. MM HMM. MM HMM.
UH UH . MM HMM. MM HMM.
MM HMM. MM HMM. THIS MEETING IS BEING TRANSCRIBED AND SUMMARIZED AND
I GUESS WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE DOING TO SATISFY PRESIDENT ERICKSON.
WE HAD THE CITY ATTORNEY AND OUR PORK COUNCIL WEIGH IN ON THIS. YOU ARE ABLE. OH, I'M SORRY. WE HAD OUR CITY ATTORNEY AND
OUR PORK COUNCIL WAIT ON THE MINUTES FOR THE CONCURRENT MEETING. SO EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT IN ATTENDANCE YOU ARE ABLE TO VOTE ON APPROVAL OF THE ITEM IF YOU WOULD CHOOSE TO DO SO. I UNDERSTAND THAT FOLKS MAY
NOT WANT TO DO THAT IF YOU ARE NOT IN ATTENDANCE BUT JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO DO SO IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO DO SO. I'M STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF ADOPTING ALL THE MINUTES AND SO I'M GOING TO MOVE THAT
WE FIRST ADOPT THE MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 17TH SIX MEETING. WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS? IF NOT IN FAVOR ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING I.
I OPPOSED. MINUTES APPROVE FIVE ZERO AND THEN YOU WANT TO MAKE A MOTION? I GUESS I'LL MOVE THAT FOR ITEM 1.2 THAT WE APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE MARCH 10TH 2026
CONCURRENT MEETING. ANY ADDITIONAL CORRECTIONS IF NOT ALL FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING I. I POST MOTION CARRIES FIVE
ZERO AND I WASN'T THERE BUT SOME OF THE REST OF YOU ARE TOO SO I SAID AFTERWARDS AND WATCHED IT SO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT WE NEXT HAVE THE BLOOMINGTON CREATIVE
PLACEMAKING COMMISSION WORK PLAN. WELCOME, ANDREW. >> HELLO. THANK YOU. HELLO, COMMISSIONERS MAYOR. NICE TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I WANT TO I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE ALREADY SEEN THIS PRESENTATION SO JUST WANT TO KIND OF KEEP IT BRIEF AND ALSO HIGHLIGHT SOME THINGS RELATED TO PORT AUTHORITY SPECIFICALLY
IN OUR ECONOMIC PLAN. SO WE WILL CONTINUE HERE. OH, THERE WE GO. HERE WE GO.
OOPS. AND I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR CREATIVE PLACEMAKING COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE LISTED HERE FOR THEIR WORK IN ENGAGING WITH AND LEADING
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PLAN AND PRIORITIZATION OF OUR PROJECTS. AND CATHERINE MURRAY WHO'S NOT ABLE TO BE HERE TONIGHT BUT IS OUR CREATIVE PLACEMAKING SPECIALIST HERE AT THE CITY
AND AND HIGHLIGHTING OUR MISSION IS THAT BLOOMINGTON CREATIVE PLACEMAKING WILL CULTIVATE A SENSE OF BELONGING IN BLOOMINGTON BY CELEBRATING AND REFLECTING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES SUPPORTING LOCAL
ARTS AND CULTURE, PROMOTING EXCEPTIONAL PLACES AND CREATING A VIBRANT AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY TO LIVE AND WORK IN AND VISIT. AND THAT IS FROM OUR NEWLY APPROVED CITYWIDE CREATIVE
PLACEMAKING PLAN. HERE WE HAVE THE GOALS, THE SET OUT AND OF COURSE THESE GOALS ARE A LOT MORE THOROUGH AND BROKEN OUT IN TERMS
OF WHAT THEY MEAN. WHAT ARE SOME STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES AND IDEAS RELATED TO EACH OF THEM IN OUR CITY WIDE CREATIVE PLACEMAKING PLAN? BUT HERE THEY ARE LISTED. AND I'LL JUST GO THROUGH THEM.
SUPPORT CULTURE BEARERS AND ARTISTS ENSURE EQUITABLE INCLUSION AND REPRESENTATION OF BLOOMINGTON'S DIVERSE POPULATIONS ACROSS SOCIAL AND ESTHETIC ENVIRONMENTS PUBLIC SPACES AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
FOSTER RELATIONSHIPS AND BUILD CONNECTIONS, ENHANCE BELONGING AND ENGAGEMENT AND BUILD PLACEMAKING CAPACITY
. I ALSO JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WITHIN THE PORT AUTHORITY'S PLAN THERE'S A FOCUS ON THRIVING PLACES WHICH IS REALLY ABOUT CREATING VIBRANT, LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS
AND COMMERCIAL AREAS. AND OUR WORK REALLY DOES SUPPORT THAT IN A FEW KEY WAYS. WE USE CREATIVE PLACEMAKING TO ACTIVATE PUBLIC SPACES, STRENGTHEN CONNECTIONS ACROSS THE CITY AND SUPPORT LOCAL
BUSINESSES AND OF COURSE THAT INCLUDES ARTISTS AS ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESSES. THIS SHOWS UP THROUGH THINGS LIKE CREATIVE TRAILS AND CORRIDORS. IT COULD ALSO BE PARTNERSHIPS TIED TO BROADER CITY
INITIATIVES, ONGOING WORK IN COMMERCIAL AREAS AND MORE. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT THIS YEAR AN ARTS AND CULTURE IMPACT REPORT AND ARTSPACE FEASIBILITY STUDY TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES. SO OVERALL IT'S REALLY ABOUT USING CREATIVE PLACEMAKING TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE HERE IN BLOOMINGTON.
