Mayor Dan Brady this week questioned the longstanding Bloomington Normal Economic Development Council [EDC] practice of a once-a-year community lobbying trip to Washington D.C.
The One Voice trip gathers business, labor, education and government stakeholders to press the case with lawmakers and federal agencies for an agreed list of projects the entire community backs.
Brady acknowledged in a WGLT interview that Bloomington has already diverged from that collective approach. Further, he opened the door to dialog about the EDC's future in the wake of executive director Patrick Hoban's decision to leave the organization.
This year, Bloomington sent its One Voice representatives to the Capitol a day before the main group arrived to press for a separate list of projects.
“We, more so than anything else, pushed a standalone water tower, the Division Street and Hamilton, elevated, standalone Water Tower. That's a project of $18 million and we're pushing for roughly $2 million to try and get funding from the federal government,” said Brady.
That tower would raise water pressure on the west side of the city. Brady said the city also sought Justice Department help in getting police and public safety equipment modernization.
East side health campus
A new redevelopment agreement on Bloomington's east side is intended to help Carle Health expand services on East Empire Street. It includes $6 million in private funding for a mixed-use medical campus. Brady praised the project and said the city contribution amounts to several million dollars in work and infrastructure.
“Maintaining the water basin areas there, and completion of some of the streets, as well as [being] responsible for the public walking trail that's going to be connecting to Constitution Trail. Those are all going to be parts of the city ante up,” said Brady. “Looking at the park structure, McGraw Park is out there. We're talking on connecting that trail further to the Constitution Trail. It is a very nice business plan that has the potential of economic development, retail as well as parks that I think will be good for the entire city."
He said the campus will tie parts of east Bloomington together and can benefit rural areas as well.
“I think, will be something that will be very helpful to neighborhoods. The other is, of course, if retail is developed out there, [it] could certainly be a calling card, for others, not only in Bloomington and Normal but from around the surrounding communities,” said Brady.
He said expanding medical accessibility through the complex is perhaps the largest benefit to the city.
