[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6197544,"mediaKeyId","3851088-2496273f80c48af0310392430cd5dc4b","parentId",3851088,"title","Arts and entertainment reports record attendance and economic impact; Bloomington Bison season fuels arena use","audioSeconds",476,"startMs",6046000,"endMs",6522000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3851088-2496273f80c48af0310392430cd5dc4b&start=6046&end=6522","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3851088-2496273f80c48af0310392430cd5dc4b/thumbnail_6046000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6197544/Bloomington/McLean-County/Illinois/Arts-and-entertainment-reports-record-attendance-and-economic-impact-Bloomington-Bison-season-fuels-arena-use","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197544-be0ad1c3263dbd39dd183d9ba0f98672/orig.mp4?Expires=1775355101&Signature=hCR9H0TSIrX~BHxvS-CPGJTiJacPRpwo~Ptvgt~1cWZIGy67rAOzA-vXUb79ckFOQV7U4JBL2GdHavGkY8HCG8GjdKVC4Ykcs99XE1IbCuE-I9QIpY~N74WOJTqhZh-R8Ta34l3CzRNEXepeikNv8vEY0HKkG2Ayoqbs9YchO0NjV8ExhuVUywj3NhAg2kQhs1eS1VmwNZUg06B6T7Hx1GrZRTD23A2twjAcevzwnfq04M1yScYXXyYNtOk1nLUkcuJbkIpDJryN3BTRd59Mwu8RKFJx8S7eRq--~p4VaUWTWUFSfNA58NO0WjyaOfluNi8uDZmqF4fLQjYzQh9UBw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Bloomington, IL","date","2025-06-17T14:06:22Z","article","Bloomington’s Arts and Entertainment department reported strong fiscal year 2025 results on Monday: combined attendance surpassed 250,000, event days rose sharply, and staff estimated $23 million to $37 million in local economic impact from venue activity.

Anthony Nelson, Arts and Entertainment director, said increased bookings and higher‑demand attractions helped drive the gains. Nelson and Josh Mobaugh, marketing manager, presented venue metrics showing about 184,000 arena attendees and roughly 67,000 patrons at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA). Mobaugh said the department produced 201 event days in FY25, a 68% year‑over‑year increase.

The presentation highlighted the Bloomington Bison professional hockey team as a key partner: of roughly 184,000 arena attendees, about 102,000 were Bison ticket holders. Staff reported net city revenue from Bison events of about $1.1 million, of which roughly $800,000 came from food and beverage sales. The Bison also reported community engagement and charitable contributions; staff noted early season‑ticket renewal momentum for FY26.

At the BCPA, the department reported record gross revenue (about $2.2 million) and 14 shows that each sold more than 1,000 tickets; Pete Davidson’s two shows were the venue’s highest‑grossing single night (about $200,000). Ticketing data showed 25,600 unique ticket buyers, with 76% of attendees from outside Bloomington ZIP codes and 21% from outside Illinois.

Nelson said staff expect continued growth in FY26 as more events are booked and the department pursues efficiencies. Council members praised the season and asked about season‑ticket numbers for the Bison; staff said the team sold about 7,26[0] season tickets in the second season and already has more than 1,000 season tickets sold for the next season.

