Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2. Coffee with Council Minutes 03/12/2011MINUTES VILLAGE OF MOUNT PROSPECT COFFEE WITH COUNCIL SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011 Community Center 1 St Floor Village Hall The meeting convened at 9:04 a.m. with Mayor Wilks, Trustee Polit and Trustee Matuszak present. Assistant Village Manager Strahl and Police Chief Dahlberg represented staff. Residents in Attendance John Elenberger Carol Tortorello Barbara & Steve VanArsdale Jim Chylik Mal Holec Jan Kent Teri Markovits Thomas Tezky Max Romanowicz Anita Taylor Louis Bowers David Schein Michael Pateras David Zamjahn Robert Madsen S. Redwood Dr. South Elmhurst Avenue Can -Dota Avenue Locust Street Quince Briarwood Briarwood North School Street Ardyce Lane Burning Bush Boxwood Na -Wa -Ta Avenue N. Greenfield N. Maple W. Central Mayor Wilks welcomed everyone and advised she would be leaving for a service before 11:00 a.m. and Trustee Polit will take over as Mayor Pro -Tem for the remainder of the meeting. The Mayor started the meeting with a moment of silence for all areas affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami. John Elenberger, S. Redwood Mr. Elenberger thanked the Police Department for their quick service when he reported the bent traffic control sign poles at Golf Road and Country Drive, which were causing a traffic safety hazard. The police department immediately contacted the Illinois Department of Transportation to remove these signs. Mr. Elenberger had some concerns about a storm sewer overflowing in the front parking lot of Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby employees have contacted the Village, but they have not heard from anyone. Mr. Strahl said he was unaware of this issue and he will consult with Public Works. Mr. Elenberger heard a rumor that the new Randhurst Theatre would be serving alcohol and he feels this is a bad idea for Mount Prospect. Mayor Wilks stated many theatres are already doing it and it is part of the future for movie theatres. With the help of the Village Manager, Village Attorney and Police Chief, Mayor Wilks said she thoroughly reviewed the plans to ensure policies and protocols were in place to monitor alcohol compliance. Chief Dahlberg added wristbands, staff training and an Alcohol Compliance Monitor walking around wearing a vest are requirements the Village has set in place with AMC theatre. Trustee Matuszak stated the Mayor has done a good job of putting controls in place to the extent controls can be used to limit abuse and Trustee Polit agreed. Coffee with Council Minutes Page 1 of 3 03/12/11 Carol Tortorello, S. Elmhurst Avenue Carol Tortorello had no particular issue, but did comment the issue of serving liquor at the new theatre. She took a small poll during a recent blood drive event and found more people against the new AMC Theatre serving alcohol than for the concept. Steve & Barbara VanArsdale, Can -Dota Steve and Barbara VanArsdale had nothing to discuss. Jim Chylik, Locust Street Mr. Chylik had no complaints. He asked if anyone knew about the eat -in versus carryout tax and no one could provide any information. Mal Holec, Quince Lane Mr. Holec expressed his concerns about Randhurst Theatre serving alcohol and stated he would not go to the theatre if they serve liquor. Mr. Holec would like to see more attention given to providing traffic control and direction at Randhurst, especially during grand opening festivities if there are to be any. Jan Kent, Briarwood Teri Markovits, Briarwood Ms. Kent and Ms. Markovits asked about the annexation of the unincorporated townhomes at the end of Briarwood Court. Two of the buildings are in Mount Prospect and three are in unincorporated Cook County. The buildings located in unincorporated Cook County have code violations, and attract a negative element to their neighborhood. Mr. Strahl said Community Development was looking into certain annexation opportunities, but such decisions are usually dependent on a cost /benefit analysis. Ms. Kent asked about the maintenance of the Weller Creek area and there was a brief discussion on responsibility for maintenance and repairs to the creek that feeds into Lake Briarwood, which is the maintenance responsibility of the Lake Briarwood Homeowner's Association. They again thanked the Board for their help in getting the sewer repair process started in their neighborhood. There was also a brief discussion on individual homeowners being responsible for bringing their home systems up to standard with respect to illegal storm water runoff connections. Trustee Matuszak explained the process and cost to repair. Ms. Kent said they would be sure to include information in their homeowners association meeting minutes. Thomas Tezky, North School Street Mr. Tezky had no issues. Max Romanowicz, Ardyce Lane Mr. Romanowicz had no issues to discuss. Anita Taylor, Burning Bush Ms. Taylor attended to see what was happening. Louis Bowers, Boxwood Mr. Bowers asked for locations where he could dispose of fluorescent bulbs or CFL's and several residents informed him Public Works takes CFL's. Mr. Bowers also finds it very confusing to drive around the Randhurst parking lot. Trustee Polit said there are plans to install signs and markers to provide better direction. David Schein, Na -Wa -Ta Mr. Schein acknowledged the passing of David Toeppen and his efforts toward Dark Sky Initiatives. Mr. Schein indicated he was neutral on the idea of alcohol being licensed for sale at the new AMC Theatre, as he did not know enough about the issue to form an opinion yet. Mr. Schein passed out brochures on making homemade maple syrup from tree sap. He also mentioned he thought Tuesday's discussion on the levee 37 project was very good. Coffee with Council Minutes Page 2 of 3 03/12/11 Michael Pateras, N. Greenfield Mr. Pateras has concerns regarding a number of homeowners in the area and rental units along Wheeling Road not maintaining their property. He wondered what the Village could do about this issue. Trustee Polit said the Village relies on neighbors to call if there is any property maintenance issue and the Village follows a process when addressing such properties. Mr. Strahl asked Mr. Panteras to e-mail him a list of addresses. Mr. Panteras inquired if our Neighborhood Watch Program was still active and Chief Dahlberg informed him that with the elimination of the Crime Prevention Unit on January 1, 2011, this program is no longer being offered or supported by the Police Department. Mr. Panteras asked what the Village does about the cars parked along Wheeling Road during the snowstorm and left there for long periods. Chief Dahlberg informed him, it is not the Village granting parking permission, but the Mount Prospect Townhomes Homeowners Association (MPTH) and the association is very aggressive in enforcing the parking restrictions. Abandoned vehicles go through a process once the Police Department is notified. At 10:34 a.m., Trustee Polit took over for Mayor Wilks. David Zamjahn, N. Maple Mr. Zamjahn attended Coffee With Council to ask why cars parked across sidewalks are not ticketed. He has tried to talk with residents in his area about this issue, but they do not cooperate. Chief Dahlberg said the police rely on residents to call when this problem occurs and the police will then contact the resident to ensure compliance. Robert Madsen, W. Central Mr. Madsen's concern was regarding traffic difficulty when exiting the Walmart parking lot at Central and Rand Road. Everyone agreed this intersection is troublesome and there is no easy solution. It was suggested Mr. Madsen use the Garden Fresh exit to turn right safely on to Central Road. The meeting was adjourned at 11:07 a.m. Respectfully submitted, John K. Dahlberg Chief of Police Coffee with Council Minutes Page 3 of 3 03/12/11