By: Diane Benjamin

The Bloomington Water Director got the message from yesterday about paying more for powdered activated carbon: https://blnnews.com/2025/03/17/special-bloomington-meeting-tonight-instead-of-committee-of-the-whole/

I spent 30 years talking people through computer problems with people who have no background in how computers work. I had to talk to them on their level. The water director needs a few lessons on speaking English to the people paying his bills. Just hit play to hear why the Council was asked to approve the same material at a higher price than a month ago.

Go back to the $2000 per ton approved at the February 24th meeting: https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/cityblm/6c7e4692af8b9ddc30f58622deea8b5a0.pdf

The $62,500 approved was under a bid for the entire next fiscal year? But the $556,800 wasn’t? I think his explanation was different size bags but since it wasn’t in understandable English I need an interpreter. He did mention the price per pound is “slightly higher”. Only government would think $.42 a pound is “slightly”.

If you want to hear the plans Home Sweet Home has to house homeless people downtown, start listening at 19:30. Visuals are in the presentation.

For data geeks – go to https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/

Click on the Infrastructure Dashboard. It seems pretty self explanatory to me, but Jim Karch gave a presentation on using this tool. (He speaks English) To see it go to 57:00. Everything isn’t on it yet, but it will evolve. I hope resurfacing Eastland Drive west of Hershey is on the future list, it’s horrible!

Go to 1:09:00 to see the downtown streetscape phase 1 plans that will be going out to bid probably this week.

The council held an executive session to discuss collective bargaining and Jeff Jurgens annual review. Expect a raise for Jurgens since this isn’t enough: