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From YouTube: Bloomington State of the City 2018
Description
The annual State of the City presentation featuring Mayor Gene Winstead and City Manager Jamie Verbrugge.
A
B
I'm
glad
she
was
brief
in
talking
about
me,
because
there
are
certain
things
that
shouldn't
be
said
and
welcome.
It's
great
to
have
you
all
here
today
at
the
2018
State
of
the
City
event,
and
you
need
to
know
that
this
is
my
19th
presentation
of
a
state
of
the
city
event
for
the
city
of
Bloomington.
B
You
know
there
are
so
many
people
in
this
room
that
have
been
involved
in
really
creating
making
this
and
moving
the
city
forward
over
time,
and
it's
great
to
be
here
today
to
really
work
on
and
celebrate
us
and
who
we
are.
You
know
we're
the
residents
were
the
business
owners,
were
the
employees
were
those
who
commute
to
this
community
to
work,
and
we
are
all
Bloomington
we're
here
to
tell
the
story
of
our
accomplishments
this
past
year
to
look
at
where
we
are
as
a
community
and
to
provide
a
glimpse
of
what's
ahead.
B
Let's
begin
with,
who
we
are,
this
year's
theme
we
are
Bloomington
was
inspired
by
several
things.
First,
it
aligns
with
the
one
Bloomington
our
three
year
strategic
plan.
Something
we'll
talk
more
about.
Inspiration
also
was
from
the
artistry
mural,
which
hangs
on
the
Bloomington
Civic
Plaza
wall.
It
was
a
result
of
an
activity
several
years
ago
by
a
local
artist,
Sandra
mazi
during
the
Heritage
Day
community
event,
which
is
a
great
community
event
and
I
know
that
you've
all
partaken
in
the
past.
B
She
invited
people
to
wander
by
to
leave
their
mark
in
ink
and
pens.
The
outcome
was
a
wonderful
representation
of
the
variety
of
ages,
backgrounds
and
interests
of
the
people
that
was
captured.
In
that
moment,
we
were
also
inspired
by
stories
from
people
in
this
community.
Bloomington
is
filled
with
exceptional
people,
doing
remarkable
things.
They
are
your
neighbors
they're,
our
students
and
our
business
owners.
Everyone
has
a
unique
story
to
tell,
and
here
are
a
couple
of
those
inspirational,
unique
stories.
B
F
H
I
was
the
maintenance
man
at
pox,
Christi
Church
in
Eden
Prairie
and
a
woman
brought
in
a
crib
so
that
afternoon,
I'm
sitting
there
and
I
say
to
myself.
Why
can't
we
do
this?
Why
can't
we
take
things?
People
no
longer
need
and
give
it
to
somebody
who
needs
it.
This
is
no
rocket
scientist
idea.
Everybody's
got
stuff,
give
it
to
somebody
who
needs
it.
30
years
later,
we
have
this
beautiful
warehouse
in
Bloomington
from.
C
Like,
first
to
like
fifth
grade,
it
was
really
hard
to
learn.
English
so
like
I,
had
to
take
his
classes
like
that,
my
dad
has
done
Community
College,
but
he
hasn't
done
like
a
four-year
university
or
anything.
But
my
mom
only
has
some
high
school
experience.
I
want
to
be
an
engineer.
Take
every
opportunity
like
no
matter
how
rigorous,
how
scary
or
how
like
time-consuming
it
is
like
just
take
advantage
of
those
opportunities
when.
D
I
was
younger.
We
went
to
station
one
for
one
of
the
open
houses
and
I
thought
it
was
so
cool
to
like
climb
on
the
trucks
and
poke
the
holes,
and
just
everything
involved
in
I
told
my
dad
one
day.
I
wanted
to
be
a
firefighter.
So
when
I
moved
back
after
college,
I
decided
to
put
an
application
in
I
love
it.
It's
really
cool
to
be
a
part
of
Bloomington
community.
Before.
G
E
Yeah,
if
we
talk
about
Americans
with
Disability,
Act
or
ata,
pre
ata
was
relatively
difficult
to
get
around
there
weren't
curb
cuts.
Obviously
you
had
to
learn
how
to,
if
you
were
using
a
wheelchair,
jumped
the
curb
by
flipping
the
front
end
up
and
either
bouncing
the
back
end
over
it,
or
somebody
would
push
up
over
there
where
you
had
to
go
down
a
driveway
somewhere
and
then
wheel
in
the
street
housing
apartments.
You
couldn't
really
get
to
different
apartments.
Certain
choice,
then,
in
the
the
70s,
had
started
to
see
some
changes.
F
B
Some
of
the
people
from
our
community,
these
inspirational
people
are
in
this
video
and
they
are
here
with
us
today.
Please
stand
and
let
us
recognize
you
Najma
dave
is
here:
Luis,
Romero,
Fran,
Heintzman
and
Kendall
rats
are
here
with
us
today.
You
know
just
look
around.
These
are
your
neighbors,
who
represent
all
of
us.
B
One
Bloomington
is
the
City
Council
strategic
plan
that
was
written
with
the
goal
of
strengthening
this
city.
We
live
in
different
neighborhoods,
but
we
are
not
defined
by
boundaries.
We
have
a
large
range
and
variety
of
businesses
that
contribute
to
our
community's
vitality.
We
embrace
the
city's
growing
diversity,
whether
the
age,
race
or
religion.
We
have
differing
opinions
but
work
together
to
reach
common
goals.
We
are
united
with
one
common
vision
of
making
this
a
better
community.
B
The
City
Council's
six
priorities
for
this
plan
include
our
community
amenities,
preserving
what
we
have
while
planning
for
future
needs
community
image,
it's
important
that
our
story
is
told
environmental
sustainability.
We
need
to
be
the
best
stewards
of
our
environment
focus
renewal,
we're
an
aging
community
that
must
continue
to
maintain
and
enhance
itself
high
quality
service
delivery.
Top-Notch
services
in
all
areas
are
what
is
expected
and
what
we
should
be
delivering
inclusion
and
equity.
B
One
Bloomington
is
consideration
of
all
I'll,
be
touching
on
these
six
priorities
that
the
City
Council
identified
and
the
progress
that
we
have
made.
One
reason
we're
here
is
to
celebrate
our
accomplishments
and
let's
take
a
look
at
what
this
city,
what
this
community
has
achieved
over
the
past
year
in.
K
L
M
I
Media
attention
on
Bloomington
didn't
start
with
the
Super
Bowl.
The
city
made
it
to
the
final
round
in
the
process
to
host
Expo
2023
or
the
World's
Fair,
with
the
potential
site
in
south
blue
and
over
at
the
Bloomington
ice
garden.
The
arena
got
second
place
in
a
national
contest,
winning
$75,000
for
rink
improvements.
I
I
Good
news
for
commuters
drivers
looking
to
get
westbound
on
494
from
East
Bush
Lake
Road
will
soon
be
able
to
get
on
a
new
ramp
that
is
under
construction
and
is
expected
to
open
this
November
in
a
new
community
center
may
be
getting
closer
to
becoming
a
reality.
Talks
with
the
YMCA
were
formalized
and
a
stakeholder
working
group
has
been
looking
at
potential
sites.
I
M
I
K
I
B
Goats
and
kids
and
trucks-
it's
all
happening
in
Bloomington,
but
also
earlier
in
2018.
We
welcomed
three
new
council
members,
at-large
councilmember
nathan,
coulter
district
2,
councilmember
Shawn,
Nelson
district
4,
councilmember,
Patrick
Martin.
They
joined
councilmember,
at-large,
Tim
bussy
and
district
1,
councilmember
Dwayne
Loman
and
then
recently
reelected
district
3,
councilmember
Jack
Beluga.
This
is
a
city
council
committed
to
ensuring
this
community
continues
to
thrive,
Bloomington
works
and
we
are
a
top
employer
in
the
metro
area.
B
The
latest
unemployment
statistics
show
good
news
with
Bloomington's
unemployment
rate
at
2.8
percent,
and
this
is
compared
to
the
national
unemployment
rate
of
three
point:
nine
percent.
In
fact,
Bloomington,
is
a
job
magnet
of
people
who
work
in
Bloomington,
84%,
commute
in
from
elsewhere
and
other
cities.
A
recent
min
post
article
looked
at
which
Minnesota
cities
are
bedroom
communities
in
which
our
job
centers
in
terms
of
net
commuters
coming
in
Bloomington
ranks
second,
only
to
Minneapolis
in
Minnesota,
with
a
net
inflow
of
even
more
commuters
than
the
much
larger
city
of
st.
Paul.
B
You
heard
it
earlier
in
their
remarks
by
Kim
and
we
have
been
preaching
and
saying
and
begging
for
years
how
this
interchange
of
494
and
35w
is
an
unsafe
intersection
and
we've
been
trying
to
secure
funding
to
improve
it.
It
has
become
a
vital
interchange
and
for
17
years
we
have
been
fighting
for
its
improvement,
but
this
has
been
slow,
going,
I,
35,
W
and
494
for
a
decade.
I
have
been
speaking
to
this
one
and
it's
been
a
long
journey
working
to
improve
this
interchange
constructed
more
than
50
years
ago.
B
The
interchange
is
showing
its
age
with
congestion
and
safety,
peanuts.
Major
drawbacks,
can
you
say
broken
record:
it's
been
something
that
we
have
been
working
for,
and
obviously
you've
heard
a
lot
about
it
before
this
roadway
sees
about
a
half
a
million
vehicles
each
day
and
the
area
around
it
has
developed
substantially
about.
1/5
of
all
metro
jobs
are
along
the
494
corridor.
B
The
total
price
to
redo
the
interchange
is
now
in
the
range
of
400
million
dollars,
but
we
can
get
something
done
in
the
first
phase
of
that
could
be
about
an
85
million
dollar
project.
We
have
submitted
the
project
through
the
state's
corridors
of
Commerce
program
and
should
hereby
this
April.
If
this
project
finally
gets
chosen
for
funding,
we're
still
fighting
we're
still
working
on
it,
businesses
who
help
employ
those
commuters
are
thriving
in
Bloomington.
B
You
saw
new
development
in
the
video
earlier
others,
along
or
very
near
to
494
and
35
W
include
a
software
company,
a
oh
I,
a
software
company
that
caters
to
the
utility
industry.
They
constructed
a
hundred
and
ten
thousand
square
foot
office
building
and
data
center.
Their
building
is
unique,
as
it
has
both
solar
and
wind
power
on
the
roof
and
houses.
Other
alternative
energy
sources,
the
Great
Wolf
Water
Park
Hotel,
had
major
renovations
to
every
room
as
well
as
the
water
park,
The
Preserve
at
Normandale
Lake.
B
It
is
175
unit
apartment
building
and
is
the
third
new
large
residence
project
that
opened
in
the
Normandale
Lake
District
and
in
South
Loop
at
26th,
Avenue
across
from
the
Mall
of
America,
a
three
tenant
retail
building
with
Hazelwood
restaurant,
the
grind
and
Jimmy
John's
has
opened
and
there's
also
a
Marriott
AC
hotel
that
opened
148
room
five
story,
hotel
with
a
326
space
parking
ramp
and
by
the
way
good
to
get
recognition.
On
occasion,
the
grind
and
Hazelwood
were
two
of
the
top
10
new
Twin
Cities
establishment
recently
named
restaurants.
B
Speaking
of
restaurants,
some
recently
cool
news
from
Dairy
Queen
international
DQ
is
moving
its
corporate
headquarters
from
Edina
to
Bloomington.
The
company
will
relocate
to
the
8000
tower
in
Norman
Dale
office,
Park
occupying
more
than
50,000
square
feet.
We
are
just
Dilli
delighted
to
have
DQ
in
Bloomington.
B
Bloomington's
South
Loop
district
continues
to
be
the
city's
largest
area
for
growth
potential.
In
fact,
between
now
and
twenty
40
were
forecasting
that
South
Loop
will
host
two
thirds
of
Bloomington's
employment
growth
and
one-third
of
our
population
growth,
new
ideas
and
new
development
are
what
keeps
us
going
strong.
The
city
is
analyzing
whether
to
finance
a
large
indoor
water
park
in
South
Loop
next
to
the
Mall
of
America.
B
If
it
moves
forward,
it
would
bring
another
world-class
amenity
to
Bloomington
the
city's
general
fund
benefits
already
from
hotel
room
taxes
and
admission
taxes
and
a
park
would
drive
demand
for
many
more
hotel
room
nights.
We
are
being
careful
so
as
to
make
sure
Bloomington
has
minimal
risk.
If
this
project
moves
forward,
the
Bloomington
hospitality
industry
is
second
to
none
and
I'm
excited
that
in
the
near
future,
for
new
hotels
will
add
to
the
cities
more
than
nine
thousand
100
hotel
rooms.
B
Cambria
Suites
will
build
one
hundred
and
sixty-four
room
hotel
and
restaurant
in
the
South
Loop
on
28th
Avenue,
also
in
South
Loop,
true
home,
two
Suites
will
erect
a
hundred
and
eighty
two
room
Hotel
on
East
old,
Shakopee,
Road
Holiday
Inn
Express
is
planning
a
171
room
hotel
along
the
494
strip
in
the
vicinity
of
the
Minneapolis
st.
Paul,
International
Airport,
and
a
7,000
square
foot,
restaurant
and
214
room
hotel,
we'll
be
coming
to
the
494
in
France
area,
as
Drury
Inn
goes
up
on
Minnesota
Drive.
B
As
stated
in
the
video
earlier,
we
had
tremendous
exposure
on
the
national
and
international
stage
this
past
year
with
the
Super
Bowl,
the
X
Games
in
Expo
2023,
the
world's
fair
bid.
What
people
from
around
the
world
discovered
about
Bloomington
is
what
we
already
knew
about.
This
community
people
became
aware
of
our
great
location,
our
natural
beauty,
lots
of
parks
and
open
space
international
attractions,
all
the
corporate
headquarters
that
are
here
and
really
quality
living.
We
are
a
vibrant
and
diverse
community
and
there
is
much
to
love
about
our
city
on
the
local
stage.
B
We
conducted
citizen
surveys
for
the
sixth
year
in
a
row
and
had
some
of
the
best
results
we
have
ever
seen.
Bloomington
continues
to
have
strong
livability
scores.
Nearly
nine
out
of
ten
respondents
said
they
would
recommend
Bloomington
as
a
place
to
live.
Ninety-Two
percent
rated
the
overall
quality
of
life
here
as
excellent
or
good,
and
this
is
up
from
eighty
five
percent
in
2016
and
95
percent
favorably
rated
Bloomington
as
a
place
to
live,
and
this
is
up
from
ninety
percent
in
2016.
B
One
reason
people
love
it
here-
it's
because
it's
a
great
place
to
raise
and
educate
their
children.
Some
of
the
this
past
year's
milestones
for
the
Bloomington
public
schools
include
an
increase
in
the
third
grade
students
reading
proficiency,
with
reading
growth
increasing
to
the
highest
levels.
In
three
years.
The
six
year,
graduation
rate
increased
to
over
91
percent,
and
students
are
on
course
for
college
based
on
their
a
CT
exam
scores.
Normandale
Hills
Elementary
School
was
one
of
eight
Minnesota
elementary
schools
to
earn
the
Minnesota
School
of
Excellence
designation.
B
B
90%
of
respondents
rated
their
neighborhood,
excellent
or
good
as
a
place
to
live,
and
we
are
continuing
to
work
to
ensure
that
all
neighborhoods
continue
to
thrive.
For
example,
the
neighborhood
focus
area
initiative
provides
extra
resources
in
specific
areas
of
the
city.
The
initiative
provides
resources
for
housing,
rehabilitation,
sidewalks
park
improvements
and
loans
for
curb
appeal
enhancement
for
homeowners
in
selected
neighborhoods.
B
Continuing
on
the
great
progress
we
made
in
2016
and
2017,
the
neighborhood's
selected
in
2018
is
south
of
American
Boulevard
west
of
Portland
Avenue
north
of
91st,
Street
and
east
of
Pleasant
Avenue.
Creative
placemaking
works
to
build
vibrant,
distinctive
and
sustainable
neighborhoods
through
the
arts,
coinciding
with
the
neighborhood
initiatives
project
and
the
park.
Improvements
is
the
Wrights
Lake
Park
mural,
a
creative
placemaking
initiative
from
the
city
and
artistry
that
will
be
created
on
the
2800
square
foot,
retaining
wall
adjacent
to
highway,
77,
artistry
and
good
space.
B
Murals
led3
community
designing
visioning
sessions,
one
of
which
includes
students
from
grades
six
through
eight
to
envision
what
they
wanted
to
represented
on
the
mural.
The
mural
will
help
create
a
strong
identity
for
the
neighborhood
highlight
the
park
and
regional
bike
trail
beautify
the
area
and
discourage
future
graffiti.
The
community
LED
process
is
intended
to
foster
community
pride
and
deepen
community
involvement
and
engagement,
and
just
this
week
we
received
the
concept
idea
of
what
the
mural
will
look
like.
B
Last
year
was
a
busy
year
for
parks,
as
we
continue
to
improve
these
wonderful
amenities.
All
over
our
city,
playground.
Improvements
were
made
at
13
parks
in
at
Valley
View
Elementary
School.
The
majority
of
the
improvements
replace
playground
equipment
that
was
originally
installed
almost
30
years
ago.
This
year
the
running
park,
playground
replacement,
will
be
completed
and
each
of
the
14
improvement
sites
will
receive
picnic,
tables,
benches
and
bike.
Racks
residents
have
long
expressed
a
desire
for
more
modern
and
comprehensive
community
center.
B
Last
year,
the
city
entered
into
an
agreement
with
the
YMCA
of
the
greater
Twin
Cities
to
explore
the
possibility
of
being
a
partner
in
building
a
community
center.
In
Bloomington,
a
stakeholder
working
group
made
up
of
representatives
from
the
the
YMCA
has
been
working
to
move
this
project
forward.
The
school
district
was
recently
invited
to
be
a
partner
in
the
process
and
participate
in
the
working
group.
The
biggest
tas
of
the
group
on
the
groups
plate
right
now
is
identifying
a
site
for
the
new
community
center
once
a
site
is
may
been
identified.
B
The
next
step
is
to
undertake
market
research
to
identify
key
features
and
programming
desired
in
the
facility
city
of
Bloomington
staff
is
working
closely
with
the
sustainability
Commission
to
help
guide,
sustainable
policies
and
practices
to
protect
our
environment
and
improve
the
quality
of
life
for
this
community.
Starting
April
21st
residents
will
now
be
able
to
bring
organic
waste
food
scraps
and
non
recyclable
paper
to
to
drop-off
locations
for
collection
and
composting.
B
Organics
recycling
reduces
the
amount
of
trash
produced
and
saves
money.
If
you
reduce
the
size
of
your
trash
cart,
this
is
a
free
program
to
all
residents.
We
also
are,
in
the
third
year
of
the
city,
operated
garbage
and
recycling
program.
It
was
a
challenging
undertaking,
but
it
is
working
for
the
benefit
of
the
entire
community.
Of
course,
we
need
strong
financial
management
as
one
of
our
goals.
B
The
city
adheres
to
a
set
of
financial
principles,
and
first
it's
not
like
you've
never
heard
this
before,
but
our
triple-triple,
a
the
highest
bond
ratings
from
all
three
bond
rating
agencies,
reaffirms
our
excellence
in
financial
position
and
you're,
going
to
hear
it
again
out
of
almost
nineteen
thousand
five
hundred
cities
in
the
United
States.
There
are
only
32
that
have
three
triple
A's
and
Bloomington
continues
to
be
the
only
city
in
Minnesota
to
achieve
this
highest
rating.
B
B
1,900
calls
for
service
from
our
fire
department,
Public
Safety
it'sit's
an
amazing
number,
but
we
are
Bloomington
a
strong
united
community
doing
great
things
and
really
a
challenge
here,
for
you
is
how
will
you
make
your
mark?
It's
important
that
the
impact
we
make
today
will
positively
affect
the
generations
to
come,
and
you
can
see
like
these
kids,
your
kids
and
our
grandkids.
This
is
how
I
work
the
grandkids
into
the
presentation
again
this
year,
you're
all
familiar
with
that
it's
there,
but
it
is
important
that
we
make
a
mark.
B
That
is
something
that
can
affect
positively
future
generations.
So
at
this
time
and
I'm
I'm
here
to
introduce
Jamie
VirB
roogie,
our
Bloomington
city
manager-
and
he
will
provide
you
with
additional
insight
about
the
city,
services
and
initiatives
and
the
people
who
provide
these
services.
City
manager,
Jamie,
Verbruggen,.
Q
Q
It
takes
a
lot
of
work
to
bring
together
a
lot
of
people
to
make
really
sweet
music
and
I
appreciate
that
Kim
recognized
the
city
staff
who
are
here
today,
I
get
to
stand
up
in
front
of
everybody
and
wave
my
arms
around
a
lot,
but
really
it's
the
individual
musicians
that
are
making
really
great
music
together.
So
before
we
even
get
started
I
want
you
to
see
all
those
folks
and
appreciate
them
for
the
work
you
do
so
city
staff.
Please
stand
up.
Thank
you.
Q
So
all
successful
organizations
have
visions
to
establish
a
purpose
and
to
guide
their
future
paths.
The
city
of
Bloomington
reads
as
a
result
of
our
actions.
We
will
be
a
courageous
and
inclusive
organization
of
engaged
in
empowered
professionals
working
together
to
create
the
thriving
and
vibrant
community
for
all,
and
it
takes
committed
leaders
to
carry
out
this
vision.
Q
This
past
year
brought
new
leadership
to
the
city
with
new
faces
and
some
of
our
own
developed
talent,
Eric
Johnson,
was
hired
as
our
next
community
development
director
Eric
just
started
this
past
Monday
he's
not
here
today,
because
I
have
him
in
a
three
day
training.
So
we
have
to
get
him
fully
immersed
right
away
and
what
we
do.
Chris
Wilson,
our
former
human
resources
director,
was
promoted
to
assistant
city
manager.
Mary
hurlimann
was
named
our
Deputy
Director
of
Public
Works
and
John
Bradford.
Q
Our
new
public
works
maintenance,
superintendent,
Scott
Anderson
was
promoted
to
utility
superintendent.
The
police
department,
myq
TechEd,
was
promoted
to
commander
and
Peter
Kurvers
was
named.
Our
new
golf
course
manager
all,
but
one
of
these
positions
replaced
city
staff
leaders
who
retired
after
many
years
of
service
the
retirees
in
these
key
leadership
positions
included:
community
development,
director,
Larry
Lee,
police,
commander,
Jim,
Ryan
utilities,
superintendent,
Bob,
cockerel,
maintenance,
superintendent,
Jim
allure
and
golf
course
manager,
Rick
siddik.
Q
We
have
an
ongoing
mission
to
meet
customer
expectations
and
to
improve
customer
service,
we're
continuing
to
track
our
progress
through
citizen
surveys
and
through
focus
groups,
and
it's
important
for
the
leadership
of
an
organization
to
understand
the
work
that
employees
do
so.
This
past
year,
I
tried
to
put
myself
in
their
shoes
and
learn
just
how
skilled
and
talented
our
employees
are
and
how
they
meet
the
challenges
of
their
daily
tasks.
Let's
take
a
look
at
some
of
that
good
afternoon
city
of
Bloomington.
Q
R
T
T
Q
T
Q
T
Q
Does
most
of
the
videos
she's
in
our
communications,
division
and
I'll
tell
you
our
communication
staff.
Every
one
of
them
are
top-notch
at
what
they
do
and
they
win
us
awards
over
and
over
again
every
year.
It
is
an
absolute
joy
to
make
those
videos
it's
a
lot
of
fun.
The
artistry
mural
and
the
we
are
Bloomington
themed.
Had
me
thinking
about
how
city
employees
leave
their
marks
on
the
fabric
of
Bloomington,
it's
by
providing
services
like
quality,
recreation
programs,
well
maintained
parks,
as
well
as
ensuring
safety
and
security
through
the
police
and
fire
protection.
Q
That
is
more
than
just
meeting
the
basic
needs
of
the
community.
It's
about
delivering
with
purpose
and
the
idea,
if
you're
going
to
do
something
you
do
it
well.
So
some
of
the
examples
of
excellence
and
services
past
year
included
these
our
Bloomington
Police
Department,
one,
the
Bloomington,
Convention
and
Visitor's
our
Visitors
Bureau
2017
spirit
of
hospitality,
Award
for
their
outstanding
contributions
to
the
city's
hospitality
industry
officer.
Heidi
Miller
was
named
the
2017
optimist,
club
Officer
of
the
Year
for
the
many
roles
she
has
served
and
going
above
and
beyond
in
her
service.
Q
K-9
handler
and
detective
Matt
Heinzmann
and
his
partner
breaker
received
the
animal
Hall
of
Fame
professional
award
from
the
Minnesota
Veterinary
Medical
Association
for
impressive
achievements.
As
a
specially
trained
law
enforcement,
canine
team
and
Detective
Heather
Jensen
has
been
named.
The
2017
Minnesota
Association
of
Women
Police
Officer
of
the
Year
given
to
a
female
law
enforcement
officer
who
possesses
excellent
leadership.
Q
Community
service
mentoring
and
day
to
day
of
performance
skills
and
there's
more
bloomington
assistant
attorney
Jennifer
cross,
was
named
to
the
2017
DWI
enforcer
all-star
team
for
taking
drunk
drivers
off
the
road
and
protecting
lives
in
Bloomington
Jason
Duke,
the
2017
firefighter
of
the
year
versus
his
his
exceptional
dedication
and
his
commitment
to
the
fire
department
risk
manager,
Amy
Larson,
is
featured
on
the
cover
of
public
risk
magazine
as
the
international
organizations
president
and
this
first-place
award
from
utilities.
Well,
you
have
to
see
this
to
believe
it.
I
O
R
I
How
Justin,
Johnson
and
Chad
Bower
explain
the
art
behind
the
hydrant
hysteria
competition
at
the
American
Water
Works
Association
conference
utilities.
Workers
from
around
the
state
compete
to
build
a
fire
hydrant
from
start
to
finish
as
fast
as
they
can,
with
no
mistakes,
a
juggling
act
that
took
Justin
and
Chad
1
minute
38
seconds
a
time
that
Nast
first
place
a
feat.
This
duo
is
familiar
way.
O
R
Q
Q
You
know
it's
not
just
our
current
employees,
but
our
past
employees
deserve
recognition.
Larry
Lee,
who
is
our
former
Community
Development
Director,
he
retired
after
almost
40
years
of
service
last
fall,
was
recognized
just
this
past
Sunday
by
the
Bloomington
Convention
and
Visitors
Bureau.
He
is
the
recipient
of
this
year's
spirit
of
hospitality.
Award
for
his
outstanding
contribution
to
the
travel
and
hospitality
industry
in
Bloomington
and
I
know
that
Larry
is
here
Larry.
Will
you
stand
up.
Q
It
seems
Bloomington
earned
top
bragging
rights
from
the
Minnesota
section
of
the
American
Water
Works
Association
and
was
awarded
best
in
glass
for
its
tap
water
after
a
blind
taste
test.
So
I
think
for
our
folks
in
utility.
You
should
all
hold
up
your
glasses
right
now
and
toast
our
utilities
division
for
the
quality
of
the
water
that
they
produce.
Q
You
know
a
city
is
trying
to
find
a
role
to
play
and
to
create
a
safe
and
welcoming
environment
for
all
the
council,
recognized
embracing
and
celebrating.
These
changes
as
a
priority
in
its
strategic
plan,
city
staff
again
participated
in
the
government
alliance
on
race
and
equity
program
and
we're
working
to
finalize
our
plan
and
our
toolkit
for
advancing
racial
equity.
The
vision
is
that
the
city
of
Bloomington
will
act
courageously
to
advance
racial
equity.
We
will
be
a
vibrant,
safe
and
healthy
place,
where
people
of
all
races
will
thrive
in
Bloomington.
Q
We
acknowledge
our
differences
and
we
want
all
individuals
to
feel
safe
and
respected,
and
we
stand
with
all
in
our
community
and
nothing
is
going
to
deter
us
from
this
vision.
We
support
everyone's
right
to
safely
worship
the
faith
of
their
choosing.
Now
last
August,
one
of
our
community
gathering
places,
was
targeted
in
an
act
of
terror
that
was
meant
to
discourage
the
spirit
of
welcoming
that
gathering
place.
Darul
fruit,
Unity
Center,
has
been
a
valued
member
of
this
community
for
seven
years
and
it's
the
second
Islamic
place
of
worship
in
our
community.
Q
This
faith-based
organization
is
thriving.
It
was
demonstrated
by
the
level
of
participation
in
the
center's
activities
and,
ladies
and
gentlemen,
as
the
mayor
and
this
council
has
said,
an
attack
on
any
member
of
our
community
is
an
attack
on
our
entire
community.
So
we're
here
to
stand
together
today
to
say
there
is
no
place
for
hate
in
Bloomington.
Q
Q
Now
other
programs
focused
on
inclusion
and
equity
include
Bloomington's,
learn
to
lead
initiative.
It's
a
free
program
designed
to
empower
individuals
in
the
community
to
become
involved
in
local
government,
including
in
the
schools
in
the
city
and
nonprofit
boards,
and
on
our
Commission's
diversity,
and
inclusion
in
government
promotes
diversity,
inclusivity
and
equity
within
our
city
organization.
Q
We
held
employee
panels
that
were
well
attended
by
our
staff
and
provided
learning
opportunities
and
exposure
with
sessions
on
LGBTQ,
immigration
and
aging,
and
we
hosted
students
in
government
day
to
give
students
who
might
not
have
an
exposure
to
how
we
work
and
what
we
do.
An
inside
look
into
how
cities
operate
and
an
opportunity
to
build
relationships
with
a
mentor
to
learn
about
roles
within
the
city
and
Bloomington
is
becoming
more
diverse,
but
the
pool
of
law
enforcement
candidates
is
not
as
diverse
so
our
Bloomington
Police
Department
is
tackling
this
challenge.
I
V
J
We
would
hire
police
officers
from
a
pool
of
candidates
that
already
have
either
a
job
in
law
enforcement
or
they
have
their
post
license.
The
pathway
to
policing
program
allows
us
to
expand
our
pool
of
candidates
to
folks
who
do
not
already
have
all
of
the
required
law
enforcement
training.
The
concept
is,
we
would
hire
them
and
then
we
would
then
provide
them
with
that
training
and.
I
J
Bloomington
here,
I
personally
have
been
hiring
police
officers
for
about
nine
years,
and
what
I've
seen
in
that
period
of
time
is
our
community
is
becoming
more
diverse,
at
a
pretty
rapid
pace,
actually
and
and
in
terms
of
the
pool
of
candidates
that
we
have
to
choose
from
for
police
officers.
That
pool
of
candidates
was
not
very
diverse.
Q
The
Bloomington
Police
Department's
multicultural
Advisory
Committee,
was
recognized
by
Bloomington
United
for
youth
for
its
work
to
help
strengthen
relationships
between
the
police
department
and
the
community.
They've
done
this,
in
particular,
with
youth
through
programs
such
as
holiday
helpers
in
blue
and
the
voices
heard
initiative.
Q
Artistry
received
the
2017
Omar
Bongo
Rood
award
from
the
Bloomington
Human
Rights
Commission,
for
its
intentional
effort
to
reach
out
to
diverse
populations.
Ensuring
access
to
the
Arts
through
a
wide
variety
of
programming.
Artistry
creates
special
opportunities
for
students,
people
with
disabilities,
older
adults
and
individuals
who
have
low
incomes
to
make
programs
more
accessible.
The
award
was
named
after
Omar
bond
Ruud,
who
was
the
first
chair
of
the
Bloomington
Human
Rights
Commission,
and
it
recognizes
an
individual
organization
for
their
efforts
to
ensure
human
rights
for
all
Bloomington
citizens.
Q
Artistry
is
a
great
asset
to
this
community,
ensuring
that
the
arts
are
alive
and
well
here
in
Bloomington
and
we're
fortunate
to
have
so
many
cultural
Lak
opportunities
and
experiences
here.
A
really
fine
example
of
that
is
one
of
our
other
partner
arts
associations,
Angelica
cantante
Youth
Choir,
Angelica
cantata
is
celebrating
its
37th
year
and
they've
received
quite
a
bit
of
attention
this
year.
N
N
X
The
call
in
early
January
from
the
Super
Bowl
folks
and
I
got
the
call.
I
was
completely
shocked
what
a
great
opportunity
for
the
Angelika
youth
choir
organization
we
were
just
so
so
thrilled
to
represent
Bloomington
and
the
community
of
Lymington
and
and
all
of
our
singers
and
and
basically,
we
sang
for
the
world.
We
think
for
the
world
that
day-
and
you
know
that
just
that
doesn't
come
around
all
the
time.
X
These
are
singers
that
come
to
the
Bloomington
Center
for
the
Arts
once
a
week
between
September
and
May,
and
they
rehearse
with
for
professional
conductors
that
we
have
that
are
all
full-time
educators.
The
Angelica
choirs
have
actually
been
around
for
37
years
right
here
in
Bloomington
they
started
out
as
one
choir.
Our
hope
is
that
our
kids
learn
how
to
become
more
confidence.
X
W
Y
Q
I
want
to
thank
Angelica
Quintana
choir,
along
with
their
conductor,
Elizabeth
Eggar.
Today's
singers
are
from
Oak
Grove
Olson
and
Valley
View
middle
schools,
Nativity
of
Mary's
school
and
one
of
our
singers
is
home-schooled
here
in
Bloomington
and
I
want
to
thank
all
of
you
again
for
joining
us
here
at
the
State
of
the
City.
On
behalf
of
the
mayor
and
the
City
Council,
our
city
staff,
our
leadership
at
the
rotary
and
the
chamber.
Q
It
is
a
privilege
for
us
to
be
here
it's
a
privilege
for
us
to
share
all
the
great
things
that
go
on
in
Bloomington
and
really
all
the
beautiful
things
that
go
on
in
America
and
that
all
of
our
work
is
to
prepare
for
the
future,
and
that's
the
folks
that
are
standing
behind
us,
so
go
out.
Do
good
things.
Thank
you
for
being
here
have
a
great
day.