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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/12/2005 CWC minutes MINUTES COFFEE WITH COUNCIL Saturday, February 12,2005 Community Center, Village Hall Mayor Skip Farley convened the Coffee With Council meeting at 9:00 a.m. Present were Trustee Michaele Skowron, Trustee Paul Hoefert, Trustee Michael Zadel. Staff was represented by Assistant Village Manager Dave Strahl and Police Chief Richard Eddington. Residents in Attendance Mal Holec Ken & Jackie Koeppen AI Zvejnieks AI Szumanski Lee Williams Elaine Nekritz Carol Tortorello Thomas Thourson David Schein Walter Nohelty 927 Quince Lane 1040 Linneman 695 Bel Aire Lane 665 Bel Aire Lane 70 N. Albert 29 S. River Road, Des Plaines 223 S. Elmhurst Avenue 5 W. Central 512 NaWaTa 40 E. Northwest Highway Mal Holec, 927 Quince Lane: Mr. Holec had two issues he wished to discuss. First was the Flood Prevention Project for the Euclid Avenue area. Mr. Holec expressed a concern that floodwater would go around the proposed levees. He was encouraged to review the plans and attend the flood control meetings that would be held in the near future. (See Representative Nekritz's comments) Mr. Holec's second issue was a discussion of the location of Fire Station 14. He was assured that there would be a wide-ranging and public discussion of whether or not to move the fire station to the other side of the tracks. It was pointed out that there were two parts of the discussion. First was the need for a new station. The second was the location of that station. Ken & Jackie Koeppen, 1040 Linneman, AI Zvejnieks, 695 Bel Aire Lane, and AI Szumanski, 665 Bel Aire Lane: All wished to discuss the redevelopment of the St. John's property. Their issues were density, traffic flow, and water retention. The elected officials present encouraged them to attend all of the zoning meetings and express their concerns including density, their preference for single family homes, and construction materials to be used. All were in favor of single-family homes rather than town homes. It was pointed out that sometime developments afford a unique opportunity to address existing issues like drainage. Lee Williams, 70 N. Albert: Mr. Williams had no specific issues, but wanted to stay "in the loop" for developments and issues in the Village. Carol Tortorello, 223 S. Elmhurst Avenue: Ms. Tortorello had concerns regarding the new provisions for handicapped accessible pedestrian crossings, and the related reduction in Block Grant Funds. In the past those funds had been used to construct and reconstruct the handicapped accessible pedestrian crossings. These funds have been severely reduced. Consequently, if the Village is forced to "red brick" the crossings to bring them into compliance, would the Village have to bear the entire expense? Thomas Thourson, 5 W. Central: Mr. Thourson's issue was the lack of crosswalks at Northwest Highway and Central Road, and the turning lanes are not well marked. These factors make the intersection extremely hazardous. Trustee Skowron also pointed out that this is the most direct walking route from many neighborhoods to the downtown attractions. It was suggested that the entire intersection, including Prospect Avenue, should be reviewed especially in light of the resurfacing project that is scheduled for this spring and summer. Additionally, Trustee Skowron pointed out that the stop bars and other traffic lane markings for cars were lacking in addition to the need for pedestrian crosswalks. She requested that this matter be forwarded to engineering to coordinate with the resurfacing to re-mark the entire intersection. (Subsequent to the meeting I spoke with Jeff Wulbecker, the Village Engineer. He stated that the Village had already subcontracted a total re-striping of the intersection.) David Schein, 512 NaWaTa: Thanked the board for keeping the cat licensing issue on the Committee of the Whole agenda. Further, he pointed out that seven of the ten surrounding jurisdictions require cat licensing and five of those jurisdictions prohibit roaming cats. Additionally, he believed that there may be an issue brought forward regarding a yield sign at Shabonne and NaWaTa. There is no stop sign between the golf course and Rte 83, which contributes to speed and cut through traffic. Mr. Schein also wanted to express to His Honor that the status of the Village is "Peachee Keene." Walter Nohelty, 40 E. Northwest Highway: Mr. Nohelty wanted to compliment the Village on the improvement of downtown signage. Additionally, the closure of the Bank One lot exit made it much safer for those exiting The Lofts and was appreciative of the efforts of the Village in rectifying the situation. He had brought up this issue at the last Coffee With Council. Regarding Founders Row, Mr. Nohelty was concerned about the fence and who will repair the current fence and maintain the fence in the future. Dave Strahl said that this matter was still being negotiated, but that Founders Row had agreed that even though the fence was not on their property it would be upgraded. Rep. Elaine Nekritz, 24 South River Road, Des Plaines: Rep. Nekritz provided an update on the Budget Address and pointed out there would be House of Representative budget presentations throughout the state. She felt these presentations would be extremely informative. The Northbrook Village Hall will host a budget presentation on March 5th at 9:00 a.m. Further, educational funding review would not be given much attention in this session of the General Assembly. On Flood matters, the Northwest Municipal Conference has been appointed as the guiding interested party in storm water issues and encouraged Mr. Holec to attend their meetings so he could be aware of any updates regarding levees in the area of Euclid A venue. AI Zvejnieks, 695 Bel Aire Lane: Mr. Zvejnieks wanted to speak as a representative of the South Mount Prospect rental property owners. He was concerned regarding gang issues and property maintenance. This matter was discussed generally and several suggestions were made regarding proactive steps that had been undertaken by the Village. Mal Holec, 927 Quince Lane: Mr. Holec brought up the possibility of the Village annexing Mudville and the possibility of expanding C type liquor licenses. At 10:15 a.m. with no further business to be heard by the Trustees, Mayor Farley called for a motion for adjournment, which was carried by voice vote. Respectfully submitted, Richard Eddington Chief of Police