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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-02-08 Board 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 FEBRUARY 8, 2010 CALL TO ORDER Village President Dan Staackmann called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. After leading the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance, he directed the Village Clerk to call the roll. II. Village Clerk Tony Kalogerakos called the roll. Present were: Trustees Dan DiMaria, Larry Gomberg, Bill Grear, Shel Marcus, John Thill, and Maria Toth. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Regarding the Minutes of the Special Meeting of January 25, 2010, Trustee DiMaria moved, seconded by Trustee Grear, to accept the Minutes as presented. There was no discussion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. b. Regarding the Minutes of the January 25, 2010 Regular Meeting, Trustee DiMaria moved, seconded by Trustee Toth, to accept the Minutes as presented. There was no discussion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. IV. SPECIAL REPORTS NONE PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE VI. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) NONE Minutes of Februa 8, 2010 Board Meeting VII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT 1. Mayor Staackmann proclaimed the month of February, 2010, as "Dating Violence Awareness Month" in Morton Grove. He said that dating violence is a reality for many young people, and said that this month provides an excellent opportunity for citizens to learn more about prevent- ing dating violence. He encouraged everyone to do whatever they could to prevent dating violence. 2. Mayor Staackmann noted that Mrs. Dodee Connelly had passed away at the age of 90. Both she and her husband Paul served on the Park Board. Mrs. Connelly was active in too many organizations to mention. Her son is a community activist as well. Mayor Staackmann offered his personal condolences to the Connelly family, and said this is a loss for the entire Village. VIII. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Kalogerakos had no formal report, but as liaison to the Cable and Telecommunications Commission, he did have a request. He asked residents to let him know if the Village's current community programming schedule works out for them. Clerk Kalogerakos asked residents to call him at 847-965-4100 and leave a message indicating whether or not they find the current programming times convenient or would like them changed. IX. STAFF REPORTS A. Village Administrator 1. Miscellaneous Reports and Updates a. Mr. Wade said that, under Trustee Thill's report this evening, is Ordinance 10-03, which restricts parking in the neighborhood of Henning Ct. This is the case and the related ordinance that the Board remanded back to the Traffic Safety Commission at their last Board meeting. Mr. Wade said that he knows the Traffic Safety Commission is working on this and suggested the Board might want to table this ordinance until the next Board meeting. b. Mr. Wade noted that at 5:15 p.m. tomorrow night, the ad hoc Solid Waste Advisory Committee would be meeting to review proposals from several different vendors, including Ark, Groot, and Waste Management. c. Mr. Wade said that a letter has been sent out to businesses along Dempster regarding the Dempster Street construction project. The start date had originally been anticipated as being February 8, but the contractor had to get some additional authorizations from the Illinois Department of Transportation, which resulted in the start date being delayed to February 15. d. Mr. Wade announced that, on Monday, February 15 at 5:30 p.m., there would be a Special Meeting going into Executive Session to discuss the sale and purchase of property in the Lehigh -Ferris and Waukegan Road TIF Districts. e. Mr. Wade reported that a formal presentation of the proposals the Village has received to continue senior services would be made at the February 22, 2010 Board Meeting. Proposals have been received from the Morton Grove Public Library, Omega, Golden Friends, Sunshine Club, and the North Shore Senior Center. 