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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-03-24 MinutesCALL TO ORDER I & Village President Dan DiMaria called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the assem- Il. blage in the Pledge of Allegiance. III. Village Clerk Ed Ramos called the roll. Present were: Trustees Bill Grear, Shel Marcus, John Pietron, John Thill, and Janine Wtko. Trustee Maria Toth was absent with notice. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Regarding the Minutes of the March 10, 2014 Regular Board Meeting Trustee Marcus moved, seconded by Trustee Grear, to accept the Minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. V. SPECIAL REPORTS Swearing -In Ceremony for New Police Officers a. Fire and Police Commission Chairman Mike Simkins noted that this evening, three new police officers would be sworn in, replacing officers with cumulatively 90 years of street experience. He said that Morton Grove has been competing with other municipalities to hire these new officers. Deputy Chief Norm Stromberg, Mayor DiMaria, and Trustee liaison Grear, joined Chairman Simkins at the podium. b. The first officer to be sworn in is Michael P. Crowe, present this evening with his wife and infant son, and his in -laws. Chairman Simkins provided some background on Officer Crowe. Today is Officer Crowe's first day of employment with the Village, and he will begin his training at the Suburban Law Enforcement Police Academy on March 31. Office Crowe was raised in Cleveland, Ohio and is currently in the process of attaining his Associate's Degree from Columbia College of Missouri. His lifelong ambition has been to become a police officer, and to that end, he has served in the U.S. Navy since 2006, where he attained the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class. Officer Crowe is married and has a four month old son. Chairman Simkins swore in Officer Crowe. The Board and assemblage congratulated him and welcomed him to Morton Grove. V. SPECIAL REPORTS (continued) Minutes of Mamb 249 2014 Boats Meeting C. The second officer sworn in this evening is Justin R. Hough, here tonight with his parents, his wife, and his son and daughter. Chairman Simkins provided some background on Officer Hough. Today is Officer Hough's first day of employment with the Village, and he will begin his training at the Suburban Law Enforcement Police Academy on March 31. Officer Hough was raised in Chicago, graduated Loyola Academy in 2001, and attended Loyola University in Chicago, where he attained a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. His lifelong dream has been to become a police officer. He has previously worked as a group therapist and a broker's assistant. Officer Hough is married and is the father of three children. Chairman Simkins swore in Officer Hough. The Board and assemblage congratulated him and welcomed him to Morton Grove. d. The final officer to be sworn in this evening is Robert B. Toussaint, here tonight with his fa- ther, his brother, and his girlfriend. He, too, started his employment with the Village today, and will begin his training at the Police Academy on March 31. Officer Toussaint was raised in Palos Heights and attended Governors State University at University Park, where he attained his Bachelor's Degree, majoring in Criminal Justice. He has wanted to be a police officer all his life, and to that end, has worked as both a security guard and a community service officer. Vi. Officer Toussaint was sworn in by Chairman Simkins, after which the Board and assemblage congratulated him and welcomed him to Morton Grove. [au :34141:1043v I M NONE VII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) NONE Vill. PRESIDENT'S REPORT Proclamation Mayor DiMaria proclaimed the month of April 2014 as "Fair Housing Month" in the Village of Morton Grove. He said that Morton Grove is an open and inclusive community committed to fair housing. He encouraged residents and public /private entities to promote appropriate activities advocating for integration and equal housing opportunities for all residents and prospective residents of the Village. Mayor DiMaria said that Morton Grove is a shining example of fair housing twelve months a year, not just one. (April is National Fair Housing Month.) Minutes of March 24, 2014 Board Meeting VIII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT (continued) 2. Mayoral Update a. Mayor DiMaria read excerpts from some letters he's received from residents stating their ap- preciation for the Police Department. One letter said that the police personnel "...respond quickly when called.... never make us feel foolish or trivial. We feel safe and watched over ... we are grateful for their presence..." Another letter from the Park Ridge Police Depart- ment was regarding a recent Amber Alert (a situation where a child had been taken from Park Ridge and was later found in Skokie). complimenting Morton Grove police officers for their assistance in containing the perimeter and conducting an area search for the offender. It said, "...the quick response and the commitment from all the officers involved greatly increased the probability of locating the offender, if still in the area." Mayor DiMaria gave kudos to the Morton Grove Police Department. b. Mayor DiMaria noted that he, Trustees Witko, Thill, Pietron, and Grear, and Corporation Counsel Liston, would be heading for Springfield tomorrow to discuss the Village's concerns. He thanked everyone for taking the time to make the trip, and said it was vital to be in front of our legislators for moving Morton Grove forward. IX. Clerk Ramos had no report. X. A. Village Administrator: CLERK'S REPORT MONAMOUNE In the absence of Village Administrator Ryan Horne, Assistant Administrator Peter Falcone had no report. B. Corporation Counsel: Corporation Counsel Liston had no report. XI. A. Trustee Grear: Trustee Grear presented Resolution 14 -14, Authorizing the Annual Memorial Day Parade and Closure of Dempster Street. He explained that the Illinois Department of Transportation requires the Village to adopt an ordinance approving of the closing of Dempster Street so that the Village Engineer can file an application with [DOT for said closing. This year, the traditional Memorial Day Parade will take place at 1:30 p.m. on May 25. Dempster will be closed, either partially or completely, between Austin and Ferris from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. XI. A. Trustee Grear: (continued) TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Grear moved, seconded by Trustee Thill, to approve Resolution 14-14. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus ave Tr. Pietron ave Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth absent Tr. Witko aye B. Trustee Marcus: Trustee Marcus had no formal report, but wanted to acknowledge the very professional job done by Mike Simkins, as the Chairman of the Fire and Polios Commission. Trustee Marcus said the job involves extensive interviewing, and Chairman Simkins does and has done an excellent job for many years. Trustee Marcus also acknowledged Public Works Director Andy DeMonte and the personnel of Public Works. He noted that signs thanking Public Works have been posted around town and they are very well - deserved. C. Trustee Pietron: Trustee Pietron had no report. D. Trustee Thill: Trustee Thill had no report. E. Trustee Toth: Trustee Toth was absent —no report. Ed XI. XIL XIII, XIV. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Witko: Trustee Witko presented for a first reading Ordinance 14 -04, Granting an Amendmentto the Special Use Permit for the Property Located at 9341 Austin Avenue, Morton Grove, Illinois, For the Replacement and Installation of Antennas on an Existing Transmission Tower. She explained that this ordinance will grant an amendment to the special use permit, issued in 2006, to allow the replacement of three antennas and an additional three antennas on the Commonwealth Edison tower located at 9341 Austin Avenue. The applicant is Verizon, and these changes are proposed to increase the quality of service for cellular customers and to accommodate newer cellular technologies. There was no further discussion on Ordinance 14-04. OTHER BUSINESS NOUN 11�Ve1:7:7_1�1C.y Trustee Marcus, in the absence of Trustee Toth, presented this evening's Warrant Register in the amount of $702,761.56. He moved to approve these Warrants, seconded by Trustee Pietron. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aae Tr. Thill acre Tr. Toth absent Tr. Witko save RESIDENTS' COMMENTS a. Georgianne Brunner, former Trustee and President of the Morton Grove Days Commission, announced that this year's festival will take place from July 3'd to July 5th. It will feature Windy City Carnival, a beer garden, a variety of entertainment, and a parade and fireworks on July 4. As always, this event is dependent upon people volunteering. This year, the Volunteer sub- committee is being chaired by Debbie Farrell and Randy Golinksi. Ms. Brunner encouraged residents to start thinking about volunteeringfor this traditional festival. People can sign up by emailing mg,,,jc n ..,y_ t or :,crc� =_ '' or on the Morton Grove Days website: mortoongrovedays.org. The website will also feature a run -down on the hours of the festival, information on mega - bracelets, a listing of the featured bands, etc. XIV. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (continued) Ms. Brunner said that sponsors for the event are needed also. There are a variety of levels of sponsorship. Village Clerk Ed Ramos is the sponsorship chairman this year. Any individuals or businesses interested in sponsorship opportunities can reach out to Clerk Ramos at Village Hall. Ms. Brunner added that residents will see a notice on their water bills about donating toward this event. The event, including the parade, is run entirely with volunteers and donations and sponsorships. She encouraged everyone to donate to the MG Days event by sending a check to Morton Grove Days Commission, 6101 Capulina, Morton Grove, !L 60053. b. Eric Poders, 7940 Foster, said that two years ago, there was a problem on the west side of town that had come to his attention. The problem was a very noisy garbage truck picking up corrugated material behind Washington Commons, playing loud music and disturbing the neighborhood. Mr. Poders shot video of the truck, and brought the matter to the Mayor's attention. The Mayor encouraged Mr. Poders to come to Village Hall and speak with Assistant Adminis- trator Falcone and the Building official, John Koromowski. Mr. Poders said that today, he brought in video that he had shot on March 10 and March 17. On March 10`h, the container was replaced behind Dollar Tree (something that had been promised two years ago). The music and the banging of the container was so loud, it shook the west side of town. A week later, it persisted. Mr. Poders posted video of this on a social media site and also sent it to the company responsible for the garbage truck. Mr. Koromowski visited the site and heard the loud music emanating from the truck and informed the driver that he was violating the Village's noise ordinances. Meanwhile, Mr. Poders filed a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He received a response from their FOIA officers. In sum, four divisions of the U.S. EPA are now investigating this company, which has had four different names since 2000. Mr. Poders was also told to file a FOIA request with the Illinois EPA, which he said he would do tomorrow morning. Mr. Poders said that he made a number of attempts to contact the owner of the company, Josh Connell, to no avail. When he finally did receive a call -back, he informed the owner that his driver was jumping into the bin and that the noise was disturbing the neighborhood. The owner proceeded to threaten Mr. Poders and his livelihood, telling him that he would sue him and the Village as well. At the podium, Mr. Poders gave the name and phone number of his attorney and challenged Mr. Connell to take action. He thanked the Mayor and staff for being proactive in this matter. XV. ADJOURNMENT Trustee Marcus moved to adjourn to the meeting, seconded by Trustee Thili. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus acre Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Thill acre Tr. Toth absent Tr. Witko aye The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. PASSED this 14th day of April, 2014. Trustee Grear% Trustee Marcus Trustee Pietron /?yC Trustee Thill fii3t� t, w Trustee Toth Trustee Witko[ APPROVED by me this 14th day of April, 2014, Daniel P. DiMaria, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois fl APPROVED land FILED in my office this 15th day of April, 2014. r Edilberto Ramos, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove, Cook County, Illinois Minutes of March 24, 2014 Board Meetin ". Mlwlasby: ferosaCOwar