HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/17/2018 SCC Minutes MOUNT PROSPECT SISTER CITIES COMMISSION
Community Room
Minutes: May 17, 2018
Attendees: Karen Agoranos, Christine Barr, Greg Bernert, Matt Bertke, Evelyn Dorman, Gerald"Skip"
Farley, Janice Farley, Mayor Arlene A. Juracek, Judy McGinnis, Denise Rano, Trustee Colleen E.
Saccotelli, Diana Sahakian, Rafi Sahakian, Elizabeth Theiss, Patricia Usnik, Robert Usnik, Barbara
VanArsdale, Irvana Wilks
Not Attending: Christina Haskell, Doreen Jarosz, Paul Seils, Steve VanArsdale
Guests: Mt.Prospect residents, a mother and daughter attended.
L Meeting called to order: Chair Robert Usnik called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM.
IL Citizens to be heard: None
III. Guests: The daughter, who went to St. Raymond School and is now at St. Viator, chose the Sister
Cities Commission to observe for her Civics class. While the family have been Mt. Prospect
residents for quite some time, they did not know about the Commission and its mission.
Commission members took turns explaining different aspects of the organization.
IV. Motion to approve minutes: Skip Farley moved to approve the minutes from the March 15, 2018
meeting and Trustee Colleen E. Saccotelli seconded.
V. Mayor's Comments:
a. Sevres and its other Sister City, Wolfenbiittel, Germany participated in a marathon from
Wolfenbiittel to Sevres to celebrate their long-standing Sister City Relationship and to
support the European Union.
b. Acknowledged that the Pot Luck event had very low attendance this year, and suggested
that Howard Kleinstein is informed of our events so that he can be on top of updates, date
changes, etc.
c. The Farmers Market will be moving to the East lot which is smaller than the West lot. The
French market can be set up on Prospect Avenue because Busse Car Wash and Body Shop
will most likely not be using their Prospect Avenue access on Sunday. The French Market
committee should let the vendors know that there will be space, but an exact map will not
be available for a while. Mayor Juracek will reach out to Mike Cassidy and Sean Dorsey to
get a better idea of how much space will be available. The construction in the area will
continue into 2019.
VI. Chair's Comments:
a. Our contact in Sevres, Assunta Mesmin, has been busy planning the events with the
German Sister City, so there hasn't been any progress on the visit to Sevres in 2019.
VII. Treasurer's Report: Judy McGinnis presented the Treasurer's Report as of April 30, 2018. Rafi
Sahakian moved to approve, and Barbara VanArsdale seconded.
VIII. Committee Reports
a. Pot Luck Dinner—Rafi Sahakian. About 45 people attended. No major expenses were
incurred. Because of the low attendance the usual raffle was not held. The overall
assessment of this event is that pot luck events may not be as popular as they once were.
There was discussion around this issue, and what can be done to make it more interesting.
It was suggested that the event be re-organized and re-branded to change the face of the
event. Several ideas to stimulate interest went back and forth.
b. Library Display—Christine Barr and Pat Usnik. The Sister Cities display was put up
on Monday, April 2, and taken down on Monday, April 30. The variety of items to include
in the display seemed much smaller this year.
c. July 4`h Parade—Barbara VanArsdale and Greg Bernert. Everyone is invited to march
in the parade, including spouses and children. It was suggested that some could ride
bicycles with baskets and berets, and perhaps a convertible with a banner.
d. French Festival—July 11 —Matt Bertke, Elizabeth Theiss, Christina Haskell. Plans
are to bring in French Teachers for the children.
e. French Market—Barbara VanArsdale and Judy McGinnis. About 20 10x10 spaces
will be used. The committee is in the process of collecting items to sell at the market. A
French teacher from Prospect High School may be interested in participating on some level.
f. Student Exchange Donation—Matt Bertke and Elizabeth Theiss. The student exchange
is going well. Four students have been in contact with their matches and five pen pals have
been corresponding. Plans are being made for this summer. The idea of donations to
student exchanges are being researched. Fundraisers for this were also discussed.
IX. Open Discussion.
a. Discussed what other events can we put on the calendar for the remainder of 2018. Movies
with a French theme were suggested. Elizabeth Theiss approached the Library about this
idea. It needs to be decided what we would have to do to sponsor a movie since the Library
does not have licensing for older movies.
b. Skip Farley asked to add to the July agenda an item regarding Benedicte Kosciusko-
Morizet's pending visit in September. We may consider having a reception with food and
possibly entertainment.
c. A suggestion was made to have formal photos taken of all Sister Cities Commissioners to
be included on the web page.
X. Adjournment. The next meeting will be on Thursday, July 19, 2018 at 6:00 PM. Matt Bertke
moved to adjourn and Skip Farley seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM
Submitted by Patricia Usnik, Secretary