Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners, October 15, 2026

The City of Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners met on October 15, 2026. The board approved several service and project agreements: an amendment with REA for additional construction inspection on the Power Line Trail, funded through the 2018 bicentennial bond (no amendment amount stated); a 2027 service agreement with Hayes Smart Mart to operate a self-service protein-products vending area at Twin Lakes Recreation Center; and a $10,500 agreement with Deem to repair Compressor 2 at Frank Southern Ice Arena, supported by a budget amendment using the arena’s non-reverting fund. It also approved a Bloomington Winter Farmers Market partnership at Switchyard Park, under which the market will pay Parks $300 per Saturday for three November Saturdays, and a $19,816 amendment with Convergent Technologies to repair park security-camera components, restoring operation of 55 Switchyard Park cameras. The camera amendment passed with one abstention; the other agreements were approved. The board also approved 2027 fee changes, including increases to pavilion rentals and golf fees, and authorized a temporary full closure of the Bloomington Rail Trail for contractor work. No amounts were stated for the REA amendment or trail-closure work.

Other actions included approving the consent calendar, adopting the honorary name “Les Coin Griffy Loop Trail,” denying an appeal of a tree-removal decision while offering a replacement tree, and advancing the legal process to reclaim long-unused Rose Hill Cemetery plots for possible resale. In a report, staff discussed a newly available Lilly Endowment community parks grant of up to $10 million, which requires a planning phase, and said it could affect plans previously under consideration for a municipal bond of about $7 million; no grant or bond award was approved at this meeting.