2 Minutes of Februa 8, 2010 Board Meeting IX. STAFF REPORTS (continued) 2. Presentation of Lincoln Avenue and Ferris Avenue Improvement Plans a. Mr. Wade then presented the Lincoln Avenue and Ferris Avenue Improvement Plans. He said that the goals of improvements on Lincoln and on Ferris were "traffic calming" and to improve pedestrian safety. The Village wants this area to be a pedestrian -friendly area. He noted that there are some decisions the Board needs to make, which will be brought up during the presentation. He then turned it over to Bill Neuendorf, Community & Economic Development Director, for further explanation. b. Mr. Neuendorf stated that this project has been around for several years. It stemmed from a public workshop held in 2006. He elaborated on the goals for this area: to slow traffic, increase vehicle and pedestrian safety, retain street parking, create a sense of "character, and beautification of the public way. The project will take place on Lincoln Avenue from Ferris to just west of School Street, and on Ferris Avenue from Dempster to Lincoln. It will focus on reducing road width, retaining parking, upgrading the utilities, and reducing the "cluttered" look. A new water main will be installed on Ferris Avenue. Curbs will be extended to narrow the roads and make it easier for people to cross the street. Several crosswalks will be added, including a dedicated crosswalk at Georgiana and Lincoln. All will be well -marked and some will include ornamentation. Two landscaped medians (similar to Main Street in Skokie) will be included. One will be near the Public Library and one at Ferris and Lincoln. These 7 -foot wide medians will feature low maintenance native plantings, some flowering, and will be irrigated. There will also be some dedicated green space in strategic places. c. Trustee Grear asked if any street parking would be lost as a result of these improvements and if so, how many spaces. Mr. Neuendorf said that there are currently 47 parking spaces along Lincoln Avenue; ten of which shouldn't be there in the first place for a variety of reasons (too close to intersections, etc.). After these improvements, there will be 24 parking spaces on Lincoln. But there will be a new parking lot behind the Fire Station which will add back 12 spaces. Along Ferris Avenue, there are currently 87 existing spaces (ten of which should not be there). After the improvements, 70 parking spaces are proposed. The project proposes new roadway lighting and a lower -height pedestrian lighting pole. Mr. Neuendorf then turned the presentation over to Village Engineer Chris Tomich to discuss the construction details. d. Mr. Tomich said that, although the area will be definitely be disrupted, two-way traffic should be able to be maintained on Ferris Avenue. On Lincoln, the Village anticipates detouring east- bound traffic and maintaining west -bound traffic. The Village coordinated with the Fire Department on the direction of the detour. He said that everyone is trying to be mindful of the east -west construction on Dempster Street. Mr. Tomich said he didn't really think a lot of people would be trying to use Lincoln Avenue as an alternate to Dempster Street. e. Trustee Marcus asked about the timeframe for construction on Lincoln and Ferris. Mr. Tomich said that bids would be solicited in March; the contract would be awarded in April; and construction would begin in mid-May. Construction would likely take place on Ferris Avenue first, because it was going to take some time for Commonwealth Edison to bury their utilities. He felt that Lincoln Avenue improvements would not begin until July. There is also going to be some resurfacing work being done on Lehigh Avenue; that will take place in April or May and will take 6 to 8 weeks. (Lehigh is part of the Lincoln Avenue project detour.) Construction in the area will likely continue through November of 2010. Mr. Tomich turned the presentation back to Mr. Neuendorf to talk about project costs. 3 Minutes of February 8, 2010 Board Meeting IX. STAFF REPORTS (continued) f. Mr. Neuendorf said that the Lincoln/Ferris Area Improvement Project is currently estimated to cost $3.2 million. This cost could be lowered by approximately $350,000 if several things were reduced or omitted. He said that the $3.2 million pricetag does not include the cost to bury the utilities. That would cost an additional $300,000–$400,000, raising the total project cost to $3.6 million. He pointed out that there is enough money in the TIF Fund and in the 2007 bond funds to do this work. Mr. Neuendorf said the two questions the Board needs to answer are (1) does this meet the Village's expectations, and (2) should the scope be reduced by $350,000 by reducing or elimi- nating some components. These components would be: minimizing the ornamental lighting by eliminating the pedestrian lighting (a savings of $120,000); reducing the sidewalk improve- ments using different (lesser) materials (a savings of $180,000)—Mr. Neuendorf cautioned the board that this option would also mean a reduction in the lifespan of the sidewalks (they would still meet the Village's Code, however); reducing the scope of the Memorial Plaza envisioned for "yard" area of the Fire Station (a savings of $20,000); and eliminating the enhanced cross- walk markings ( a savings of $30,000). The crosswalks would still be there, but the proposal calls for crosswalk markings