important to adhere to. The original benefactor’s family felt otherwise.
Current Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson has decided to end the project and retain the property and current Police Headquarter facility.
Bill supporting in-home care for Hoosiers with intellectual disabilities advances
The Indiana House of Representatives advanced State Rep. Julie Olthoff’s (R-Crown Point) legislation to identify ways to help more low-income Hoosiers with intellectual disabilities access in-home care options.
Indiana currently offers a Community Integration and Habilitation (CIH) waiver, which is a Medicaid program that helps provide home and community-based services to eligible children and adults with a developmental disability or related condition and can provide compensation for family members. Olthoff said the demand for waivers is high, but eligibility requirements can be tough for individuals and families to meet and many applicants are turned away. If approved, applicants could be placed on a wait list for up to a year to be matched with a provider. Olthoff said that’s why she authored legislation to create a review team who would determine ways to increase access for Hoosiers in need.
With Olthoff’s legislation, a five-member Special Service Review Team would evaluate denied or waitlisted CIH applications to determine why applicants are not selected and how to improve the process to help more families. For those denied the waiver, the review team may recommend alternative resources. The team would review cases from Gary, Terre Haute and Clarksville area until June 2025. The evaluation would be completed by Dec. 31, 2026.
Some qualifications for the current CIH waiver to receive in-home care services include being diagnosed as having an intellectual or developmental disability or related condition prior to age 22 and expected to continue indefinitely, meeting certain income requirements, requiring a certain level of care and meeting a certain priority criteria like transitioning from a nursing facility or state-operated facility. According to Olthoff, some families are so desperate for a waiver, they institutionalize a loved one to qualify for assistance.
This legislation would also expand the eligibility of the CIH waiver to include cases with suspicion of health risks, safety risks, neglect or abuse. House Bill 1187 now heads to the Indiana Senate for consideration. To learn more and follow legislative proceedings, visit iga.in.gov.
Bloomington Arts Commission announces grant funding for 2024
The Bloomington Arts Commission (BAC), in collaboration with the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association (BUEA), has announced its 2024 grant cycles to fund the arts and cultivate cultural experiences in Bloomington. The BAC will administer the following three grant cycles during 2024:
Arts Projects Grants
- Funds to produce public-facing arts programming in Bloomington, IN
- Projects must begin no earlier than March 31, 2024 and must conclude by March 31, 2025
- Award amount: Up to $3000; most awardees will not receive full funding
- Applications open Monday, February 12 through Friday, March 22, 2024
- Awards announced May 2024
- Awards disbursed June 2024
Operations Arts Grants
- Funds to support operational costs for 501(c)3 organizations with arts-centered missions and Bloomington-based impact. Note: 501c3s whose annual operating budget is no more than $500,000 are eligible to apply.
- Funds can be used for expenses accrued from July 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025
- Award amount: Up to $5000; most awardees will not receive full funding
- Applications open Monday, May 13 through Friday, June 21, 2024
- Awards announced August 2024
- Awards disbursed September 2024
Emerging Artist Grants
- Funds to support the professional career advancement of artists living and working in Bloomington, Indiana
- Funds can be used for expenses accrued from July 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025
- Award amount: Up to $1000
- Applications open Monday, August 12 through Friday, September 20, 2024
- Awards announced November 2024
- Awards disbursed December 2024
Information regarding the Arts Project grant cycle is available at the 2024 Arts Project grant website. The Arts Project grant application is available on the Department of Economic and Sustainable Development grants website under the Arts Grants tab.
This Week in Hoosier History
1913 – Jimmy Hoffa, Union leader of the Teamsters, ties to organized crime, born in Brazil, IN. Hoffa disappeared in 1975. From an early age, Hoffa was a union activist, and he became an important regional figure with the IBT by his mid-twenties. By 1952, he was the national vice-president of the IBT and between 1957 and 1971 he was its general president. He secured the first national agreement for teamsters’ rates in 1964 with the National Master Freight Agreement. He played a major role in the growth and the development of the union, which eventually became the largest by membership in the United States, with over 2.3 million members at its peak, during his terms as its leader.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson