[0:00] (gentle music)

[0:02] - The hope and dream for the new

[0:04] Community Health and Wellness Center

[0:05] is that it will be a welcoming

[0:07] and safe place for

multi-generational users

[0:10] who have all different levels of skill,

[0:12] interest, and abilities,

[0:13] in recreation and health and wellness.

[0:15] The Community Health and Wellness Center

[0:17] is a $101.8 million project

[0:19] that is a part of the

three Bloomington Forward

[0:22] sales tax projects

approved by the referendum

[0:24] in November of 2023.

[0:26] In April, the city council

approved the schematic design.

[0:29] - The schematic design phase

is really taking all ideas,

[0:32] big and small, and putting

them together on paper

[0:35] and refining it from there

[0:36] based on what the community

has said they wanted.

[0:39] - They approved the current

draft design that we have

[0:42] and are allowing us to move

[0:43] into the design development phase.

[0:45] - So there'll be aquatics amenities,

[0:47] general fitness spaces and studios,

[0:50] a walking track, an indoor

playground and kids club,

[0:54] multipurpose spaces and rooms

[0:56] that are available for rentals and events.

[0:58] Public health will office there as well,

[1:00] so that will be a good opportunity

[1:02] for members of the community

seeking public health services

[1:05] to come in and engage

with the space as well.

[1:08] - What will happen in design development

[1:10] is we will further refine the drawings

[1:12] and the spaces within the building

[1:14] in addition to continued cost analysis

[1:16] to make sure that the design

is in line with the budget,

[1:19] in addition to starting to

choose some of the fixtures

[1:22] and finishes that we might

see in the final building.

[1:24] - The community and what they'd

like to see in this space

[1:27] has really been something

[1:29] that's been at the forefront

throughout this entire process.

[1:31] That has come from several

engagement opportunities

[1:34] that have been part of this whole process.

[1:37] Those events will continue.

[1:38] They'll be more specific in nature.

[1:40] People will be able to give feedback

[1:42] on more specific aspects of the project

[1:44] now that we've got a better

idea of what the spaces will be

[1:47] and what the amenities will be

[1:48] and how those will all interact.

[1:50] - As we look at the next steps

[1:51] in the Community Health

and Wellness Center,

[1:53] Creekside Community Center

is preparing to close down.

[1:56] Our final day of operation

will be Friday, May 30th,

[1:58] and then we will open up at

the Logan Avenue Building

[2:02] on June 16th.

[2:03] 95% of senior programs will be continuing

[2:06] in the Logan Avenue Building

[2:08] and the Bloomington Center for

the Arts during the interim.

[2:10] We'll also be introducing

some new programs

[2:12] like our Lego Club,

[2:13] and we'll be doubling the

frequency of our special events

[2:16] and our educational presentations.

[2:17] So I've been working really closely

[2:18] with our boutique leadership

and our senior volunteers

[2:21] to continue this into the future.

[2:23] We'll be utilizing a mobile kiosk

[2:25] that we can store the crafts

and make sales out of.

[2:27] That'll be located in Civic

Plaza during the interim,

[2:30] and it'll eventually

move into its new home

[2:32] in the Community Health

and Wellness Center.

[2:33] Moving forward, we're partnering

[2:34] with the City of Eden

Prairie Senior Center

[2:36] for our wood shop.

[2:37] Our participants will be able to utilize

[2:39] the Eden Prairie Senior Center Wood Shop,

[2:40] and the City of Bloomington

[2:41] will be covering their initial fees.

[2:43] So some of the programs that

we have not found spaces yet

[2:46] in the interim are the

lapidary or the rock shop,

[2:49] our billiards program, and our ping pong.

[2:51] So we're actively looking for solutions

[2:52] to rehome those programs

during the interim.

[2:54] Bloomington seniors

continue to be a priority

[2:57] that guides the design and construction

[2:58] of the Community Health

and Wellness Center,

[3:00] and I'm really excited about

all the new opportunities

[3:02] they'll have that they haven't

had before to get engaged,

[3:04] participate in recreation

like aquatics, walking track,

[3:07] and a bunch of new fitness opportunities.

[3:09] Staff have been working really

hard preparing Logan Lodge

[3:11] to be the interim home

for our senior programs,

[3:13] and I really hope you'll

come join us there

[3:15] to participate in some of the

programs you know and love,

[3:17] and maybe find some new

ones that you'll love too.

[3:19] - We hope to have the new Community Health

[3:21] and Wellness Center open

in 2027 to the public.

[3:24] For updates on any of the

Bloomington Forward projects,

[3:26] including the Community

Health and Wellness Center,

[3:28] please visit the

bloomingtonforward.org website.