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From YouTube: Bloomington Today: April 4, 2012
Description
On this week's episode of Bloomington Today we'll take a look at what improvements MN-DOT has in store for a major freeway bordering Bloomington. We'll also stop by Dwan and Hyland to see if residents are taking advantage of the warm weather and teeing off for the first time this season.
A
B
Welcome
to
bloomington
today,
I'm
caitlin
cockriel
thanks
for
joining
us
now,
it's
time
for
another
in
the
loop
segment,
where
we
bring
you
news
and
events
happening
in
and
around
the
city
south
loop
district.
This
week,
we've
got
a
lot
of
updates
coming
out
of
the
city's
south
loop
district,
starting
with
a
major
freeway
reconstruction.
B
C
C
An
auxiliary
lane
is
a
little
bit
different
than
a
general
purpose
lane
it's
not
a
driving
lane.
That
goes
all
the
way
through
the
corridor,
but
it's
a
lane
that
allows
for
extra
time
for
entering
or
exiting
especially
between
entrances
and
exits,
so
there's
less
weaving
in
and
out
along
the
main
corridor
as
people
try
to
quickly
exit
or
enter.
B
C
Bridge,
as
I
mentioned,
it
will
be
updated,
so
the
vertical
clearance
will
be
higher
and
it'll
also
actually
be
widened,
so
that
widening
will
allow
for
possible
future
opportunities.
In
case
we
do
look
at
expanding
494
in
the
future.
We
don't
currently
have
a
project
in
place
for
that
type
of
work,
but
it
would
allow
it
to
be
an
option
in
the
future.
B
C
C
Those
will
allow
for
a
longer
merge
opportunity
for
motorists,
so
there's
less
weaving
in
and
out
as
people
try
to
enter
and
exit
less
issues
with
possible
crashes
that
can
occur
because
of
that,
and
then
with
the
xerxes
avenue
bridge.
Of
course,
just
by
heightening
that
vertical
clearance
there'll
be
less
of
a
likelihood
for
large
tall
trucks
to
hit
the
bottom
of
that
bridge.
B
The
city
will
be
sure
to
keep
residents
in
the
know,
regarding
updates
and
scheduled
closures.
To
make
sure
you
stay
in
the
loop
become
a
fan
or
follower
of
the
city's
facebook
and
twitter
pages.
You
can
also
check
the
project
website
available
by
logging
onto
the
city's
website
and
keyword
searching
I-494
improvement.
B
There
you'll
find
a
direct
link
to
mndot's
project
page
and
staying
in
the
south
loop
district.
Let's
head
over
to
the
mall
of
america
march,
18th
marked
the
last
official
day
of
business
for
former
mall
of
america.
Department
store
bloomingdale's,
and
the
plan
for
the
space
once
occupied
by
bloomingdale's
does
not
include
another
department
store,
but
instead
several
new
businesses,
many
of
which
are
new
to
the
retail
market.
The
mall
is
wasting
no
time
in
transforming
the
area
and,
as
you
can
see,
construction
is
already
well
underway.
B
No
details
have
been
released
just
yet
about
what
stores
will
be
moving
into
the
space
and
as
construction
continues
inside
the
mall's
doors.
It's
wrapping
up
on
a
project
outside
the
ramp
lighting
project
is
coming
to
an
end.
The
first
week
of
april,
this
environmentally
friendly
project
replaced
5
400,
sodium
fixture
lights,
with
energy-saving
led
lights.
The
project
began
in
early
september
and
will
result
in
significant
energy
savings
at
the
mall
of
america.
Cutting
energy
costs
by
nearly
two-thirds.
B
B
Since
then,
24
000
cubic
yards
of
concrete
has
been
placed
1,
625,
tons
of
reinforcing
steel
installed
and
half
a
million
pounds
of
post
tension,
cables
tightened.
After
speaking
with
a
mortenson
construction
representative,
it
was
confirmed
that
the
radisson
blue
is
at
full
height.
Crews
will
no
longer
be
building
up,
and
now
the
real
fun
begins,
starting
in
late
march,
windows
will
continue
being
installed
and
exterior
colored
panels
will
be
placed
on
the
outside
of
the
building.
The
next
step
for
crews
is
an
exciting
one.
B
C
B
B
B
Here
there
are
73
pages
of
questions
commonly
asked
of
city
representatives.
