Minutes of CONA Meeting

7:00 p.m., April 17, 2008

City Hall Building

Bloomington, Indiana

Board Members Present:
Arden Place - Kathy Berry
McDoel Gardens - Jack Baker
Eastside - Molly O'Donnell
Southampton - Richard Carr
Elm Heights - Kathie Holland
Sycamore Knolls - Shirley Davies

(NOTE: The meeting started late because our guest speaker was involved in a ceremony during which Mayor Kruzan formally accepted a large aerial photograph of Bloomington, taken in 1954, that is now hanging on the wall opposite the first-floor meeting room where our meeting was held, so CONA members attended the ceremony! (When we go to City Hall next week we could read the plaque to find out the name of the gentleman who donated this photograph if this is worth noting in the minutes! He pointed out several long-gone landmarks, including the old stadium and an old gas tank south of downtown.)

Program

Miah Michaelson, Assistant Economic Development Director for the Arts from the City of Bloomington's Mayor's Office discussed the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD). The City is focusing on the sixty block area of downtown as a neighborhood in its effort to support and grow the arts community and thereby grow the local economy. To that end, the Arts Council will hold a block party in July "Be neighborly Bloomington." They plan to market this to the larger community as well as to reach regional and national artists. Compared to other cities of this size, we already have a strong basis as a cultural center, including the IU Jacobs School of Music, School of Fine Arts (SoFA), Creative Writing and Theater and Drama Department. One difficult is that there is not a single point of contact. The City already hosts regular gallery walks, has public art - sculptures, murals, streetscapes - and hosts music performances in the parks.

In the future the City may work with the School of Fine Arts to open a downtown satellite SoFA gallery, encourage "pocket art" like bike racks or bird houses, work with retired artists, and provide training to small businesses. With more downtown rentals neighborhoods north and west of downtown might become neighborhoods of artists in owner- occupied homes.

Finally, we discussed how the City could reach out to other neighborhoods, for example through concerts or sculptures. Jack suggested a get together for multiple neighborhoods. Miah said her department is open to ideas neighborhoods might suggest, and would work with HAND.

Business Meeting

1. We did not have enough printed copies of the March 19th meeting minutes for all to read, so approval was postponed until next month.
2. Blooming Neighborhoods will be celebrated on June 7th. Vickie Provine, from HAND, had given Molly applications for nominations for neighbors of the year to pass out at the meeting.
3. Molly read the Treasurer's Report: Checking remains at $672.83, and Savings were up to $8,098.78 with the deposit of $360.00 in dues from 12 neighborhood associations. On March 27 Dave Walter filed the required annual report with the Secretary of State of Indiana, with CONA's officers and official mailing address and paid the $7.14 fee.
4. Jack Baker updated us on numerous Planning issues: (Dave: you might want to ask Jack to proof this!!)
   1. 2960 S. Walnut (north of the Chevy dealership): to tear down the old bar and build a new building.
   2. 1711 N. College: a mixed use building
   3. 117 E. 6th Street: asked for Planning's support to BZA to allow ground floor residences (restricted in UDO). A variance has been allowed elsewhere: an ADA apartment on the ground floor near Nick's. Also a Morton Street development wanted 100% residential so Planning had some be convertible to commercial later.
   4. 701 N. College (at 11th Street): 32 unit mixed use on corner, commercial under four floors of residential.
   5. The old Honda site: the $40 million development was approved. To address fears by neighbors to the north, trees will buffer them from this development, and outdoor lighting will be limited.
   6. Tortilla Flats: another mixed use, four or five story development has been approved.
   7. Discussion: A consequence of high density downtown is less green space, including curb-side trees, but was required in UDO to reduce sprawl. A bonus has been more owner occupied houses that had been rentals.
   8. The Commission is supporting an ordinance to encourage public buildings to work toward a LEED silver rating, through such steps as including solar power, better insulation, sustainable building materials and green roofs.
   9. NOTE: The UDO will be coming up for revision this year.
5. No further business to be discussed, the meeting was adjourned.