City celebrates opening of Hopewell Commons
By: Isabella Vesperini
Source: Indiana Public Media
The City of Bloomington celebrated the opening of Hopewell Commons, the city’s newest park, Wednesday afternoon. The one-acre park is part of a bigger effort to redevelop the former site of the IU Health Bloomington Hospital into a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood with affordable housing.
“That's what this park is. It's our first hello,” Mayor Kerry Thomson said. “It's open arms. It's an invitation to come in and stay a while. We're building homes here, of course, but also businesses, public art, walking paths, spaces like this one, places that invite us to gather, to breathe and to belong.”
Located off the B-Line Trail and Seminary Square Kroger, the park includes outdoor seating, picnic tables, AstroTurf and temporary pickleball courts.
Tim Street, the City’s director of parks and recreation, said plans to transform the space began in 2018. The park features 126 native trees, an underground cistern for irrigation, LED lighting and more. Temporary pickleball courts will eventually be relocated for housing. Tuesday Farmers Markets starting in June will also take place at the park.
Read more: One construction bid for Hopewell neighborhood open, another opening in next month
The City’s 1% for the Arts Program will fund the installation of Jon Racek’s art proposal “Undulate” in the park. The program will provide $100,000 for the project. Racek is a local designer and program director of Comprehensive Design at IU’s Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture and Design. It will be installed in early fall.
“You can sit on it, you can passively enjoy it,” said Holly Warren, the city’s assistant director for arts. “You can touch it, you can interact with it. You can take your prom pictures with it. It's going to be a great Instagram background. So we just really think this is going to enliven the area.”
The City contracted local company Milestone Contractors for $9 million to do underground infrastructure, concrete, asphalt and dirt work. Thomas Gott, assistant general superintendent for Milestone Contractors, said they got pavers from Ohio and limestone from a quarry in Ellettsville. Tariffs did not impact the cost of purchasing materials.
He said they didn’t face any delays in the construction process.
“This is a perfect little area, perfect spot,” Gott said. “There's a bigger plan for this whole area. This is kind of just like the stepping stone to the future plans.”
Development of the area surrounding Hopewell Commons may begin later this year.