You
can
narrow
your
search
by
choosing
a
city
division
that
pertains
to
your
question
like
police
and
then
all
police
related
questions
are
compiled.
If
you
don't
find
your
question,
there
click
the
link,
ask
question
to
submit
your
inquiry.
B
It
asks
that
you
sign
in
by
creating
an
account
this
allows
city
staff
to
notify
you.
When
your
question
has
been
answered
and
from
there
you
simply
submit
your
question.
Someone
from
a
related
department
will
be
forwarded
the
inquiry
and
have
an
answer
for
you.
As
soon
as
possible,
in
addition
to
questions,
you
can
submit
a
service
request
here.
D
D
B
B
Well,
you
know,
most
people
are
welcoming
spring
with.
You
know:
open
arms,
I'm
one
of
those
people,
but
with
the
warming
temps
comes
the
insects
and
some
of
which
are,
you
know,
obviously
very
dangerous
to
our
city's
trees.
So
we're
talking,
obviously
about
emerald
ash
borer.
Mainly.
Why
don't
you
start
by
discussing
what
that
is.
G
It
supposedly
came
from
asia
kind
of
came
in
through
detroit
on
ships,
on
cartons
and
and
wooden
pallets
and
those
kinds
of
things,
and
it's
kind
of
marched
its
way,
both
east
and
west,
and
about
three
or
four
years
ago.
It
was
detected
in
minnesota.
So
it's
a
it's.
The
newest
pest
that
we're
trying
to
deal
with
related
to
trees
in
minnesota.
Okay,.
B
G
They're
thinking
that
one
of
the
the
prime
primary
ways
that
it's
moved,
especially
the
last
few
years,
is
people
hauling
and
moving
infected
wood,
slash
firewood
from
point
a
to
point
b.
The
bug
itself
can't
move
very
fast.
If
it
was
going
to
move
on
its
own
it
it.
They
say
it
only
moves
about
a
half
a
mile
a
year.
But
if
somebody
has
a
load
of
infected
firewood
and
takes
it
150
miles
200
miles
300
miles
whatever
it
certainly
could
impact
anywhere
along
the
way
and
certainly
its
destination.
B
G
Well,
emerald
ash
borer,
the
the
bug
itself
gets
underneath
the
bark
of
the
tree
gets
into
the
cambium,
the
wood
layer
and
it
actually
chews
around
in
there
and
makes
what
we
call
galleries.
They
look
like
little
almost
like
when
you
peel
the
bark
off
almost
looks
like
spaghetti
in
there
and
what
that
does
the
insect
then
by
chewing
on
the
tree.
It
inhibits
the
ability
of
the
tree
to
carry
its
nutrients
and
water
up
through
the
trunk
and
up
to
the
tree
and
the
tree
actually
kind
of
starves
and
chokes
itself.
B
G
Well,
it's
kind
of
a
good
news,
bad
news
situation.
The
good
news
is,
we
haven't
detected
it
in
bloomington,
yet
the
bad
news
is
it's
in
the
twin
city,
metro
area,
and
so
that
means
most
likely
at
some
point
we're
going
to
find
it
in
bloomington.
It
actually
actually
originated
in
southeastern
minnesota
and
houston
county,
and
then
it
actually
jumped
from
there
to
ramsey
hennepin
county
in
the
twin
city,
metro
area
and
so
we're
again,
supposing
that
some
infected
wood
was
probably
hauled
from
houston
county
to
the
twin
city
area
and
it
got
its.
G
G
There
hasn't
been
any
any
large
changes.
The
quarantine
is
still
in
place
in
in
the
twin
cities.
Hennepin
and
ramsey
county
are
quarantined,
and
what
that
means
is
any
ash
debris,
any
ash,
wood
or
any
firewood
of
any
kind
of
wood
except
pine
and
spruce,
cannot
be
taken
out
of
hennepin
or
ramsey
county.
G
You
can
move
it
within
those
two
counties,
but
you
can't
take
any
of
that
kind
of
wood
outside
and
the
fine
is
is
very
stiff.
It's
over
seven
thousand
dollars.
If
someone
is
caught
taking
violating
that
quarantine-
and
so
you
know
if
a
person
has
questions
on
that,
they
should
contact
the
department
of
agriculture,
because
those
are
the
people
that
manage
the
quarantine
and
if
there
is
a
a
permit
to
be
let
for
a
business
or
something
like
that,
the
person
would
have
to
work
with
the
department
of
agriculture.
B
That's
a
that's
a
a
good
reminder
for
people
heading
to
cabins,
and
things
like
that.
You
know
up
north.
You
know
piling
up
the
firewood
in
their
truck
and
bringing
it
up
to
their
cabin.
That
cannot
happen
if
you
are
in
in
quarantined
area,
correct,
correct!
Okay,
let's
talk
a
bit
about
the
signs
of
an
infected
ash
tree
I
mean:
are
we
a
dead
tree?
Is
that
what
we're
talking
about
or
are
there
ways
that
kind
of
build
up
to
the
tree
actually
dying
where
someone
can
maybe
counter
it.
G
When
we
first
noticed
it
here
in
the
twin
cities,
I
think
we
we
thought
there
were
maybe
two
or
three
or
even
four
symptoms
that
were
kind
of
obvious,
but
I
think,
as
time
has
gone
on,
we
found
that
excessive
woodpecker
damage,
in
other
words
woodpeckers
pecking
at
the
trunk
or
a
large
branch
on
the
tree,
trying
to
get
at
the
larva,
the
the
bugs
that
are
in
the
tree
to
eat
them.
That's
the
primary
way,
we're
detecting
it.
G
So
if
someone
has
an
ash
tree
and
it
seems
to
be
in
decline,
in
other
words,
it's
not
real
healthy
and
they
notice
on
the
trunk
or
on
a
large
branch,
a
lot
of
woodpecker
damage,
and
it's
very
obvious.
If
there's
been
excessive
damage
by
woodpeckers,
we
would
encourage
them
to
call
us
and
we
come
out
as
we've
done
for
years
with,
with
dutch
elm
disease
and
oak
wilt,
we
will
come
out
and
check
the
tree.
B
G
Well,
once
the
tree
has
the
emerald
ash
borer,
normally
it's
hard
to
spot
the
for
even
the
first
couple
of
years
that
a
tree
might
have
it.
You
might
not
notice
much
of
anything
and
generally,
when
you
get
beyond
that,
treating
the
tree
may
or
may
not
be
a
good
idea.
But
if
someone
has
a
healthy
ash
tree,
it's
it's
doing
very
well
and
they
want
to
hang
on
to
that
tree
or
at
least
have
a
good
chance
of
hanging
onto
that
tree.
G
There
are
some
chemical
treatments
out
there
that
they've
had
some
pretty
good
results
with.
I
think
that
the
challenge
always
is,
though,
that
you
know
you
put
your
money
into
trying
to
save
a
tree
that
ultimately
may
succumb
to
emerald
ash
borer,
or
do
you
plant
a
new
tree
to
get
it
growing?
So
that's
a
decision
we
all
have
to
make
both
those
of
us
in
the
city
and
that
work
for
the
city
in
our
city,
park,
lands
and
and
homeowners
have
to
make
that
decision,
whether
whether
they
want
to
spend
that
money.
G
I
think
that,
right
now
we
would
just
recommend
the
number
one
thing
is
with
ash
trees
and
with
all
trees,
but
ash
trees
certainly
try
to
keep
them
as
healthy
as
you
can
throughout
the
year.
If
we
go
into
a
drought,
condition
supplement
the
water,
especially
going
into
the
winter.
We
always
tell
people
shrubs
and
trees
need
as
much
water
as
we
can
give
them
going
into
the
winter
season.
G
So
that's
the
number
one
thing
again:
chemical
treatment
to
protect
healthy
ash
trees
certainly
is
an
option,
and
if
people
want
to
do
that,
we
certainly
say
contact
a
reputable
company
that
that
does
that
kind
of
provides
that
kind
of
service.
The
one
good
thing,
or
one
thing
that
they
should
know,
is
that
if
they
start
treating
the
tree
to
protect
it,
they
have
to
treat
that
tree
forever.
G
G
So
we've
we've
done
that.
Also.
This
will
be
this
the
eighth
year,
I
think,
of
our
annual
tree
sale
and
we
started
our
public
education
even
before
emerald
ash
borer
hit
here
by
not
selling
ash
trees,
in
other
words,
encouraging
people
to
plant
other
species
diversify.
So
they
don't
have
all
of
one
kind,
and
I
think
you
might
find
it
hard
to
even
be
able
to
purchase
an
ash
tree
now.
In
most
nurseries,
people
just
aren't
going
to
go
there,
knowing
that
you
know
that
tree
may
not
be
around
very
long.
B
The
risk
is
a
little
too
high,
so
definitely
taking
a
proactive
approach
to
emerald
ash
borer.
Finally,
let's
you
know
many
residents
may
want
to
start.
You
know
trimming
their
trees
as
they're
getting
their
yards
cleaned
up
after
this
nice
brown
winter
we
had,
but
is
that
something
they
should
be
doing.
G
G
So
we
tell
people,
don't
be
trimming,
especially
those
trees
during
the
summer,
once
we
get
into
august
and
september,
then
the
risk
of
opening
the
tree
up
to
a
possible
disease
infestation
is
far
less
and
certainly
the
colder.
It
gets
the
better.
It
is
for
that
kind
of
thing,
so
we
just
tell
people
let
your
trees
go
during
the
summer,
only
deal
with
them.
B
B
Welcome
back
everyone:
well,
thanks
to
unseasonably
warm
temperatures,
local
golfers
are
teeing
off
a
bit
earlier
than
usual,
both
dejuan
golf
club
and
highland
greens
golf
course
opened
to
the
public
on
march
20th,
as
that's
the
earliest
season
opening
ever
for
both
courses
and
given
the
mild
winter
we
saw
this
year.
Some
golf
courses
in
the
area
opened
their
greens
for
golfers
months
ago.
Siddik
had
this
to
say
back
in
january,
when
residents
were
asking,
why
not
open
our
courses.
F
The
frost
is
not
down
very
far,
if
any,
so
the
top
layer
thaws
out
when
it
gets
a
little
warmer
and
every
divot
and
every
ball
mark
is
not
going
to
come.
It's
not
going
to
regrow
come
spring.
I
can't
imagine
what
some
of
the
golf
courses,
especially
the
busy
ones,
and
if
they're,
allowing
carts
out
there's
no
growing.
B
E
Well,
every
year,
for
diversity
day,
the
human
rights
commission
in
the
bloomington
school
district
do
a
number
of
things:
collaborate
on
a
number
of
things,
including
the
t-shirt
contest.
This
year
there
were
53
submissions
for
the
t-shirt
contest.
All
the
submissions
are
outside
of
chambers
here
and
of
the
53.
This
was
the
winner
and
this
design
was
selected
based
on
originality
and
on
incorporation
of
the
themes
of
peace
and
diversity
in
bloomington.
B
On
friday
may,
4th
participants
will
walk
or
run
from
kennedy
to
jefferson
high
school
to
promote
diversity
and
peace.
The
trek
begins
at
10
a.m.
At
kennedy,
high
school
located
at
9,
700
nicolette
avenue
and
will
loop
around
bloomington
to
finish
at
jefferson,
high
school,
that's
located
at
4001,
west
102nd
street
each
school
observes
the
diversity
day
celebration
with
a
week
full
of
presentations
and
cultural
awareness
displays
and
activities.
B
No
pre-registration
is
required.
Community
members
are
encouraged
to
just
show
up
and
demonstrate
your
support
for
diversity
day
and
hey
you're,
getting
some
exercise
while
you're
at
it.
If
you
have
questions
contact,
bloomington's
human
services,
division,
the
warming
temperatures
bring
concerns
for
animal
control
officers
and
they'd
like
to
offer
a
few
friendly
reminders
to
pet
owners.
B
Animal
control
has
already
answered
several
calls
about
dogs
being
left
in
cars.
Officers
say
to
keep
your
pet
at
home.
If
you
need
to
go
somewhere,
internal
car
temperatures
can
be
upwards
of
107
degrees
on
even
a
mildly
warm
day.
Furthermore,
tick
season
is
upon
us
tick.
Prevention
and
removal
is
vital
to
reduce
the
risk
of
infection
by
a
tick.
B
Get
your
dog
vaccinated
check
them
before
letting
them
inside
your
house
and
use
a
topical
tick
repellent
to
ensure
they're
protected,
be
sure
to
tune
into
bloomington
today
later
this
month,
where
we'll
feature
another
pet
project
segment,
highlighting
these
important
spring
and
summer
pet
tips
and
more
and
that's
all
the
time
we
have
for
today
to
get
more
information
on
city
projects,
parks,
road,
construction
and
events
visit.
The
city's
website
to
check
out
past
bloomington
today
shows
or
other
city
productions
log
on
to
the
city's
youtube
channel
accessible
right
from
the
city's
homepage.