A reporter who wishes to remain anonymous filed this report, see yesterday’s story: https://blnnews.com/2018/07/26/things-that-dont-fit-anywhere-else-2/
Mayoral Presentations
Koos spent his time praising ISU and the excellent relationship with the Univ. Then a little about historic preservation. (Short and concise)
Reporter Comments: Although the first 3 historic building east of the NE corner of the circle (In Normal Circles have corners) are toast despite citizen opposition. The new building has a 99% chance being built and the 3 buildings being torn down.
Two cities are one community. Comment: Difficult to believe given several actions of the Bloomington City Council in the last year or two.
Downtown will be the means to grow Bloomingion. Will use Normal’s Uptown Development as model. To lesser degree will use Shoppes at College Hills as example of how to re-invigorate Eastland Mall. Comment: Huh?
He said Chicago suburbs for businesses to undertake economic development are a shithole compared to Bloomingtion. Comment: he used many vulgar words and his entire presentation was a campaign speech. It was an embarrassment. He said quality of life is most important attribute to economic growth. Bloomington Rt. 66 center in Downtown Bloomington increased capital attraction to Downtown. Comment: What planet does he live on?.
Side Note: Remember when Karen Schmidt accused Tari of making denigrating comments about the Council at an ISU conference when Tari thought nobody would find out? https://blnnews.com/2018/02/13/when-it-happens-to-you/
His comments here should leave no doubt that they happened.
ISU Trustees Meeting
ISU near bottom of 12 state universities with respect to state reimbursement although ISU is currently most successful public univ. in IL. (Note as enrollment has tanked at other universities the state has cut the total reimbursement and number of employees very little) ISU’s budget is up 2% for this year over last year but no word when money will be received. State funds only 15% of ISU operating budget. Also capital budget includes new fine art building, but not known if the dollars will be released. This release may be taken up in fall veto session.
Applications and deposits for enrollment are up this year.
Then they went to approving resolutions. The first was approval of Academic Plan 2018-2023. Then one board member asked why the out years were missing for several Colleges. There was much back and forth with Academic Dean. While I was there she did not provide an acceptable answer to the board. Some board members said it looked like the report had several pages missing. After about 10 minutes of this back and forth, I could no longer take it so I left. Either the years through 2023 are included in the Academic plan or are not. It is not debatable.
The resolutions I missed were; Town of Normal Fire Services agreement, property insurance, and 2019 Board meeting Calendar. Watching grass grow is more interesting than discussion and approval than these.
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This is all embarrassingly clueless and shortsighted considering the growing obsolescence of our economy. It is 2018 and our leadership pretends it is still 1985. Major economic decline has already begun here and our leadership is acting like nothing is happening.
Why am I not surprised? Imagine if someone reported on the events in Japan.
I DO NOT and WILL NOT reside in a small little debt ridden “mud hole” that’s calls itself UPTOWN! I WILL MOVE and leave Bloomington to the rats that lead it.
This has come up for a vote a few times and EVERY time Bloomington votes it down-WHY because we prefer to not live like liberals who believe they have a GOD (which they don’t believe in) given right to mine and yours money..
ABnormal is, and ALWAYS has been a hind teat to Bloomington, and for Tari to come out and talk about emulating or to be like UPTOWN is an insult to ALL his constituents. PERIOD..
It amazes me that almost no one in Bloomington that I talk with thinks that the Downtown is even in the top 5 of city priorities, yet Renner stakes his platform and the future of the Bloomington economy on this demonstrable failure that gets worse by the day. The recent candidates for city council both appear to champion Downtown as well. The level of disconnect is amazing.
Yes, it almost seems like an obsession with these “leaders”. Now I am not a mental health professional but the more I listen to Mayor Terry, the more I think he is a little out there…if you know what I mean? Quality of life enhancement is the key to economic development? Make Downtown like Upscale Normal? Really? Bloomington needs 100 million more in debt as State Farm begins it’s decline? Welcoming ordinance? (code for sanctuary city) instead of dealing with the real problems we face? Earth to Terry…. remember us? The taxpayers who you are supposed to be serving?
He only cared about taxpayers when he needed votes!
