The 812

• 171 [S3E18]: Running the County with Commissioner Jody Madeira (D.3)

  It's not just a new era nationally, it's a new one locally. We have the other elected county newbie on our show (besides County Council Member David Henry, who appeared late last year), and that's County Commissioner Jody Madeira. She's taking a swing at all the big local issues of the day -- the new jail, the county health department, the county's new development ordinance -- and some of the niceties of how the commissioners collectively do business day to day. Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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• 170 [S3E17]: The Future of Kirkwood with ESD Director Jane Kupersmith

  Our topic today is Kirkwood Avenue, specifically the five blocks of East Kirkwood between the Courthouse Square and the Sample Gates, which many people consider to be the heart of Bloomington.Since 2020, the city has closed public rights-of-way to benefit local restaurants. Some establishments, mostly around the Square, have rented adjacent metered parking spaces as outdoor dining space. On Kirkwood, the city closed whole blocks to allow restaurants to host diners while social distancing. It also made those blocks de facto pedestrian streets. The idea proved so popular that it has continued each year since. Last month, the city council approved an ordinance permanently delegating the decision to close any and all of the five blocks of East Kirkwood as the administration sees fit, at least between the months of April and November. Jane Kupersmith was last on almost a year ago to talk about the  city department she leads, Economic and Sustainable Development. We invited her back to discuss the prospects of a seasonal pedestrian mall, and what ideas they're hoping to explore in addition to the now-usual outdoor dining and low-speed thoroughfare -- festivals, pushcarts, food trucks, and other new kinds of programs.Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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• 169 [S3E16]: Growing the Local Arts Landscape with Cicada Cinema

  Cicada Cinema is a volunteer-run organization which calls itself a "pop-up movie theatre". Since 2016 they've been showing around Bloomington underrepresented and what they call "underseen" films, pretty much just for the sake of cinema. The city Arts Commission strategically funded their organization with a grant to show movies in local parks, which was co-sponsored by the city Parks and Rec Dept. and promoted in their annual Program Guide, which this show recently featured. Cicada Cinema's Josh Brewer, a co-founder and the organization's lead volunteer, along with Cicada's senior volunteer Derek Navardauskas, are our guests today. We visit with them to find out how an arts organization is born and grown, just as they're on the cusp of establishing nonprofit status.Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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• 168 [S3E15]: Stewarding Nature with Sycamore Land Trust's Chris Fox

  In September we interviewed the director of the Sycamore Land Trust, John Lawrence, about the idea of a land trust -- a nonprofit that preserves land from development and maintains landscape in its natural state. It also runs an environmental program that connects people to that nature. But somebody has to manage those 144 properties, their more than 11,500 acres. That's another story, for which we turn to Sycamore's Lead Stewardship Director, Chris Fox. He talks about how he and his team deal with boundary issues, monitors unauthorized tree harvesting and the health of ecosystems under Sycamore management, and maintains the condition of Sycamore's 30 miles of trails.Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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• 167 [S3E14]: Promoting Home Ownership with Wendi Goodlett and Lindsey Boswell of Habitat for Humanity

  One of the most high-profile developers in the area is Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, famously builders of affordable housing (and formerly headed by current Mayor Kerry Thomson, who was a guest on this show back in August). We talk with Wendi Goodlett, current President and CEO, and Lindsey Boswell, Development Director, about their process for finding potential residents and training them to qualify for Habitat homes; how many houses are currently have under construction at Osage Place, a whole neighborhood of Habitat-built houses on the southwest side of Bloomington; and common misconceptions people have about what Habitat does and how it works -- like that their organization or their nonprofit model is going to solve the local housing crisis.Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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