All right, good evening everyone. I will call our Bloomington City Council listening session to order. Tonight is Monday, May 18th, 2026. Thanks for everybody being here. We have three people who called ahead and I think I see them all in the in the in the room here. Sally and Andrew Thuol and Jamie Anthony. So, we're good to go. Is anybody else looking to speak tonight? Anybody else? And okay, what's your name? Chris, what's your last name? Very good, Chris. We will get you on the list. Anybody else? All right. So, what we'll do then, you guys know the drill, I think. As you come up, if you could just introduce yourself and with four speakers, we'll probably, you know, give six or so minutes and be able to ask questions and have the conversation here. So, good evening, Sally, and welcome. Um Sally Ness. From the staff presentation, term 10 years with automatic renewals unless the Darulfatwa opts out. This alone is the reason for council member or the mayor to second Council member Rivas' motion and vote to revisit the approval of the shared agreement. The city should not sign an agreement that it can't opt out of. It obligates the city to maintain parking spaces including plowing and lighting even if they are not needed. The agreement obligates the city to provide parking spaces within so many feet of the Darulfatwa property that the city will not be able to plan the future of Smith Park as it needs or what is best for residents. From the staff presentation, shared access and parking remain. Note connection to CUP. The shared parking spaces that the city provides to Darulfatwa to comply with its CUP are not a factor in whether to maintain the parking portion of the shared agreement. If it is not in the best interest of the residents to share parking, then the city should not share parking. And Darulfatwa can construct parking spaces on its property to be compliant. Signing an agreement that the city can't opt out of is not in the best interest of its residents, and neither is signing an agreement to share parking when the city does not need parking, especially if the agreement does not share the football soccer field. I received a response to the emails I sent to the mayor and council, which stated, "The city council made the correct decision in opting out of the shared agreement shared use agreement with Darrell Brook." Yet, it approved a new shared agreement where the city they can't opt out. That should not happen. Again, the email points out the ability to opt out while approving a new agreement where it can't opt out. The response also states the field will need significant capital improvements in the very near future. This statement is not supported by data. The response continues, "If the city is going to make sizeable investments in fields, they will be made on city-owned properties to ensure the long-term sustainability of our park system." I recall the city and council expressing concern that the city is landlocked, and it would be better to maintain interest in the use of land than not, especially in service area four, which is underserved with 6.49 acres per 1,000 people, significantly less than the other areas of 19.22, 29.59, and 66.86 acres. Especially in a city that propo- promotes sustainability. Smith Park is a community park, serves the greatest population 18 and under, and it has the second lowest household income. Removing the city's interest in the Smith Park football soccer field on the Darrell Brook property results in athletes on the east side having to drive further to practices and games. That is not sustainable. City staff quote, "State they have seen enough decline in the use of the fields for the youth sports on that site." Unquote. Is not supported by data. If a field is not used, staff would know why and fix it, not abandon it. Once the use of the property is gone, it is gone. Once a field is unavailable and residents have to drive further to get an athlete to an athletic event, athletes drop out. If there were significant capital improvements, it would cost less to improve the field, especially where the cost would be shared. It would cost less to maintain a shared field where the city mows the field and the owner mows the perimeter and waters the field as agreed originally. It must cost less or the city would have purchased the field when it had first option to purchase it. Thanks. Council, any questions? Very good. Thanks, Ally. Andy. Hello Council. Um Andy Phil here, 51 Excuse me, 54-year resident of Bloomington. So, first off, what Ally was talking about, there is a need for the premium fields to be played on. And I have reached out to some athletic associations, especially soccer, I would say is one of the one of the needs in my our neighborhood. So, I say why build a new field if we already have a a joint use agreement, you know, in play. You