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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-06-14 MinutesU �� Village President Dan 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. II. Village Clerk Tony Kalogerakos called the roll. Present were: Trustees Dan DiMaria, Larry Gomberg, Bill Grear, Shel Marcus, John Thill, and Maria Toth. 111. oaa a. Regarding the Minutes of the Special Meeting of May 24, 2010, Trustee DiMaria moved, seconded by Trustee Toth, to accept the Minutes as presented. There was no discussion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. b. Regarding the Minutes of the May 24, 2010 Regular Meeting, Trustee DiMaria moved, seconded by Trustee Thill, to accept the Minutes as presented. There was no discussion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE V, I SPECIAL REPORTS 1. Commemoration of the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation a. Mayor Staackmann said that he was honored to have so many members of the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation present tonight. He said that the members were going to donate $25,000 to the Village this evening, to be earmarked for senior educational services. Mayor Staackmann said that he and the Board are very grateful for this act of kindness, but saddened by the fact that the synagogue had closed after so many years in the community. b. Trustees Marcus and Gomberg jointed Mayor Stackmann at the podium as he proclaimed June 19, 2010, "Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation Day" in the Village, noting that it was formed in 1958, under Rabbi Lawrence Charney. The sanctuary was dedicated in July of 1961. Rabbi Charney began the tradition of holding an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service every Thanksgiving eve. The Interfaith Service was open to all Morton Grove houses of worship. At its high point, the synagogue served 800 families as its members. Minutes of June 14, 2010 Board Mectin REPORTS V. SPECIAL • -• After 52 years of religious and community service, the synagogue closed on June 1, 2010. c. Mayor Staackmann presented a plaque with the proclamation to the synagogues Presidents, Frank Horwitz and Darlene Padnos. d. Trustee Gomberg read a list of civic- minded congregants of the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation who serve or who have served the Village in various capacities. These include: • Rabbi. Lawrence Charney, who chaired the Human Relations Commission. (now called, the Community Relations Commission) • Larry Liebauer, who wrote a "policies and practices" handbook for Village employees • David Cohen, former Village Trustee • Marty Ashman, former Village Trustee and Village Attorney • Don Sneider, the longest- serving Trustee in Morton Grove's history—lie served the Village in this capacity for 23 years • Lew Greenberg, former Village Trustee • Alan Goldberg, former Plan Commission /Zoning Board chairman • Jerry Brim, former chair of the Beautification Commission (now called the Appearance Commission) • Esther Dikulsky, former member of the Human Relations Commission • Harold Goldsmith, former member of the Air Pollution Committee (now called the Board of Environmental Health) • Sandy Gail, presently serves on the Board of Environmental Health • Laurel Letwat, former Village Nurse • Stacey Sopkin, former member of the Village's Mobile Eye, presently works in the FinanceNVater Department • Freya Maslov, former member of the Village's Mobile Eye, presently works as a clerk in the Police Department • _ Seymour Maslov, former member of the Village's, Mobile Eye, presently works as a community service officer for the Police Department • Harvey Schapps, former member of the Village's Mobile Eye •. Carol Christenholz, assisted in the development of the Village's Planning & Zoning Code Book • Ronee Brenner, former Village Trustee and former member of the Plan Commission; she, too, assisted in the development of the Village's Planning & Zoning Code Book • Marilyn Sneider, former Village Clerk • Robyn Caplan, former Deputy Village Clerk, presently serves on the Community Relations Commission • Shel Marcus, current Village Trustee e. Mayor Staackmann also acknowledged Herb Root, for everything he's done for the synagogue and the Village. f Trustee Marcus welcomed Rabbi Kenneth Cohen and thanked him for being here this evening. He added that he was honored to introduce Rabbi Charney's widow, Lillian Charney. He noted that, at the time of Rabbi Charney's death, the Village had added the name "Rabbi Charney Place" to Lyons Street. Trustee Marcus presented Mrs. Charney with a replica of that street sign. He presented the original street signs to Mr. Horwitz and Mrs. Padnos. g- Trustee Marcus noted that the new tenants of the former synagogue are a church. He introduced Father Abraham Jacob, who was in attendance this evening, and welcomed him. Pq V. SPECIAL REPORTS (continued) Minutes of June 14, 2010 Board MoO h. Mr. Horwitz then presented Mayor Staackmann and the Board with a check for $25,000 for senior citizen educational programming. He said the congregation was very sad that the synagogue was closed, but was privileged and grateful to be able to present this check to the Village. Mayor Staackmann said that it's a great honor for the Village to get a donation like this. The Board applauded the members of the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation and thanked them. j. Mayor Staackmann turned the check over to Family & Senior Services Director Jackie Walker- O'Keefe, who also thanked the members of the congregation. 2. American Legion Post #134 Presentation to the Village in Support of Senior Services a. Commander Jan Lipinski said that, when the Legion learned of the financial issues surround- ing the Senior Center, they had decided to hold a fundraiser to help the seniors. It's part of what the Legion Post does, to serve its seniors and its veterans. This will now be an annual event. The Legion held a Spaghetti Dinner in March, and raised $6,986.28. Eighty people, including several members of the Board, attended. The Legion's members voted to have the funds. go to the Senior Center Lending Closet fund and health education fund. Commander Lipinski presented the check to Mayor Staackmann, and requested that any Lending Closet items be labeled "Courtesy of American Legion Post #134 ". She said it had been an honor to serve as the first female commander of the Legion Post, and thanked the Board for being a pleasure to work with. b. Mayor Staackmann acknowledged the chairman of the Advisory Commission on Aging, Anne Marrazzo, who was also present this evening. RESIDENTS' (Agenda Only) NONE VI 1. PRESIDENT'S REPORT 1. Mayor Staackmann asked for a motion to concur with the appointment of Peter Meehan to the Financial Advisory Commission for a three -year term. Trustee Gomberg so moved, seconded by Trustee Thill. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. 2. Mayor Staackmann said he was pleased to announce that the new chairman of the Economic Development Commission is David Lewis, with Janine Witko serving as vice - chairman. They were recommended by Trustee liaison Dan DiMaria and John Said. 3. Trustee Marcus presented, on behalf of Mayor Staackmann in his capacity as Liquor Control Commissioner of the Village, Ordinance 10 -13, Amending Title 4, Chapter 3, Sections 6, 10, and 14 Entitled "Liquor Control" of the Municipal Code of the Village of Morton Grove. 3 VII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT (continued) Minutes of June 14, 2010 Board Meetin 'f This is the second reading of this Ordinance. a. Trustee Marcus explained that this Ordinance will require all managers and sellers, preparers, and servers of liquor licenses to attend a Basset training program or such other alcohol sales and training program as approved in writing by the local Liquor Control Commissioner. Trustee Marcus moved to adopt Ordinance 10 -13, seconded by Trustee Thill. b. Mayor Staackmann said that the Illinois Liquor Commission is requiring all communities with liquor licenses to support the Basset training. Trustee Grear noted that 35 communities in the surrounding area are currently running Basset training. Police Chief Mark Erickson said that this training is to help sellers and servers be able to identify alcohol abuse and trains them to be able to intervene in cases of "patron overuse ". He thanked Paul Minx, who's in charge of this year's Morton Grove Days Entertainment Pavilion, for coordinating with the Police Department to ensure that all servers go through the Basset training. There are three training times for those who are volunteering at the Entertainment Pavilion: June 29th and June 30th from 6pm to. 10pm, and July 1 s', from 2pm to 6pm. Training will be held in Council Chambers. Currently the training is free. Mayor Staackmann called for the vote on Ordinance 10 -13. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMarla afe Tr. Gomberg afire Tr. Grear afe Tr. Marcus awe Tr. Thill Me Tr. Toth acre c• Chief Erickson noted that volunteers can also go through the Basset training online, by going to www.bassetcertification.org, but it will cost $25 to take the course online. Trustee Grear asked Chief Erickson to make sure this information is available on the Village's website. Clerk Kalogerakos had no formal report, but thanked both the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation and American Legion Post #134 for their generosity to the Village. IX. STAFF REPORTS A. Viitiacie Administrator 1. Mr. Wade stated that Public Works Director Andy DeMonte was going to give a presentation of a proposed residential storm water flooding prevention /assistance program. As back- ground, Mr. Wade said that staff has worked for quite some time on this issue. For the last few years, the Village has had a number of record rainfalls in terms of intensity and total rain- fall. Several possible solutions have been looked at. The problem with an older community is that it's quite expensive to go back and "retrofit" it to include modern storm water manage- ment that is efficient, not cost- prohibitive, and meets residents' needs. One possibility is to acquire land and make a retention lake, which would be extremely costly. Another possibility is to look at the areas that typically flood and establish a special service area. But within that special service area, some homes would benefit and some would not. Public Works finds that basement flooding is not predictable, which makes the problem of a successful resolution even more challenging. The solution being proposed offers the Village the "best bang for the buck ". Mr. Wade then turned the presentation over to Andy DeMonte. 0 1X. STAFF REPORTS (continued) Minutes of June 14, 2010 Board Meeting a. Mr. DeMonte said that Public Works had been charged with trying to find a solution to the persistent flooding problems in the Village. The solution being proposed is a no- interest loan that would be granted to residents to change from a gravity sewer system to an overhead sewer system or a different type of flood control solution. The loan would be for 50% of the cost, up to a maximum of $2,500. b. Mr. DeMonte said the Village has three types of flooding issues: sanitary and combination sewer back -ups, which are a health issue and can cause extreme property damage; street flooding, which is mostly an inconvenience; in severe cases, however, the water can back up and cause property damage. The third type of flooding is yard ponding, which is an inconvenience and can also be an issue with mosquitoes, or in severe cases, it can back up into peoples' homes. c. The Village has several different kinds of sewers. Mr. DeMonte said there are combination sewers, which direct sewage and storm water to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) facility for treatment. The facility is located at Howard and McCormick and handles a huge amount of water. It can be overwhelmed by heavy rains, and it can only handle a certain amount of water before it slows down considerably. When it reaches its maximum capacity, the MWRD has to close the system and open the locks. That is not under the control of the Village. d. The Village also has storm sewers, where rain water is collected and directed to the north branch of the Chicago river. The problem with these sewers is that seeds and leaves can clog the grates, blocking the water from going through. Since this type of sewer feeds right into the river, the height of the river also makes a difference. If the river is too high, the water can't back up into the sewer system. Also, the system gets overwhelmed during heavy, intense rains. e. The other type of sewer system is the sanitary sewer system, which is a separate system that takes sanitary water and directs it to the MWRD for treatment. It, too, gets overwhelmed by heavy rainfall. As these sewer systems age, they develop leaks. One problem is what is called "inflow ". Inflow is when individual homeowners are putting clean storm water back into the storm sewer system by sump pump. Another problem is "infiltration ". Infiltration is when the ground is so saturated, all the joints in the system leak and the water goes into the sanitary system. Homes with gravity sewers are prone to sewage backups. f. Public Works felt the priority was the sanitary sewer backup. They were proposing the implementation of an "overhead sewer and flood control device assistance program" to begin in 2011. It would be a no- interest loan covering 50% of construction costs, up to $2,500. It would be for a backflow prevention valve, lift station, or overhead sewer system. The program includes a provision for the loan to be paid back after 10 years or when the home is sold. g. Mr. DeMonte depicted a typical gravity sewer system and how it can back up. He said Public Works recommends an overhead sewer system. It would not prevent ground water or seepage, but it would definitely prevent Village sewage from coming in. The downside of the overhead system is that everything in the basement (i.e., laundry, a toilet) would have to go into a sewage ejector pump. If the pump fails or there's a power outage, everything should be okay as long as the basement facilities aren't used. Mr. DeMonte also depicted a lift station and showed how that works. That system, too, is dependent on electricity and pumps. 9 Minutes of June 14, 2010 Board Meeting IX STAFF REPORTS (continued) h. Mr. DeMonte said the second priority was street flooding. Funds are not currently available for studies, design, or a "build" right now, so the street flooding issue will be looked at in- house. Approximately eight or nine streets flood consistently in the Village. There might be some areas where it would be possible to put a detention area, and the Village is looking into that. It would likely have to be on Village property, because staff has already approached the Park District and Combionwealth Edison about using some of their property for storm water detention, to no avail. i. Yard ponding is the last priority, and Mr. DeMonte felt there wasn't much outside of public education that could be done about that.. He suggested that rain barrels, water gardens, bioswales, and even utility pumps would be helpful. j. Mayor Staackmann said he had talked to people at the MWRD. They told him they're planning to open some rock quarries on the far south side for use as water retention areas. The mayor said they told him that when it rains 1" in Cook County, that's equivalent to 1 billion gallons of water. The Deep Tunnel holds just under 3 billion gallons. The rock quarries could add capacity for 18 billion gallons of water, which will help, but is no guarantee that there will never be any more