The City of Bloomington has extended the date by which people staying at an encampment near the Rail Trail must clear the area.
The deadline is now Aug. 5, which is one month and two days after July 3, the day the city posted a 30-day trespass notice ordering people at the encampment to leave.
The actual 30-day mark falls on Aug. 3; however, City Communications Director Desiree DeMolina said that because this falls on a Saturday, the city will enforce the order on the Monday afterward.
The city first posted trespass notices at the encampment on June 27, but those notices stated people must leave within 72 hours, not the 30 days the city said it would provide.
“It is my understanding the 72-hour notice was posted because the legal team had not yet prepared the 30-day notice for BPD (Bloomington Police Department) to use,” DeMolina wrote to WFIU/WTIU News. “In our meetings with case workers and service providers, we agreed a 30-day notice is ideal to allow time to offer resources and work with camp residents to find solutions.”
DeMolina said the city is working within the agreed-upon guidelines, which were based on recommendations from the South Central Housing Network. However, she added city officials may still remove encampments with 72 hours notice in the event of “pressing safety concerns.”
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In this case, DeMolina said the city decided the encampment must be removed because of reports of fires creating a safety hazard. Online reports show neighbors had complained of large fires and noxious flames coming from the encampment, as well as people fighting in the area.
The encampment, which the city estimates about 15-20 people are staying at, is located along the east side of the Rail Trail, a two-mile trail that connects with the Clear Creek Trail and Country Club Drive.
When the city removes the encampment next month, it will mark the fourth time it has done so since Mayor Kerry Thomson took office in January. The city has given people 72 or 48 hours to leave on past occasions.
Thomson was not available Wednesday for an interview with WFIU/WTIU News.
