Bennett says he experienced minor symptoms with no trouble breathing and was able to continue working from home. He says hospital COVID-19 rates are high, but manageable - though staffing is becoming more difficult. And we get updates on the new police station, Lafayette Ave. construction, and leaf pick-up.
On this week’s installment of Ask The Mayor, Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett addresses these issues and more on a Zoom conference call. Listen to the full conversation with Indiana Newsdesk anchor Joe Hren by clicking on the play button above, or read some of the questions and answers below. A portion of this segment airs 6:45 and 8:45 a.m. Wednesday on WFIU.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Hren: Last month, during our second week in November, we're ready to meet with you and heard you had to go into quarantine and then didn't hear anything back. What happened and are you okay?
Bennett: Yeah, I am. So my wife went to the doctor for another issue. The doctor said, we need you to get a COVID test for you come in - the doctors rule. So she did and it came back positive and didn't have any symptoms. And the same day her results came back, then I started getting sick. So apparently I got it on that Saturday. And so I was in quarantine because of her result.
But then that same evening, a few hours later, I started developing symptoms. I had stuffy nose and fever and all that kind of stuff for about four days... body aches, the basics, I guess - the more milder symptoms, and no breathing issues whatsoever. I did lose my sense of taste and smell, but it came back very quickly.
I've been just fine since. I worked from home for the rest of that quarantine, and came back to work a few weeks ago, and all was good. So it was a surprise. You know, as many people I've been around, I thought I would get it sooner than this or be exposed to it.
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Hren: A few days ago, IU Health hospitals were reporting close to 90% capacity of ICU beds, what's it like there in Vigo County?
Bennett: As of the weekend, our utilizations are not that high. The biggest problem is staffing. I mean, for a while they were taking the overtime, I'll work these extra hours. But at some point, for an individual, they reach where they just can't keep working. And so that's the hardest part. I think they have space for them. But it's having the nursing staff and everybody else you need to be able to manage those additional beds, and that's the problem.
Hren: As the numbers have increased, how do you feel the governor is handling restrictions? And your thoughts about more restrictions there in Vigo County?
Bennett: I would still say that the governor has done a good job with this. But at the end of the day, it's up to the health care professionals, it's up to the health department, it's those people who live in this world, to guide us and give us advice on what we should do.
There has to be a balance between all of this. And I think, looking at our numbers here locally, I don't think that we need to do to shut businesses down. I just don't think that's the answer. I think we got to continue to let people know that, yes, there might be light at the end of the tunnel, because the vaccine is coming. But we still have weeks and probably a couple of months, two or three months here, where you need to maintain the social distancing. And the masking. Just do it. Use some common sense here.
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I think we need just to keep talking and reminding people that they're in control of spreading this disease. And doing everything they personally can will make a big difference on getting enough people vaccinated that we can start going the other direction with this.
But I'm not about shutting businesses down, when there's no proof that that's going to change the numbers. They say it's the science. But you look at California, New York, they've been still shut down this whole time yet their numbers are going up. And those businesses are already closed. So it's other things that are out there that we have to manage.
Hren: As we wrap up the year, I know the police station has been a major priority for you, which is the purchase of the former Trib-Star building and renovation to move the police station there. Can you give us an update on that progress?
Bennett: Last week, we sold the bond for that got a great interest rate. It's got some varying interest rates in it, but average is about 2.7% over the next 20 years, which is, you know, really, really good to be able to borrow about $12 million to do that project.
We at that same time, also refinanced the bond that we had in our 46 TIF district for the casinos going in and out. And we're able to save about $600,000 - kept the same length of time on that bond and reduce our payments in the interest. So those were two big bond sales last week. But what happens next, we have the closing on December 17. We'll get the proceeds from those bonds, and construction, demolition, all the work that has to go on with the police station will begin hopefully sometime around the holidays and will be in there in about six to seven months. So hopefully by next July, we'll be in our new building.
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Hren: Two other items people always ask about, road construction and leaf pick-up.
Bennett: We're a little over halfway through the city. I would expect us to be done over the holiday. Some years, we roll into January, because of weather. But the weather's been great. We're working up to Eighth Avenue right now, which puts us almost a third of the way into the north half of the city. We get calls every day about that.
And so we just opened Lafayette Ave. up last Friday - the section we were working on. What you'll see now over the rest of the winter is we're going to be putting in a storm sewer pipe on the east side of the road. So there will be some northbound traffic and there'll be a flagman out there. That'll last probably until February, and then we'll pick the project back up in earnest in the spring. We're not going to close the road down completely. We'll build half of it, move the traffic over to that and do the other side. So it'll take us all year to get it done.
Hren: Before we go, what's your message to residents that want to travel and celebrate Christmas and the holidays during the pandemic?
Bennett: This is our last big holiday that we're going to see. And it's a big one. And I just think that it's tough for people not to be around their family. And so use common sense. Try to minimize that interaction, and especially around anybody who may have some underlying medical conditions, let's just be smart about our holiday season.
I'm hopeful that next year is 100 times better than this year. I know a lot of people around me have been sick and people are struggling financially because of COVID I'm just looking forward to a bright 2021 and get this year behind. And I know everybody probably feels exactly the same way.
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