Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners approves vendor contracts, eliminates redundant policies and adopts 2026 fee changes

The Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners on a November evening approved a slate of vendor contracts and service agreements, voted to eliminate a dozen redundant parks policies and adopted a set of fee changes to take effect in 2026.

Emily Bouk, the department's community relations coordinator, opened the public-appearance segment by recommending volunteer Eli McCormick for the Bravo Award for his work with the Urban Green Space team. "Eli is a fantastic volunteer with the Urban Green Space team," Bouk said, noting his invasive-species removal and mentorship at multiple sites.

Operations staff presented several procurement items that the board approved without extended debate. Amy Landbeck, operations coordinator, recommended a contract with BNL Sheet Metal to install high-volume, low-speed fans in the Switchyard Maintenance Building to improve circulation and temperature control; the board voted to approve the contract. Landbeck also sought and received board approval for 2026 service agreements that preauthorize recurring HVAC and electrical vendors, including HFI (Harold Fish) and Houston Electric (doing business as Cassidy), so the department can respond quickly to repairs and small projects.

Rebecca Swift, Operations Development Division Director, described two project changes and contracts tied to capital work. Swift asked the board to approve a $33,610 addendum to Milestone Contractors' contract for the Rogers Street rail-trail crossing to address unforeseen subsurface conditions and to add stormwater work the county will fund. "These additional scope conditions are just once we start digging, you never know what kind of soil conditions," Swift said. The board approved the addendum. Swift also recommended a contract with LandWorks Engineering for design and consulting on a future stormwater detention project at RCA Community Park; that agreement was approved.

The board approved an addendum to the department's partnership with Canopy Bloomington to shift delayed 2024 invoicing into available funds; staff said the expenditure is funded through ESD and the partnership will continue into 2026.

Leslie Brinson, recreation division director, proposed removing 12 policies from the Parks and Recreation policy manual because identical provisions now reside in the City of Bloomington's human resources policy manual. One commissioner asked how the board could access the full set of internal policies; Brinson responded that the documents are maintained in a shared Google Drive and offered to provide commissioners access. The motion to eliminate the 12 redundant policies passed.

Tim Street, director of parks and recreation, presented proposed fee changes for 2026 and explained the revisions tie into a larger master plan and a new cost-recovery approach. "Our master plan is ongoing, and we are in the process of revising exactly how we look at and set up our cost recovery," Street said. Staff described the current packet as a set of "critical" updates to implement at the start of 2026 while the full pricing strategy is finalized in early 2026.

Commissioners questioned staff about competitor surveys and resident-versus-nonresident differentials; Street said staff conducts competitor reviews as part of the master plan work and is developing a financial tool to guide consistent pricing and fee-waiver decisions. Jason Sims, Cascades Golf Course facilities manager, told the board he studied 11 area courses and found only two others with a senior-rate season pass; Sims said the current senior season pass is priced at $900. Staff also explained that a notable garden-plot increase reflected a change to square-foot pricing, where some plots rose while others decreased.

After discussion, the board moved and approved the proposed 2026 fee changes.

Street closed with a master-plan update: a mailed resident survey is targeting about 400 completed responses to reach a statistically valid sample; staff strategic planning is scheduled for January; and several capital improvements are under way or nearly complete, including repaving at the Griffey Boathouse entrance with remaining bicentennial bond funds, completion of the Rogers Street rail-trail crossing, resurfacing and crack treatment at RCA Park basketball and pickleball courts, and installation of a new fence at the Willie Streeter Community Garden.

The board noted the next meeting is Dec. 11 and adjourned the November meeting.