Monroe Convention Center

The Capital Improvement Board marked one year of its first meeting Tuesday morning at the convention center with county council, commissioners, Mayor Kerry Thomson, and city council members.

The Capital Improvement Board approved the recommendation from a site selection working group Wednesday.

Council members say the letter is intended as a list of recommendations on the project, not demands.

The body overseeing the Monroe Convention Center expansion is expected to choose a construction manager for the project later this month.

Tensions stirred among elected officials in Monroe County as the result of a draft letter from the Bloomington City Council regarding the convention center expansion project.

An attorney representing the Monroe County Capital Improvement Board said the board won’t negotiate with the City of Bloomington on the acquisition of property north of the Monroe Convention Center.

The CIB has received six responses to the request for hoteliers but needs to figure out the project’s site selection.

Some Bloomington City Council members want to explore using food and beverage tax revenues for projects other than the Monroe Convention Center expansion.

Incumbent District 3 Commissioner Penny Githens faced challengers Jody Madeira and Steve Volan at a Thursday debate at the Bloomington Country Club.

The Capital Improvement Board met Wednesday afternoon with the interlocal agreement the city and county took almost a year to agree upon.