THE HAND UPDATE

An updated listing of information for Bloomington residents!

• Bloomington's Mayor Mark Kruzan announces NeighborLink - one-stop shopping for all neighborhood issues!

Hello!

In my recent State of the City speech, I outlined an initiative I thought you might find of interest and that I hope will help improve the quality of life for residents in all our community's neighborhoods.

One concern I've heard from neighborhood residents is that they sometimes aren't sure who to contact when there's an issue city government needs to address. For instance, if a sign is vandalized, should a call be placed to the police, Public Works Department, or to the Housing & Neighborhood Development Department?

I'm pleased to announce that the City of Bloomington has established one-stop shopping for all neighborhood issues. We've established a new tool to allow for fast and easy reporting of any and all challenges a neighborhood may face. It's called NeighborLink. NeighborLink is literally a link between neighborhoods and all City departments. This tool will allow for neighbors to communicate with the City in one central way and place. It also will allow City departments to efficiently organize, track and solve issues reported by residents.

Here's how it works: whenever you see an issue that needs to be reported, you can call NeighborLink Coordinator Vickie Provine at 349.3581. Vickie will ensure that your concern is channeled to the right place and followup to make sure it's addressed. You also can visit www.bloomington.in.gov/neighborlink to describe the situation, leave contact information, or even to upload a photo. Finally, you also can visit NeighborLink using the City of Bloomington's mobile site on your cellphone at www.bloomington.in.gov/m.

Please always feel free to let us know what you think of NeighborLink and how we can improve upon it. Thanks for helping to make Bloomington the most livable community possible!

Mayor Mark Kruzan

THE HAND UPDATE

An updated listing of information for Bloomington residents!

Important upcoming dates for neighborhoods!
• April 7, 2011 – Neighborhood Leadership Series, 7 to 9 p.m. in City Council Chambers of City Hall
• April 18, 2011 – Applications due for Blooming Neighborhood Awards and Small & Simple grants.

BLOOMING NEIGHBORHOOD AWARDS & CELEBRATION
Saturday, June 4, 9 a.m. to noon, Farmers’ Market, 401 N Morton St.
The Blooming Neighborhood Awards/Celebration was created in 2001 by the City of Bloomington to recognize Bloomington Neighborhoods for their efforts and reward the accomplishments of organized neighborhood groups. The City provides tables for the neighborhoods to set up displays to promote their neighborhood during the festivities. Last year 20 Neighborhood Organizations had festive displays – promoting the unique character of their neighborhoods. The day provides a wonderful community event starting with our Farmers’ Market and a combination of activities for the Blooming Neighborhood Celebration.
There are three award categories:

• Mayor’s Excellence Award
• City Council Neighborhood Enhancement Award
• HAND Team of the Year Award

Deadline for applications: Monday April 18, 2011 by noon
Link to the site Blooming Neighborhoods for an application and to see pictures from last year’s event!
Call Vickie at 349-3505 for more information or to mail an application.
Have your neighborhood represented at the Blooming Neighborhood Celebration – tables will be provided free of charge to neighborhoods. This is a great opportunity to share with the community the wonderful aspects of your neighborhood. A map of your neighborhood will be provided to you.
Contact Vickie at provinev@bloomington.in.gov or 349-3505 to sign up!

NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP SERIES - Thursday, April 7, 2011, 7 to 9 p.m., City Council Chambers
The session on Thursday, April 7 "HANDS ON HOUSING" will be highly interactive. HAND staff will to talk to participants about their own housing as well as what is needed in the neighborhood. A wide variety of stations will be set up to help you improve your home, not just for your own comfort and pocketbook, but also for Bloomington as a whole. Programs cover how to purchase, maintain, and rehabilitate a home, how to deal with an emergency and how to make your home more energy efficient. Attend this fun and interactive session with HAND staff to learn how to make your home a part of our increasingly sustainable city.
HAND will offer a drawing for a free Home Energy Audit to one of the participants in each session!

CITIZENS’ ACADEMY – link to this site for an application
The City of Bloomington's Citizens’ Academy provides participants with an interactive learning experience about City services, programs and responsibilities.
Come to this free nine weeks program and learn more about how your City government functions! Link to our site for more information and registration available online. Class meets every Thursday from August 18 through October 13, 2011. Contact Vickie at provinev@bloomington.in.gov or 349-3505 for more information.

Renwick Proposal Withdrawn

Neighbors,

Below, I have posted an e-mail that I received recently from Patrick Shay, Development Review Manager, Bloomington Planning Department. Then, below that, I have posted a follow-up e-mail that I received from Dave Rollo, our City Council Representative.

