The 812 - Steve Volan / Plateia Media

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036: Jane Kupersmith, Director of Economic and Sustainable Development Mar 05, 2024

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"Economic development." What does that phrase mean, anyway? Is that, like, bringing factories to town? Don't we already have enough of an economy here? Today, you'll learn the spin that our fair city puts on this generic, if not clichéd, phrase. Our guest is Jane Kupersmith, the director of the city's Economic and Sustainable Development department. She'll walk us through the goals ESD has, how her department is structured, and a thing or two about the initiatives they're working on.

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035: The812 Digest for the Week of February 27: A Snapshot of City Government Mar 04, 2024

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In the first half of today's show, we look back at recent conversations we had with former corporation counsel Beth Cate and former director of planning & transportation Scott Robinson, both of whose tenures ended with Mayor Hamilton's administration on January 1, but whose perspectives are fresh enough for early 2024. In the second half, Gloria Howell, talks about being chair of the Dr. MLK Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission, and re-elected councilmember Kate Rosenbarger of the newly-redrawn district 2, covering roughly the northwest quadrant of the city, talks about her plans for the new term.

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034: Scott Robinson, Former Director of Planning & Transportation Mar 01, 2024

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How did the place where you are right now get built? Who built your home? When was it built, and why was it built in the size and shape that it is? Every place in Bloomington was developed...even that park you may be standing in the middle of, if that's where you happen to be listening to this. People can't just build willy-nilly any more...they have to follow certain rules the community has set up.
Our guest today is Scott Robinson. Today he begins a new job as the Community Development Director for the town of Timnith, CO. But he's our guest because he was the Director of Planning & Transportation for COB through most of the last term of the Hamilton administration which ended January 1. Before that, he worked in the Planning & Transportation Department as a planner or deputy director for more than 20 years. We talk with him about why there is a land-use planning office, about how planning works, to reflect on the work he did here, and what's on the horizon for the city's built environment.

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033: Kate Rosenbarger, Councilmember (D2) -- Plus, Eclipse Day Prep Feb 29, 2024

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Our guest is Kate Rosenbarger, the reelected member now serving the newly-redrawn District 2, which represents the northwest portion of the city including much of the downtown. She talks about her priorities for the term, her biggest focus being on transportation.
Happy Leap Day! The Lineup today (in the absence of meetings scheduled for City Hall) is a preview of Eclipse Day, April 8, and the facts reported about the many preparations being made for it by the Thomson administration. A synopsis of a report given at last night's Council meeting by Deputy Mayor Gretchen Knapp and Public Works Director Adam Wason.

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032: Dr. Gloria Howell, Chair, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission Feb 28, 2024

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The city has dozens of boards and commissions, to contemplate big local issues and recommend or take action on them. What's it like to be on one...what's it like to chair one? Our guest is Dr. Gloria Howell. We learn about what the Dr. Martin Luthe King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission does -- and it's more than just hosting the annual event in its name -- and what a city commission chair does. amd deals with.

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031: Beth Cate, Former Corporation Counsel, on Defending a City Feb 27, 2024

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Our guest today is Beth Cate. She was the Corporation Counsel for the City of Bloomington for the last two years of the Hamilton administration. She'll describe the nature of the job as the city's lead lawyer and, yes, counselor to the administration, and anticipate some issues that might face cities like ours in the near future.

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030: The812 Digest for the Week of February 20 -- Austin, Bruce, Ruff Feb 26, 2024

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In this week's digest episode, we look back at talks with Andy Ruff, the at large CM starting his sixth term on Council, amd Doug Bruce of the newly-formed CIB about the Convention Center. To start, though, we'll hear back from our interview with Matt Austin of the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability, about what the word "sustainability" means in theory and in practice.

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029: Steve Volan, on the Doppelgänger City that is an American University Campus Feb 23, 2024

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The show's host becomes the guest today. This episode is an excerpt from a public talk Steve Volan gave last October at the Collins Living-Learning Center in Bloomington. It was based on his Geography master's thesis called Gownsburg: The Campus as a Municipal Phenomenon. His theory in Gownsburg is that university campuses have all the traits of towns, yet are more like spooky replicas of towns. Hence the talk's title: "Doppelgänger Cities: A History of Campuses."
For a podcast all about city government policy, it was a matter of time before we had to address the separate jurisdiction within our jurisdiction, the Vatican inside our Rome. You're going to hear quite a bit about IU's campus, but really, today's show is more about where campuses in general came from. It's one episode you don't have to be a Bloomingtonian to appreciate, so tell your non-local friends to download this one.
(Also: we have an email address now! Send us your opinions to letters@the812show.org.)

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028: Doug Bruce, Architect and Member of the Capital Improvements Board, on the Convention Center's Future Feb 22, 2024

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Our guest today is Doug Bruce. He's the owner of Tabor/Bruce Architects. He's also a member of the newly-formed Capital Improvements Board, the joint city-county entity created to take responsibility for the County Convention Center and its management. The CIB's first meeting was Oct. 4. Steve Volan asks Bruce to comment on the present and speculate on the future of the Convention Center.
Bruce has a history of serving on local boards. He also discuss being the former vice-chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, where he was a member for 20 years. He also is a former member of Downtown Bloomington, Inc., a former president of Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. and a current member of the city's Parks Foundation board.

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027: Matt Austin, Commission on Sustainability: On Chickens and Compost and What Sustainability Is Feb 21, 2024

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Our guest is Matt Austin, a member of the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability ("BCOS", pronounced "bee-koss"). We talk about BCOS, compare it to the Environmental Commission, and talk about what BCOS is working on, including a composting program in the wake of the closing of EarthKeepers' composting program, and rethinking the chicken ordinance to allow people to keep even more hens. He also talks about urban and vertical farming, and his role as chair of the Citizens' Advisory Committee of the newly-renamed Waste Reduction District of Monroe County.

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