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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-09-13 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 SEPTEMBER 13, 2010 1811. CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Village President Daniel J. Staackmann called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. After leading the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance, he directed the Village Clerk to call the roll. ROLL CALL Village Clerk Tony Kalogerakos called the roll. Present were: Trustees Dan DiMaria, Larry Gomberg, Bill Grear, Shel Marcus, John Thill and Maria Toth. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Regarding the minutes of the August 9, 2010, special meeting, Trustee DiMaria moved, sec- onded by Trustee Toth, to approve the minutes as presented. There was no discussion. Mo- tion passed unanimously via voice vote. V. VI. Regarding the minutes of the August 9, 2010, regular meeting, Trustee DiMaria moved, sec- onded by Trustee Marcus, to approve the minutes as presented. There was no discussion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. Regarding the minutes of the August 30, 2010, special meeting, Trustee DiMaria moved, sec- onded by Trustee Toth, to approve the minutes as presented. There was no discussion. Mo- tion passed unanimously via voice vote. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE SPECIAL REPORTS Mary Futrell and Jordan Luhr from the North Shore Senior Center made a presentation con- cerning their integration into the Village and upcoming events. They thanked the Village for the privilege of serving its seniors. Mr. Luhr stated the North Shore Senior Center was very pleased to service the needs of the Village's seniors in mutually this beneficial project. To date, 4,000 calendars have been mailed out to senior residents in Morton Grove. The center has acquired 250 new members since taking over. Their main focus is on wellness and they believe in providing services that will help the combined mind, body, and spirit. The center is also focusing on the humanities and arts, and stimulating brain functions. A new brain fitness program will start in October with donated funds from the North Suburban Jewish Congrega- tion. There are also new improvisational programs and exercise programs. Trustee Marcus thanked the Center for their programs, enlightenment, and expansion on be- half of all Village residents. Minutes of September 13, 2010, Board Meeting VII. VIII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) None PRESIDENT'S REPORT a. Mayor Staackmann presented a proclamation proclaiming Marissa Ann Weiler Day in the Village. Ms. Weiler was unfortunately back at school and not able to be present to receive the proclamation. Mayor Staackmann stated he will see to it Ms. Weiler re- ceives the original proclamation. b. Mayor Staackmann then presented a proclamation proclaiming September 20 to Sep- tember 24, 2010, as Active Aging Week in Morton Grove. He stated older adults con- tinue to be a strong presence in the Village. He will make sure the North Shore Senior Center receives the original. c. Mayor Staackmann presented for a first reading Ordinance 10-17 Amending Title 2, Chapter 1, Section 2 Entitled Boards and Commissions of the Municipal Code of the Village. He explained this ordinance will set initial appointments for Board and Commission members to one year terms. Following initial year terms, members will be appointed for three year terms. There being no discussion, Trustee DiMaria stated the second reading of this ordinance has been scheduled for September 27, 2010. d. Mayor Staackmann presented and sought a motion to concur with the following board/commission appointments: Jennifer Mitchell for the Economic Development Commission; Peggy Friewer, for the Fire and Police Commission; David Calimag, for the Board of Environmental Health; and Ed Ramos, for the Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals. Trustee Thill moved to concur with all the appointments, seconded by Trustee Grear. There being no discussion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. Mayor Staackmann then thanked Andy DeMonte for all the hard work currently being under- taken in the Village. He is very much aware it is "a mess" out there but knows all construction work is being completed as expeditiously as possible. IX. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Kalogerakos had no formal report. He did state early voting is once again going to be in the Village. Officials will be set up from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday thru Friday from October 12 to October 28, 2010, in the Mayor's Conference Room, second floor of Village Hall. X. STAFF REPORTS a. Village Administrator Mr. Wade stated a resolution authorizing the execution of a term sheet for the Essex project will be presented this evening under Trustee DiMaria's report and an additional presentation by Essex will be made at that time. There is now an approved agreement with Culver's Restaurant. Citizens have ex- pressed their concerns and the Village Plaza is considering placing slats in the fence and placing a row of arborvitae for a natural barrier even though this is not required in 2 Minutes of September 13, 2010, Board Meeting XI. the Village's Code. The Village is looking at the truck parking in the area and will con- tinue to institute enforcement efforts. Lighting is a concern during the operation of the restaurant; however, the Village will continue to work with the Plaza owner and the residents as this project comes to fruition. b. Corporation Counsel Corporation Counsel had no formal report. REPORTS BY TRUSTEES a. Trustee DiMaria 1) Trustee DiMaria presented Resolution 10-67, Authorizing the Execution of a Term Sheet for an Economic Incentive and Tax Increment Allocation Financing Development Agreement by and Between the Village of Morton Grove, Illinois and Essex Corporation. Trustee DiMaria stated the Term Sheet agrees to financial assistance in the amount of $2.8 million and finds this to be in the best interest of the Village since, once completed, will net the Village approximately $215,000 in real es- tate taxes each year thereafter. He believes the investment in a project of this type is why the TIF works. He is pleased 23% of the housing units will be set-aside for low in- come seniors. Trustee DiMaria moved, seconded by Trustee Toth, to approve Resolution 10-67. Trustee Marcus felt there was a need for affordable senior housing and this project will provide for that need. He believes this project will be a compliment to the community. Trustee Grear stated this is just one step toward a redevelopment agreement. Mr. Wade presented an overview of the project for those present. He stated Essex has worked on this project for approximately five years. The property is an odd shaped triangular piece which makes it difficult to build upon. The property also has limited access and the senior housing project is the perfect solution. It is close to the Metra station, the Dempster street bus routes, and the forest preserve. This is a great opportunity for the Village to built an 82 unit senior independent living facility which will consist of four floors above indoor parking spaces. There will also be fourteen surface parking spaces. He pointed out in today's financial climate it is difficult to build senior housing without assistance and this project, with the help of the Illinois Development Housing Authority (IDHA), will create 80 temporary jobs in the community and ulti- mately 2 permanent jobs. He went on to state Essex has been in business since 1976 and has built more than 3,000 units like this one within the Midwest region including facilities in St. Charles and Geneva. Mr. Wade then introduced the Village's advisor, Mr. Steve Friedman, of S.B. Friedman and Associates. Mr. Friedman stated the housing resale market has dried up along with financing. Es- sex has been looking for various ways to finance this project. Additional funding sources have now been combined to create a viable project. IDHA, unfortunately, has created a time compression due to their funding. The property has been acquired and the Village's parcel has been conveyed as a ground lease for 99 years. The antici- pated funds which he believes are available from outside sources will help defer the 3 Minutes of September 13, 2010, Board Meeting needed TIF funds. Mr. Friedman also believed this project could potentially jumpstart other projects in this area. Mr. Friedman stated there are levels of protection in place for the Village even though the housing market is uncertain. Trustee Marcus stated IDHA is due to vote on this project on Friday and needs to know the Village is on board with their portion of the funding. The closing will be in mid- November and the monies will need to be spent. He had concerns about the taxpay- ers and was assured adequate protection is in place. It is understood IDHA wants a project that will not only start but will also be completed since they have such a large investment. The Village also needs to be comfortable before the redevelopment agreement is voted on. Ms. Kate Crowley, from Baker Tilly representing the Essex Corporation stated they are getting closer to where IDHA wants this project to be. Essex would like to see $3 mil- lion from the Village in order to have IDHA feel more comfortable about this project. They do anticipate the Village's portion being less than $3 million since additional fund- ing sources are being found. Trustee Marcus was concerned about making additional changes at this time to the term sheet. Corporation Counsel stated staff felt the $2.8 million was adequate. Doug Deines stated the $3 million would be enough and does not anticipate any addi- tional monies being spent above that amount. They have been doing business for 35 years. He stated this is a great project and assured the Village all units and residents will have the same opportunities within the building. He then gave a brief outline of the timeline for the project. He stated they will start building in November. In April 2011 they will have the sales office open. In May 2011 a mailing will go out to all area senior citizens. In July 2011 ads will be placed, and in August 2011 if units are not fully sold they will expand to a three mile radius and then to a five mile radius. They do not like to go farther than five miles because they want local residents who already feel com- fortable with the area and know where to shop and eat. Trustee DiMaria recommended the resolution be left alone. There have already been additional funding sources found and he does not believe the Village should put in the additional $200,000. Trustee Marcus then asked when the project would be completed? Mr. Deines stated he anticipates the project to be fully completed by no later than the first part of 2012. There being no further discussion, Mayor Staackmann called for a vote on Resolution 10-67. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays, 0 abstain. Tr. DiMaria Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Gomberg ave Tr. Grear aye Tr. Thill ave Tr. Toth ave 4 Minutes of September 13, 2010, Board Meetin. b. Trustee Gomberg Trustee Gomberg had no formal report. He invited everyone to attend the Finance Committee meeting which will be held at 7:00 pm on September 22, 2010. They are currently reviewing budget proposals and Public Works will be doing their presentation at this meeting. He also invited everyone to attend the Community Relations Commis- sion meeting at 7:30 pm on September 14, 2010. He then invited everyone to attend the Lion's Club dinner and show which will be held on November 13, 2010, at the Civic Center. For tickets, individuals may call 847.501.0721. Lastly, Trustee Gomberg in- vited residents who are having difficulties to attend a mortgage relief assistance pro- gram seminar which will be held from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on September 25, 2010, at Wright Junior College in the City of Chicago. Anyone interested may call 800.532.8785. c. Trustee Grear Trustee Grear had no formal report. He wanted everyone to know St. Martha Church was having their annual Octoberfest on October 2, 2010. A raffle will be held with a possible grand price of $15,000. For more information or to obtain tickets, residents may call 847.965.0262. d. Trustee Marcus Trustee Marcus had no formal report. He did want to thank Bonnie Burnett and Geor- gianne Brunner for organizing this past Saturday's document destruction event. There were 171 participants this year even with the rain. He also thanked Paul Tobin, Ed Hildebrandt and the many volunteers for their help. Trustee Marcus stated the Village can always use volunteers and if anyone is interested in helping out you can contact the Village Administrator, Joseph F. Wade, and he will be happy to direct you, so you too can help out. Trustee Marcus also stated the Farmers' Market has been a great success. This is a wonderful activity filled with fresh local produce and products. The last day for this year's market will be October 16, 2010. e. Trustee Thill 1) Trustee Thill presented Resolution 10-68 Authorizing the Sale of Surplus Personal Property Owned by the Village. This resolution will authorize the sale of surplus vehicles and equipment determined to be no longer useful either for increased maintenance costs, routine replacement for safety purposes, outdated, or no longer used by Village departments. This fall's auction is being held in conjunction with the Northwest Municipal Conference at the Wheeling Public Works facility. There being no discussion, Trustee Thill moved, seconded by Trustee Grear, to approve Resolution 10-68. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria gyre Tr. Marcus ave Tr. Gomberg Tr. Thill ayg Tr. Grear Tr. Toth 2) Trustee Thill presented Resolution 10-69 Authorizing the Execution of a Contract with Arrow Road Construction Company for the 2010 Street Patching Program. This annual contract was bid through a public process in which the contract was advertised, and sealed bids were received and opened. Arrow Road Construction 5 Fx XII. XIII. n,rcr ,.0 'SLY_3 �j]R t,'„.. *+-:siva .