SO I'LL BRIEFLY GO OVER SOME OF OUR 2025 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS . I'LL START WITH CITYWIDE.
SOME HIGHLIGHTS ACROSS THE CITY INCLUDE A STRONG MIX OF EVENTS PARTNERSHIP, ARTS AND PUBLIC ART. WE CELEBRATED OF COURSE THE ADOPTION OF OUR CITYWIDE CREATIVE PLACEMAKING PLAN. ALSO SUPPORTED EVENTS LIKE
JUNETEENTH, THE VALLEY VIEW, THE BLOOMINGTON STREET ARTS FESTIVAL AND LIVE MURALS AT DRED SCOTT. ON THE PUBLIC ART SIDE WE ADDED TWO MURALS TO THE BLOOMINGTON ICE GARDEN AND
EXPANDED OUR HOMETOWN POETRY STAMP INSTALLATIONS. WE ALSO FOCUSED ON RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING ENCOURAGING PRIVATELY INVESTED
INVESTMENTS IN PUBLIC ART AND AND HERE IN THE SOUTH LOOP WE CONTINUE TO BUILD MOMENTUM THROUGH BOTH PUBLIC ART AND EVENTS. ON THE PUBLIC ART SIDE WE ADDED NEW MURALS INCLUDING THE
EVENING PRIMROSE MURAL AND THAT'S AT THE FENLEY BUILDING BY INTERNATIONAL ARTIST MARIELLA ACROSS AND THE CEDAR HEALING BRIDGE PROJECT WHICH INCLUDES MURALS AND INDIGENOUS
GARDEN BY TARA PIRONE AND SANDI SPIELER ALONG WITH AN UNVEILING EVENT FOR THAT PROJECT AND SEVERAL NEW ART BOX INSTALLATIONS. WE ALSO SUPPORTED A RANGE
OF EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS. WE WORKED A LOT WITH PARKS AND RECREATION TO PRODUCE THESE EVENTS INCLUDING THE SUNDAY FUNDAY NATURE FEST ON THE ONE MUSIC FESTIVAL AND SILVERADO
LAST ASPATRIA WHICH IS CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. SO OVERALL REALLY REFLECTING A MIX OF CREATIVE PROJECTS AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN PROGRAMING IN THE SOUTH LOOP.
YES. COMMISSIONER LANCE ALEJANDRO YES. WHERE'S THE EVENING? PRIMROSE? WHAT BUILDING WAS IT IN? SO IT'S ON THE FENNELLY BUILDING WHICH IS RIGHT NEXT TO BACK STORY COFFEE. SO IF YOU'RE FACING ON THE PARK IT WOULD BE ON THE EAST
SIDE OF BLOOMINGTON CENTRAL STATION PARK. AND THERE'S KIND OF THAT MAIN ENTRANCE TO BACK STORY COFFEE. IT'S UNDERNEATH THAT OVERHANG OF THE FAMILY BUILDING. THERE'S A MURAL THERE THAT'S I
DON'T KNOW MAYBE LIKE I DON'T KNOW MAYBE EIGHT, 12FT BY 12FT MAYBE. I'LL GET BACK TO YOU. YEAH, THERE'S THERE'S AN IMAGE OF IT ACTUALLY IN THAT MIDDLE SHAPE. SO THERE'S AN IMAGE OF A WOMAN
WITH YELLOW FLOWERS. THAT'S AN IMAGE OF THE OF THE MURAL ITSELF. YEAH, OF COURSE . HERE WE GO.
WE'RE ALSO SEEING SOME RECOGNITION AND IMPACT OF OUR WORK. SO THE CITY DID RECEIVE AN APA MINNESOTA ADVANCING DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL CHANGE AWARD SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR WORK ON THE CITY WIDE CREATIVE
PLACEMAKING PLAN. AND OUR WORK HAS BEEN FEATURED IN NATIONAL OUTLETS LIKE CODA WORKS AND FORECAST PUBLIC ART. WE'RE ALSO SEEING RESULTS ON THE GROUND. WE'VE BEEN TRACKING THE NUMBER OF VISITORS AND PEDESTRIAN
ACTIVITY AT BLOOMINGTON CENTRAL STATION PARK THROUGH PLACER AIR. SO THAT KIND OF HELPS US INFORM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TRAFFIC LEVELS DURING EVENTS AND AND BIG DESTINATION KIND
OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THAT AREA. I'LL GO GOT TO SOME UPCOMING PROJECTS NEXT. AND HERE WE'VE GOT AGAIN A MIX
OF PUBLIC ART EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS AND RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT. SO ON THE PUBLIC ART SIDE OF THINGS WE HAVE SELECTED ARTIST CRAIG DAVID TO INSTALL A SCULPTURE AT BRYANT PARK THAT REFLECTS ON THE NATURAL
ELEMENTS OF THE PARK SPECIFICALLY. THAT'LL BE INSTALLED IN SEPTEMBER. WE DID HAVE AN OPEN HOUSE AND HAVE SOME ONGOING ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES WITH YOUTH COMING UP. AND SO THAT WILL BE FABRICATED
OVER THE SUMMER. WE ALSO HAVE THE POND DAKOTA MISSION PARK SCULPTURE. WE'RE ANTICIPATING THIS TO BE INSTALLED IN 2027. THAT WILL REFLECT MORE OF A DAKOTA HISTORY AND CULTURE ELEMENT.