embedded into the asphalt, which are much more durable and long-lasting. h. Trustee Marcus asked when the decision is needed. Mr. Tomich said the designers are ready to go; they're just awaiting the Village's direction. Staff would like to know before March 1 so they can either go forward or revise the plans. Trustee Marcus said that he would like to save the money but does not want to hurt the viability or the useable life of the improvements. He was concerned about the fact that Commonwealth Edison's estimate for burying the utilities went from an original $100,000 to the just -stated $300,000–$400,000. Mr. Neuendorf explained that the increase is basically due to the expanded scope of the project. ComEd needs to bury more poles now than originally anticipated. Trustee Marcus said he was concerned by that. He said that he felt this project would be beneficial for the community and that the Village should move forward, but wanted to have more time in which to reevaluate the numbers. j. Trustee Grear asked if all of this work would take place within the Lehigh -Ferris TIF District. Mr. Neuendorf replied yes and said that it would be paid for out of the Lehigh -Ferris TIF Fund. He added that it will be 6 to 8 weeks before the Village receives "real" numbers from Commonwealth Edison, but felt that $300,000 was "in the ballpark." Mayor Staackmann noted that there used to be a provision in the Village's Franchise Agree- ment with Commonwealth Edison that they would have to bury their utilities at their own cost, should the Village make such a request. However, that provision was dropped from all of ComEd's franchise agreements by the Illinois Commerce Commission. 3. Lehigh Avenue Commuter Parking Lot a. Mr. Wade said the Village has purchased some parcels of property at Lehigh and Chestnut. The Village is looking at putting parking spaces on the three parcels on the north side of Chestnut or, if they can get a grant for funding, possibly even a parking garage. This could end up being a temporary surface parking lot while the Village goes through the grant process. Mr. Tomich said that he has looked at the parcels and talked to designers. For an estimated 112 spaces, it would cost the Village $400,000–$500,000. They would need to provide deten- tion so some space would have to be reserved for that, possibly 30 feet on both the east and west end, for shallow detention ponds. The cost of the lot would also include lighting and 4 Minutes of February 8, 2010 Board Meeting IX. STAFF REPORTS (continued) some type of screening or shrubbery. Basically, it would cost about $5,000 per parking space to build it. As a comparison, Mr. Tomich said, it's costing $83,000 for 12 parking spaces behind the Fire Station on Lincoln Avenue, and it cost $400,000 for 30 parking spaces (two parking lots) on Dempster Street. This is relatively lesser expensive, and would be paid for by Lehigh -Ferris TIF funds. The parking lot could be dedicated to "residents -only" via permit. Mr. Tomich said he was prepared to talk to a design engineer and get a design; the goal would be to have construction underway this fall. b. Mayor Staackmann said that an enterprise fund could be set up so the revenue could go to the Village. Mr. Wade said that we have much greater flexibility with owning it. Mayor Staackmann said that such an enterprise fund could help maintain all the Village -owned parking lots. Mr. Wade said the parking lot could pay for itself within 5 years. B. Corporation Counsel: Ms. Liston had no report. X. A. Trustee DiMaria: Trustee DiMaria had no report. B. Trustee Gomberg: Trustee Gomberg had report. C. Trustee Grear: TRUSTEES' REPORTS Trustee Grear had no official report. He stated that the Chamber's recent VIP dinner had been a wonderful evening. He asked everyone to remember that the Morton Grove Foundation's "Taste" event is coming up on March 11. He also announced that a meeting of the Morton Grove Days committee would be held at Village Hall tomorrow (Tuesday, February 9) at 5:30 p.m. D. Trustee Marcus: Trustee Marcus had no report. 5 414 w"'!', '43A, Vii• i�'..� i,Fr:_rk t' ,.4 ti, ��7Y x :v 4. ,.!. ta,Vo1 QtBoa'dlMeri X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) E. Trustee Thill 1. Trustee Thill presented Ordinance 10-03, Amending Title 5, Chapter 13, Article F, Section 2 Entitled "No Parking During Certain Hours", and Title 5, Chapter 13, Article F, Section 3B Entitled "Time Limit Parking Zones" of the Municipal Code of the Village. 2. 3. Trustee Thill explained that this matter had been remanded back to the Traffic Safety Commission for further consideration. He moved to table this ordinance to the March 8, 2010 Board Meeting. Trustee Marcus seconded the motion. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. ThiII aye Tr. Toth aye Trustee Thill then presented Resolution 10-11, Authorizing the Acceptance of the Low Bid and Execution of a Contract with ERA Valdivia Contractors, Inc. For the 2010 North Station Tower Painting. Trustee Thill moved to approve Resolution 10-11, seconded by Trustee Toth. Trustee Thill noted that eight bids had been received, and this was the lowest of them. (The contract amount is $212,800.) Trustree Grear said he was impressed that the bids had come in lower than anticipated. Trustee Marcus asked if this would be paid for out of the Capital Improvements bond issue. Mayor Staackmann said it would. Upon the vote, the motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. ThiII aye Tr. Toth aye Trustee Thill introduced Resolution 10-12, Authorizing the Acceptance of the Low Bids to Execute Separate Contracts with Plote Construction, Inc., Peter Baker and Son Company, and Ozinga Chicago RMC, Inc. for the 2010 Material Purchasing Program. Trustee Thill explained that the 2010 Materials Purchasing Program is necessary for the maintenance of Village streets, and includes the purchase of hot -mix asphalt, bituminous patching mixture, and Portland Cement concrete. He moved to approve Resolution 10-12, seconded by Trustee DiMaria. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. ThiII aye Tr. Toth aye 4. Trustee Thill echoed Trustee Grear's comments about the Chamber's VIP dinner, and thanked the Chamber for using a local facility. F. Trustee Toth: Trustee Toth had no formal report, but announced that the Community Relations Commission had extended its deadline for submissions for its "Most Memorable Morton Grove Moment" essay project to March 31, 2010. 6 Minutes of Februa 8, 2010 Board Meetin. XI. XII. OTHER BUSINESS NONE WARRANTS a. Trustee Gomberg presented the Warrant Register for February 8, 2010 in the amount of $529,895.49. He moved to accept the Warrants, seconded by Trustee Toth. Trustee Thill had several questions: b. On page 10, there is a check listed for $5,600 to Pinner Electric for street light maintenance and traffic signal repair. He wondered if it had been a repair due to an accident and whether the Village would be reimbursed. Finance Director Ryan Horne said this was something Pinner Electric had done that was outside of their maintenance contract with the Village. Public Works Director Andy DeMonte said the maintenance contract covers bulb cleaning, checking for outages, bulb replacement, etc. This was a repair due to an outage on Waukegan Road; there was also a problem with a traffic signal. c. Trustee Thill noted that there were a lot of checks being mailed to senior citizens who lived in condominiums, totaling $47,000. Mayor Staackmann asked Mr. Horne to explain how much is refunded annually. Mr. Horne said this is a rebate for those seniors for the water. 258 indi- viduals are receiving a rebate. He said the overall program costs the Village $185,000 annu- ally, inclusive of this rebate. To qualify, one must demonstrate a financial need, qualified by receiving the senior freeze exemption. Trustee Grear said residents in single family homes get their rebates during the course of the year, because they see it on their water bill. Mr. Horne said it's not really a rebate, it's a discount. But residents in condos don't get indi- vidualized water bills, so it was decided by a past Village Board to provide them an annual rebate. There was no further discussion on the Warrants. Upon the vote, the motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus ave Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth ave XIII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS Eric Poders commended Mr. Horne for the timeliness of the warrant register. He said they used to be approved and then posted on the website. Now they're posted in advance. Mr. Poders said that he had gone to the Maine Township Food Pantry to donate some food. He noted that a lot of people these days are finding themselves in need of food and going to food pantries. He encouraged everyone to call Carol Langin at 847-297-2910 at the Maine Township Food Pantry or drop by with a donation. XIV. ADJOURNMENT/EXECUTIVE SESSION There being no further business, Trustee Marcus moved to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Thill seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m. Minutes of February 8, 2010 Board Meetin PASSED this 22nd day of February, 2010. Trustee DiMaria Trustee Gomberg Trustee Grear Trustee Marcus Trustee Thill Trustee Toth AP"OVEN -y = this � 2nd day of February, 2010. i► iiel Sta-ckmann, Village President Board o Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED y office his 23rd day of February, 2010. Tony S. K Village o akos Village Clerk on G ove, Cook County, Illinois Minutes by Teresa Causer 8