So, Renner wants to demolish the entire historic character of downtown Bloomington so it looks like Normal? Like East Germany used to? Not a brilliant idea
You are 100% correct Diane. Renner (and Koos) only pretend to care about the voters when they are looking for votes, as clearly their agenda doesn’t give a dam about the hardworking taxpayers in this community. Deceive to achieve.
I sure as heck trust someone who’s too bored to actually finish a meeting to give an accurate summary of it.
The reporter wasn’t there to hear about ISU. The report was exactly what I wanted! The rest of the media didn’t cover any of Renner and Koos! They didn’t even cover the whole ISU meeting.
Exactly what does trust have to do with someone being smart enough to be bored with clueless people engaged in parliamentary procedures and discussions about subjects that would put God himself asleep? So your point is?
Actually Crimson by implying that Diane cannot be trusted because she left the meeting early because #1 she had gotten the information she wanted #2 the rest of the meeting concerned a topic of no interest to her and apparently anyone else (except for the individuals involved) is nothing more than gaslighting. “I sure as heck trust someone who’s too bored to actually finish a meeting to give an accurate summary of it.” You are questioning Diane’s integrity and her ability to do accurate reporting based on your (if she leaves the boring ending of a meeting after she has gotten the information on the other topics she came for) you and therefore we should not trust what she reports? If you have a point to make or you disagree with what she has said than please state it? Gaslighting is not something that we welcome here. Ask Rich…
I wasn’t the reporter, but your comments were accurate. crimson just doesn’t like accurate reporting of the embarrassing Renner when he thinks nobody there would squeal on him.
Well the truth will set you free… Crimson… Emperor Terry has had no clothes for a long time now…LOL Five minutes of listening to him makes me believe he is 2 beers short of a six pack.
From what I’ve seen from your posts here, I couldn’t care less about your opinion Crimson.
Mr Renner: IF you WANT to see what DOWNTOWN would look like IF it was redone, WHY don’t you make a “happy” trip to OUR Rt 66 museum and look at some of the photos of Bloomington that were taken by C.U. Williams after the fire of June 19th 1900 and SEE what downtown looked like then and WHAT was built AFTER that!!!
That is why Bloomington’s downtown has some of the best examples of victorian architecture in the country! And YOU want it to look like “UPTOWN” Maybe you should be mayor THERE, I’d be happy to pay your connect transit fare!
I have recently had the pleasure of going to several smaller towns in the state who are making it, they have lovely quaint well maintained old downtown areas where there are actually people walking around and going to the stores, bars and cafes, if these small towns can do it, why can’t Bloomington? OH, that’s right, because we have Tarry and they have people who actually understand what it is real people want in a downtown area. Maybe the council and Tarry need to take a REAL open eyed, non prejudiced look at what places ARE actually doing well, and think more along the lines of what those places have and what they are doing. One reason people shop online is because there IS NOTHING in many towns (including BloNo) for them to buy that they want. I would LOVE to just pop to a shop (my Brit roots are showing..) and get the sort of things I want, need and use but alas, no one has them, no one..I know I am not alone in this. In the rare instances I have been able to obtain some things locally I have paid up to double what I could’ve gotten it for online. I can’t count the number of times I have said and have heard other people say “I can’t find anything around here, I have to go to Chicago or St. Louis or buy online” Why not be a nice in between place where people can buy HERE instead of going to Chicago or St. Louis or resorting to online? OH and maybe encourage the downtown owners/landlords bring down the rents so the store operators don’t have to inflate their prices to the sky in order to make rent.
Small towns don’t have an East side largely developed like B-N. I’m not seeing a good comparison here. On the other hand, Renner and Koos think they can have a small town atmosphere in B-N even though it’s not a small town. It’s like comparing apples to oranges. (Other than that I agree with about 95%+ of your posts. Much appreciated.)
Agreed on small towns are a “different kettle of fish” and it is rather like the apples to oranges thing to compare them with Bloomington. The nugget within though is these small towns have places people want to go, and not just because there is nowhere else, people even travel THERE to go to those places from larger towns – What does Bloomington have really that is TRULY unique or special, and especially in the downtown area? It is a conundrum and not one with any easy fixes to be honest – and since Eastland is nearly on life support now – there are only a very few stores that can even be making it from what I have observed and the kiosk people sit and stare at their phones for the most part, but I am getting off topic, which I am prone to do…