THAT'S GREATLY IT HAS A GREAT HISTORY WITHIN THAT AREA AND WITHIN BLOOMINGTON. AND SO OUR CALL FOR ART OR RFQ RECENTLY CLOSE WILL BE SELECTING AN ARTIST PROBABLY IN JUNE.
AND WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY AFTER THAT. WE ALSO RECENTLY INSTALLED A GARDEN KALEIDOSCOPE AT CIVIC PLAZA IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED. WHEN YOU WALK INTO THE ART
CENTER AND JUST SAW THAT IT IN OH GREAT IT DOESN'T HAVE FLOWERS IN IT. NOT YET YEAH. I WAS LOOKING AT IT I SAID WHAT IS. YEAH. WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
IT MAKES YOU THINK. THAT'S WHY IS WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. YES, WE WILL. WE'LL BE WORKING WITH ACTUALLY THE VOLUNTEER GUARD AND CLUB MEMBERS THERE OUT OF LOGAN LODGE. BUT THEY'VE ALSO DONE
VOLUNTEER WORK THROUGHOUT THE CITY FOR PLANT INSTALLATIONS AND THEY'LL BE SWITCHING IT UP SEASONALLY. SO WE'VE PROVIDED THEM WITH A BUDGET TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT THEMSELVES AND SELECT THE PLANTINGS. SO YOU'LL BE SEEING SOME PLANTINGS SOON.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON AN ARTWORK, AN ARTWORK LABEL OR AN ARTWORK. WHY AM I BLANKING ON THE NAME PLAQUE? THANK YOU SO MUCH ON OUR WORD
PLAQUE FOR THAT PIECE WHICH WILL GIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IT IS HOW IT WORKS AND AND GIVE CREDIT TO THE GARDEN CLUB MEMBERS FOR PROGRAMING THAT. SO KEEP YOUR EYE ON THAT. WE'RE ALSO RIGHT NOW WORKING ON A COMMUNITY HEALTH AND
WELLNESS CENTER MURAL SO THIS WILL BE QUITE A LARGE SCALE MURAL. IT'LL TAKE PLACE ON THE TWO CORNERS OF THE FACADE OF THE BUILDING. AND WE'LL LOOK FOR THAT RFQ TO COME OUT LATER THIS YEAR LIKELY TOWARDS THE END OF SUMMER.
SO THAT WILL BE PROBABLY A NATIONAL CALL FOR ART FOR MURALS ON THAT SPACE. SO IS THAT GOING TO FILL SOME OF THE SPACES THAT COMMISSIONER PETERSON WAS ASKING THE MAYOR ABOUT THAT ARE BLANK? I HOPE SO. YES, A LARGE PORTION OF IT AT
LEAST. I MEAN OBVIOUSLY NOT THE ENTIRE BUILDING BUT YES, THE TWO OF THE CORNERS OF IT WILL BE TAKEN UP BY THE MURAL. SO QUITE LARGE SCALE. YES. WELL, THERE'LL BE SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE ONE WE HAVE ON
THE BUILDING HERE. THE SCHNEIDER. IT COULD BE I MEAN IN TERMS OF I MEAN I THINK WE ARE LOOKING TO PAINT DIRECTLY ON THE BUILDING WHICH IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE MURAL THAT'S INSTALLED ON THE BUILDING.
I THINK IT WAS ACTUALLY PAINTED ON A DIFFERENT SURFACE THAT WAS THEN MOUNTED TO THE BUILDING. BUT THIS IS WE'RE LOOKING TO PAINT DIRECTLY ON THE BUILDING IN THIS CASE AND IN THE SENSE OF WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE WILL
REALLY DEPEND ON THE ARTIST PROPOSALS. USUALLY WE OPEN IT UP TO A THEME SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR A WELLNESS THEME WITHIN THAT MURAL. YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST ONE THEME THAT IT COULD REPRESENT. AND THE ARTISTS WILL THEN
SUBMIT DESIGN PROPOSALS SO IT COULD BE ABSTRACT OR IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, MORE FIGURAL OR LITERATE IT LITERAL IN RESPONSE TO THAT THEME. SO WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE QUITE YET. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME
ABSTRACT DEPICTIONS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'LL TRY TO MAKE IT A VERY EASY PROCESS FOR EVERYBODY. SO MOVING ON JUST EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS WE HAVE A FEW
LISTED HERE. ONE I WANT TO OUTLINE IS THE VALLEY VIEW SKATE PARK YOUTH WORKSHOP. THIS IS ANOTHER PARTNERSHIP WITH PARKS AND RECREATION AND IT'LL TAKE PLACE JUNE 8TH THROUGH THE 11TH AND FOR AGES 11 TO 14.