know, because taxpayer money was used for that field before. So, why why build a new one if we don't have to? The contract that was negotiated by the city looks to not be a fair contract. It allows one party to opt out and not the other to to opt out. So, the city should keep that current contract or negotiate fairly. And then both parties should actually be able to opt out of the contract. But, it looks like one party is only allowed to opt out of it. The the city um [snorts] did have current demand for the premium field. And because it was a premium field, obviously it doesn't get used as much cuz it it's it's it's on higher ground than the other fields. Very nice field to actually give it away, but the city stopped offer of space to the teams at the council vote that just happened. So, really the people had no time to weigh in on the premium field. Um, one of the things that currently in the briefing uh the Smith Park and the surrounding area has really not been kept up by the city. So, um I'm going to give you a a couple examples that um came to my attention. One of them, if you look at the tennis courts over there, the the sign on the tennis court says e n m i s ports over there. Right on the on the outside of the field or outside of the tennis court. Um, so e n n e n n s courts. Um, another one, uh you see like brush kind of growing up around the tennis courts in the in the fence area. There's a large crack down the middle of the the the tennis court with a bunch of weeds kind of growing up, right? So, it's it's not good shape, right? So, makes me wonder if that tennis court's going to be continued as as a joint use agreement. Um, the uh other sign in the picnic shelter just to the uh north of the of the Smith Park has a sign that's basically burnt and water damaged. So, a couple signs are needed some city maintenance, you know, for sure. Um So, if you look at those signs, they're way out. The picnic shelter, um just to the east of the Smith Park, basically there's a bunch of leaves and debris below the uh below the benches. Like there hasn't been any sweeping or any Par- park should be coming in there, at least blowing them out, cleaning them out. Um, so that that I I have pictures of these and I I hope you guys got them. Um in there was a bunch of debris kind of left over and one of the things the one of the charcoal barbecue grills has a big hole burnt right through the bottom of the grill. So there's charcoal kind of laying on the ground that in that picnic shelter. Um there's a lot of garbage in the park um including in that brand new park you know on top of the turf. So there there one of the things that you'll see over there is the garbage cans typically are are placed along probably for easy pick up of the garbage trucks. They kind of sit right along the park property. That's what I think happens is people are in the park. They don't have garbage cans placed equally throughout the park. And so people end up dropping garbage throughout the park. So it'd probably help to put some garbage cans maybe in the park where people have easier access. I think you'd see less garbage you know in the park but there's there's garbage like all over the place um in the curbs gutters in the park along the fences you know. So I took several pictures of that so you guys could see it. Um near the park near the the brand new park a lot of the grass is either not been reseeded once it's it's like weeds and dirt you know. So erosion is kind of taking place in that park. Um one of the things the public has kind of said to is the the porta potties are frequently overused and dirty and I I I've showed you guys a pic. I don't like to go into porta potties and take pictures but pretty nasty. And I don't know if that park because of the number of people that come there needs more but I know Boyer Park is a bigger one. But it's it's the the porta potties definitely like get used and abused and I don't know what their maintenance schedule is if it's a weekly maintenance schedule or if there needs to be more maintenance you know done in that. But all in all a park that has this amount of density there's a lot of apartments a lot of you know there's a dense population you know around this. So I just think it needs to be better kept And I don't know how many park staff or maintenance come into this this area. Um one of the pictures uh shows my daughter. She must be a I don't know if she's going to work for the city or not, but she's down near the pond and she was cleaning up along the shores of the pond, kind of picking up debris. She got a whole bag full um rather quickly. There's a definitely a problem with uh it's a storm pond. You guys know that's a storm pond. So, what happens is there I believe there's some filters and there's some underground vats. And what happens is the debris from neighboring