By: Diane Benjamin
Making sidewalks ADA compliant is expensive. However, it’s a total waste of money if people with disabilities have to traverse trash and mud, not to mention standing water when it can’t drain.
The Downtown Bloomington Association isn’t bothered by this? Downtown merchants?
The DBA gets $90K a year from the taxpayers yet allows it to look like a shit hole. I guess the executive director is too busy to notice. Probably going to economic development meetings,,,duh,,,trying to lure more businesses in.
Probably pays the salary
Having a friend who has M.S. she notices THIS kind of stuff ALL the time, and one REALLY don’t notice it until it’s brought to one’s attention. You would THINK as MUCH as Hales, Renner, et, al, eat at the downtown restaurants at OUR expense, they would trip over this kind of thing-and DO SOMETHING about it, but I guess that’s too obvious for them.
Well, they’re foolish. A small, simple, low-cost yet high-impact tasks has no priority.
Every one of them likely thinks that they’re ‘too important’ due to their phony titles and inflated pay to actually pick up a broom and take personal responsibility. Furthermore, if they have hired others’ to ‘push the brooms’ then it shows up their management incompetence because they cannot get workers’ to do their jobs. They all just draw a paycheck and look the other way. No rockin’ that sweet boat!
Or, better still, I’m sure some of them scream up about their health-related work restrictions and give myriad other reasons why they cannot perform essential aspects of their jobs. But, they can’t be fired. Sure, they can’t perform their jobs, but they are ‘well-liked’ and have ‘good intentions.’ So, we can’t let ‘m go. That would be mean and potentially politically ugly. If you want the streets swept . . . you’ll have to sweep ‘m yourself.
If I were a merchant and chipped into DBA pot, I’d be pissed . . . just like pay dues for nothin’, right. Except to line the Boss’s pockets. I wonder if they can ‘opt out’ of membership!
Let’s not get started about ‘opt-in’ and ‘opt-out’ bullshit, but I’m sure we all can think of a few other examples regarding this schema.
Allrighty then.
Very few downtown business opt in to the DBA. Membership is on a volunteer basis and who knows the amount paid for dues, if any. That is why the entire populace has to contribute to the Director’s $90,000.00 salary/budget through taxes. At Monday’s Council meeting, there is a resolution to accept the new (and improved?) Values and Mission Statement. One Value is Responsibility–there you have it! One Mission is a beautiful downtown–yep!!