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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/29/1993 COW minutes M~nutes COI~ITTEE OF THE WHOLE ~une 29~ ~993 I. ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7:08 p.m. by Mayor Gerald L. Farley. Trustees present were George Clowes, Timothy Corcoran, Richard Hendricks, Paul Hoefert, Michaele Skowron and Irvana Wilks. Also present were Village Manager Michael Janonis, Fire Chief Edward Cavello, Inspection Services Director Chuck Bencic, Engineering Coordinator Jeff Wulbecker, Assistant Finance Director Carol Widmer, Police Chief Ronald Pavlock, Operations Deputy Police Chief Thomas Daley, Administrative Services Deputy Police Chief Ronald Richardson, Commander Joseph Kolanowski, Public Works Director Herb Weeks, Public Works Equipment/Maintenance Superintendent Jim Guenther, Des Plaines City Manager Walter Douthwaite, St. Emilyls Elementary School Principal Sister Danielle Jacob and representatives of St. Emily"s Parent/Teacher Organization, and Finance Commission Chairman Richard Bachhuber. II. MINUTES OF NAY 25, 1993 & JUNE 8v 1993 The minutes of May 25, 1993 and June 8/ 1993 were accepted and filed.. III. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Mr. Janonis introduced his mother, Grace Janonis who was in the audience, to those present. IV. ST. EMILY'S STOPLIGHT DISCUSSION Mayor Farley r~ported that staff had thoroughly researched the need for a stoplight at Homer and Central. Past discussions with persons involved have led to proposals for a possible stoplight or other alternatives. Mr. Janonis gave a brief history of how this matter came to the attention of Village staff. ~Horner and Central is where a crossing guard crosses approximately eight children during the school year. These children attend St. Emily's Elementary School. During the past year the Police Chief had been informed that parents were concerned for the safety of their children at this crossing. There was also a concern for the safety of the crossing guard..The Chief of Police recommended that the crossing guard be eliminated based upon high traffic density, enforcement problems, questionable gaps in the traffic to allow the crossing guard to safely cross the children, roadway width and also visibility problems in the morning when traffic is driving directly into the sun. Based upon the Police Chief's findings and his own observations, Mr. Ja~enis agreed that the crossing guard should be eliminated. This led to a meeting in April with representatives of St. Emily's School when they~were advised of the recommendation of Mr. Janonis and the Police Chief. The basic responsibility for the safety of the children was also discussed and no consensus could be reached as to alternative solutions for a crossing guard. This led to a formal request by St. Emily's School representatives for a stoplight. This request resulted in Traffic Engineering staff conducting an extensive study of the location supported by heavy enforcement of the speed laws by both the Des Plaines and Mount Prospect Police Departments. As part of the study, Engineering staff was asked to see if .the appropriate warrants were present to justify a stoplight. The finding was that there was no justification present for a stoplight. The traffic enforcement study showed conclusively that we do have people that do exceed the speed limit during school hours at this~location. It was pointed out by Mr. Jano~is that speed violations are not a warrant for any traffic control device. He further indicated that traffic control devices such as stop signs and stoplights have a tendency to increase the speed of vehicles because people speed up between them trying to make the next light. Mr. Ja~onis stated that staff feels that a stoplight or any other traffic control device would not provide the safety margin necessary for the crossing guard to cross children safely at Homer and Central. Staff concluded that the best option would be to have the children transported by bus or by their parents. Mr. Janonis reported there are currently over sixty children who live south of Central who attend St. Emily's and currently get to school by other means. Mr. Janonis reported there have been discussions about cost relative to this concern but the major issue is safety. He concluded by stating that it would be in the best interest of that other options such as busing for all the children who attend St. Emily's be explored. He requested that school staff contact area school districts to see if they could assist in providing buses for the school. Sister Danielle pointed out that they have checked into busing for the students but have found that the district that these children live in does not provide busing. She stated that some St. Emily's children are bused, but they live in districts that either provide busing or a payment plan has been worked out with the parents. Although she recognized that eight children is a low n~mher of students who must cross the intersection, there are also over 200 children who are dropped off at the school and these cars must pull in and out of the school yard. There was further discussion as to the legal responsibility regarding children's safety. Trustee skowron inquired as to what school district these children reside in. Nancy Giannelli, a representative from St. Emily's, replied that District 62 does not provide any busing for children in the district unless there are special circumstances such as a handicap. Trustee Skowron asked whether or not Sister Danielle had contacted District 62 or 26. A general discussion of the availability and application process to secure busing for the students ~then took place. There was also a discussion on contacting the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to request assistance in finding busing for the students. Mayor Farley suggested to school officials and parents present that perhaps a car pool might be the answer to ~their concerns. Representatives from the St. Emily's Parents/Teachers Association stated they do drive their children because they are concerned for their safety at Homer and Central. Trustee Hoefert inquired as to whether or not the parents of the eight children perceive this as a safety issue. The representatives replied they did. Trustee Cor~oran inquired as to the locations of other crossings for