No council action was required; staff said full presentations and PowerPoints would be posted on the city website.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee of the Whole - 6/16/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Arts and Entertainment director Anthony Nelson and marketing manager Josh Mobaugh reported FY25 attendance of about 250,000 across the arena and performing arts center, a projected local economic impact of $23–$37 million, and significant revenue from Bloomington Bison games; staff flagged continued event growth and partnerships for FY26.","taxTitle","Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois","taxId",2828,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6197549,"Fire chief reports busiest year on record; city weighs station and staffing upgrades",1119,4069000,5188000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3851088-2496273f80c48af0310392430cd5dc4b&start=4069&end=5188","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3851088-2496273f80c48af0310392430cd5dc4b/thumbnail_4069000.jpg","/articles/6197549/Bloomington/McLean-County/Illinois/Fire-chief-reports-busiest-year-on-record-city-weighs-station-and-staffing-upgrades","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197549-f1ae85bf28be7e385ba846da3c15e773/orig.mp4?Expires=1775355101&Signature=QgBwBtc7no2kK3Mc21uIskLDvL3~B27e1f0E33yLQybw1zmP4uM80xUklgE6p50lqiHxTRws2o8FKQpOlH605smJz8IREt2XJ0KyJt4oG-7zwGKhfSOHO-hhk1FyU~pzNXAD5UjXeCNQFHKJ~i0OptZkPRVI5hSK4zWvDSzFOMlZxJ3CGfSA5zLIqdZ6R1g96DibPsprhTQ11y6FgpnaFhgzyPvNXiYqvR98SBhICquRZ~wT0G7~53PER~2G8bZkbUg6H-QDGj1Vy8YyXIEaQ1T8fIVtsKyFBVi3wQ6T1ViwwKLe0776xcpjCV-Dith--ln6pyyVE2ITqS2G42Ym5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Fire Chief Corey Matheny told the City Council on Monday that Bloomington’s Fire Department recorded its busiest year on record in 2024 and outlined operational trends, equipment upgrades and planned capital investments to improve response times and capacity.

“2024 marked the busiest year ever with 14,165 incidents,” Matheny said, noting the department hired 19 new personnel last year and that emergency medical services continued to account for roughly 76% of responses. He said the department’s average response time was about 4 minutes, 50 seconds and its 90th‑percentile response time was 7 minutes, 9 seconds; National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidance sets a benchmark of 5 minutes and 20 seconds for fire incidents.

Matheny said the department operates five stations and that call distribution is uneven; headquarters units handled a disproportionate share of calls and the “busy map” data showed many calls falling outside the four‑minute drive radius for several stations. To address coverage gaps, the department is pursuing a station needs assessment and standards‑of‑cover analysis to identify locations and station sizing needs; Matheny said staff will bring recommendations on land parcel size and potential station investments.

The department also plans technical improvements, including traffic signal preemption upgrades for about 89 intersections (to be supported by engineering grants) intended to improve travel times on primary corridors, Matheny said. Other FY25–26 priorities include adding a fifth ambulance to improve ambulance capacity, HVAC and sprinkler work at certain stations and continued investment in EMS equipment: new powered cots, power stair chairs, Lucas CPR devices and cardiac monitors.

Matheny reported a rise in structure fires (up about 8.6%) and a 15% increase in false alarms, which the department and development services are addressing through inspections and outreach. He described a recent strategic planning process that updated the department’s mission, vision and values and noted the department logged roughly 15,000 training hours in 2024.

Council members asked for additional breakdowns and demographic context. Member Monty asked whether the heat‑map readings were normalized by population density; Matheny said staff can provide additional layers and work with GIS. Member Ward and others discussed the EMS workload and community health drivers; Matheny and councilors discussed opportunities to partner with public health, academic nursing programs and the dispatch center’s triage capabilities to reduce avoidable EMS calls.

No formal action was taken; Matheny said the department will continue the standards‑of‑cover work and return with specific facility and staffing recommendations for council consideration.","Fire Chief Corey Matheny presented the Bloomington Fire Department's 2024 annual report showing record call volumes (14,165 incidents), a 76% share of EMS calls, hiring of 19 new staff, and identified gaps in coverage that staff propose addressing with station needs assessment, traffic signal preemption upgrades and adding a fifth ambulance.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6197554,"City unveils six-year neighborhood housing rehabilitation plan to tackle vacant and derelict properties",1103,1296000,2399000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3851088-2496273f80c48af0310392430cd5dc4b&start=1296&end=2399","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3851088-2496273f80c48af0310392430cd5dc4b/thumbnail_1296000.jpg","/articles/6197554/Bloomington/McLean-County/Illinois/City-unveils-six-year-neighborhood-housing-rehabilitation-plan-to-tackle-vacant-and-derelict-properties","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197554-4a758d45183df24dbc3a86b656db9c14/orig.mp4?Expires=1775355101&Signature=aMNQCrqBN38eFcW0RfI15vtxuNW-yxa6sHFeRHYKHVVhr1Geu19Z9A0EGy1et0tYgY3HSrAudWB5XPZXaT8siNaYJwKP-2o2LI9Fl0heJQS6ozppQXjPshW-TVRkBgfsUg0Gi2JcUFPr-naEkKB8AQ83vQJ-1rcDe821tvCvCApzYURdVWXYB--Z3I1EpWiNnNas-FNBdxGULOvLy5GUryDDik4Snn6WEDptOdBytKVWtZB6-GXsqo2ubriW3OWahWk2uGW9gDZklUWX7YG8uOvBuW~fk-BwWfHH8BkTUT7wl3MqMTv8z0HUAtPJs6O-g5Hm9deONPQTlGCs68VzdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The city of Bloomington presented a proposed Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program on Monday, asking the City Council for guidance and future funding to address an estimated 300–400 vacant and derelict properties.