neighboring businesses uh the the you it's probably like shoveling in a snowstorm, but if you go over there, the shorelines are full of metal cans, plastic bottles, lots and lots of debris, right? So, but what we're going to probably go over there and pick up some more, you know, um city land, you know, so we can do that, you know, volunteer, but my daughter was over there with her red, white, and blue dress on, you know, kind of working away. She even got some sunburn on her shoulders, you know. So, but um I think the public there was probably over 75 likes. It's uh 64 comments, you know, of of concerns, you know, this is a park that I grew up in that was actually or used to be Northgate Elementary when I grew up, you know, so I was there as an elementary school student. Um we had a hockey rink there. We did sledding there. We had a nice open We had a warming house that was open in the winter, so we could actually use the warming house. So, I'd really love to see that warming house open again, you know, if it's possible for the public. Now, would the public damage the bodies in there? I don't know, you know, but it'd be nice to see some programming kind of back, you know, back in the park, but so, I don't know if anybody's got questions, but I'm just concerned about the cleanliness of the park. Duly noted and I'm I'm sure I see Mr. Walker taking all kinds of notes here and duly noted. And and you did mention the I mean the the pond itself is a is a storm water collection pond. And so, all of stuff is coming from basically from American Boulevard. Yeah. >> And so, yeah, I mean that's and it it's been a constant uh challenge because it's it's coming a long way and they could get down there every week and pick that up and then by the next week it's the same thing. So, I it it is a challenge without question. >> down there for that pond? >> There used to be. There's some kind of filters that filter the debris and um there's a a neighbor that maybe 3 4 years ago kind of said, "Hey, this is really dirty. I wouldn't want ducks or wildlife to be in this area." But do you guys know how often those filters get maintained? I don't. I don't. But I between the between the filters and and I know that I think they've used catch bags in the past or something along those lines. But we we can take a look into that because but like I said, it's coming off of American Boulevard. It's a it's a constant challenge. Yeah, I think I think some of the you know I think it the storm water from there's the Walmart parking lot. There's a lot of flat surfaces, you know, that are just north of the of the area. But but I said about the I mean you guys I know I I I'll tell you what gets used a lot is the basketball courts and the tennis courts, you know, so um basketball courts when I walk by there they always get used, you know. And and those aren't going anywhere. No. They're not going anywhere. I mean, I can see those those two getting used. But um but yeah, no. Appreciate your time, Councilman. Oh, again uh the stop signs look like they're going to be going in over my neighborhood. Um they got some stakes and some markers on the ground. So, I'm looking forward to some safer intersections over my my area. So, sounds good. Thank you. Thank you. Right. Jamie. Oh. Good evening and welcome. Hi. I'm back. >> Mhm. Hi. This time I wrote it on a phone instead of my scratchpad. Bear with me. Hi. Good evening, City Council. Members. I'm Jamie Anthony, and I'm a resident of District 4. What up, Revas? Hi. Good to see you. Um in Bloomington, and I am here tonight because I love our community. Um Bloomington is experiencing growth, thank goodness. Um and with growth comes change, and change brings unfamiliar faces and foods and faiths. But it doesn't need to bring fear. And I know that I have neighbors who want to frame the growth of our Muslim community as a threat to Bloomington, and I am here tonight to firmly reject that narrative and to invite all of you to join me in rejecting that narrative. Just like our Lutheran and Latino and Scandinavian and Catholic and Black and Dakota and Atheist neighbors, our Muslim neighbors are active and engaged in Bloomington. They own small businesses. They're parents. They pay taxes. They volunteer. Our Muslim neighbors care about safe streets and good schools and a thriving local economy, just like we all do. Um but perhaps most importantly in all of that, our Muslim neighbors are each unique people who have different interests and experiences and backgrounds from each other. They are not a monolithic group who pray, relax, behave, or think the same way. Some of our Muslim neighbors might even make mistakes or have horrible taste in music or break the law, just like I might. Um and we might not agree on the best way to run a city or take care of our yards or parent our children. And I definitely