St. Emily's. It was pointed out that there is a crossing guard in Des Plaines at Berkshire and Wolf. He suggested taking the crossing guard from Homer and Central together with the crossing guard from Berkshire and Wolf and having both guards at Central and Wolf. This isolates the risk to a place where we have control, which is an intersection, and funnels people to where they should cross and not at an uncontrolled location. Trustee Corooran recommended 'that formal requests be made to the two ~school districts for busing for the students. He also suggested contacting Legislator Marry Butler to see if State Legislation could be changed to include safety as one of the criteria to justify,the need for busing service. Mr. Janonis informed the Board that there also is a crossing guard provided by Des Plaines at Emmerson and Wolf Road who crosses approximately eight children. Perhaps we can combine all of the crossing guards and put them at Central and Wolf. Des Plaines city Manager Walter Douthwaits, stating that he was not speaking for the collective Des Plaines City Council, reported that it was also his opinion that this was not a safe location for a crossing guard and that the City of Des Plaines has-had preliminary discussions relative to the possible elimination of their crossing guard program along with other programs due to budgetary concerns. He stated he would be willing to work with Mount Prospect and redeploy their two crossing guards to Central and Wolf to assist in funneling children to a safe crossing. However, he pointed out that this would be at the most for the 1993-94 school year and that in the future there possibly would not be funding for those crossing guards. Mayor Farley suggested a traffic light at Homer and Central~with the expenses shared between interested parties. Trustee Wilks asked Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker to discuss the warrants for both the traffic light and the crossing guard.~ He reported warrants for a traffic light are not present, and the roadway was definitely unsafe for the children crossing at the time of the study_~due to the lack of the necessary 60 gaps per hour. There were only 20 gaps per hour. There was also a discussion relative to the legal position of the Village if the light,were installed without meeting the warrants. Mayor Farley questioned Engineering staff as to the possibility of the installation of a school traffic light to be used only at specific times of the day. Engineering staff recommended against that type of a light and gave various reasons for this recommendation. Trustee skowron, after a lengthy discussion about alternative methods of crossing the children and slowing traffic down, recommended that the school pursue the issue of busing with the adjoining school districts. Trustee Eosfert stated that there are definitely more appropriate solutions than the installation of a light and he would certainly support Trustee Corcoran's suggestions. Mayor Farley concurred with Trustees Skowron and Hoefert that the Village should assist St. Emily's in pursuing transportation with the adjoining school districts. Trustee coroorancould not support a stoplight or a crossing guard at Homer and Central, but would support, if possible, placing our crossing guard at Central and Wolf, joining the Des Plaines crossing guards in providing a safe crossing at that location. Trustee Clowes agreed with Trustee Corcoran and other Trustees that the crossing guard should not be kept at Homer and Central and that the idea of having children crossing at one location such as Central and Wolf should be explored. He also stated that he was not aware, of the traffic problem of cars entering 'and leaving the parking lot at St. Emily's. Mayor Farley stated that it appears there is a consensus that the Village staff can work with the school district to formally request district #26 consider busing the children to St. Emily's and that St Emily's look at an alternative solution such as contracting for busing, possibly with Pace. ~It was also suggested that leglslation be pursued at a state'level to make safety a criteria for the justification for providing funding for transportation of children to school. Mr. Janon~s indicated he would'work with staff in an attempt to follow up on these recommendations and come to~ some conclusion before the start of the 1993-94 school year. v. POLICE ANDFIREHEADQUARTERS UPDATE Mr. Janonis presented the list of Change Orders for the new facility and informed the Board that the building construction is still under budget. He also indicated that it would probably take 30 - 60 days to work out some of the minor problems with the building, at which time an "Open House" would be considered. Mayor Farley polled the Board and there was a consensus as to the ~.) approval of th~ Change Orders. Trustee Hoefert and Trustee Wilks expressed concern as to some of the minor points that were missed by the architect on the building, but after a short discussion concluded that these problems do arise. Mr. Janonis expressed his appreciation and complimented staff from the various departments who were involved in the planning, construction and occupation of the new facility. He especially commended Project Director Commander Joe Kolanowski for his tenacious approach to a finished building. Several Trustees complimented staff and especially Commander Kolanowski on a job well done in supervising the construction of the new building. Trustee Hoefert did request that consideration be given in the near future for the placement of a guard rail on the west side of the parking structure to prevent citizens from walking off the end. VI. PHASE III FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT UPDATE Mr. Janonis introduced Public Works Director Herb Weeks, who was asked to give an overview on the status of four major flood control projects scheduled for construction this fiscal year. Before this discussion took place there was considerable dialogue between the Village Manger, the Mayor and the Public Works Director as toga 1,350 foot section of recently discovered extremely deteriorated combined sewer pipe on one of the projects. They pointed out that the Prospect Manor/North Main Project had been progressing smoothly until this deteriorated condition was found. The estimated cost of the additional repairs to this section