Case Date:

2/8/2016

Fallen fence blocking sidewalk

Case Date:

6/3/2013

There is a gap with no sidewalk on South Rockport Rd going down the hill after passing CountryView Apts. This is very dangerous, because you have to walk on the road which is on a hill into oncoming traffic to get to the rest of the sidewalk. I use this (broken) sidewalk alot with my children to go to the park. But after a close call of a car swerved to miss us & almost got hit by another car that was coming over the hill. I know alot of people use this sidewalk & its been long over due to be fixed. I hope this & more sidewalks in this area will be on the agenda this year. Thank You

Case Date:

6/28/2013

My next door neighbors at 2100 W 106th St have a bush in the grass area between side walk & street that grows high & wide & blocks the view from driveway to see the traffic on 106th St. It's a busy street & difficult to pull out & back out as is, but with the neighbors bush it makes it even more difficult. It blinds the view and we are concerned of getting in an accident because of it. For last few years it's grown taller & wider & we even talked to the neighbors about it about 1 1/2 yrs ago, but they didn't seem to think it was an issue & did nothing about it. I don't want to be a disgruntled neighbor, but also do not want to get in a car accident from the blinding view, trying to leave my driveway. It is very frustrating. I would like to know what the rules are for planting trees, bushes or plants on the section of grass between the sidewalk & street is & if the neighbors could be requested to remove or trim down the bush.

Case Date:

1/28/2015

The sidewalk from High to Arden passes through a small wooded area that is not lit. It is intimidating to walk through. There is an electric transfer box nearby between two properties. Hopefully a light can be installed.

Case Date:

3/3/2015

Our next door neighbor wanted us to shovel snow away from their mailbox since the snow was plowed in a pile in front of it. It was assumed my son's car was parked in the cul de sac however he hasn't parked there when severe weather hits. I am not in the best of the health to shovel it away. Can someone from the city just plow it away from their mailbox and to the right of their driveway where no one parks? I mean the best to the city plow services but the neighbors think its our responsibility to shovel it and I beg to differ. Please direct me on this issue. They are a relatively young middle aged couple and are quite capable of handling this without blaming us. Deepest regards, Stacy

Case Date:

4/6/2015

Thank you for fixing the area that was damaged by the snow plows this winter! It looks really great! Best, Ingrid Faber 1104 S. Covenanter Drive

Case Date:

5/13/2015

On April 6th I reported eight sidewalk problems along the north side of Heather Dr. between Grasstree Ct. and Laurel Ct. I included photos and also mentioned these could be a safety hazard, especially for many of our older residents. The following day I received a call back which was much appreciated. Although some work has been done (see last paragraph), nothing at all was done to the most uneven slab. It is directly across from 700 Heather on the NORTH side of the street near a mailbox cluster. See 701_E_Heather_Dr.jpg. There is a full 2" difference in height. I am reporting this particular one again, because a resident tripped on it April 27th and received bruises and abrasions to her face and hands. Her name is Barbara Wachholz, and she lives at 3708 Grasstree Ct. A neighbor was concerned enough to photograph her face. Fortunately, no bones were broken. I notice some of these raised/uneven slabs were recently beveled or chipped off which could probably help. But I don't believe this was done thoroughly enough to help very much. For example the other end of the slab adjacent to the one I mentioned above wasn't chipped off all the way across. Please advise. Thank you, Marvin Allen, 3907 S. Laurel Ct. Peppergrass Homeowners Association 812-369-4130

Case Date:

