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Home My WebLink About06/11/2005 CWC minutes MINUTES Coffee With Council Saturday, June 11,2005 Community Center, Village Hall Trustee Michaele Skowron called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Trustee Skowron announced that Mayor Wilks would not be in attendance due to her handling Village business at the U.S. Mayors Conference, which was being held in Chicago. Trustee Corcoran was present and Trustee Hoeffert joined the group a short time later. Staff representatives were Village Manager Mike Janonis and Police Chief Richard Eddington. Residents in Attendance Mal Holec Mike Skowron Carol Tortorello Walter Fisher Jim Chylik Jean Skrzynski Katy Hanson Mel Pietraszewski 92 7 Quince Lane 1404 W. Busse Avenue 223 S. Elmhurst Avenue 904 S. Candota 1809 Locust 100 North Elmhurst 103 Eastwood 1105 Ironwood Drive Mal Bolee, 927 Quince Laue: Mr. Holec had several issues he wished to discuss with the Board. The first was the ban on liquor licenses for convenient stores. Mr. Holec felt that this prohibition was causing independent convenient stores to go out of business because they could not be competitive with the larger chain stores. A liquor license might provide a significant profit margin for the independent convenient stores to be economically viable. The Village Board members expressed their position that the current prohibition was a method of liquor control. They were satisfied with the current provisions. Mr. Holec stated he would convey that information to the convenient store owner he had been conversing with. Mr. Holec's next issue was senior center reciprocity. He felt it would be a positive thing if there was reciprocity between the Arlington Heights and Des Plaines Senior Centers and the Mount Prospect senior citizens. Mal Holec was told that guest memberships were available at the cost of $10 from the Arlington Heights Senior Center. A review of the currently available activities ensued. Mr. Holec was concerned that the overall levels of services at the new Community Center were not as wide-ranging as they had been at the prior location. Several of the Trustees and the Manager commented that all of the services are still available and they would ensure that information would continue to be available regarding these ServIces. Mr. Holec's last issue was Fire Station 14. He wanted to express the concerns of a number of residents regarding the station being moved to the east side of the tracks. Carol Tortorello, 223 S. Elmhurst Avenue: Carol Tortorello commented that she really enjoyed the first Saturday night car show downtown and was looking forward to upcoming Village events, such as the art fair, the 4th of July parade and fireworks, and the block party. Walter Fisher, 904 South Candota: Mr. Fisher was concerned about feral cats and an ongoing situation with them. He asked for a few minutes of the Village Manager's time after the meeting to cover his specific situation. Jim Chylik, 1809 Locust: Mr. Chylik had several issues that he wanted to bring to the board's attention. First was an issue on the Wille Street lot involving his neighbor. There was some confusion regarding parking in that lot on Friday, the 10th of June. Police Chief Eddington committed to investigating why the car that was allegedly illegally parked was not towed. The Chief will follow up with Mr. Chylik and Mr. Gallant. Mr. Chylik wanted each individual renter to be able to call the tow company. There was universal hesitation to allow any individual that latitude due to the expense and difficulty of retrieving a car after it had been towed. [Roman Gallant was contacted with a summary of our actions regarding the illegally parked vehicle. It was discovered that towing from the leased parking spots is not adequately covered by the Village Code. Recommended changes have been forwarded to the Village Manager's office. Due to the inexperience of the Community Service Officer, no citations were issued. Training has been provided for the day shift community service officers so this oversight does not occur in the future.} Mr. Chylik also expressed concern about the manner in which the Police Department handled six to eight cars that were vandalized in his neighborhood. He felt the officers did not invest enough time in talking with the victims and concerned neighbors. The officers talked at them rather than to them. Mr. Chylik also had a question regarding blood drive pens; this was addressed by Carol Tortorello. Jean Skrzynski, 100 N. Elmhurst and Katy Hanson, 103 Eastwood: Jean Skrzynski and Katy Hanson came to complain about their neighbor. It is their allegation that he is running a business. This has been a chronic matter of concern for both Hanson and Skrzynski. Village Manager Mike Janonis has directed that the Secretary of State's Office be contacted to determine whether the alleged offender is selling more than five cars in a year. This would be an indication that he is running a business rather than engaging in a hobby. Hanson and Skrzynski were also encouraged again to call 9-1-1 if there is an issue. Allegations over a week old are not able to be investigated. Consequently, no Village resources will be brought to bear unless police officers are called to document the situation when it occurs. Katy Hanson then went on to express her concerns regarding the expense of installation and maintenance of brick pavers in the downtown area. A discussion ensued regarding the goal of making the downtown an attractive location to enhance visitorship and the viability of the downtown renewal. Mel Pietraszewski, 1105 Ironwood Drive: Mr. Pietraszewski wanted to express concerns about the length of time that contractors take in finishing up a roadway and sidewalk project along Wheeling Road. The project has been ongoing since April with no conclusion in sight. The Village Manager explained that the contractors focused oIJ. specific functions Village-wide; i.e., all curbs, all gutters, all sidewalks, all street grinding, and all resurfacing as sequences of work. It is possible to bid jobs so a location is completed. However, that option becomes cost prohibitive, and consequently not an astute use of tax dollars. Village Manager Janonis promised a quick review of the Wheeling Road project, but felt that the project was moving along within an acceptable time frame. Further, he compared it to the ongoing Central Road projects, with the stops and starts and other issues that inevitably occur. Mr. Pietraszewski also wanted to call the Board's attention to the proliferation "For Sale by Owner" signs that he had seen in his neighborhood. The Village Manager assured him that the signs would be removed; however, the signs tend to be erected on weekends when the public works crews are not out and available to confiscate the signs. Mal Holec raised the issues of sidewalks near the River Trails pool and the sequence of lights at Wolf and Euclid. The sequence oflights will be reviewed. Walter Fisher voiced a concern he had about the intersection of Northwest Highway and Mount Prospect Road. When semi-tractors and trailers turn, sometimes they drag their wheels over the curb line causing ruts in the parkway. This matter will be referred to the appropriate parties to see if additional gravel would alleviate the rut issue. Carol Tortorello broached the topic of roadside memorials. A short discussion ensued. Trustee Corcoran suggested that the Youth Commission be solicited for an opinion on this matter, as it tends to be a youth driven phenomenon. With no further business to come before the council, the meeting adjourned at 10:22 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, ~ Richard Eddington Chief of Police