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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-08-08 MinutesMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF MORTON GROVE COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, HELD AT THE RICHARD T. FLICKINGER MUNICIPAL CENTER AUGUST 8, 2016 CALL TO ORDER I— Village Clerk Connie Travis called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the Board and the III. assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance. Clerk Travis then called the roll. Present were: Trustees Bill Grear, Rita Minx, John Pietron, Ed Ramos, John Thill, and Janine Witko. IV. V. VI. Clerk Travis noted that Village President Dan DiMaria was not in attendance this evening, and asked for a motion to appoint a President pro tem for this evening's meeting. Trustee Pietron moved to name Trustee Grear as President pro tem, seconded by Trustee Thill. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstain. Tr. Grear abstain Tr. Minx au Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Ramos aye Tr. Thiii aye Tr. Witko aye President pro tem Bill Grear thanked his colleagues for their vote of confidence in him. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Regarding the July 25, 2016 Regular Board Meeting, Trustee Minx moved to approve the Minutes as presented, seconded by Trustee Witko. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. SPECIAL REPORTS NONE PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE VII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) NONE Minutes of August 8, 2016 Board Meeting VIII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT 1. President pro tem Grear stated that Fire Chief Tom Friel had announced his retirement from the Morton Grove Fire Department. Chief Friel has served with distinction as a member of the MGFD with continually escalating roles and responsibilities, including the regional Search and Rescue Team, being the Department's Radio/Communication Coordinator, Training Officer, Quartermaster, and Administrative District Chief before becoming Fire Chief. Each promotion and assignment brought increased challenges, responsibilities, and duties, which Chief Friel handled with poise, the utmost professionalism, and boundless commitment to the ultimate mission of the MGFD. a. President pro tem Grear said that Chief Friel had been appointed Acting Fire Chief by Mayor Daniel D. Scanlon in September of 2003, and then appointed Fire Chief in January of 2004. He has served in that position ever since, with honor and distinction, under Mayors Scanlon, Krier, Staackmann, and DiMaria. b. Chief Friel has also served as the Chairman of the Regional Emergency Dispatch (RED) Center Joint Chiefs Authority, and the Chairman of the Northern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy (NIPSTA) Building & Grounds Committee. He has achieved numerous national accreditations, including the designation of Executive Fire Officer from the National Fire Academy and Chief Fire Officer from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. c. President pro tem Grear added that Chief Friel has proven a valuable member of the Village's administrative team. In addition to his duties as Fire Chief, he has served as acting Village Administrator and has provided oversight and leadership for the Village's Emergency Manage- ment, Civic Center, Senior Services, Risk Management, and Code Compliance operations. d. Chief Friel, in addition to holding a Bachelor of Science Degree from Southern Illinois University, also has a pilot's license and is a certified flight instructor. e. President pro tem Grear said that, after thirty-one years of dedicated service, Chief Friel is retiring from the fire service to spend more time with his wife and children in St. Charles. He then proclaimed August 11, 2016 as Chief Tom Friel Day" to honor the Chief for his service and dedication to the Morton Grove Fire Department and to the Village of Morton Grove, and presented the Chief with a watch inscribed with his years of service. f. President pro tem Grear said that, personally, Chief Friel has been his mentor since he was first elected eight years ago as a Village Trustee. He said that he's been able to see the Chief in action at the Red Center, and it was a thrill. Chief Friel is highly respected there. Chief Friel said that Chief Brady was the fire chief when he first started in Morton Grove. But there are two other people he met back then who are in the room today: Ralph Czerwinski, who was Tom's lieutenant in 1985, and Mary Jo LeBeau, the chief's executive assistant. He was her fifth chief. Tom said that he made it this far with the assistance of a lot of people—including forty-two firefighters and three district chiefs. He thanked District Chiefs Scott Exo, Frank Rodgers, and Mike Mitchell. He also thanked Captain Bill Porter who has flawlessly headed the Fire Prevention Bureau for 15-20 years. h. Chief Friel thanked his wife Kelly, "the center of it all," and said that her love gave him the freedom to do his job. Lastly, he thanked the elected officials, saying "They honor us every day by allowing us the privilege to serve the public." g. 2 Minutes of August 8, 2016 Board Meeting VIII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT (continued) President pro tem Grear asked if any of his fellow Board members wanted to say a few words. Trustee Witko thanked Chief Friel for his dedicated service and professionalism, and said, "You are an amazing