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Developers say proposed Bloomington host hotel can be built without public subsidies; CIB to review Feb. 5
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Summary
During a Capital Improvement Board update, Weddell Brothers project manager Andrew Sherry said the Bloomington Convention Center expansion is about 25% complete; DORA Hospitality presented a proposed host-hotel timeline and said it would not need public subsidies, and the CIB scheduled a Feb. 5 special session to review the LOI.
Andrew Sherry, project manager for Weddell Brothers, updated the Monroe County Capital Improvement Board on construction progress for the Bloomington Convention Center expansion, saying the project is "right around 25%" complete and praising safety work and site logistics.
Sherry said the team has recorded more than 150 working days since groundbreaking, has oriented about 120 employees and has had no recordable injuries to date. "Currently, we're billing right around 25%, so 25% complete," he said.
The board also heard a new proposal to build a host hotel directly south of the convention center from DORA Hospitality. DORA company president Vince Dora told the board the company could build on the city-owned south parcels and "will not need to seek public subsidies." Founder Russ Louderback outlined a development timetable: roughly 60 days of due diligence, six to seven months to finalize drawings and about two years to complete construction.
Board members asked detailed financing and land-appraisal questions. Board member Jay Baer asked whether donated land would need to appraise at a certain level for financing; presenters said industry-standard appraisals of about $15,000–$20,000 per key would meet expectations. Deb Kuntz, senior vice president at JS Health, reviewed minimum host-hotel requirements the committee recommends, including roughly 200 keys, adequate parking, either UDO conformance or a variance, a full-service hotel program and dedicated marketing staff to drive bookings.
The Capital Improvement Board scheduled a special session for Feb. 5 to further review DORA Hospitality's proposal.