°�i�IF1UtBS of,.September1320e10;BoardAAe'etin:, 1 i Company has been determined to be the lowest qualified responsible bidder at a price of $94,164.00. This is a unit price contract so the final contract amount could be more or less based on the quantity of work performed. There being no discussion, Trustee Thill moved, seconded by Trustee Grear, to approve Resolution 10-68. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria ave Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye 3) Trustee Thill presented Resolution 10-70 Appointing a Director and Alter- nate Director to the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County. This resolu- tion reaffirms Trustee Thill as the Director and Trustee Gomberg and Village Adminis- trator Wade as its Alternate Directors for another year. There being no discussion, Trustee Thill moved, seconded by Trustee Toth, to approve Resolution 10-70. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye 4) Trustee Thill presented Resolution 10-71 Authorizing the Execution of Change Order No. 10 with DiMeo Brothers, Inc. for the Dempster Street Water Main Improvements. This change order will authorize an adjusted contract amount by $76; 450.00 for unforeseen overages to $1,672,385.97 which is actually still below the engineer's estimate for construction of $2,149,850. There being no discussion, Trustee Thill moved, seconded by Trustee Marcus. to approve Resolution 10-71. Mo- tion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Difaria aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye f. Trustee Toth Trustee Toth had no formal report. OTHER BUSINESS NONE WARRANTS Trustee Gomberg presented the Warrant Register for August 23, 2010, in the amount of $593,856.63. He moved to accept the Warrants, seconded by Trustee Toth. Trustee Thill then questioned an item on the warrant list which was answered by Finance Director Ryan Horne. There being no additional questions, Mayor Staackmann called for the vote. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye Trustee Gomberg presented the Warrant Register for September 13, 2010, in the amount of $484,778.55. He moved to accept the Warrants, seconded by Trustee Marcus. Trustee Thill 6 M-1074.4. * -4 ` ' _ " 7 7 i' -, `. "r,` frii ", ,oma ,, ; :E, .. � ''/NHVlin es?rof, Septe'mb"er 13 2OtO iBbar�dJMeetin: XIV. then questioned several items on the warrant list which were answered by Finance Director Ryan Horne and Public Works Director Andy DeMonte. There being no additional questions, Mayor Staackmann called for the vote. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. ThiII aag Tr. Toth aye RESIDENTS' COMMENTS D. Pandit, 8902 Octavia This individual was concerned about the Culver's Restaurant creating additional truck traffic at the Village Plaza in the middle of the night. He stated a lar- ger sign posting the restrictions needs to be more visible and a larger fine needs to be im- posed on truck drivers. He stated noise pollution is continually growing. R. Minx, 6013 Grove Ct Ms. Minx stated she is pleased to see senior housing coming to the Village; however, she was concerned there are less units than were previously presented when she was on the Village Board, and that this project is not predominantly affordable sen- ior housing. When she was on the Board, it appeared Alden had a better proposal with more low income housing that would now be available. Mayor Staackmann responded Alden was a larger dollar amount and they did not have sufficient funding. Mr. Friedman stated there was a substantial tax credit differential between the two projects. R. Furundzic, 7628 Lake Mr. Furundzic thanked Mr. Wade for taking the time to answer his questions:. however he was still not happy with the answers he has received from the Vil- lage. Mayor Staackmann stated the Village has formulated an action plan and many home- owners will get sere relief help next year. He stated the Village has spent countless hours with Mr. Furundzic and does not know what else can be done for him. Mr. Furundzic needs to understand the Village will not be rebuilding the sewer. Mr. DeMonte stated Mr. Furundzic has spent many hours at the Public Works facility and is not happy with the answers he has received. Mr. DeMonte stated there is the new Overhead Sewer Assistance Program that will be in place to help out if Mr. Furundzic wants. He believes the Village has spent between 30 to 40 man hours on Mr. Furundzic's questions and concerns. Mr. DeMonte expressed his concern over Mr. Furundzic taking it upon himself to remove manhole covers to personally inspect sewers which if not properly reinstalled could cause injuries. The engineering study conducted by the Village also was very costly and did not satisfy Mr. Furundzic's concerns. C. Liberman, 8400 Caine Mr. Liberman stated there is a need for a new library. There is currently no space and he finds himself