1/25/2014

As a 25-year-old recent IU Bloomington graduate and current resident of Bloomington, I have seen many problems with the snow removal and road maintenance over the past six years of my residence here. But it wasn't until I began working full-time on the west side of town, commuting daily from Seventeenth Street to Liberty Drive (by way of 45/46 and 37), that I realized just how much of a problem this town has with snow removal. First of all, I'm originally from Northwest Indiana, where snowfall accumulates to more than 3 feet at times and does not have a chance to melt down overnight before another snow fall. My hometown gets lake-effect snow on top of naturally occurring snowfall from the months of November well into early March. This weather does not faze our road workers, nor does it deter our drivers. None of us need chains on our tires, plows and salt of our own, or large SUVs with expensive, winter-weather tires to get to work or to school. Because our roads are plowed and salted before we even wake up in the morning. This is why I find it ridiculous that I cannot get to work, schools are closed and most businesses are closed when there are merely three to four inches of snow on the ground. This just blows my mind. As a full-time employee of a large company located on the West side of town, I commute from near the football stadium to the bypass and onto 37, before using West Second Street to complete my morning drive. When I cannot safely make it to work in the morning, it is a shame. I almost find it laughable that this large, thriving city with so much to offer cannot sufficiently provide for its residents a simple task such as plowing and salting the roads. I'd like to reference the snippet provided on the city's street department website as an example of my bone to pick: "The Street Department is in charge of keeping the City of Bloomington's streets free of ice and snow during inclement weather. Whenever there is a danger of icy or snowy conditions on the roadways of the city, the Street Department will monitor conditions and respond accordingly. When snow or ice begins accumulating on the streets, plowing and/or salting operations will commence." Compared to other cities I've visited in the Midwest, the street department here seems lazy and inept to say the very least. In my hometown, the plows work all night, or at least begin working at 4 a.m. They don't wait for snow to "begin accumulating on the streets" until they *actually* do something, unlike what is written in the description of Bloomington's street department website. I realize budgets are tight and have likely already been set for 2014, as far as city services are concerned. But some re-organization of services, I feel, is in order. Some suggestions for improvement of this essential city service would be to prepare accordingly for bad weather by salting the roads prior to snowfall and ice accumulation. This way, as the snow and ice melts during the early hours of the evening, the salt will help to prevent ice from forming on major intersections (such as 45/46 and North Walnut Street, where I almost slid into a full spin this morning while making a turn at 10 miles per hour) and major roadways like Highway 45/46 and Highway 37. Last night, at 6 p.m. when I got home from work, I already had a winter weather advisory pop up on my phone that stated snow accumulation was possible throughout the night, and that ice was possible as well. If I'm just a basic resident receiving this notification, then surely a city employee of the street department would receive it. Or *should* receive it. Another suggestion would be to employ plows that will work at 4:30 in the morning, or earlier, to ensure the roads are clear. I feel this is imperative. Most people who work in this city cannot get to work at 7 a.m., let alone 8 or 9 a.m. on some days, because absolutely *nothing* has been done to ensure the safety of the roads during snowy/icy weather. This causes people to miss work, students to miss important classes and city businesses to lose customers and money. When it all is said and done, I cannot believe that this city cannot take well enough care of its roads - preventative care - to ensure the safety of its roads, when other cities have the ability to clear and salt and prepare for this weather (exponentially worse weather) without breaking a sweat. This isn't just a northern Indiana person speaking, this is a Bloomington resident speaking. And I would rather not have to call off work for a measly 3 inches of snow, when I can remember going to school as a child when there were 3 feet of snow on the ground - because the streets were clear. Thank you for hearing me out and I hope something can be done. Sincerely, Amanda Jacobson

Case Date:

6/24/2015

Hello, At 7:30am, someone began jack-hammering the sidewalk immediately outside my apartment window at 222 N College Ave. There are several apartments facing that sidewalk at this location, and it is directly across the street from the Hilton Hotel. In other words, since many people may be trying to sleep in this area, it seems a bit unreasonable to start something so loud before 8am. Thanks for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Kristen Strandberg

Case Date:

12/25/2015

The crest of the hill on 8th street has inadequate lighting. People on the sidewalk are invisible for security purposes, and cannot see obstacles to walk safely. A neighbor hit my car door because he could not see it. People leave their porch lights on all night, so we have some visibility.