See response to FOIA below:
By: Diane Benjamin
First a side note to Tim. Since you have a FOIAable email address I’ll say thanks here.
US Representative Rodney Davis was on Cities 92.9 this morning with Steve Suess. Davis was asked about the $8 million grant to Connect Transit for a downtown Bloomington transfer station.
According to Rodney the grant would not have been awarded without specific plans submitted, like location and design.
Gee, we were told Connect is still trying to pick a location. One location being considered is where the Bloomington City Hall is now.
Does the Federal Government have details citizens haven’t been told?
Either Rodney Davis has no clue what he’s talking about or Connect Transit, Tari Renner, and Tim Gleason know what the plans are – they just aren’t telling us.
According to Davis the process qualifies under the Open Meetings Act and FOIA law for transparency. I just FOIA’d the application Connect Transit submitted to the feds. Since the document doesn’t have to be searched for it shouldn’t take 5 business days to receive,
(Unless somebody has something to hide)
Stay tuned.
If specific plans are in place, expect a story soon by one of the preferred media spinners.
Response to FOIA request:
$8 million for an unnecessary, impractical, and irrational transfer station, but we can’t move a bus stop a couple of hundred yards to accommodate senior/disabled vets, come into compliance with the ADA, or retain routes that serve those most vulnerable and in need. That’s government for you, folks. The transfer station will stand as a monument to big government and the arrogance and self-aggrandizing nature of all those in government that supported this project.