FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2017
Contact: Katie Simpson, City of Bloomington Planner, 309-434-2341
Tricia Stiller, Downtown Bloomington, 309-829-9599
PARKING DAY COMES TO DOWNTOWN BLOOMINGTON
BLOOMINGTON, IL– On Friday, September 15, in cities around the globe including right here in Downtown Bloomington, artists, activists and citizens will transform parking spaces into temporary public parks and other social spaces, as part of an annual event called “PARK(ing) Day.”
Invented in 2005 by Rebar, a San Francisco-based art and design studio, PARK(ing) Day invites people to rethink the way streets are used and promotes discussion around the need for broad-based changes to urban infrastructure.
PARK(ing) Day is an “open-source” project initiated by Rebar, but built by independent groups around the globe who adapt the project to advance creative, social or political causes that are relevant to their local urban conditions. This is the first time the project has taken place in Bloomington. A map of the Downtown Bloomington “parklets” can be found at the end of this press release (attached). Hours of operation will vary.
The public is asked to obey parking signs. Cars parked in the parklet areas on Friday morning may be towed.
Nora Dukowitz
Communication Manager
City of Bloomington
[email protected]
Communication Manager
City of Bloomington
[email protected]
309-434-2241
See the map here: Press Release – Parking Day
Nora FOUND work and downtown is SAVED! What next? Lower taxes?? yeah..
Isn’t rebar those steel rods you use to re-enforce concrete. Help me out here??
That must be the ones they forgot to put in the Coliseum parking garage.
My thought on how streets are used is to erect stocks to put stupid local politicians in their place. Use these instead of censure or sabaticals. Citizens could visit the site and throw rotten eggs and tomatoes etc., at rotten mayors and rotten city managers. At $1 per contact throw we could raise enough to clean up the mess and fix potholes.
ROTFLMAO, are they handing out “Dream Big” bumper stickers? Sort of like a test marketing thing?
They blew that one since “Dream Big” got dumped.
We drove down East Grove Street today. At least from Mercer to State Street there were big bike signs painted on the street on both sides, not being educated like the Bloomington elites that control the town, I wondered if I was suppose to be driving down the street or it was meant for bikes only? Then I pondered why Bike lanes on Washington Street just one block North? Oh, E Grove was nicely paved and newly painted, does that mean E Washington Street is going to be nicely paved, sure could use it. Why not pave E Emerson, it is horrible or maybe they don’t intend to place bike lanes there.
Maybe this announcement is just another way to show that liberalism/socialism is in full control of Bloomington and Normal.
We are part of the world community after all – You mean you aren’t all excited about the “Parklets”? We will be joining other “forward thinking” communities across the globe, doesn’t this just set you all afire?
Emerson St. will be done soon because it is part of the “grande loop” of the Bicycle Master Plan linking both hospitals, downtown and IWU. Washington–Fairview–Emerson–Main. Downtown will be a high priority–the highest priority.
The Grove bike signs are sharrows, I was informed. “Share the road”
We love that it’s newly paved. Lots of sewer work happened beforehand.
The Washington street enhancements are ridiculous. Rush hours are worse now.
It was intentional. Jim Karch stated they knew it would slow down traffic and cause congestion.
“This is the first time the project has taken place in Bloomington.” Let us all hope that it is the last!
All I know is that I want to stay away from whatever the people are smoking who think this Parklet thing is somehow a good idea…. Are we in California and nobody told me? Did Bloomington/Normal somehow get transported through a tear in the space/time continuum to California? Why does our weather still suck? Can I expect my house value to a be million dollars now? I used to say that I was happy that California existed because all the loose nuts that used to live here rolled there. I guess some didn’t go or moved back? Parklet? OMG?
Parklets! Quaint little “creative spaces” that will exist for a day!!! How EXCITING!! Surely this will bring back downtown to it’s former glory…. – I mean come on the mall is rapidly becoming a ghost town – sure would make an amazing Zombie Adventure park though
and that means maybe some REAL stores could locate downtown, as it is the only place I go anywhere near there is Poblano Burrito and East Street Hardware (Former Clark and Barlows for us older folk) Oh and as to actual new paved roads – well of course they aren’t going to repave any streets completely unless there are going to be bike lanes – us cars and trucks and manage the pot holes, eruptions and ridges just fine – we must think of those who are thinking “green” after all….
Bigger question: Who chose who would get to participate? Did they run an ad for volunteers or just ask their buddies?
Looks like they just kept it confined to their own little petri dish
Article in the Pantagraph a month ago informing interested persons to contact the City for a permit and submit a site plan.
If I wanted to live in the land of fruits and nuts – I would move to California!
Aren’t kids in school on Friday? Who is going to play the giant Candy Land game? What would Stiller know about children going to school? Most adults who work on Friday won’t be able to attend. Reducing parking during retail business hours–brilliant. The downtown is to be a revenue generater not a playground. Priorities are messed up. But, expect even more of this nonsense when Stiller is on the payroll.
WT actual F?
I thought parking was a problem downtown, but now there turning spots into art exhibits! So cars park where? Oh I know, I’ll ride my bike! WTF
I want to have a performance art piece by parking my car there and calling it “Reality… this parking space is being used by a vehicle that has paid taxes to build and use this parking space”
Ha!