Cordero Patrick, presenter for the Community Impact and Enhancement (CIE) department, described the program as “a targeted … citywide initiative designed to address property deterioration, increase neighborhood safety, expand housing opportunities, and promote community pride.” He told the council the work will be multi‑departmental and include partnerships with nonprofit housing organizations.

Patrick said staff’s first step is to identify and assess how many vacant or derelict properties exist, their conditions, owners and any city liens. He recommended a tailored strategy for each property: rehabilitation where feasible, donation or transfer to nonprofit housing partners such as Habitat for Humanity, or demolition when necessary. “The goal is to confirm, assess, and return housing units that can be reasonably rehabbed back to the housing market,” he said.

The presentation proposed a five- to six‑year timeline and a performance target of returning roughly 25% of eligible properties per year to the tax roll after initial triage. Patrick said year one would focus on building the inventory and classifying properties into buckets (rehab, demo, transfer) and that years two through five would concentrate on rehab and demolition actions. He said year six would be an assessment of progress and remaining needs.

Staff emphasized partnerships and pilot projects rather than relying solely on city capacity. Patrick said the city has had preliminary conversations with Habitat for Humanity Bloomington, which is “interested in actually rehabbing homes” and could pilot a small number of rehabs this year. The presentation also flagged potential external funding: staff said the department has roughly $1,400,000 in federal grants (including CDBG and a lead‑hazard reduction grant), about $360,000 in state grants, and about $20,000 in general funds available in FY 2026. Patrick said staff will request an additional $105,000 this fiscal year to complete two initiatives: updating the West Bloomington quality‑of‑life plan and neighborhood cleanups.

Council members asked about cross‑departmental staffing, links to zoning and “missing middle” work, foreclosure and trustee processes, commercial property approaches and pilot timelines. Member Burns asked which departments would be involved; Patrick listed legal, development services, planning and zoning, public works and police. Member Scott asked whether staff would bring recommendations on potential ordinance changes such as the neighborhood preservation and rental registration ordinances; Patrick said such recommendations would be returned to council.

On enforcement and speed of action, Member Ward asked about tax foreclosure and lien enforcement as tools to accelerate turnaround. Patrick cautioned that judicial processes take time but said the city does place liens and could explore more active use of trustee and tax sale processes earlier in the timeline.

Patrick said the program will include several new components: a “Rebloom to Block” initiative to convert vacant lots to productive uses, a shift toward more proactive (rather than complaint‑driven) code enforcement with outreach and education, microgrants to neighborhood associations, and a planned application for a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency brownfields assessment grant (up to $500,000) to evaluate contaminated sites for redevelopment.

The presentation concluded with a staff commitment to return to council with a detailed inventory, recommended strategies for individual properties, and funding requests that would be required to implement the program at scale. No formal council vote or appropriation was taken at the meeting.","City staff presented a proposed Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program to inventory and remediate an estimated 300–400 vacant or derelict properties over a proposed five- to six-year timeline, emphasizing partnerships, targeted rehab, demolition where necessary and funding requests to begin pilots this fiscal year.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Arts and entertainment reports record attendance and economic impact; Bloomington Bison season fuels arena use

Fire chief reports busiest year on record; city weighs station and staffing upgrades

City unveils six-year neighborhood housing rehabilitation plan to tackle vacant and derelict properties