[0:00] [Applause] [0:03] [Music] [0:03] [Applause] [0:05] [Music] [0:05] [Applause] [0:08] [Music] [0:11] [Applause] [0:13] [Music] [0:16] welcome to Bloomington today I'm Emily [0:18] Chaplan thanks for joining us first we [0:20] bring you the Buzz for the week of [0:22] October 2nd through the 8th the city of [0:24] Bloomington receives a grant to hire 18 [0:27] new firefighters the city was awarded [0:29] the St laughing for adequate fire and [0:31] emergency response or safer Grant from [0:33] the Federal Emergency Management agency [0:36] the grant will provide funding to hire [0:38] 18 additional full-time firefighters [0:40] strengthening the bfds ability to meet [0:43] the growing safety needs of the [0:44] Bloomington Community the funding fully [0:47] covers the wages and benefits of new [0:49] firefighters over the next 3 years [0:51] significantly boosting bfds Staffing [0:54] capacity the hiring process is expected [0:56] to begin within the next few months with [0:58] an anticipated start date of April 1st [1:01] the safer Grant marks a significant step [1:04] forward in the bfds ongoing mission to [1:06] enhance service performance insufficient [1:09] Staffing in recent years has impacted [1:11] the Department's ability to meet its [1:13] response time and Staffing goals the new [1:15] hires will help address this by allowing [1:17] the department to better meet safety [1:19] goals and improve the quality of service [1:21] for the Bloomington Community this is [1:23] the second time Bloomington has been [1:25] awarded the safer Grant the first was [1:27] awarded in 2022 which allowed the [1:29] Department to hire 18 full-time [1:32] firefighters now to a look at what's [1:34] developing in Bloomington waler Toyota [1:36] recently celebrated the completion of a [1:38] new building in Bloomington waler has [1:41] been in Bloomington for nearly 25 years [1:43] on American Boulevard in June they moved [1:46] 175 of its corporate employees from [1:49] Edina to the new Bloomington location [1:51] which is a combined dealership and [1:53] office building the approximately [1:56] 126,000 Square ft of space is home to a [1:58] total of 340 employees bringing the [2:02] fields of it accounting marketing [2:04] Administration human resources and its [2:06] call centers all Under One Roof the new [2:09] building welcomes thousands of guests [2:11] weekly and provides inclusive amenities [2:13] like a wellness room and Interfaith [2:15] prayer room the large scale training [2:17] rooms also allow wals or Toyota to host [2:19] Bloomington Community Partners like [2:21] Oasis for Youth and Bloomington career [2:23] and College Academy congratulations to [2:25] waler Toyota on this new space the city [2:29] receives a health and wellness award the [2:31] city received the 2024 voice of the [2:34] people award by PCO and the [2:36] international City County management [2:38] association in the category of [2:40] transformation in health and wellness [2:43] the award is a National Honor that [2:45] recognizes local governments based on [2:47] Resident feedback and Community data the [2:50] application featured High marks it has [2:53] received from residents through the [2:54] national Community survey and other [2:56] surveys for being an excellent place to [2:58] live and work the city also provided [3:00] examples of how it has improved health [3:02] and wellness services to the community [3:04] particularly in its covid-19 response [3:07] and in the areas of tobacco prevention [3:09] and mental health one result of this [3:12] work is an Innovative pilot program in [3:14] the police department to match licensed [3:16] marriage and family counselors with [3:17] students completing their clinical [3:19] practice requirements the partnership [3:21] has helped individuals in crisis receive [3:24] timely mental health support protect [3:27] yourself from the flu and covid by [3:28] getting vaccinated Bloomington Public [3:30] Health will be holding Community [3:32] vaccination clinics across Bloomington [3:34] Edina and Richfield all you need to do [3:36] is bring your insurance card if you have [3:38] one if you aren't insured or can't pay [3:41] you can still be vaccinated to schedule [3:43] your flu shot visit [3:45] blmn clinics and to schedule your covid [3:48] vaccine visit [3:50] blmco 24 if you need any additional help [3:54] with either call the appropriate number [3:55] listed on your screen help shape the new [3:58] indigenous plant AR bitum at the Pond [4:00] House on Saturday October 5th there is a [4:03] dropin program from 1: to 4:00 p.m. [4:06] where residents can help mulch the land [4:08] and prepare for a new walkway the new [4:10] Arboretum at Pon Dakota Mission Park [4:12] will focus on indigenous practice of [4:14] land care including knowledge on [4:16] gardening food ecosystems and plant and [4:18] soil management the drop in event will [4:21] also include history of the Pond House [4:23] and land and a plant walk learn more at [4:25] the link on your screen enjoy beer and [4:28] ballet in Blooming inton Continental [4:30] Ballet company is hosting beer and [4:32] ballet on Friday October 11th from 7: to [4:35] 8:30 p.m. it's a fun casual environment [4:39] company members will premere original [4:40] choreography and several short dances [4:42] showcasing a diverse style of Classical [4:44] Ballet get your tickets now at [4:47] Continental ballet.com that is the buzz [4:49] on Bloomington today for the week of [4:51] October 2nd through the 8th if you would [4:53] like to watch other stories from the [4:54] show go to this week's playlist learn [4:57] about the latest on the planning for the [4:59] new community Health and Wellness Center [5:01] at a recent Community celebration plus [5:03] see the safety improvements made to [5:05] pedestrian crosswalks around the city [5:08] this construction season thanks for [5:10] watching