flooding. Mr. DeMonte said that Deep Tunnel was a $3 billion dollar project that still hasn't stopped flooding. He felt that there's always going to be some kind of rain event that overtakes what's been done. k. Trustee Thill asked if the Village has good oversight on illegally connected downspouts. Mr. DeMonte said Public Works personnel inspect approximately 300 homes a year. He noted that, in some cases, there's no choice but to allow water from sump pumps to go into the storm sewers. I. Trustee Toth noted that the Resolution which would implement the loan program talks about an onsite inspection that would be done on each property where the homeowner is requesting a. loan. She asked Mr. DeMonte if a property has to have flooded in the past in order to be eligible for the loan. He responded that he did not make that one of the criteria, because if the homeowner has a gravity sewer, the odds are that sooner or later, they will flood. m. Trustee Grear noted the importance of keeping the streets clean with the street sweeper. He said it was important for residents to note the street - sweeping schedule in their area and do their best to keep their cars off the streets when they're scheduled to be cleaned. It helps keep the sewer grates clear. He also said it's not against the law for residents to clean off the sewer grates themselves. If everyone took it upon themselves to clear the surface of the grates, it would be really helpful. m. Trustee Marcus asked if the Village has investigated using any of the Forest Preserve area for water detention. Mr. DeMonte said the Village has not, he had just received a report from Cook County Forest Preserve District stating they would not allow any additional flood waters or reservoirs to go into the river. Trustee Marcus complimented the staff on coming up with a creative and fiscally responsible approach to provide a solution to this problem. o. Trustee Thill commented that the Forest Preserve is a flood plain. It is three- quarters under water when it rains. The Forest Preserve is basically here for storm water management. p. Trustee Grear asked if more people with overhead sewer systems put a burden on those with gravity sewer systems. Mr. DeMonte said it definitely would, and he would highly recommend people with gravity sewer systems changing them to overhead sewer systems. 2 Minutes Waukegan of June 14, 2010 was going. Mr. Wade said that Board Meotingr date, but the project has started. IX. STAFF REPORTS (continued) q. Mayor Staackmann asked Mr. Wade how much money would be appropriated for this and how many people would be able to take advantage of it each year. r. Mr. Wade said the proposal is to appropriate $50,000 to fund the loan program, effective January 1, 2011. He said that Mr. DeMonte estimated that a typical overhead sewer system would cost between $6,000 and $10,000. The maximum loan is $2,500, so 20 to 25 homes could take advantage of this each year. Mr. Wade said that, currently, Public Works is aware of approximately 200 homes that experience chronic flooding problems. Mr. DeMonte said when the program opens up, it will be on a "first come, first served" basis. 2. Trustee Thill asked how the Waukegan Road lighting project was going. Mr. Wade said that he didn't have an estimated completion date, but the project has started. 3. Mr. Wade announced the Village had received notification that Golf Road, between Wauke- gan Road and Harms Road, would be closed from 7:00 p.m. June 18 to 4:00 a.m. June 21. B. Corporation Counsel: Ms. Liston had no report. X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS A. Trustee DiMaria: Trustee DiMaria had no report, but thanked the Village's firefighters who had volunteered their time on Saturday at NIPSTA. He said the program they put on was very educational, and he appreciated them taking their own time to be there. B. Trustee Gomberg: Trustee Gomberg had no formal report, but thanked the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation and American Legion Post #134 for their generous donations to the Village. C. Trustee Grear: 1. Trustee Grear had no formal report, but he, too, thanked Chief Friel and all the firefighters for the great learning experience. He said it gave him anew appreciation of tough their jobs can be. 2. Trustee Grear reminded the assemblage that the Chamber of Commerce's Golf Outing is this coming Wednesday. He hoped all would attend. 7 Minutes of June 14, 2010 Board Megtin® X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) C. Trustee Grear: (cont'd.) 3. Trustee Grear noted that Morton Grove Days raffle tickets are being sold throughout the Village. He encouraged everyone to purchase some, noting that they will be sold at the next couple of Park District's "Tunes on Tuesdays" events. D. Trustee Marcus: Trustee Marcus had no formal report, but echoed his colleagues' thanks to the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation and American Legion Post #134 for their generosity. He also thanked Chief Friel and the firefighters for the NIPSTA event. He noted that Trustee Gomberg did a good job on the fire engine simulator —his response time was 15 minutes! Trustee Marcus said his own response time was about 3.5 minutes, but he hit a car on the way. It was a great learning experience, and NIPSTA does a great job. E. Trustee Thill Trustee Thill presented Resolution 1043, Authorizing the Implementation of a Residential CostmSharing Program for the Installation of Overhead Sewers or Flood Control Devices. 2. Trustee Thill moved to approve Resolution 10 -43, seconded by Trustee Toth. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 1 nay. Tr. DiMaria rim, Tr. Gomberg awe Tr. Grear Me Tr. Marcus Mae Tr. Thill afe Tr. Toth fflLe 3- Trustee Thill next presented Resolution 1044, Authorization to Execute Change Order • to the Contract • • Group, • Professional En• • Trustee Thill said moved to approve Resolution passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria afire Tr. Gomberg Tr. Marcus awe Tr. Thill 10 -44, seconded by Trustee Marcus. Motion aye Tr. Grear aye aye Tr. Toth aye 4. Trustee Thill presented Resolution 1045, Authorization to Execute a Contract With Ciorba Group, Inc. for Construction Engineering Services for the Chestnut Street Interim Parking Lot Construction. Trustee Thill moved to approve Resolution 10 -45, seconded by Trustee Toth. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria afire Tr. Gomberg awe Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus awe Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth afe X. E. Trustee Thill: (continued) TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Minutes of June 14, 2010 Board Meeting? Trustee Grear noted that, by approving Resolution 10 -45 this evening, there's a high probability that the parking lot could be paved and completed by or before October 1 st. 5. Trustee Thill commented that he was disappointed by the turnout of residents at this year's Memorial Day service at the American Legion. He also said that many of the names of those who had given their life in the service of this country were not listed on the Doughboy statue at the Library. He said he planned to work on getting that oversight corrected over this coming year, and he hoped to see more people attend the Memorial Days services next year. F. Trustee Toth: Trustee Toth had no formal report, but noted that the Park District was hosting a weekly "Tunes on Tuesday" event at Harrer Park at 7:00 p.m. Music and a different local restaurant would be featured each week. She hoped to see everyone there. X1. OTHER BUSINESS, Trustee Marcus congratulated the Chicago Blackhawks on winning the Stanley Cup. Xll. WARRANTS Trustee Gomberg presented the Warrant Register for June 14, 2010 in the amount of $779,006.52. He moved to accept the Warrants, seconded by Trustee Grear. Trustee Thill had several questions: a. He noted that there was a check to American Green for almost $2,200 for "plantings around the library and train station ". He wondered if those funds came out of the General Fund. Mr. Horne said the Commuter Parking Fund pays for landscaping around the train station. There's also a budget for Civic Center landscaping. Mr. DeMonte added that the Village bills and gets reimbursed for landscaping and lawn mowing services from the Library. b. Trustee Thill asked about a $732 check to Armor Systems for "commission due from adjudication." He asked if Armor Systems is a collection agency doing work for the Village. Mr. Horne said it is. c. Trustee Thill asked about a check for $973 for AEK migration. Mr. Horne explained that AEK is a computer software program that was used by the Building Department years ago and is still in use. The database is being migrated to a new server to maintain the integrity of the data and to be able to continue to use it. There being no further discussion on the Warrants, Mayor Staackmann called for the vote. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria awe Tr. Gomberg ale Tr. Grear aae Tr. Marcus are Tr. Thill ayre Tr. Toth ave. 0 X111. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS MMMMMMM Minutes of June 14, 2010 Board McO04 a. Anne Marrazzo. Mrs. Marrazzo, a 54 -year resident of the Village, was curious about flood- ing, and asked how homeowners' flood control devices affect the Village. She noted that she had installed overhead sewers 20 years ago and has not had a problem since. b. Laurel Letwat. Mrs. Letwat, a 42 -year resident, asked whether, when new homes are built, they are required to include flood control. Mr. DeMonte said that all newer homes constructed must have overhead sewer systems. Mrs. Letwat said that she herself has an ejector/ overhead sewer system, and noted that it's important to have a back -up battery. She wondered if the loan program would cover a back -up battery. Mr. DeMonte said it would, on a system being installed using this loan program, but it would not, on homeowners' existing overhead sewer systems. XIV. ADJOURNMENT/EXECUTIVE SESSION Trustee Marcus moved to adjourn the meeting. Trustee DiMaria seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m. PASSED this 28th day of June, 2010. Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee DiMaria Gomberg Grear Marcus Thill Toth D6ni6l J Board of day of June, 2010. ann, Village President , Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in m ice this 2 ,' Tony S. Kaloge a s, V' cage Clerk Village of Mort, Grove, Cook County, Illinois of June, 2010. Minutes by: Teresa Cousar W