person. You are the best and you will be missed." j. Trustee Thill said that, even though he's been on the Board for 10 years, he's only really gotten to know Chief Friel well this past year. Until tonight, Trustee Thill said, "I've never seen him at a loss for words." He pointed out that when the Chief spoke, it was "classic Tom," because he spread all the accolades around. Trustee Thill said he always admired the Chief and said that Tom has "carried" the RED Center for the past 10 years. Trustee Thill said that the Village could replace him as the chief, but he doubted Tom could be replaced as a man. He wished Tom the best of luck in his retirement. I. Trustee Ramos said he first met Chief Friel at St. Martha's, when Pastor Dennis O'Neill intro- duced him. He said that Tom has impressed him greatly and thanked him for his great service to the Morton Grove community. m. Clerk Travis said she has found Chief Friel's hard work and professionalism amazing, and said she hoped he would enjoy his retirement and spending more time with his family. n. Trustee Pietron said that Tom's nonchalant, easy-going attitude masks his intelligence and vast human resources knowledge. He thanked Tom for being such an asset to Morton Grove. o. Trustee Minx said that when she was first elected as a Trustee in 2005, she didn't really know what she was getting into. Chief Friel took the time to explain the RED Center and other things to her, and led her and the other new Board members through the things they needed to know and do as new trustees. Tom's leadership at the RED Center was exceptional; he is great at all the details and weathers the up's and down's calmly. Trustee Minx thanked him from the bot- tom of her heart and said she, and the residents of Morton Grove, truly appreciate his years of dedicated service. P. q. Village Administrator Czerwinski said, "We've been great comrades at many levels," and have even argued and yelled at each other, but all with the goal of making the Fire Service in Morton Grove the absolute best it could be. He said he appreciated Tom's service, not only in the Vil- lage, but as a Division 3 Chief. He thanked Tom for leading the RED Center for 13 years, and thanked him for being a great friend and comrade. Corporation Counsel Liston said there are 41.5 miles between St. Charles and Morton Grove, and Tom drives them five, six, even seven days a week. She said when she works late, she sometimes has to beg him to leave so she can feel okay about leaving. Ms. Liston said that there are very few people around with the level of dedication of Tom Friel. She noted that he became Fire Chief the same day as she became Corporation Counsel. She commented that, in 2012, when her mother was dying, Tom kept her family in the loop and was there for her, not as the fire chief, but as a friend. She thanked him on behalf of the Village staff and wished him all the best in his retirement. 2. President pro tem Grear also read a proclamation honoring resident Raymond Sola on the oc- casion of his 100th birthday, which will be on August 20, 2016. Mr. Sola has been a resident of Morton Grove for 60 years. 3 Minutes of August 8, 2016 Board Meeting VIII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT (continued) a. President pro tem Grear said that Mr. Sola served in World War II in Europe and came back and settled in Morton Grove with his wife. They raised a family and have been members of St. Martha's parish ever since. President pro tem Grear proclaimed August 10, 2016 as "Raymond Sola Day" in the Village and wished him many more happy years in Morton Grove. President pro tem Grear thanked Trustee Ramos for bringing this auspicious occasion to the Village's attention. IX. 1. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Travis said that the Community Relations Commission is sponsoring a Village -wide garage sale on September 16-18. Anyone interested in participating must register with the Village by September 5th to be included on the map that the Village will provide. Garage sale permit fees will be waived for the participants. 2. Clerk Travis also encouraged everyone to submit photos for the Community Relations Commis- sion's photo contest to support the Village's tag line of "Incredibly Close. Amazingly Open." Submissions are due September 9th and can be made via a link on the Village's website. X. STAFF REPORTS A. Village Administrator: 1. Village Administrator Czerwinski said the Village had mailed out a 6x11" postcard to residents outlining upcoming Village activities. It's a good way to get relevant information to the residents in their homes, in a cost-efficient manner. 2. He offered the Police Department a round of applause for their very successful National Night Out, and said it was well-publicized, well-prepared, well-managed, and well -coordinated. The weather was perfect. Mr. Czerwinski said he hoped to see more such events promoting positive interaction between the community and the Police Department and other public service agencies in the Village. 3. Mr. Czerwinski reminded the assemblage that the Village has ended its participation in the electrical aggregation program. It was a good program and it did its part when it was put into place back in 2011. The program saved residents approximately $1.8 million over the last five years. He said that residents will receive correspondence from ComEd about this as well. If anyone has any questions, contact Village Hall. 4. Mr. Czerwinski announced that the Village will do an emergency alert system test at 10:00 a.m. on September 6. This coincides with September being Emergency Preparedness Month and also ties to the Tuesday morning alarm and warning siren testing. The Village will test the emergency telephone system, which will help in cleansing the data base. B. Corporation Counsel: Corporation Counsel Liston had no report. 4 Minutes of August 8, 2016 Board Meeting xl. A. Trustee Grear: Trustee Grear had no formal report. B. Trustee Minx: TRUSTEES' REPORTS 1. Trustee Minx presented for a second reading Ordinance 16-15, Approving a Final Plat For a Minor Subdivision Located at 9109 Menard, Morton Grove, Illinois 60053. This case had been tabled at the Board's July 11, 2016 meeting Trustee Minx moved to remand PC16-02, which is a Request for Approval of a Final Plat of Subdivision for 9109 Menard Avenue, back to the Plan Commission for additional consideration, pending the receipt of the required fully -dimensioned "as -built" plat of survey and zoning analysis for the existing residential development on the newly proposed Lot 1. Trustee Pietron seconded the motion. a. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 1 nay. Tr. Grear nay Tr. Minx a� Tr. Ramos Tr. ThiII aye Tr. Pietron Tr. Witko ay± 2. Next, Trustee Minx presented Ordinance 16-18, Approving a Final Plat Fora Minor Subdivision Located at 7915 Foster Street, Morton Grove, Illinois 60053. This is the second reading of this Ordinance. a. Trustee Minx pointed out that this is an approval of the subdivision only, and that the Plan Commission had unanimously recommended this approval. Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Witko, to adopt Ordinance 16-18. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear gy2 Tr. Minx Tr. Ramos acre Tr. Thill Tr. Pietron gys Tr. Witko �e 3. Next, Trustee Minx introduced for a first reading Ordinance 16-19, Amending Title 10, Chapter 5 of the Municipal Code Entitled "Property Maintenance Regulations" and Deleting Title 10, Chapter 5, Article A Entitled "Vacant Buildings." Trustee Minx explained that Village staff conducted a review of Title 10, Chapter 5, which sets forth property maintenance regulations for all properties in the Village, as well as requirements for the registration and maintenance of vacant properties. Based on this review, staff has recommended five revisions to Chapter 5, including updating the definitions of vacant, dangerous, and nuisance building; designating all persons or entities who have an ownership interest in or a right to possess, control, or manage a property as being responsible for its maintenance and repairs, and prohibiting the Village from issuing transfer stamps and permits to any person who has unpaid property maintenance fines or obligations owed the Village for violations or unsatisfactory conditions that have not been corrected. a. 5 Minutes of August 8, 2016 Board Meeting Xl. B. Trustee Minx: (continued) Trustee Minx said that, as this is a first reading, no action will be taken this evening. C. Trustee Pietron: TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) 1. Trustee Pietron presented Ordinance 16-53, Authorizing a Renewal Agreement Between the Village of Morton Grove and Illinois Convenience and Safety Corporation to Install and Maintain Transit Advertising Shelters Within the Village. He explained that this Resolution authorizes a ten-year renewal agreement with the Illinois Convenience and Safety Corporation (IC&SC), a private organization, to install and maintain transit advertising shelters at no expense to taxpayers within the Village. The agreement stipulates that IS&SC will pay the Village a 20% share of the net advertising revenue they receive. This is an increase of 10% over the prior contract share. IS&SC maintains 375 bus shelters throughout the area (12 within the Corporate Limits) at no expense to taxpayers, and has done so for more than 20 years. a. 2. a. b. Trustee Pietron moved to approve Resolution 16-53, seconded by Trustee Minx. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Minx aye Tr. Pietron Tr. Ramos ave Tr. Thill u2 Tr. Witko ave Next, Trustee Pietron presented Resolution 16-54, Authorizing the Execution of a Contract With G&L Contractors, Inc. For the 2016 Material Hauling Program. He said that the material hauling program is necessary to haul and dispose of construction/ demolition debris, street sweepings, tree stump grindings, and to transport and furnish sand and stone material for the Village. The Village annually contracts with a material hauling contrator to assist in the hauling of materials to and from Public Works. The contract was bid through a public process and two sealed bids were received. The low bidder was G&L Contractors, Inc. of Skokie, Illinois, in the amount of $162,100. However, since this is a unit price contract, the final contract amount will be based on the actual quantity of work performed. Trustee Pietron moved, seconded by Trustee Thill, to approve Resolution 16-54. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear ave Tr. Minx ave Tr. Pietron ave Tr. Ramos aye Tr. Thill Tr. Witko 6 Minutes of August 8 2016 Board Meeting XI. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) C. Trustee Pietron: (continued) 3. Trustee Pietron then presented Resolution 16-55, Authorizing the Execution of a Contract With Path Construction Company, Inc. For the 2016 Beckwith Road Bridge Rehabilitation—Project B. a. b. He explained that, a 2015 bridge inspection itemized needed repairs on the Beckwith Road bridge, including expansion joint replacement, approach slab replacement, and pier repairs. Public Works staff budgeted $120,000 for the expansion joint replacements in the 2016 Budget. The contract authorized by Resolution 16-44 was for $62,000, and the engineering cost is estimated to be $18,000, leaving an anticipated budget surplus of $40,000. Therefore, it is practical for the Village to utilize these budgeted funds. A project was subsequently developed to repair the deteriorated areas of the approach slabs and one pier. This would fit the budget and provide value to the Village. The contract was then bid through a public process. The contract must conform to the requirements of the Prevailing Wage Act. The proposed price from the lowest bidder, Path Construction Company, is $28,800. However, since this is a unit price contract, the final contrat amount will be based on the actual quantity of work performed. Trustee Pietron moved to approve Resolution 16-55, seconded by Trustee Ramos. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Minx aye Tr. Pietron Tr. Ramos 21E Tr. Thill Lys Tr. Witko yQ 4. Trustee Pietron commented that, last week, he and Trustee Thill had taken the Fire Department's CPR class. He said it was brilliant and highly recommend that others take the class. At the conclusion of the class, you will know how to administer CRP to adults, children, and infants. D. Trustee Ramos: Trustee Ramos had no report. E. Trustee Thill: Trustee Thill had no report. F. Trustee Witko: Trustee Witko had no report. 7 Minutes of August 8, 2016 Board Meeting XII. XIII. OTHER BUSINESS President pro tem welcomed former Trustee Don Sneider to the meeting tonight and thanked him for coming. WARRANTS Trustee Witko presented the Warrant Register for August 8, 2016, in the amount of $653,725.67. She moved that the Warrants be approved as presented. Trustee Minx seconded the motion. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear Lyg. Tr. Minx a ie Tr. Pietron ave Tr. Ramos Tr. ThiII 2y1 Tr. Witko XIV. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS 1. a. b. c. 2. a. b. Anthony Kramer, 5904 Emerson, said that he had come to the Board a few years ago about the necessity for a storm sewer at Capri Lane and Emerson. He wondered what progress had been made. Village Administrator Czerwinski said that, since that would be a project costing in excess of $4 million, the Village was looking at low-interest IEPA loans to help fund the work. He said the 2017 Budget would contain funds for Phase 1 Engineering. Mr. Czerwinski said that everything needs to be coordinated with the IEPA. He said he understood Mr. Kramer's and other residents of that area's concerns. He said the Village's best course of action was to handle this in "phased" chunks. He said that Public Works would ensure that the sewers in that area are operating at maximum efficiency. Mr. Kramer said it's just devastating when the water doesn't drain. People have lost cars and other belongings due to the water. He said they've been waiting for three years. Mr. Czerwinski asked Mr. Kramer to please keep contacting him or reach out to Joe Dahm in the Water Department. Mrs. Pellicano, 9327 National, questioned whether the closure of Beckwith Road at Shermer was permanent. She said neither residents nor the nearby school was notified, and wondered what method of communication the Village used. She's lived here since 1954. Mr. Czerwinski said that, in spite of the presence of speed monitors and flashing lights, critical accidents continue to occur at the Beckwith-Shermer and Beckwith -Harlem intersections. He explained that the Village's code allows the police department to try experimental traffic controls for a period of time, then evaluate how well they are or are not working. He said that's what the Village is trying now. Mr. Czerwinski said the Village has tried experimental traffic controls in other areas of the Village over the past 6-8 months; some have worked well, others have not. The street closure is not permanent. The Village will look at how this is working after 60 days. 8 Minutes of August 8, 2016 Board Meeting XIV. c. d. XV. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (continued) As far as communication, Mr. Czerwinski said that letters advising the closing of the Beckwith- Shermer intersection were sent to residents within 400 feet of the area. Also, all the schools were informed, so they could alter bus routes, if necessary. Mrs. Pellicano said the Village needs to send the residents in that area more information. She felt the west side of town has no representation on the Village. Mr. Czerwinski said the Village was planning to have an upcoming "neighborhood outreach meeting" on the west side of town. ADJOURNMENT Trustee Thill moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Trustee Minx. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear ave Tr. Minx ave Tr. Pietron ave Tr. Ramos au Tr. ThiII au Tr. Witko aye The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m. 9 Minutes of August 8, 2016 Board Meeting PASSED this 12th day of September, 2016. Trustee Grear Rye Trustee Minx Trustee Pietron Trustee Ramos Trustee Thill Trustee Witko APPROV me thi. 12th day of September, 2016. Yn Daniel P. DiMaria, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my office this 13th day of September, 2016. Connie J. Travis, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove, Cook County, Illinois Minutes by: Teresa Cousar 10