don't share the same religious beliefs as any of my Muslim or Christian neighbors. But we are all governed by the same Bloomington laws and ordinances and other guidelines, and I find a lot of comfort in that. Unfortunately, we have some neighbors who are afraid that Islam, and by extension our Muslim neighbors, are threat to Bloomington. They hear horrible stories about religious fundamentalists, stories that we can all agree are scary. However, those stories do not represent the loving faith of Islam that I see practiced daily by my Muslim friends and neighbors. Tonight, we haven't heard any anti-Muslim commentary. Sometimes, our neighbors' concerns are shared without explicitly naming our Muslim neighbors or their faith in Islam. But, when these concerns pertain to land owned by Muslim neighbors or school resources used by Muslim students or businesses run by Muslim leaders, I'm challenged to feel anything but defensive about my Muslim friends and neighbors. Fear-mongering and exclusion have no place in Bloomington's civic conversations, and I want to be sure that our City Council hears my plea to reject any rhetoric that seeks to divide us into an us versus them dichotomy. When people come to you with concerns about Bloomington, I ask that you please hold us accountable. Ask us questions. Challenge our assumptions. Provide facts. Find common ground, and please hold us all accountable. Thank you very much for your good work to ensure that our city continues to operate its public spaces, ordinances, laws, safety measures, and decisions so that every resident is protected equally and with the dignity that every neighbor deserves. Thank you. Thank you, Jamie. Any other questions? Very good. Thank you. Chris. I'm sorry, Chris. Was it Mickelson or Nicholson? Mickelson. With an N. I had that wrong. Glad I asked. It's okay. Good evening. Welcome. Good evening. Uh hello, Mr. Mayor, city council. Uh I don't have a a prepared statement for you tonight like the the others. Um I I I'm just here to uh inform everyone. Uh I understand there's uh issues concerned around the recent uh use agreement uh with the DAF regarding there the field behind the the the property. Um I'm coming to you as a community member. Uh and I can just tell you that that uh it's my understanding that the Park and Rec informed uh you all that that field is no longer used by the community. And I just want to uh uh uh tell you that that's inaccurate that uh BAA does indeed use and reserve that field for soccer games uh from August to about mid-October. They play two soccer games there a night four nights a week. So, I I I just wanted to make sure that everyone understood that that there was misinformation given. That field is important uh to uh to them as it is one of the few lit fields uh we have access to for soccer. So. Absolutely. I appreciate that, Chris. And I do think what we heard from the park staff was not that they no longer use it. It's just that the use was declining pretty precipitously. Sure. That's what we heard. So, it wasn't necessarily a Yeah, and and and that I I I can't comment on that. I can tell you that that losing a a lit field will very much hurt that program. Thank you. Uh Councilmember Nelson, you have a question? Comment? I could hear you. I thought I heard her say the recording. Um >> Enough. Are you on the BAA board or do you represent BAA in any way? Uh I am not here to represent BAA. I am just here to present that information, but I do sit on the board. Thank you. Just a clarifying point. Didn't we receive an email from BAA about the field? And what did they say? Yes, uh Council Mayor um Bloomington Athletic Association um reached out to us. Um they um are the sole user of that field as far as athletic associations go. Uh had approximately um 50 reservations last year uh for that field. Um they are a partner with us in a youth sports study that we're doing right now uh to look at um how we program all of our fields. Um but they were um aware of and participate not participatory, but aware of um the agreement as it was being formulated. Uh what they wanted the council to know was that they had not made any statements regarding this agreement and don't condone any statements made on their behalf to date. Thank you. Thank you, Chris. No problem. Anyone else? We've got a We've got a few minutes here. Is anyone else looking to speak tonight? Last call. All right. Well, thank you all. Uh thanks for your input this evening. If there's nothing else, Council, we've got nobody else coming forward. I'd look for a motion to adjourn our listening session. Motion by Councilmember Carter, second by Councilmember D'Alessandro to adjourn. No further All those in favor, please signify by saying "Aye". Opposed, motion carries 6-0 and we stand adjourned. We'll head downstairs for our council meeting. Thanks.