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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Bloomington Sidewalk Committee Meeting – December 11, 2025

City Council — Thursday, December 11, 2025

BodyBloomington, Indiana

SessionCity Council

DateThursday, December 11, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 56:17

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

This is the sidewalk committee for city council, December 9th, 2025.

0:08

So we have an agenda.

0:11

I think it would be good to we're gonna start with introductions and then go through our little conflict of interest statements if there are any.

0:21

And then we'll get into uh past project updates, future project recommendations.

0:28

That'll be a pretty casual conversation, like we're used to.

0:31

Um Hank Duncan will do the presentation and lead us through that, and we kind of do a QA as we go, I think, right?

0:38

And we'll talk with the public and then we'll see about if we're ready to make recommendations and do a vote on that at the end, or and or if we need to schedule another meeting.

0:50

Sound good?

0:51

Yes.

0:52

Okay, um, I'll start.

0:54

Kate Rosenbarger, City Council District One Two Isabel Pete Montsmith, City Council District One.

1:05

Sydney's old city council district six.

1:08

Um again in transportation, the ol copper engineering.

1:17

Sophia, do you want to Sophia Clerk's office McDowell?

1:25

She go to Andy.

1:27

Andy.

1:28

Yeah, okay.

1:29

Uh Andy Roth Common Council member at large.

1:33

Kari Bennett, um, council staff.

1:36

Christine Chang council staff.

1:39

Okay, great.

1:40

Okay, so then we just want to do a city council um conflict of interest.

1:46

So this just happens if any project considerations are in anyone's district.

1:54

We like to just recognize that and say whether or not you're able to make an objective decision, even though some projects are in your district.

2:06

We can also just do it all at once if you all would like and just acknowledge that some of these projects are in our districts and we are able to make objective decisions and recommendations here.

2:18

Yes, I'm fairly certain posted.

2:21

Not all of the projects are in district six, but um I believe I can be objective.

2:29

Great.

2:32

Okay, same for me.

2:33

I am happy to make unbiased objective decisions today, Isabel.

2:39

Yes, I don't think any of these projects are in district one, but um in general, I I view this as a as a whole community issue and not for district.

2:51

So yes, I I feel like I can make an unbiased decision.

2:55

Great, thank you.

2:56

And he's at large, so he is good to go.

3:00

Yeah, okay.

3:02

We're rolling through our agenda.

3:03

Unless one of the items is like going by his house or something, I think that's a good thing.

3:07

Yeah, true.

3:10

He's doing fine.

3:11

Okay.

3:12

So then I think Hank.

3:14

Oh, we're doing the next.

3:16

I'm sorry, my iPad is so old as a city iPad, and sometimes it just spins, and I have to turn it off and turn it back on.

3:23

So that's where I am right now.

3:24

Okay, so the next thing we're doing is actually this renaming of the sidewalk committee.

3:28

I forgot that edition.

3:30

So sometime in 2025, council had a deliberation session to talk about the goals of the sidewalk committee and if those goals have stayed the same or changed from finding connections that are missing and building brand new sidewalks.

3:48

That was like the very limited definition of the sidewalk committee, I would say like 10 eight to 10 years ago.

3:55

Or if it is broader now and talking more about pedestrian safety, which is infrastructure, like also crosswalks and um ramps and other fun stuff, right?

4:08

Like speed humps and everything.

4:10

So we had that deliberation session with staff.

4:13

Thank you all for coming.

4:15

And it was decided that it is more of a pedestrian safety committee, and the fund is the alternative transportation fund, which is broader, can't is and can be broader than just sidewalk connections.

4:29

And so there is a resolution that will be coming to council about renaming the sidewalk committee.

4:36

Isabel is a co-sponsor of that, is that right?

4:39

And hopey?

4:41

I think so.

4:41

Okay, I think so too.

5:00

And um, so a draft of that was put in the packet, and I just thought it would be nice if we uh talked about that a little bit too to say to kind of lay the groundwork for what we're looking at this year as our uh potential projects, and um I think too, just to go back to council, even though this will be before council in January, uh, to say the sidewalk committee did talk about it and were happy or not happy with the new description and the new name proposal.

5:17

Um so I just thought it would be kind of nice to talk about it.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████28%

Transportation Safety██████████████████████22%

Pedestrian Safety███████████████15%

Procedural██████████████14%

Public Works█████████████13%

Technology and Innovation████████8%

Summary of Proceedings

City Council Sidewalk Committee Meeting – December 11, 2025

(Note: The transcript states the meeting occurred on December 9, 2025, but the official date provided is December 11, 2025. This summary uses the official date.)

The Sidewalk Committee met on December 11, 2025, at 4:29 PM (from the provided timestamp). The committee discussed renaming itself to the Pedestrian Safety Committee, reviewed status of 2025 sidewalk projects, and recommended $500,000 in 2026 funding allocations to the full Common Council. No public comments were offered.

Public Comments & Testimony

None. No members of the public spoke in person or via Zoom.

Discussion Items

Renaming the Committee to Pedestrian Safety Committee: The committee considered a resolution to rename the committee to the Pedestrian Safety Committee, broadening its scope from sidewalk connections to all pedestrian safety infrastructure (crosswalks, ramps, traffic calming, etc.). The resolution removed references to bicycle and micro-mobility infrastructure. The committee voted 4-0 to recommend the resolution to the Common Council.
2025 Project Status Updates (presented by Hank Duncan, Safe Streets Program Manager):
- East Second Street repaving coordination (bump outs and crosswalks at Dunn, Grant, Lincoln) – not yet constructed; street repaving moved to 2026. An additional pedestrian refuge island on Rogers Road was constructed.
- North Union Street raised crosswalk (between 7th and 10th) – not yet constructed; planned for summer 2026.
- North Jefferson Street sidewalk – partial construction funded; bids came in lower than expected ($238,000 total), but allocated $180,000; remaining gap discussed. Construction expected summer 2026.
- Fei Lane/Law Lane intersection – ongoing corridor discussions with Indiana University for pedestrian improvements; no formal commitment yet. Street repaving planned for 2027.
- 17th Street and Eagleson Avenue – short-term pedestrian refuge island using temporary materials being installed; signalization considered but not moving forward.
2026 Funding Recommendations: Hank proposed three line items totaling $500,000:
1. North Jefferson Street sidewalk completion – $60,000.
2. Safe Streets Priority Projects – $435,000 flexible pool for pedestrian projects along the Safe Streets for All priority network (sidewalk gaps, crosswalk improvements, etc.). Funds may be used for standalone projects or to supplement larger projects with pedestrian-specific additions.
3. Change orders – $5,000 for minor contract adjustments. Discussion focused on ensuring funds are not absorbed into major non-pedestrian projects and that staff have flexibility to seize opportunities. A mid-year status report was requested by June 2026.
Project Prioritization: The committee approved the priority order: 1) North Jefferson Street, 2) Safe Streets Priority Projects, 3) Change Orders, and authorized the chair to shift funds among these three as needed.

Key Outcomes

Resolution to Rename Committee: Approved 4-0 (Isabel, Sydney, Andy, Kate all yes). Recommendation to Common Council.
2026 Funding Allocation (to recommend to Common Council): Approved 4-0, with $60,000 for North Jefferson Street, $435,000 for Safe Streets Priority Projects, and $5,000 for change orders.
Project Prioritization and Chair Authority: Approved 4-0.
Next Steps: The committee's recommendations will be reported to the Common Council at its upcoming meeting (possibly December 17). Staff will provide a mid-year report in June 2026.

Meeting Transcript

This is the sidewalk committee for city council, December 9th, 2025. So we have an agenda. I think it would be good to we're gonna start with introductions and then go through our little conflict of interest statements if there are any. And then we'll get into uh past project updates, future project recommendations. That'll be a pretty casual conversation, like we're used to. Um Hank Duncan will do the presentation and lead us through that, and we kind of do a QA as we go, I think, right? And we'll talk with the public and then we'll see about if we're ready to make recommendations and do a vote on that at the end, or and or if we need to schedule another meeting. Sound good? Yes. Okay, um, I'll start. Kate Rosenbarger, City Council District One Two Isabel Pete Montsmith, City Council District One. Sydney's old city council district six. Um again in transportation, the ol copper engineering. Sophia, do you want to Sophia Clerk's office McDowell? She go to Andy. Andy. Yeah, okay. Uh Andy Roth Common Council member at large. Kari Bennett, um, council staff. Christine Chang council staff. Okay, great. Okay, so then we just want to do a city council um conflict of interest. So this just happens if any project considerations are in anyone's district. We like to just recognize that and say whether or not you're able to make an objective decision, even though some projects are in your district. We can also just do it all at once if you all would like and just acknowledge that some of these projects are in our districts and we are able to make objective decisions and recommendations here. Yes, I'm fairly certain posted. Not all of the projects are in district six, but um I believe I can be objective. Great. Okay, same for me. I am happy to make unbiased objective decisions today, Isabel. Yes, I don't think any of these projects are in district one, but um in general, I I view this as a as a whole community issue and not for district. So yes, I I feel like I can make an unbiased decision. Great, thank you. And he's at large, so he is good to go. Yeah, okay. We're rolling through our agenda. Unless one of the items is like going by his house or something, I think that's a good thing. Yeah, true. He's doing fine. Okay. So then I think Hank. Oh, we're doing the next. I'm sorry, my iPad is so old as a city iPad, and sometimes it just spins, and I have to turn it off and turn it back on. So that's where I am right now. Okay, so the next thing we're doing is actually this renaming of the sidewalk committee. I forgot that edition. So sometime in 2025, council had a deliberation session to talk about the goals of the sidewalk committee and if those goals have stayed the same or changed from finding connections that are missing and building brand new sidewalks. That was like the very limited definition of the sidewalk committee, I would say like 10 eight to 10 years ago. Or if it is broader now and talking more about pedestrian safety, which is infrastructure, like also crosswalks and um ramps and other fun stuff, right? Like speed humps and everything.

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