WE PARTNERED WITH JUXTAPOSITION ARTS HAS A REALLY WELL KNOWN ARTS ORGANIZATION IN THE TWIN CITIES AND WITH THE HOPE THAT THEY WILL CO-CREATE DESIGNS TO HELP RENOVATE THIS SPACE
IN THE FUTURE AND TO ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE GRAFFITI AND TAGGING CONCERNS THAT ARE HERE WHILE ALSO PROVIDING POTENTIALLY A SANCTIONED GRAFFITI ART WALL FOR PEOPLE TO PRACTICE THEIR ART SKILLS ON.
SO THAT'S IN DEVELOPMENT. BUT THAT WORKSHOP WILL TAKE PLACE IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS HERE FOR RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT WE'RE LOOKING TO DEVELOP TOOLKITS FOR COMMUNITY LED CREATIVE PLACEMAKING. SO REALLY LOOKING TO
UNDERSTAND HOW CAN WE EXPAND AND OUR GOALS BY OUTSIDE OF STAFF AND COMMISSIONERS HOW CAN WE EMPOWER BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS AND ARTISTS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO ALSO LEAD CREATIVE PLACEMAKING EFFORTS
WITHIN THE CITY? AND THEN SOUTH LOOP I'LL HIGHLIGHT A FEW SO IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED ALREADY IF YOU DRIVE BY THE GOLDFINCH YOU'LL SEE THAT IT'S NOW NOW LIT UP AT NIGHT.
SO WE'RE HOPING THAT GIVES IT A LITTLE BIT MORE VISIBILITY ESPECIALLY IN THE NIGHTTIME IT GETS REALLY DARK IN THAT CORNER TO BOTH SOUTH LOOP AND THE GOLDFINCH SCULPTURE ITSELF. WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON SOME SCOPE DEVELOPMENT FOR BOTH AN
ACTIVATION AND IN FRONT OF THE NEW SICK SITE AND CREATIVE WAYFINDING THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH LOOP AND WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE IN COMING UP WITH A PLAN FOR THAT. WE ALSO HAVE SEVERAL EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS COMING UP
INCLUDING THE ON THE ONE MUSIC FESTIVAL AGAIN AT BLOOMINGTON CENTRAL STATION PARK. OUR FOURTH ANNUAL NATURE FEST AT REFUGE VISITOR CENTER IN SEPTEMBER.
AND THEN A FEW OTHER POTENTIAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. HERE WE GO. AND THEN I JUST HAVE A SLIDE HERE AND JUST YOU KNOW, A FEW
A FEW WAYS THAT THIS WORK REALLY COMES DOWN TO BUILDING BOTH COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. OBVIOUSLY CAN HELP BUILD COMMUNITY PRIDE AND IDENTITY BUT IT ALS SUPPORTS LOCAL
ARTISTS AND CULTURAL LEADERS AND ENHANCES PUBLIC SPACES WHILE ALSO BRINGING PEOPLE IN AND SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES. SO MORE BROADLY IT REALLY POSITIONS BLOOMINGTON AS A CULTURAL DESTINATION WHILE
ADVANCING EQUITY SAFETY AND NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY. BUT THAT AND THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR CLARIFICATIONS ON ANYTHING.
I THINK WHAT'S EXCITING IS CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF THIS BECAUSE AS YOU ADD PIECES AND IT GETS MORE SO IT JUST GETS TO BE FUN TO GO AROUND AND SEE YOU KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT
SO MANY EUROPEAN CITIES HAVE DONE FOR YEARS THEY DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. AND AGAIN, AS WE GET IT MORE OF A MASS THEN YOU REALLY START TO NOTICE IT. SO IT'S IT'S FUN.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS. MAYOR THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. SO WE WHEN WE PUT TOGETHER THE BLOOMINGTON TOMORROW TOGETHER STRATEGIC PLAN FIVE YEARS AGO
AND WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST NIGHT AT OUR COUNCIL RETREAT ONE OF THE ONE OF THE GOALS WAS TO CREATE A WELCOMING COMMUNITY AND TO TO CONNECT PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT WAYS. BUT PEOPLE FEEL MORE CONNECTED
TO THEIR COMMUNITY. AND ONE OF THE THE ACTION STEPS WAS HOW DO WE DO THAT? AND IT WAS TO EXPAND CREATIVE PLACEMAKING CITYWIDE. AND I THINK AND THAT WAS A BOX
WE HAVE CHECKED ON IT AND THAT BLOOMINGTON TOMORROW TOGETHER PLAN BECAUSE WE SAW THE VALUE OF IT AND PUT IT INTO ACTION AND MADE IT HAPPEN AND OFF WE
GO AND THERE WE ARE AND IT'S I THINK AN ENORMOUS BENEFIT TO SHARE ACROSS THE CITY. I KNOW WE DEVELOPED JUST A STRONG MUSCLE IN THE IN THE SOUTH LOOP WHEN WE GOT IT ALL
PUT TOGETHER AND STARTED FIGURING OUT WHAT WE MEANT BY CREATIVE PLACEMAKING AND NOW TO TO EXPAND THAT CITYWIDE IS JUST I THINK A GIFT TO THE ENTIRE CITY AND IT'S JUST A GREAT BENEFIT TO EVERYONE
IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS AND I KNOW THAT THOSE WAYS CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE WHERE WE END UP FI YEARS FROM NOW, TEN YEARS FROM NOW. WHAT CREATIVE PLACEMAKING ACROSS THE CITY OF BLOOMINGTON
MEANS BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT, MR. PRESIDENT, THAT THERE'S BEEN PLENTY OF CITIES WHO HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS MOSTLY IN EUROPE, NOT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES AND TO BE ABLE TO EMULATE WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN TERMS OF MAKING THEIR
COMMUNITIES JUST A PLACE WHERE ART IS IS JUST A FABULOUS THING AND IT'S A GREAT GOAL FOR US TO HAVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH PRESIDENT ERICKSON AND MAYOR BESSEY, THANK YOU. OTHER QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.