having to go to the Skokie Library to get the amenities he requires. He stated the Village needs to set aside cost and look down the road at the large picture, and that once completed the Village will have a modern first class library. C. Otte, 6702 Church Ms. Otte stated she has concern over the library and its size. She believes it could be an amazing community center and provide a wider variety of pro- gramming for everyone. S. Bell, 8704 Callie Mr. Bell stated he is the president of the Friends of the Morton Grove Library. He felt it imperative to construct a new library in order to provide books, classes, and programs. He stated the library's usage was actually going up and they were setting records. He felt property values would also improve with a new library. He also stated there has not been a major renovation at the library since the 1980s. 7 Mitc XV& XVI. 7/ .. � - �-.r'�•' �C.! 4 - q�*r� ..f, �' ;�� �-.-�..�rstr.°"'-�,': e.. sem-:.. inu'tes ofiSTptember 13,•m20�1.0;0, oard Air 1 N. LeHew, 8340 Callie He stated he is at the library everyday and only one time was he required to go elsewhere for the information he needed. He did not feel it was overcrowded. J. Mika, 8801 Oketo Mr. Mika expressed his concerns about the placement of the Culver's Restaurant and wondered why the residents have not been more involved. He feels the current fencing with slats was not acceptable and the Plaza owner is never responsive to neighbors complains or concerns. He believes the Village does not care about his neighbor- hood and how this project will be disruptive to them. He made many general disparaging re- marks about not only the project but the Village Board. Trustee DiMaria Trustee DiMaria responded to Mr. Mika's disparaging comments by stating the Village looks at different projects on a case-by-case basis and it is very impor- tant to attract businesses to the Village. He believes in doing the best for the good of the en- tire Village, and the Village Board cares deeply for Morton Grove and its residents. J. Mika, 8801 Oketo Mr. Mika continued on with his disparaging comments. He inter- rupted Trustee DiMaria during his response and was generally offensive. He felt the Village should not allow Culver's to be built and they should pursue "actual" restaurants to come to the Village not fast food restaurants. Trustee Marcus Trustee Marcus stated Culver's was an outstanding establish- ment and while not a white table cloth restaurant, it is a restaurant with a good reputation that will bring people to the Village. The Village Board is looking at reputable establishments that will be here for the long range. R. Kaplan, 7628 Lake Ms. Kaplan stated the Board is listening to everything being said and has the best interest of the Village as a whole. She lives near Aldi and was surprised at the responsiveness of the Village when she had problems when that particular shopping cen- ter was built. She stated Mr. Mika needs to be patient and support the Village. Everything is a give and take. Trustee Grear Trustee Grear stated the Board members are not politicians. They are looking for development that will come into our community. The Village Board and staff have done their due diligence. Everyone here cares about the residents and the better- ment of the Village. Laura Frish, address unknown Thanked the Board for their work. She stated the Village needs a library. She also stated there are good people at the library and they are doing won- derful things there and the special programs are the best. ADJOURNMENT/EXECUTIVE SESSION There being no further business, at 9:18 pm, Trustee Toth moved to go adjourn into Executive Session to discuss personnel matters, labor negotiations, pending litigation, and purchase of real estate. The motion was seconded by Trustee Thill. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. ThiII aye Tr. Toth aye 8 Minutes of September 13, 2010, Board -Meeting The Executive Session was called to order at 9:30 pm by Mayor Daniel J. Staackmann. At the conclusion of the Executive Session, Trustee DiMaria moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Trustee Thill and approved unanimously pursuant to a voice vote at 10:11 pm. Trustee DiMaria then moved to adjourn the regular meeting. The motion was seconded by Trustee Thill and approved unanimously pursuant to a voice vote at 10:12 pm. PASSED this 27th day of September 2010. Trustee DiMaria Trustee Gomberg Trustee Grear Trustee Marcus Trustee Thill Trustee Toth APPROVED e this 27th day of September 2010. Dia iel J-..Sta krrann, Village President Board of Trusees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my office this 28th day of September, 2010. Tony S. Kalo$era, Village Clerk Village of Mon Grove, Cook County, Illinois Minutes by. Susan Lattanzi 9