By: Diane Benjamin
Remember this story from a year ago? https://blnnews.com/2018/07/11/not-the-right-fit-tari/
The City of Bloomington was accused of ignoring attempts to locate an outpatient clinic in Bloomington to serve Veterans.
Yesterday there was a VERY high level meeting in Bloomington. Here is a list of who attended. The DC reps would have been here themselves if Congress had not been in session:
1. Rep Lahood office Mike Gilmore
2. Rep. Davis office staff Tyle Cravens
3. Mark Serbiak VA Danville
4. Sen. Barickman plus assistant
5. Rep Dan Brady plus assistant
6. Alderwomen Donna Boelen 2nd Ward (via email conference)
7. Steve Holt Dist 2 AMVETS Commander
8. Robert Stuebinger AMVETS State Commander
9. Melissa VA Danville Public Relations
10 Shelly Perry Connect Transit
11. Dave White Connect Transit
12, Kathy Rutledge AMVETS Post Commander 270
15. Jimmy Operations Director VFW Post 454
16 Ron Moorehead Laborers Union
17. Jesse Ray Professor Veterans Affairs Illinois State University
18. Art Rodriguez McLean County VAC & AMVETS Post 270
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Here’s who didn’t bother to show up:
Jerry Vogler McLean County VAC (Veterans Assistance Commission)
City of Bloomington No Mayor and no City Manager
Sen. Bill Brady Out of town no representation
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VAC is the Veterans Assistance Commission through the County and funded with tax dollars.
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What was the meeting about?
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The new clinic will not be ADA compliant because Connect Transit can’t drop riders at the door. In fact, they want to drop them 120 yards away, after constructing a shelter of course.
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The sidewalks are not usable by anyone in a wheelchair or with difficulty walking. Winter will be fun when they are covered with snow and ice.
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The meeting was expected to last an hour, it lasted three. The rep from the Laborers Union offered to fix the sidewalks for free. With no representatives from the City of Bloomington, that offer couldn’t be conveyed or discussed.
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Go back farther to when the City engineers had to approve plans for the facility. Nobody from Bloomington gave the plans to Connect Transit. Connect wasn’t aware of this new site and the needs of veterans to access it until a few months ago at most. They only became aware because a VAC member told them. The same person called the City of Bloomington and talked to Nora Dukowitz. She told him Tari couldn’t attend but she would have Connect’s Issac Thorne call him. Thorne never called. Note he didn’t attend, he sent his people.
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The people invited to this meeting had almost 2 weeks notice.
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The VA assumed patients would be dropped off at the door. They didn’t know Connect’s monstrosities can’t navigate parking lots.
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Quote from an attendee: “Dumpsters and linen trucks will have better access than veterans”.
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Numerous veterans groups met for another two hours after this meeting. They are threatening a lawsuit to stop the opening if these issues can’t be worked out rapidly. The clinic was expected to open this month.
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If anyone from Bloomington had cared, the issues mentioned could already be in the process of being solved.
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Evidently Nora didn’t care enough to get a City rep there. Did Tim Gleason even know about the meeting?
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I do know Donna Boelen has been talking to the vets. Maybe she can get somebody at the City to care about veterans.
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With the elimination of the Olive route, one of these wheelchair bound veterans will have to travel around a mile to catch a bus. Obviously serving the people needing the bus isn’t why Connect Transit exists. The huge buses are further proof service is immaterial.
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Catching a mobility bus isn’t always an option either. Did you know the application to ride is 11 pages long? https://www.connect-transit.com/documents/ADA%20Paratransit%20Application%2010_2018V2.pdf
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The VA thinks up to 3000 veterans a month with be treated. Even if veterans could access the mobility service, Connect wasn’t sure they could serve them.
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Will the City of Bloomington care now?
This town doesnt care about Vets. I preach at anyone who is near. Disabled Vets cant not get into any city or county function free. Nothing. I call the Mayor and asked. They said no. So they dont really care
Some members in the ADA community brought this issue up to Connect long ago. As connect has been doing for years, they ignored them. The heavy, long buses, that rarely have more than a few people on them are the problem. Connect has made going to the hospital and doctor’s office just as difficult of a walk or wheel chair ride. Looks like Veterans will end up helping many more people by their involvement. Thanks you Veterans.
This has me extremely infuriated. The obvious disrespect for our veterans is reprehensible. Every one of them should be ashamed (but they won’t be because they are emotionally incapable of such emotion.) If anyone ever doubted the true colors of little man renner, here they are on full display. The same is true of gleason and connect transit.
FEDUP, in fairness to Gleason, he was not in town.
Should have put this downtown. Then they MIGHT have cared lol.
it would never go downtown, not a right fit.
Only the city of Bloomington and Connect Transit could look a gift horse in the mouth and screw it up.
City Manager, Connect Transit Manager, Mayor OR mayors, AND council people-BALLS DROPPING EVERYWHERE! WHO IS running things?? Bonzo??
What is the location of the new facility?
Across from the entrance to State Fatm Park
Of course Tari couldnt give a rats ass about the Vets! He’s to busy being King and a real estate developer. He’s to busy trying to demand businesses do what he wants. As for Disconnect , they are clones of King Tari and the court jesters. They dont give a rats ass about ANY citizen. The vets,the elderly and the disabled need to band together, get a good lawyer and sue the pants off Disconnect and the Mayors. They have violated the ADA long enough. Time to slap em into submission.
Not sure where the statement came from that the clinic was expected to open this month, but they are a long way from it opening. They are still framing the west side addition. There will be a fairly large parking lot to the west.
That was the prediction last year
I noticed the connect transit stop at Meijer is across the street next to the field! Mejier has a wide road next to the parking lot. Why would you make people cross the street to wait for the bus. Plus there’s no way someone in a wheelchair could even reach the spot. Incompetence!
I’ve seen that too. The huge bus blocks the street and people crossing in front of the bus can’t be seen by vehicles attempting to pass it. Not that many do, the bus is of course close to empty.
Kudos to Ald. Boelen, probably the most level-headed/reasonable person the council has. Perhaps she can bring this back to the council. It appears the unions, who help prop up the liberal/Dem candidates are for this. Maybe they can exert some pressure on their preferred pols.
Being a veteran myself, and having a brother a Vietnam disabled veteran, this is just crazy thinking their will not be a drop-off for the buses at this Clinic and the sidewalks are not usable for wheelchairs, where is the leaders of our city
at the VFW meeting this Tuesday, I will bring this up somebody needs to wake up