YOU KNOW I WAS JUST THINKING JUST WALKING INTO CITY HALL HERE AGAIN WHEN YOU'VE GOT THE WE HAVE THE EXHIBITS AND STUFF DIFFERENT ARTISTS NOW WITH THE NEW WORK OUT IN FRONT AND AND
THEN ARTWORK IS DISPLAYED AROUND I MEAN AGAIN IT JUST TAKES AND MAKES IT PART OF THE ENVIRONMENT WHICH IS JUST GOOD I THINK IT JUST MAKES IT MORE HUMAN. I MEAN AGAIN IT JUST SO THAT'S
THAT'S GREAT. WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH COMMISSIONER WOOLSEY. SICK ART PEACE. BE READY FOR THE OPENING ON WHAT IS IT MAY 8TH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
NO IT WON'T AND WE'VE ACTUALLY NOT IDENTIFIED YET IF IT WILL BE AN ART PIECE OR WHAT THAT ACTIVATION WILL LOOK LIKE. EXACTLY. YET WE DO WANT TO CREATE A WELCOMING GATHERING PLACE OF SOME SORT BUT WE WANT TO
GET MORE INPUT FROM THE WORKERS IN THAT AREA AND IN THE AREA SURROUNDING THAT SPACE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL BE UTILIZED BY EVERYONE. SO IT WON'T BE READY THIS YEAR AND FORTUNATELY WE ARE PLANNING TO DEVELOP THE SCOPE
THIS YEAR AND HOPEFULLY INSTALLING IT NEXT YEAR. ARE YOU INCLUDING A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FROM GERMANY THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTING? HAVEN'T CONSIDERED THAT.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER LYONS I'LL CONSIDER THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. VERY INTERESTING. THANK YOU. PRESIDENT DO WE HAVE TO ACCEPT
THIS OR I DON'T THERE'S NO ACTION FOR I THINK IT'S JUST INFORMATION INFORMATION ONLY. THANK YOU. AND I THINK THE SAME THING IS TRUE WITH WITH THE NEXT REPORT THAT ALAN IS GOING TO DO SO WELL WELCOME. THANK YOU. GREAT.
WE HAVE A NATIV OF WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA AND WE WERE TALKING BEFORE ABOUT THE THEY WANT TO BUILD THIS $4 BILLION CENTER DOWN THERE SO AS MOST OF YOU KNOW WORTHINGTON IS IS A SUBURB
OF THE METROPOLIS CLAYTON MINNESOTA WHICH IS 30 MILES OR AT ANY RATE. YES, EXCELLENT INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND AND I'M HERE TO
PRESENT THE 2025 ANNUAL PORT AUTHORITY REPORT. SO I HAD THE HONOR OF SORT OF AGGREGATING ALL OF OUR WORK THAT WE HAVE DONE THIS YEAR
AND SO I CHOSE TO PUT IT TOGETHER ALPHABETICAL SO IT GOES BUSINESS ASSISTANCE, CREATIVE PLACEMAKING REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, WORKFORCE AND THEN THE ADMINISTRATOR
UPDATES AND SO AS YOU MAY ALL REMEMBER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WE WORKED WITH YOU TO DO THE OKAY THE CLICKER
ISN'T WORKING THE ANNUAL REPORTS SORRY THE MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE PORT ONE.
OKAY SO THE PORT AUTHORITY CULTIVATES COMMUNITY PROSPERITY AND QUALITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH BOLD VISION AND RESPONSIBLE PUBLIC INVESTMENTS.
WE CONTINUE TO WE CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROWTH AND SUCCESS OF BLOOMINGTON'S INCLUSIVE AND RESILIENT ECONOMY AND SO I THINK THROUGHOUT THIS REPORT YOU'LL KIND OF SEE HOW THAT PLAYS OUT AND SO SOME KIND
OF JUST BRIEFLY KIND OF GO THROUGH THIS AND IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS FEEL FREE TO STOP ME . SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR BUSINESS ASSISTANCE WAS DEFINITELY THE BUSINESS FORUM. IT WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE DID THIS HAD AN INCREDIBLE
TURNOUT. THE MAYOR WAS ABLE TO SPEAK FOR US AND WE ALSO DID A BUNCH OF RIBBON CUTTINGS THIS YEAR
WE DID 11 IN TOTAL AND I'VE LISTED THEM ALL KIND OF ON THAT PAGE IN ALPHABETICAL OR IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND ALSO I ADDED CAPTIONS FOR GOING FORWARD SO WE CAN KIND
OF SEE SOME OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS BECAUSE I THINK SOME COMMISSIONERS WERE THERE. COUNCIL MEMBERS CAME MAYOR, CITY MANAGER SO IT WAS JUST KIND OF FUN TO SEE WHO WAS ALL A LOT OF THESE RIBBON CUTTINGS
AND THEN WE DID A FACADE GRANTS AND HAVE SOME BEFORE AND AFTERS OF MY PIZZA AND PERK UP KITCHEN AND THEN I ALSO INCLUDED A MAP OF WHERE THOSE ARE BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT
WAS REALLY GOOD TO SEE THAT THE WORK THAT BUSINESSES SYSTEMS HAS DONE FOR THE FACADE GRANT PROGRAM HAS BEEN THROUGHOUT BLOOMINGTON. AND THEN I HAVE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT SOME OF THE
PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'VE DONE WITH THE COMMUNITY AT THE ZURI CENTER AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE CHARACTER THE CLASSES THAT THEY SPECIFICALLY DID AND KIND OF THE NUMBER OF ATTENDEES AND THEN
OF COURSE HATCH OUR WINNER TWYLA JACKSON WITH BOOK MOTHER HAD TO FEATURE HER AS WELL AND THEN WE JUST HEARD ABOUT CREATIVE PLACEMAKING SO I WON'T GO INTO TOO MANY DETAILS
FROM THEIR WORK OR THIS LAST YEAR AND THEN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT MY TEAM NOT THAT I'M BIASED SO WE WANT TO FEATURE OBVIOUSLY BIASED YEAH
WE DEFINITELY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE THAT WAS A BIG PROJECT SO THE IT'S WE'RE INTO PHASE TWO AND THAT INCLUDES THE OFFICE BUILDING
AS WELL AS THE PARKING RAMP AND MY COLLEAGUE LUKE HAS HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THE PUNCH LIST ITEMS ON THE PARKING RAMP AND THEN NEXT HIGHLIGHT WAS THE
THIRD ANNUAL BROKER BREAKFAST. WE SAW AN INCREASE IN ATTENDANCE THIS YEAR WHICH WAS GREAT. AND THEN THE ON THE RIGHT SIDE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE THE WHY BLOOMINGTON IS IT'S A FRONT
AND BACK A HANDOUT THAT WE CREATED TO KIND OF GIVE LIKE A MARKETING PIECE OR KIND OF AN OVERVIEW FOR THE CITY AND THIS ACTUALLY WENT WITH THE MAYOR AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
BERGGREN TO THE GOVERNOR'S TRADE MISSION TO GERMANY AND SWITZERLAND AND HAD SOME GREAT FEEDBACK ON THAT SO POSITIVE THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY DEVELOPING ONE THAT SOUTH LOOP FOCUS SO WE CAN GIVE IT TO PROSPECTIVE
DEVELOPERS ABOUT WHY THE SOUTH LOOP SOME OTHER THINGS AS WE SAW SOME GREAT BUSINESS EXPANSIONS THIS YEAR FROM KONA MARKET TO TAKING OVER THE
FORMER ACCENT SPACE AND CARBON 31 AS WELL AS PAR AND SEAGATE CONTINUE TO EXPAND AS WELL. AND THEN BURNS MCDONALD RELOCATED TO BLOOMINGTON AND
THERMO KING TO DO A RENOVATION OF THEIR HEADQUARTERS AND ADDED SOME HEADCOUNT AS WELL. THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SIDE OF THE REAL ESTATE TEAM WE GOT TO HAVING WE GOT TO HAVE SOME
OPENINGS AS WELL AS SOME NEW CONSTRUCTION SO THE ROSLYN AND EVER WE'RE SOME OF OUR NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND WE ALSO DID THE NEXIS STUDY TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND HOW THAT ORDINANCE WAS IMPACTING
DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY AND THAT WAS PRESENTED LIKE A MONTH AGO TO COUNCIL AND THEN
NEXT WE HAVE THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TEAM AND WHERE SCIENCE AND LEADING THIS WE HAVE SEEN SOME GREAT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS THAT WE'VE HAD SINCE THE
PROGRAM STARTED IN 2023 AND THEN WE'VE SEEN SOME AN INCREASE IN THE PLACEMENT OF OUR INTERNS AS WELL AND THIS IS OUR CLASS FROM LAST YEAR.
