Other: I would like to express some disappointment in the overall process for the Kirkwood closures. I made the mistake of watching 2/4's city council meeting and was surprised at the level of outrage that some individuals had due to the city recognizing that what exists currently is insufficient and a drain of city resources. I can certainly appreciate why businesses on/right around Kirkwood would want to give their business an essentially free boost of revenue but missing from this equation is how it impacts non-Kirkwood businesses. It seems all is framed to help these bars and restaurants out but it seems if you go down there when the Kirkwood is open that they're already doing just fine. Further, the city did mention that there is approximately $80k in lost revenue, plus the staff drain...if we do end up closing it, maybe we should consider permit fees high enough to recoup these costs instead of giving them this PUBLIC space for the current nominal amount. Mostly I just want to state that while I look forward to a thoughtful Kirkwood redesign in the future that does expand options for businesses, residents, and visitors alike, Bloomington is much, much, much more than Kirkwood! I would love to see us start celebrating and investing into those areas with the same energy that we put into Kirkwood- even if they don't have the KCA behind them!!

Assigned to

Gretchen Knapp