By: Diane Benjamin
The City of Bloomington is selling this property for $5,000 tonight. The house was condemned years ago, the City tore is down for $9,690.00. The address is 206 N Dorrah. PDF page 54 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12802
The sale was advertised in the Pantagraph, the City needs to find a new way to publicize sales since few people still subscribe to the paper. The minimum bid was $5,000, only 1 person bid. Instead of the money going into the General Fund, the City is adding it to the Community Block Grant Fund (CBG) they get from the Federal government. President Trump wants to end CBG funds since it’s a slush fund for City’s to fund local projects of their choice and provide payoffs to friends. CBG funds were used to tear it down, so they probably think they are replacing those funds.
More:
In a special session before the Council meeting, Alderman Amelia Buragas is bringing a proposal to Council. She wants a Transportation Advisory Committee. She is joined by Aldermen Black, Schmidt, and former alderman Fruin.
According to the documentation:
Of course, the mayor will only appoint people who agree with the MASTER PLAN and want it implemented. Traffic calming is forcing you to drive slower. Think 30 miles an hour on Hershey road. Think eliminating vehicle lanes in favor of bike lanes.
The City socialists would never refer to websites with common sense, but they should. The website below has 10 things government should never do because it creates many more problems than it solves.
Alderman Buragas’s proposal violates 8-10. Maybe when driving in Bloomington gets even worse than pothole filled roads, people will start paying attention.
http://ti.org/antiplanner/?p=13175#more-13175
8. It’s a bike lane project that reduces the number of lanes for automobiles. Many cities are attempting to encourage cycling while simultaneously discouraging driving by converting auto lanes to bike lanes, such as by changing a four-lane street to a two-lane street with a center left-turn lane and two bike lanes. This probably doesn’t increase bicycle safety, but it does increase traffic congestion. It is nearly alway possible to find parallel local streets that can be turned into bicycle boulevards without impeding through or local auto traffic. All bicycle projects that reduce the capacity of arterial or collector streets to move automobiles are boondoggles.
9. It can’t be paid for out of user fees. The primary beneficiaries of all transportation projects are the transportation users. Paying for transportation out of user fees is equitable since it is only fair for users to pay for what they use. More important, user fees send signals to both users and transportation providers informing users of when and where travel is most cost effective and informing providers of where new transportation facilities might be needed. User fees also impose a discipline on both providers and users that prevents boondoggles from taking place. Any transportation facility that can’t be paid for out of user fees is a boondoggle.
10. It doesn’t generate increased travel or shipping. Anti-highway groups complain that new roads “induce” more driving, and they think that is a bad thing. They advocate instead for transit projects whose users were former auto drivers. They have it backwards. Transportation projects that merely transfer users from one mode of travel to another more expensive mode are a drag on society. Projects that generate new travel create new economic opportunities. Only by generating new travel can projects stimulate economic development. Given a choice between projects that can be paid for out of user fees, the ones that generate the most new travel should be funded first.
The downward death spiral will continue.
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Welcome to the new Detroit of the Midwest…. our major economic driver (State Farm) suffers a 7 billion dollar underwriting loss in 2016 – starts a massive layoff of 4500 souls and begins a major restructuring effort and we are focused on bike lanes? Is the city leadership in some other reality? Our entire economy is in decline (breaking records for decline) and we are chalking out bike lanes on Washington Street for some silly Complete Streets program? I write fiction and I swear that it would be hard for me to make this kind of stuff up.
Complete Streets my astrolobe! Just take a look at the repairs on Veterans Parkway from the Fox Hill Road north just past the Bunn Street overpass. The patches are bumpier than what they started with. Looks like a stretch of the inner lanes will be filled with (guessing) a couple of inches of asphalt. I wouldn’t do a parking lot without 4 – 4.5 inches of asphalt. Complete Streets are a Complete Joke!
Veteran’s Parkway is a State road so its repairs are the State’s responsibility. I’m pleasantly surprised that the road from Fox Creek Road to Bunn is being resurfaced and the concrete “median” is being repaired/replaced. I’m overjoyed that there will be lane markings. Not only was the road extremely bumpy but there were no lane markings. There are no street lights along that stretch, no shoulder either, so driving at night was extremely dangerous. BTW, it is my impression that State highways don’t allow non-motor vehicles but there have been several bicyclists riding ON Veterans south of Main Street at night without lights. The new Complete Streets??
I was told to switch from bus to a bike. and now your against this, to ?
Take whatever transportation you want – just don’t expect other people to pay for it. Common sense says to stay off the main roads on a bike – unless you have a death wish.
My daughers doctor is on the other side of Vets Parkway.
Diane, All of our transportation systems are paid for in large part by others, not just people who use it. Some partial user fees, but lots of general funds as well for roads. The road you live on was not paid in full by you and your neighbors. Mine neither. same for all – air, etc.
Since government likes other people’s money, they don’t have to be responsible.
Then WALK! ~ Maybe some fresh air will help you clear your libturd brain.
Susie R–I’m sure you are smart enough to figure out what is best for you. This town plans to be multi-modal–walk, bike, bus, car.
I still like the idea of Vans or the little 20-30 passenger type of buses OR perhaps Doctor’s offices could offer free or extremely low cost transportation to their offices for their patients who have no car of their own or one they can use for appointments.
Aren’t docs expensive enough already? Somebody has to pay.
Buragas is responsible for the hiring of a traffic engineer. This is a perfect example of the Council’s priority based budgeting. The Mayor can call a special meeting for this action but hasn’t or won’t call a special meeting to address pension spiking and the gold plated health care plan. This is what the future of Bloomington will look like. The only plus side is public input–for what that’s worth.
How many years do we have? We will sell our house and move as soon as hubby retires. I’m hoping to get a few dollars for the house. Is seven years too long. I hope not.
Sell now and rent
Bloomington is looking more like a badly managed Venezuela every day. SO glad the Leftists drove me out 15 years ago. Now I just sit back and laugh. Shop in Peoria, LP, Pontiac, or online. Watch the town die. After the last election, it is clear that is exactly what they deserve. Only feel bad for the decent people–clearly now a minority–who will be terribly hurt in the process.