is approximately $115,000 plus engineering fees. Director Weeks then discussed the four projects (Des Piaines River Backwater Valves, Prospect Manor/North Main Sanitary, Hatlen Heights Sanitary, and Fairview Gardens Sanitary). He reported they were all coming in under budget and he expected no problems with completion. Director Weeks also gave a brief report on the status of the elevated tank renovation and indicated it was on schedule with minimal problems. A discussion among the Trustees ensued about the various projects. Director Weeks answered their questions. Mayor Parley asked if there was a consensus to support continued funding of the projects. The Board unanimously agreed. VII. DZBCUSSZONI~EG~RDING POOL C2LI~FLEETM~INTEN~NCE Mr. Janonie indicated to the Board that the purpose of this agenda item was to give the Board an opportunity to review the Village's current fleet maintenance and replacement program. During the past several weeks Village staff met and conducted an extensive review of our current system. Mr. Janonie reported that after the series of lengthy meetings it is his conclusion that the program was adequately serving the needs of the Village. ' He stated that it would be appropriate at this meeting to have further discussion so that the Board would have a better understanding of the program for car fleet replacement and maintenance, including its design, review criteria and subjective components. Before a discussion ensued among the Trustees, Mr. Janonis indicated that this program under discussion at this meeting would be restricted to squads, staff cars and pool cars. Trustee Hoefert began the discussion by pointing out that he felt very strongly and wanted it understood that any vehicle program for the Village should have life safety as its priority. He wanted staff and the Board to understand that this was his top concern. He then asked staff to comment on the replacement schedule and especially the two year program on police cars. A discussion by Deputy Police Chief Ron Richardson, Public Works Equipment/Maintenance Superintendent Jim Guenther and Police Chief Ronald Pavlock covered warranties, maintenance costs, safety issues and the recycling of vehicles. It was pointed out to the Board that the Village has tried programs in the past where vehicles have been driven in excess of 100,000 miles, but the cost per mile became cost prohibitive and that with the new warranties and trade-in values it is more cost effective to recycle the vehicles or put them up for auction. Trustee Corcoran summarized various cost effective ways of approaching the replacement vehicles based upon his expertise in the area of vehicle component maintenance. He indicated there were certain parts of vehicles that have to be replaced over the years due to wear and mileage, i.e., tires, mufflers, engine parts and others based upon time such as body parts. He further stated that new manufacturer warranties for passenger vehicles are seven years, 70,000 miles because they know that at the end of that period of time and/or mileage things are going to start deteriorating. Trustee Corooran further pointed out that the duty cycle a police car goes through is probably one of the roughest ways for a car to run. The cars that we buy as police cars are almost consumables because the $10,000 or $12,000 we pay is almost less than a dealer would pay for a vehicle. The auto manufacturers want to get these vehicles out on the street to advertise their product. Trustee corcoran articulated the various cost factors that are taken into consideration when these vehicles are driven as police cars for a period of two years or 50,000 - 60,000 miles. He pointed out that a squad vehicle may cost $10,000 - $12,000 and at the end of two years the Village will receive back a $4,000 rebate less any maintenance costs along the way, which allows us to get rid of the vehicle at a minor loss before it becomes a problem. He further stated that once a vehicle reaches its upper mileage limits certain items must be replaced. Also, while that vehicle is being repaired a replacement is necessary at an additional cost. rustee Hendricks inquired as to whether or not there was an exception for police cars under new dealer warranties. Mr. Guenther advised there is no exception. Trustee Clowes asked that the Village budget lease charges be explained. This led to a discussion about the lease charges and history and the benefits as presented in our current budgeting system. A discussion among the Trustees, Village Manager and Mayor ensued about the current cost program. Further discussion was also held as to the right sizing of vehicles and how the committee will continue to look at alternative cost effective vehicle maintenance programs. Mayor Farley described his many years of experience as a Trustee and as the Mayor in dealing with our current program, indicated his support and complimented staff on a job well done. Mr. Janonis indicated that if there was a better way we could do the job and tie it into our current performance budget system we would do just that in the future. Trustee Clowes indicated his interest in a continuation of the information flow as to our innovative program and that we should share it not only with the Village Board but also with our neighboring communities. Trustee Corcoran pointed out that most people do not take as good of care of their personal vehicles as the Mayor and Trustee Hoefert, and that is why there needs to be a planned maintenance program. Most vehicles deteriorate due to maintenance failure. That is why the previously described fleet maintenance/replacement program works so well. VIII. MANAGER~SREPORT Mr. Janonis invited the elected officials to tour the maintenance facilities at Public Works to personally observe the innovative maintenance program at their convenience. IX. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Wilks commented on the request by Lil and Leo Floros that the Village form an official Special Events Committee and supported the concept. Mayor Farley polled the Board and the consensus was that a Special Events Committee should be considered. Trustee Hendr~cks brought forth a concern about a line-site concern present at Emmerson and Wolf. He asked that staff review this problem. X. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:5§ p.m. Chief of Police 7