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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-09-10 MinutesCALL TO ORDER Village President Rick Krier called the meeting to order at 7:31 p.m. and led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance. Village Clerk Carol Fritzshall called the roll. Present were: Trustees Georgianne Brunner, Shel Marcus, Rita Minx, Dan Staackmann, and John Thill. Trustee Roy Kogstad was absent. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Regarding the Minutes of the August 27, 2007 Regular Meeting, Mayor Krier asked if anyone had any changes or corrections to the Minutes. Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Marcus, to approve the August 27 Regular Meeting Minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. IV. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE V. SPECIAL REPORTS NONE VI. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) NONE VII Mayor Krier proclaimed the week of October 7-13, 2007 as "Fire Prevention Week" and urged all residents to heed the theme of the week: "Practice Your Escape Plan". He also encouraged everyone to support the many public safety activities and efforts of the Village's Fire Depart- ment. Mayor Krier sought the Board's concurrence of his appointments of Margaret Joyce LeHew, Noble LeHew, and Bruce Tarpey to the Natural Resource Commission. These appointees had been recommended to him by Trustee Thill and the new Chairman of the Commission, Mary Busch. Trustee Minx moved to concur with these appointments, seconded by Trustee Thill. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill Trustee Thill commented that, although the Natural Resource Commission is a quiet, "behind- the-scenes" Commission, it is nonetheless a very important one. He said there's room for four or five more members and hoped that residents would consider volunteering for this important Commission. He thanked Mr. & Mrs. LeHew and Mr. Tarpey for joining. VIII. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Fritzshall had no formal report, but said that the Presidential primary would be held on February 5, 2008, and there will be a great need for judges. If anyone's interested in being a Democratic judge, they can call (847) 673-7779, or, if interested in being a Republican judge, call (847) 675-6745. IX. STAFF REPORTS A. Village Administrator Mr. Wade requested that a Special Meeting be scheduled at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Septem- ber 28, 2007 to discuss demolition and construction bids for the Dempster Street parking lots. He said that the Village had just received clearance to go out to bid, and noted that asphalt plants usually close around Thanksgiving, so time is short to get this done. Mayor Krier said that it would be a brief meeting, as this is the only item on the agenda, and that he and three trustees were required for a quorum. He said that he had spoken to the Board, and two of the trustees had indicated they could "definitely" make the meeting if it was scheduled at 5:30 p.m. instead. Mr. Wade said 5:30 p.m. would be fine and said he would go ahead with the appropriate notices. B. Corporation Counsel: Ms. Liston had no report. X. A. Trustee Brunner: TRUSTEES' REPORTS Trustee Brunner said that the Department of Family & Senior Services would provide for resi- dents to receive flu and pneumonia immunizations again this year at the Senior Center. They will be given on October 10, October 11, October 13, and October 17, by appointment only. For an appointment, residents should call (847) 470-5223. Trustee Brunner announced that the Community Relations Commission, in conjunction with the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation's 50`h Anniversary Committee, was sponsoring a film series that would culminate in an event on October 14, 2007 at the Civic Center, from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m., titled "Unity in Our Diversity". Films with a common theme of tolerance, acceptance, and understanding are being shown at the Morton Grove Public Library and at the Civic Center. The films include: To Kill a Mockingbird, Raisin in the Sun, Paper Clips, Lilies of the Field, Hotel Rwanda, Remember the Titans, and Freedom Writers. The films are also available for rental at the Library. The October 14`h event will feature three speakers, includ- ing David Smith, who is featured in the film "Paper Clips". Trustee Brunner thanked Nancy Brothers and the Morton Grove Public Library for their cooperation and support. She also thanked Jackie Walker O'Keefe and Bud Swanson from the Civic Center for their support, and Mark Pendergrass at the Chamber of Commerce, for encouraging the Chamber's members to support the event by allowing posters to be displayed in various businesses. Trustee Brunner also thanked the Anniversary Committee for coming to the Village with this idea. She encour- aged all residents to attend the film series and the Diversity Day event. B. Trustee Marcus: Trustee Marcus said that he had attended the Chamber of Commerce's recent Board meeting and reminded everyone that the Chamber's annual golf outing would be held at Chevy Chase on Wednesday, September 26. Golf starts with a shotgun start at 12:30, dinner is served at 5:30 p.m. He hoped everyone would support the Chamber's fundraising efforts. Trustee Marcus said that he and Trustee Thill had toured the Metropolitan Sanitary District facility at Howard and McCormick and found it very interesting. He thought the computer equipment for opening and closing locks was particularly impressive. C. Trustee Kogstad: Trustee Kogstad was absent - no report. X. D. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Minx: Trustee Minx presented Resolution 07-48, Authorization to Purchase a New 2008 Chevro- let Express 1500 AWD Passenger Van for Conversion to and Use as a Fire Department Command Vehicle. Trustee Minx explained that this new Command Vehicle will replace the Fire Department's 1995 Command Van. Its primary function will be to provide emergency response fora depart- ment chief officer at the scene of an incident. In addition, it will be configured to provide three interior work stations that can be utilized by personnel in order to more effectively maintain command and control functions throughout the incident. It will also be able to accommodate the transport of a patient backboard in the event of an EMS incident in a remote area (i.e., the bike path) that cannot be accessed by ambulance. This functionality will enhance the Village's ongoing efforts to increase interoperability at emergency incidents as recommended by the federal 9/11 Commission. The lowest qualified bid for the base vehicle is $25,789,48 from Ray Chevrolet of Fox Lake, Illinois. The funds have been budgeted in the 2007 Budget. Trustee Minx moved to approve Resolution 07-48, seconded by Trustee Staackmann. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill E. Trustee Staackmann Trustee Staackmann had no formal report. He apologized for missing the earlier meeting. F Trustee Thill Trustee Thill presented Resolution 07-49, Authorizing the Annual Veterans Day Parade. He explained that the Village holds a Veterans Day Parade annually. This resolution authorizes the closure of Dempster Street between Fernald and Austin Avenues from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Trustee Thill urged everyone to come out that day to support our veterans. Trustee Thill moved to approve Resolution 07-49, seconded by Trustee Brunner. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill XI OTHER BUSINESS Mayor Krier asked Director of Community & Economic Development Bill Neuendorf to talk about the upcoming "Family Fest", a village-wide family block party that will be held on Satur- day, October 6`h, in the street and parking lot area at Village Hall. Mr. Neueundorf said that it's been announced to the schools and the houses of worship. It's a day to celebrate our com- munity, especially in light of the Village being named as one of the top 10 places to raise a family. Mr. Neuendorf said that plans were still underway, but there will be a pancake break- fast in the morning, games and family activities during the course of the afternoon, and a beer tent and live entertainment in the evening. Further details will be announced soon. Mayor Krier then asked Director of Public Works, Andy DeMonte, to come forward. The mayor explained that, after the recent storm, he and some other Board members had been ques- tioned as to why the west end of town suffered more flooding than the east side. Mr. DeMonte said that, during this storm, Public Works had been out checking the line be- cause of a manhole problem on Churchill. They noticed that water was flowing faster down- stream than upstream, which indicated a blockage. After the area in question dried out to the point where they could get a camera in to check the line, they learned that it was blocked by tree roots. They cleaned the tree roots out today, and will re-check the line with the camera. He said that this pipe should be lined next year to seal the joints better so no roots can get in there. Mr. DeMonte said the west end of town does have an "I&I" (inflow and infiltration) prob- lem because, on that side of town, it's a separated sewer system, not a combined sewer sys- tem. People who install (or reinstall) sump pumps have them going into the sanitary sewers, when they really should go into either a storm sewer or your backyard. Mayor Krier asked Mr. DeMonte to explain about "lining" the pipe. Mr. DeMonte said the lining is like a plastic tube that goes into a pipe deflated and then is steamed. It then forms a thin plastic sleeve inside the pipe, which seals all the cracks and joints and helps the sewer struc- turally as well. He said that, ideally, all the pipes on the west end of town should be lined, but that would be a huge expense for the Village. He said that the pipe lining is relatively new technology that the Village is using. It saves the Village a ton of money and is a good alterna- tive to having to replace the whole sewer. Trustee Marcus likened it to a stint procedure. Mr. DeMonte agreed. Trustee Minx asked if lining the pipe helps its longevity. Mr. DeMonte said that it extends the useful life of the pipe about 50 years. Trustee Staackmann asked if, after 50 years, another lining could be put in. Mr. DeMonte wasn't sure, but said it probably could. The downside would be that, as you add more linings, you're reducing the size of the pipe. XI I . WARRANTS Trustee Minx presented the Warrant Register for September 10, 2007, which totaled $241,128.62. She moved to approve the Warrants as presented, seconded by Trustee Brun- ner. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill XIII RESIDENTS' COMMENTS a. Alice and Martin Gutenkauf. Mr. & Mrs. Gutenkauf asked when the Village was going to do tree-trimming of parkway trees. Mr. DeMonte said the Village is doing it now, but is far behind because of the storm. He said there are only three individuals on the tree crew. He said that, if a resident thinks their tree is posing a danger or it's an emergency situation, to call Public Works and they'll come out right away to check it out. Mr. Gutenkauf said the Village had gotten some "bad press" recently. He read part of an arti- cle from Luxembourg News of America. The article said that a sauerbraten dinner which has been held annually in Morton Grove (probably since the days of the Luxembourg Gardens) was now "in peril" due to the fact that Morton Grove has "imposed extensive demands, such as insurance and licensing" requirements. The Gutenkaufs asked the Board to look into why the sponsoring organization was turned down, and to see if efforts could be made to resolve the problem so Morton Grove could continue to benefit and participate in this event. Mayor Krier asked for the article and said Village staff would look into it. He said it sounded to him like the organization was not turned down, but that it was possibly a price issue. Mrs. Gutenkauf said that she had talked to the managing editor, and thought perhaps it was a catering issue or an increase in fees. Mayor Krier said the Village has to have certain insur- ance requirements to cover itself, but said he'd certainly look into the matter. Akhter Sadiq, 5736 Main. Mr. Sadiq expressed his deep appreciation of the Mayor, the Board, and Building Commissioner Ed Hildebrandt. He said the outer shell of the mosque is substantially completed. He thanked them for their support and their help in coordinating this. Mr. Sadiq said that, last Ramadan, the Village allowed the members of the MCC to pray at the Civic Center; this year, he's delighted that they will be able to pray in their own space. He said he enjoyed meeting the elected officials and residents and getting to know them and ex- change ideas at a recent barbecue held at the MCC. He said, "Let's make Morton Grove a place where people know each other, respect each other, and learn from each other." XIV. ADJOURNMENT/EXECUTIVE SESSION There being no further business, Trustee Minx moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Trustee Brunner. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill The meeting adjourned at 815 p.m. PASSED this 24th day of September, 2007. Trustee Brunner Trustee Kogstad Trustee Marcus Trustee Minx Trustee Staackmann Trustee Thill APPROVED by me this 24th day of September, 2007. Richard Krier, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my office this 25~" day of September, 2007. Carol A. Fritzshall, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove Cook County, Illinois Minutes by: Teresa Cousar