WE ALSO ARE WORKING TO KIND OF MAP THE WORKFORCE INFRASTRUCTURE FIRST HOME INFRASTRUCTURE SO WORKING ON SOME APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS AS WELL AND THEN FOR THE
ADMINISTRATOR UPDATE JUST SOME NOTES ABOUT THE CEO ROUNDTABLE AND THE BLOOMINGTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AND THAT PHOTO IS FROM THAT AND WE HAD SOME
GREAT IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR WEBSITE TRAFFIC AS WELL AND IT'S OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE I PUT TOGETHER A WHY BLOOMINGTON ONE-STOP SHOP THAT ALL THE FACTS OF BLOOMINGTON AND
THAT'S WHAT DROVE TRAFFIC BUT ALSO IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO SEE HOW MUCH THE BLOOM IN BLOOMINGTON PAGE HAS INCREASED AND THAT ALL GOES TO AWESOME CREDIT AS WELL AND
THAT I BELIEVE CONCLUDES OUR REPORT. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER? WELL THAT'S FANTASTIC. IT'S VERY INTERESTING.
SO QUESTIONS, COMMENTS I GUESS WE JUST THANK YOU. SURE. GREAT. YEAH. IMMEDIATE. WHAT WAS SO NICE WITH
SOMETHING LIKE THAT AS YOU CAN GO THROUGH AND YOU KNOW AND THEN LEAF THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN SEVERAL YEARS FROM NOW AND JUST SEE WHAT KIND OF THE CONTEXT AND THINGS AND STUFF. SO THAT'S GREAT. SO THANK YOU.
I TRIED TO ADD MORE PICTURES AND GRAPHS AND LET ME GO. YOU DO SO THANK YOU. WELL IF I COULD MR. PRESIDENT ROD BROUGHT IT UP THE THE RIBBON CUTTING AT SICK AND IT REALLY ME IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN
THERE YET YOU YOU HAVE TO GET THERE IT'S A FANTASTIC BUILDING IT'S A FANTASTIC BUILDING YES WELL I WILL BE IN EUROPE BUT I'LL TRY TO GET
THERE AFTERWARDS OR WHATEVER. YES I'VE BEEN THERE A COUPLE OF TIMES FOR A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT EVENTS. THEY ACTUALLY HOSTED ONE OF OUR OUR CEO MEETINGS.
THEY HOSTED IN THERE AND IT'S IN THE NEW BUILDING AND IT'S SPECTACULAR. AND THEN EVERYBODY WAS ALL OF THE OTHER CEOS WERE SAYING WELL WE'D LOVE TO HOST ALSO
BUT NOT IF WE'RE GOING TO BE COMPARED TO THIS BECAUSE I'VE
BEEN AND YEAH THE OVERSEAS ACCESS SO THERE'S IT IS
IMPRESSIVE TO SEE IT'S OPEN ACCESS OPEN ACCESS TO KEVIN YOU HAVE SOME ADVENTURE UPDATES. YES. PRESIDENT ERICKSON AND COMMISSIONERS I'VE GOT A COUPLE UPDATES FOR YOU FOR THE
INSIDER UPDATES HERE. SO THANKS TO FOLKS LAST MONTH I KNOW WE ENDED UP CANCELING THE PORT AUTHORITY MEETING BUT WE KEPT YOU BUSY WITH SOME OTHER ITEMS. THE CONCURRENT MEETING THAT WAS THE FOCUS OF THE NEXT
STUDY THAT WAS FRAMED AS WELL AS THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE ROSLYN. SO THAT WAS THE AFFORDABLE BUILDING THAT WAS BUILT AT 700 AMERICAN AND I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER PETERSON AND
COMMISSIONER HUNT AS WELL AS MAYOR BUSSE WERE ABLE TO ATTEND. IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE A GREAT TURNOUT THERE AND SEE THE INVESTMENTS THAT THE CITY IS MAKING IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE COMMUNITY. A COUPLE OF OTHER UPDATES
COMMISSIONER PORT ADMINISTRATOR MUSIC AND FAMILY ARE DOING WELL. SHE EVEN SHARED THAT THEY HAD SIX HOURS OF SLEEP LAST WEEK
WHICH IS I THINK JUST ON ONE DAY BUT POSSIBLY FOR A DEVELOPMENT UPDATE. SO WE'RE EXPECTING TO BRING
FORWARD AN UPDATE ABOUT SOUTHTOWN FROM CROSS ANDERSON HERE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO. SO STAFF HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM ON THEIR VISION FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE EASTERN PORTION OF THAT SITE
AND THE POTENTIAL CREATION OF A TIFT DISTRICT. SO THERE WILL BE AN UPDATE FOR YOU ABOUT THAT HERE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE'RE ALSO IN COMMUNICATION WITH A DEVELOPER THAS
LOOKING AT DOING ENOUGH OR A MARKET RATE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AT 79TH AND XERXES. SO WE'RE SEEING THE MARKET KIND OF CHANGE A LITTLE BIT FROM A DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE .
AND THEN IT WAS ALSO MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE SICK THE RIBBON CUTTING THAT'S TAKING PLACE ON MAY 7TH. SO I BELIEVE EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED INVITATIONS FOR THAT BUT IF YOU DIDN'T, PLEASE
LET ME KNOW. AND THEN A QUICK UPDATE ON THE MALL OF AMERICA FRONT. SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THEM ON THE REDEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT THAT WOULD BE FOR THE WATER PARK PROJECT.
THEY'RE MEETING WITH THEIR LENDER ON SOME POTENTIAL UPDATES THERE AND THEN THEY ALSO REFINANCED THE MORTGAGE FOR THE NORTH PAD PROPERTY. SO THAT WOULD BE THE HOTEL AND THE OFFICE BUILDING ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE MALL AND
THAT REALLY ALIGNED THAT TERM WITH THE MASTER MORTGAGE FOR THE GREATER MALL PROPERTY ITSELF. THEN ON THE MARILYN CORRECT? YES. AND THE OFFICE TOWER AND THEN
ON THE SMALL BUSINESS FRONT, THE SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE GRANT APPLICATIONS CLOSED LAST NIGHT. AS OF NOW WE HAVE AWARDED
$161,000 TO BUSINESSES AND OUR STAFF ALONGSIDE NEXT STAGE WILL CONTINUE TO REVIEW THE APPLICATIONS AND ENSURE THAT THEY'VE SUBMITTED THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS AND GO THROUGH THE UNDERWRITING PROCESS TO DETERMINE
ELIGIBILITY FOR THAT PROGRAM AND THEN WE'RE ANTICIPATING BRINGING IN AN UPDATE ABOUT THAT PROGRAM TO THE JUNE MEETING. SO WE'LL HAVE AN UPDATE FOR YOU ON THAT HERE SOON. AND THEN WANTED TO SHARE AN
UPDATE ABOUT HATCH. SO THAT PROGRAM IS REDESIGNED FOR THIS YEAR. THE FOCUS IS ON SUPPORTING EXISTING BUSINESSES THAT ARE FACING CHALLENGES AND LOOKING TO GROW OR EXPAND IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO INSTEAD OF ONE AWARD TO ONE ENTREPRENEUR THERE WILL BE AWARDS TO MULTIPLE EXISTING BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BRICK AND MORTAR RETAIL HERE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND THE UNDERLYING GOAL OF THE PROGRAM HASN'T
CHANGED. BUT THE FOCUS GIVEN THE CURRENT MARKET IS ON SUPPORTING EXISTING BUSINESSES AND THEN ON THE WORKFORCE FRONT. SO THE BLOOMINGTON BLOOM ARE
BLOOMING IN BLOOMINGTON PROGRAM SO THAT IS OUR INTERN PROGRAM INTERVIEWS WERE RECENTLY CONDUCTED AND INTERN PLACEMENTS ARE CURRENTLY HAPPENING SO WE'RE EXPECTING
FOR YOUNG ADULTS TO BEGIN THEIR INTERNSHIPS HERE IN MAY SO LATE MAY AND THEN HIGH SCHOOL INTERNS WOULD BE BEGINNING IN LATE JUNE AND SO FAR WE'VE GOT 25 INTERNS THAT
WILL BE PLACED ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS EXTERNAL PARTNERS. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. SO ORSON'S BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB ENGAGING WITH EXTERNAL BUSINESSES TO PLACE INTERNS
THERE AND EXPANDING THE PROGRAM AS WELL AS LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN REALLY SERVE THE WORKFORCE NOT JUST WITH THAT PROGRAM BUT LOOKING AT KIND OF THE BROADER CONTINUUM OR CONTINUUM OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
SO WITH THAT THAT'S THE UPDATES I HAVE FOR YOU TONIGHT . GREAT. YOU REALLY GOT ANY QUESTIONS HERE? JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION. DO YOU HAVE ANY UPDATES ON THE PROPOSAL FOR THE WICKS AND SAY OH YES SO THE WICKS AND SITE
THAT IS IT'S 99 IN PANT OR IN LYNDALE SO THE FORMER WICKS AND JEWELERS SITE WE ARE WORKING WITH REAL ESTATE EQUITIES. THE HOPE WOULD BE TO BRING FORWARD AN ITEM FOR THAT
PROJECT. WE'RE STILL DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT THAT WOULD GO BEFORE THE PORT AUTHORITY OR HRA. THE REASON THAT THERE IS THAT
CONVERSATION IS THAT IS A 60% AM I AVERAGING BUILDING SO THE UNITS WOULD AVERAGE TO 60% AM I FOR THE HOUSEHOLDS IT'S 180 UNITS BUT THE INTENTION WOULD
BE TO BRING AN ITEM TO EITHER THE PORT OR A TREE LIKELY NEXT MONTH AND THEN THAT WOULD BE AN INTRODUCTORY ITEM TO THE PROJECT DISCUSSED THE TERMS THAT STAFF AND THE DEVELOPER
PROPOSING FOR THAT PROJECT AND THEN THERE COULD BE A POTENTIAL TIFF DISTRICT IN THE FUTURE FOR THAT PROJECT. GREAT. SO LET ME SAY A LITTLE DEAL.
SO YEAH, YEAH CORRECT . YEAH. THE FURTHER DOWN WE'VE DONE IT'S STILL THERE. YEAH. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? IF NOT, I THINK WE'RE
ADJOURNED. ENJOY THE WEATHER FOR