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Hello Everyone,

I am emailing all of you to let you know that the Renwick petition that had been scheduled to be heard on Monday March 7th has been continued. After they received the staff report for the meeting, they have requested to continue the case. They are going to re-evaluate their plan and may or may not be back before the Plan Commission on April 4th.

As I did last month, I emailed all of you because you have expressed interest in this case in the past. We are trying to get the information out to as many people as possible so that no one shows up on Monday night unnecessarily. If you know of anyone else that is not on this list, it would be greatly appreciated if you could forward this information on to them as well.

Thanks,

Patrick

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Dear Mindy and Barry, John, Chris and Robert,

I just wanted to follow up on Patrick Shay's e-mail to you re the postponement of the Renwick amendment. I've chosen just to write you, instead of the larger group, but you are free to discuss this with anyone.

The proposal, as was last envisioned, is likely not coming back. There are some indications that W/S may come with a significantly reduced proposal of some kind (perhaps by May) but that will be contingent on the planning staff's review of it. As soon as I know the nature of it, I'll let you know.

What I really wanted to convey was my discussions with Mayor Kruzan. The mayor watched your initial Plan Commission meeting closely. He agrees with your view that the proposal was completely out of alignment with the city's commitment for a new-urbanist neighborhood, that was crucial for the original passage of the PUD. He instructed his staff in planning to write a memo to the Plan Commission to reject the proposal.

The Plan Commission rarely votes in total opposition to the planning staff, and so W/S and CarDon must have realized that they would have a negative recommendation from the Commission. Since we on the council would likely reject it as well, they pulled it.

I wanted to briefly let you know what led to this outcome. I spoke with Mayor Kruzan this afternoon, and thanked him for his support of the original interpretation of the Renwick PUD.

All the best,

Dave

THE HAND UPDATE
An updated listing of information for Bloomington neighborhood residents!

Neighborhood Leadership Series - first session on Thursday, Feb. 10, 201, Fairview Elementary School, enter at the first door on 7th Street off Rogers St.(by the big cat head with headlight eyes)

Small & Simple Grant – applications for the first funding round are due on Monday, Feb. 21, 2011

Neighborhood Cleanup Grant - applications due Monday, March 7, 2011

Navigating the New County Geographic Information System - Wednesday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.


NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP SERIES - I wanted to let you know that we will be holding the following free training on Thursday, Feb. 10, Fairview Elementary School, the only door that will be open is on 7th Street - right by the big cat head with the headlight eyes that leads to the cafeteria. It is a wonderful opportunity for emerging and neighborhood leaders to meet with other neighborhoods to share best practices and learn how they make it work!

Please pass this on to your neighborhood folks and friends. Here is the link to the website and the brochure. Neighborhood Leadership Series

For more information or to have a brochure mailed to you, contact Vickie Provine at provinev@bloomington.in.gov or 349-3505.
Neighborhood Leadership Brochure

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011 "HOW DO I MAKE IT WORK IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD?"

HAND will offer a drawing for a free Home Energy Audit to one of the participants!

Neighborhood Cleanup Grant - go to the website for more information and an application!

A Neighborhood Cleanup is an effective way to work together as a neighborhood in order to instill pride in your property as well as your community.

The HAND Department sponsors annual Neighborhood Cleanups in a competitive application process. Neighborhood Associations that have demonstrated through their applications the need and ability to conduct a successful clean-up are awarded a HAND sponsored Neighborhood Cleanup. A key factor is having enough volunteers and good communication within the neighborhood to make the event successful.

The neighborhood organizes the event and provides all the volunteers; HAND provides much needed dumpsters, Hazmat, chipper service, tire disposal, document shredding and safety vests.

Proposal due in the HAND office Monday, March 7, 2011 by 4 p.m.

Small and Simple Grant –go to the website for more information and an application!

Provides neighborhoods with the opportunity to initiate projects that require $1,000 or less - applications always available.
Past Projects Small and Simple Grants - pictures of neighborhood projects funded by this program.

Application Due Dates:

Monday, Feb. 21, 2011

Monday, April 18, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011

Navigating the New County Geographic Information System
Join Monroe County Public Library for an introduction to the newly updated Monroe County GIS (Geographic Information System). Geography plays a role in more decisions than we may think. GIS Coordinator Kurt Babcock will demonstrate how to get the most out of the GIS to find information about your community, your neighborhood, and your property. Please register by calling the Indiana Room: 812-349-3080.

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m at the Monroe County Public Library - Meeting Room 1C

2011 Neighborhood Calendar - complete listing of dates for 2011 Neighborhood Services grants, programs and services!

2011 Updates on the Neighborhood Services website!
All applications: i.e., Small & Simple, Neighborhood Cleanups, Blooming Neighborhoods and Citizens’ Academy are online for your convenience!

