BLOOMINGTON – Numerous infrastructure improvement projects are underway this season to advance community goals, including safety, sustainability, accessibility, equity, economic vitality, and quality of life in Bloomington.
The City will provide regular public updates on a range of these improvements as they progress. City departments coordinate with one another, as well as with private developers, to minimize the impact on Bloomington residents and visitors.
PARKS & RECREATION
New Barn Roof and New Trails at Goat Farm Park
Contractors are onsite this week replacing the roof, soffit, and fascia on the barn. Crews will return later this year to install new siding. The new asphalt paths are complete, and portions of the new trails will open for public use as construction allows. Work has also begun to install the permeable paver parking lot on the north end of the park.
Rose Hill Cemetery Scatter Garden Development Continues
Baker Stonework is on-site at Rose Hill Cemetery, completing stone restoration at the site of the old cemetery fountain. The site is being converted to a scatter garden (a designated area for scattering a person’s remains after cremation), which is scheduled for completion this winter.
Progress on the Playground at the Waldron, Hill, and Buskirk Park
Contractors continue to install the climbing structures at the new playground at Waldron, Hill, and Buskirk Park. Once all the equipment is installed, poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing will be added as weather permits.
UTILITIES
The City of Bloomington Utilities is completing a water main replacement between College & Walnut and 7th and 8th streets. In 2016, CBU instituted a long-term program to replace aging infrastructure, which has a current budget of $3 million per year for water main replacements. Water main replacements are prioritized based on several factors such as mains feeding critical locations, pipes known to be in poor condition, and opportunities to coordinate with other departments to minimize damage to roads. There have been several water main breaks in this area, which this service upgrade should prevent in the future.
PUBLIC WORKS
Crews have completed paving on Pepper Chase, and ADA-compliant ramp work continues in Park Ridge. Crews will begin milling the north-south alley from Kirkwood to 6th between Morton and College. We do our best to project work times accurately, but due to supply chain issues, there could be a delay in some concrete-related work.
ENGINEERING
Neighborhood Greenways
Neighborhood Greenways are low-speed, low-volume, shared-space streets that support high-comfort walking and bicycling connections. Recently completed Neighborhood Greenway projects include W. Graham Drive, which saw the installation of a speed cushion, concrete curbs that create a street edge, and a “whimsical wayfinding” green line (see below photo).
There are currently two Neighborhood Greenway projects in progress with public meetings in October. The W. Allen Neighborhood Greenway public meeting occurred on October 17 and the Hawthorne/Weatherstone Neighborhood Greenway public meeting is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on October 24 at the Bryan Park Woodlawn Shelter. The meeting will host a discussion about the design and implementation of the project, as well as allow for the community to give feedback on the project. Both projects target a spring 2023 construction.
Additional information about Neighborhood Greenways and both projects can be found online at bloomington.in.gov/tcgp.
