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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-10-23 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 OCTOBER 23, 2017 CALL TO ORDER I — Village President Dan DiMaria convened the meeting at 7:00 pm. in the Council Chambers of V. Village Hall and led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance. VI. Village Clerk Eileen Harford called the roll. Present were: Trustees Bill Grear, Rita Minx, Ed Ramos, John Thill, Connie Travis, and Janine Witko. APPROVAL OF MINUTES VII. 1. Regarding the October 9, 2017 Regular Board Meeting Minutes, Trustee Thill moved to approve the Minutes as presented, seconded by Trustee Witko. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. 2. Regarding the Minutes of the Special Meeting (Budget Workshop) of October 10, 2017, Trustee Minx moved to accept the Minutes as presented, seconded by Trustee Grear. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. VIII. IX. X. SPECIAL REPORTS NONE PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) NONE Minutes of October 23, 2017 Board Meeting XI. PRESIDENT'S REPORT 1. Mayor DiMaria noted the passing of a 20 -year member of the Traffic Safety Commission, Norm Rockel. He passed away on October 21st. Mayor DiMaria extended his personal and the Board's condolences to Mr. Rockel's family. 2. Mayor DiMaria complimented the Morton Grove Days Commission on a very successful Pancake Breakfast, held October 14 at the Civic Center. He said he was sorry he had not been able to attend, but his understanding was that attendance was good and the fundraiser met its goals. The proceeds of this Pancake Breakfast, and the one held in May of 2017, will go toward the "Santa Clause Comes to Town" event coming up on December 2, 2017. 3. Mayor DiMaria noted that the "outdoor" Farmers' Market ended on October 14th, but there will be two winter "indoor" Markets: one on December 2, 2017 and the other on February 3, 2018. He announced that there will be a meeting this Thursday, October 26, at 7:00 p.m. in the Scanlon Conference Room on the second floor of Village Hall to discuss the future of the Farmers' Market; all residents are welcome to attend. Mayor DiMaria added that "it's not too late" to sign up to be a "Market Friend," just visit the Market's website and make your donation there. 4. Mayor DiMaria said that Budget Workshops were held on October 10 and October 17. He thanked the Village staff and department heads for doing a diligent job on the preparation of the 2018 Budget. Unfortunately, no residents showed up at either of the workshops. The 2018 Budget is a "stable" budget and does not contemplate any major capital initiatives. Mayor DiMaria gave kudos to Administrator Czerwinski and Finance Director Sullivan for their excellent presentations during the workshops, and noted that any questions on the Budget should be directed to either one of them. 5. Mayor DiMaria announced that Trader Joe's wants to know if residents would like one of their stores in Morton Grove. He said that everyone interested in having a Trader Joe's in town should go to the Trader Joe's website (www.traderjoes.com), and click on FAQs at the bottom of the page (listed under the heading "Questions." One of the questions is, "How can I bring a Trader Joe's to my community?" and the response is a link to email the company. The link opens to a form where you would enter your name, phone number, and email address, and there's a field for "Comments," where you can tell them you strongly encourage them to open a store in Morton Grove. Mayor DiMaria said, it's not a guarantee, but if the company feels "wanted" enough, it could happen! 6. Mayor DiMaria noted that there would be a "Helping Hands Community Resource Event" on Saturday, November 4th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Niles West High School. The event is being presented to help residents of Morton Grove, Niles, Skokie, and Evanston learn about available resources and gain valuable insights into eligibility requirements for supportive services. The event is co-sponsored by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin. 2 Minutes of October 23, 2017 Board Meeting. XII. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Harford had no report. XIII. STAFF REPORTS A. Village Administrator: 1. Village Administrator Czerwinski said he had good news about "Site B," the two -acre former Domicile Furniture site at Ferris and Capulina. Lexington Homes is proposing to build 36 town - home units on this site. Mr. Czerwinski said it's been an arduous task to get something developed at this location, which has been vacant for over nine years. a. Mr. Czerwinski said the Village enjoys a good relationship with Lexington Homes—this is not their first venture in Morton Grove. He said that a mutually favorable redevelopment agreement has been negotiated, and that this development will restore vitality to this neighborhood. 2. Mr. Czerwinski said that Pace is bringing rapid transit to Morton Grove with a Pace Pulse Route on Dempster Street. The route will be along Dempster Street between the Davis Street CTA station in Evanston, through downtown Des Plaines, and continuing on to O'Hare Airport. This will not have a negative impact on the current Pace bus #250 route. The new Pulse Route is not expected to be in service until 2020. Pace is currently working on a Milwaukee Avenue Pulse Route between Golf Mill Shopping Center and the Jefferson Park Transit Center in Chicago. 3. Mr. Czerwinski said that ComEd continues their maintenance work on the transmission towers along Lehigh Avenue, with work scheduled to conclude on November 17th. This work is resulting in Lehigh Avenue lane closures. He encouraged local drivers to watch for flagmen and signage in the area, and to allow extra travel time through the area. 4. Mr. Czerwinski announce that, after and in spite of significant effort by the Village Board and Village staff toward bringing progress and prosperity to the intersection of Dempster and Waukegan, the shopping center representatives have withdrawn their application for a Planned Unit Development and Special Use Permit at the Prairie View Shopping Center. The developer had already gone through the Appearance Commission and Traffic Safety Commission hearings, but was directed to withdraw the application at the Plan Commission meeting on October 16. Mr. Czerwinski said that the Board and staff had been energized by this project, so this news was quite disheartening. The Village was told privately that the shopping center plans to demolish the center and has limited ambitions to rebuild it. Mr. Czerwinski said the Village will continue to make efforts to stimulate redevelopment of this area. He pointed out that the shopping center is in a TIF District, which provides specific funds for redevelopment, but said the Village also must ensure that its investments are appropriate. 5. Mr. Czerwinski then presented Resolution 17-42, Authorizing the Approval of and Funding for an Agreement Between Morton Grove -Niles Water Commission and Albrecht Enterprises, Inc. for Demolition and Asbestos Abatement and Removal Services at 7900 Nagle Avenue, Morton Grove, Illinois. 3 Minutes of October 23, 2017 Board Meeting XIII. STAFF REPORTS (continued) a. Mr. Czerwinski said that the Morton Grove -Niles Water Commission (MGNWC) had issued a Request for Proposals to provide services relating to the demolition, asbestos abatement, and building removal, as well as an underground storage tank, at 7900 Nagle Avenue in preparation for a pumping station for the MGNWC. Albrecht Enterprises submitted the lowest bid for these services, and the environmental consultant for the MGNWC, Northstar Consultants, Inc., recommended the MGNWC accept this bid. Albrecht's fees for this service will be $89,400, and the Villages of Morton Grove and Niles will each pay 50% of this cost. Mr. Czerwinski said that any MGNWC expenditures over $40,000 require approval by both Morton Grove's and Niles' Village Boards; a similar resolution will be presented to Niles later this week. 6. Trustee Minx moved to approve Resolution 17-42, seconded by Trustee Travis. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear ay2 Tr. Minx 2y2 Tr. Ramos ave Tr. Thill aye Tr. Travis ave Tr. Witko ave Mayor DiMaria commented that, when the Board was talking about the savings the Alternate Water Supply project would garner for the Village, these numbers were factored in. 7. Regarding the Prairie View Shopping Center, Mayor DiMaria said the Village was ready to partner with the shopping center and still is. A lot of time and effort had gone into the proposed project, but the Village must get the right economic return on its investment. B. Corporation Counsel: Corporation Counsel Liston had no report. TRUSTEES' REPORTS XIV. A. Trustee Grear: 1. Trustee Grear wished Mayor DiMaria a happy birthday, and presented for a first reading Ordinance 17-27, Authorizing an Economic Incentive and Tax Increment Allocation Financing Redevelopment Agreement ("RDA") By and Between the Village of Morton Grove and Lexington Homes, LLC. a. He thanked Mr. Czerwinski for providing a brief overview of this Ordinance and noted that, as this is a first reading, no action will be taken this evening. 2. Mayor DiMaria thanked Trustee Grear for his birthday wishes, and extended his congratulations to Trustee Grear on his retirement for his full-time job. 4 Minutes of October 23, 2017 Board Meeting XIV. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) B. Trustee Minx: Trustee Minx had no formal report, but commented that she had sat through all of the Prairie View Shopping Center meetings, and found it interesting that none of the property owner's representatives could recall a time when that shopping center was a vital part of Morton Grove. The current owners bought it in the mid -1970's or early 1980's, when it was already in decline. Thousands of cars go through that intersection daily; she felt it was a real shame that the owners weren't interested in revitalizing the center. C. Trustee Ramos: Trustee Ramos had no formal report but thanked Mr. Czerwinski and the Morton Grove Days volunteers on a "job well done" at the Pancake Breakfast. D. Trustee Thill: Trustee Thill had no formal report, but said that he will not be shopping at Prairie View Shopping Center. He also thanked Mr. Czerwinski for his efforts in getting the Molloy Education Center a $2,100 grant from the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) to implement a variety of source reduction and recycling initiatives. The grant was possible due in part to a Recycling Grant Program by SWANCC that the Village hosted last fall for school districts serving Morton Grove. E. Trustee Travis: 1. Trustee Travis reported that the Community Artists Performance on October 15 was very successful. She thanked Ginny (from Identity Performing Arts) and the Community Relations Commission members for spearheading this effort. 2. Trustee Travis said that the Community Relations Commission's Fall photo contest will end on December 2"d. She encouraged residents to post photos depicting the Village's tagline of "Incredibly Close. Amazingly Open." More information can be found on the Village's website. F. Trustee Witko: Trustee Witko had no report. 5 Minutes of October 23, 2017 Board Meeting XV. XVI. OTHER BUSINESS NONE WARRANTS Trustee Travis presented the Warrant Register for October 23, 2017, in the amount of $496,233.44. She moved that the Warrants be approved as presented. Trustee Witko seconded the motion. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear Tr. Thill gya Tr. Minx Tr. Travis aya gy Tr. Ramos Tr. Witko aya aya XVII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS Nancy Lanning, a lifelong resident of Morton Grove and a volunteer at the Civic Center, said she had noticed a curb at the entrance that was making it rather difficult for people with walkers to access the building from the parking lot. She said she had mentioned it to Mr. Czerwinski at the Pancake Breakfast, and he, in turn, mentioned it to Joe Dahm of Public Works. Mrs. Lanning said she was incredibly impressed to see that, by Monday, the curb was gone and the entrance was more accessible! She thanked both Mr. Czerwinski and Public Works for their swiftness in taking action on this. Mr. Czerwinski said that he appreciated Mrs. Lanning pointing it out, and thanked Public Works Director DeMonte and his staff for being "on top of it." XVIII ADJOURNMENT Trustee Thill moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Trustee Minx. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear Tr. Minx Rya Tr. Ramos aye Tr. Thill ave Tr. Travis aye Tr. Witko ave The meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m. 6 Minutes of October 23, 2017 Board fNeef PASSED this 27th day of November, 2017. Trustee Grear Trustee Minx Trustee Ramos Trustee Thill Trustee Travis Trustee Witko APPRO by m th. 27th day of November, 2017. Daniel P. DiMaria, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my office this 28th day of November, 2017. Eileen Scanlon Harford, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove, Cook County, Illinois Minutes by: Teresa Cousar 7