Renwick Plan Commission Meeting Rescheduled

Neighbors,

Patrick A. Shay, Development Review Manager with the City of Bloomington Planning Department, sends this message:

I am emailing all of you to let you know that the Renwick petition that had been scheduled to be heard on Monday February 7th has been continued until the next Plan Commission meeting. The official adjacent property owner notifications sent out by the petitioners gave two dates, December 13th and February 20th. The second date should have stated February 7th and not the 20th. Due to the incorrect date and the potential confusion, the petition cannot be heard this Monday. The next Plan Commission meeting will be held on Monday, March 7th. This meeting will again be in the Council Chambers at 5:30pm.

For those that have sent new letters to me, they will still be included in our March informational packet to the Plan Commission as will any additional letters we receive on or prior to February 28th. As always, if you have any other questions please feel free to contact me at 349-3423 or this email address: [shayp@bloomington.in.gov].

Thanks,

Patrick

The HAND Update

THE HAND UPDATE
An updated listing of information for Bloomington neighborhood residents!

2011 Updates on the Neighborhood Services website!
All applications: i.e., Small & Simple, Neighborhood Cleanups, Blooming Neighborhoods and Citizens’ Academy are online for your convenience!

2011 Neighborhood Calendar - complete listing of dates for 2011 Neighborhood Services grants, programs and services!

Neighborhood Leadership Series - first session on Thursday, February 10, 2011

Neighborhood Cleanup Grant - applications due Monday, March 7, 2011

Small & Simple Grant – applications for the first funding round are due on Monday, February 21, 2011

NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP SERIES - are free classes offered quarterly for emerging and current neighborhood leaders to enhance their leadership skills, share best practices and have the opportunity to have an in-depth session with a City Department that neighborhoods commonly interact with. In 2011, we will explore the Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) Department, to learn first hand the fundamentals of HAND programs and services to help your neighborhood be a better place to live. Click here for information on the web and to register online. For more information or to have a brochure mailed to you, contact Vickie Provine at provinev@bloomington.in.gov or 349-3505.
Neighborhood Leadership Brochure
Thursday, February 10, 2011 "HOW DO I MAKE IT WORK IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD?"
Thursday, April 7, 2011 "GET THE SKINNY ON HAND HOUSING PROGRAMS TO SUSTAIN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD"
Thursday, June 9, 2011 "THE TIME TESTED WAY TO RECYCLE YOUR COMMUNITY"
Thursday, November 10, 2011 "NEIGHBORHOOD CODE ENFORCEMENT"

HAND will offer a drawing for a free Home Energy Audit to one of the participants in each session!

Neighborhood Cleanup Grant - go to the website for more information and an application!

A Neighborhood Cleanup is an effective way to work together as a neighborhood in order to instill pride in your property as well as your community.

Annually the HAND Department sponsors Neighborhood Cleanups for neighborhoods in a competitive application process. Neighborhood Associations that have demonstrated through their applications the need and ability to conduct a successful clean-up are awarded a HAND sponsored Neighborhood Cleanup. A key factor is having enough volunteers and good communication within the neighborhood to make the event successful.
The neighborhood organizes the event and provides all the volunteers; HAND provides much needed dumpsters, Hazmat, chipper service, tire disposal, document shredding and safety vests.

Proposal due in the HAND office Monday, March 7, 2011 by 4:00 p.m.

Small and Simple Grant –go to the website for more information and an application!

Provides neighborhoods with the opportunity to initiate projects that require $1,000 or less - applications always available.
Past Projects Small and Simple Grants - pictures of neighborhood projects funded by this program.

Application Due Dates

Monday, February 21, 2011

Monday, April 18, 2011

Monday, June 13, 2011


--
Vickie Provine
Program Manager
Housing and Neighborhood Development
City of Bloomington
812-349-3505
fax 812-349-3582

School Board Meeting

Neighbors,

I received the following message this morning (December 27, 2010).

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Please mark your calendar now for a school board meeting at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, January 4, and another meeting on Thursday, January 6 (time to be announced).

Regardless of whether you have children in school, please plan to attend and bring five of your best friends. The school board needs our support to take appropriate steps in a positive direction.

If few people attend these meetings, then the message will be that our community does not really care how the school board governs our $140 million/year public school corporation. The school board has some particular decisions that they will revisit next week, but the biggest decision is whether to embrace Indiana public meeting laws.

Failure to comply with the letter of the law is no longer an option. Hopefully the school board, with its new members and new leadership, will also embrace the spirit of the law, but to do so, they need your support.

There are good reasons why these meetings are scheduled for the first week of January, but because of the holidays, many people will not know about these meetings in advance. I hope that you will alert your friends and neighbors, and I hope that you will attend.

Thank you for your assistance.

Cheers,

Eric Knox

1904 E. Southdowns

Bloomington