Good evening and welcome to this April 16th meeting of the Bloomington Planning Commission. My name is Phil Cookton. I've been chair of the Planning Commission for the last year and I'm just about to round out my six years on the Bloomington Planning Commission. What I really like about being on the Planning Commission is [music] the opportunity to see development proposals from the very beginning to the very end. The Planning Commission sees things very early when still just lines on a piece of paper or a drawing and you're kind of envisioning what the city could look like in the future. I am a resident here of the city of Bloomington. I fell in love with the city. I think it's an awesome and perfectly sized city with lots of things going on and it was a place I wanted to get involved. We are Bloomington proud. What I love about being on the commission is my connection to the city that I live in. It's fostered a very deep connection to my neighbors and many people I've never met before, but seeing their lived experience in our community and how the Planning Commission can improve that has been an awesome experience for me. If you've ever thought about being on a commission or how you can get more involved in the city, I would totally encourage you to do that. If you're unsure if it's right for you, I would encourage you to reach out to your city council member or to reach out to an existing commissioner and ask them about their experience. Ask them what's hard about it. Ask them why they like it. It's a lot of work at times. It really is, but for me it's a labor of love and I encourage anyone to do it. I think it's time very well spent that I enjoy very much.