HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/14/1997 COW minutes MINUTES
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE '
OCTOBER 14, '1997
Tr~_ ORDER .... ":'" " "~ ~? ~"
CALL
Mayo/; F~rley called the meeting to'~rder at ~'~i34 P:m:' PreSent,at the~meeting were:
Trustees George Clowes, Timothy Corcoran, Paul 'Hoefert, Daniel Nocchi and
irvana Wilks. Staff 15r%ent included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant
Villas0 Mana~0r David Strahl, ~Ublic Works Director Glen ~ndl0r, Deputy Public
Works Director S0an Dorsey, Solid Waste Goordinator [.isa Anflell and Community
' DevelopmentDirector William Gooney.
MINUIES ~
App~-~)val of Minutes Of september 23,~1997. Motion made b9 T~ustee Hoefert and
Seconded by Trustee Necchi to accept the Minutes. Minutes were approved
Unanimously
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD ,~, ,, ,
None .....
ENTRANCE MARKERS DISCUSSION '
Public Works Director G!en Afidler.[Srovided a §eneral overview of the history of
'the entrance markers and how entrance markers are processed for removal
pmvious!g..~He s~ated that this discussion was prompted by a request for the
removal of a marker'at the comer'of Westmate and, Kensington where the adjacent
property owners had oi'i§inally disagreed a~ to the status of the entrance marker.
He is requestin~ clarification based on the previous Village~ B0ai'd decision of ~ @87
and to determine whether theBoard wants to chan§e the ori~ina! direction to staff
¢onceMih§ entrance markers.~ He stated it i~ c0mmonfor the Village not to have
any record of a respoasible party for maintainin§ the entran¢~ i-narkers and has had
difficulty obtainin§ such in[ormation ia the past.
Resident Kathy Moritz, 00~1 North WeStgat~, spbke. 8he requested the Villa§e
con'sider allowing the structures to remain because, it~helps provide an identity to the
neighborhood. She also feels that the markers PrOvide general protection for her
hom~ from vehicular traffic as evidenced b~/a previous accident in her yard. She
stated she is willing to maintain and repair the marker and would not want it
removed by the Public Works Department.
Resident Donna Johnson, 1009 Westgate, spoke. She stated that she would
support the marker remaining and would assume the marker would be removed if
it deteriorated. However, if the markers are maintained by the residents, then the
Village should allow the markers to remain if the markers can be rebuilt or repaired.
General comments by the Village Board members included the following items:
Some Board members were Sbrprised as t° the total number of entrance markers
that were still present throughout the Village. There was also general support as
to the Village's assistance in collecting monies from p~ople,who may damage the
markers in an effort to repair the marker to its original state. Trustees felt that if
markers created a sight obstruction, then the marker should be removed. They
i'eq~Jesied the Staff bndertake the,task of trying'~t(~'identify resPOnsible homeowners
assSci~tionS.~ 'Trustees ,felt that' the markers' do pr'ovid~ ar{ identity to specific
neighbbrh0ods and sup'poded the m~rkers remaining in place. ,However, the
Trustees 'felt ~hat 'h0meo~ners ,' and 'homeowners as;sociations must take
responsibility for maintaining these markers so that n~ Villag~'funds would be
expended for this purpose.
Consensus of the Village Board was to create a resolution 0'ut ini"g the [Jo icy
for entrance markers .robe maintained by~ h.omeowners or homeowners
associations and 'when thee marker fell into a state of disrepair,' the Public
Works ~Department was authorized to ~emove'them' p~oviding appro[~riate
notice was provided to adjacent property owners.
CELLULAR ANTENNAS LOCATED ON VI'~[AGE PROPERTY
Assistant Village Manager David Strahl provided a general overview Summarizing
the discussions with AT&T Wireless to date. He stated the Village Board had
authorized staff to enter into preliminary discussions with wireless providers to
determine whether the installation on Village-owned property would be appropriate.
.The Village has h~ad two pr~limin'ar~ meetings'~ith AT&T Wireless t~), install eight
a~tennas on' the catwaik of the'Village water tower on Nbrtl~west Highway. The
purpose of the ~nformabon provided th~s evening ~s to adwse the Board of these
~ meetings and to determine whether there remains an ~nterest to proceed w~th further
n~g~tiations. It is estimated that th'e reven~e' gerierated from' the lease will be in the
range Of $10,000 to $12,000 per y~ar." 'in"a, ddition,'~the'Village ~vould collect
~li~frastructure Maintenance Fee's and Utility,Tax from this new s,ervi~:e provided to
Anthony Lello, attorney'foi' AT&T Wireless provided a gen~r~il Overview of how
the antennas would be mounted to the tower and acknowledged the fact that AT&T
wot~ld b~ responsible for any additional costs of pai~tir{g th~ water toWer due to the {'-"~
installation of {he antennas.' He'als0 s~ated that there would be two'~control boxes
mounted ~n' the ground at'th~ far ~est end of the tower ~'nd every effort would be
made to mask the appear ce '~)f the boxes through lands~;aping.
General comments from the Village Board m~nl~ers ~ncluded s0~e concern
regardir~g the noise generated from the control 15oxes mounted'on the ground.
There was also a concern whether the antennas'and wiring would cause conflicts
with Fire Department training on the water tower. Board members asked whether
by lettingone prowder~ ''~ TM in~, the Village Would be~required to allow ,other,PrOviders in
until the water tower space~ is filled up:~ , ,. ~ ~. ,
Assistant Village Manager Dave Strahl responded to the comments. He stated
that the Village has authority over its own property to detei'mine wh0'utilizes the
property for wireless services.
~Tony Lello stated that he WoUld` provide the mar;ufac{u~er'~ 'de{ails regarding the
e~r a -~
noise gen ated from the c binets. ~
~ General 'consensus fi'om the Vil'lage' Board was to continue negotiations with
AT&T WireleSs. It is hoped that a favm-able lease can be n,egotiated which will
not impact Village operations or Village residents. ~
"pERsoN/~.L sHoPpING CART PROGRAM ~" '" '-:"
Solid Waste Co0rdina~or Lisa A'ngell pr0vi'd~d a general o~ervieW Of this item.
She stated that Trustee Corcoran has been in'sd-umental in working. With area
'~gr~ocery stores and s;~aff to come uP With a resol_ution. She stated that the program
is str,uctured to provide an alternative 'for customers to ~ransport their groceries'from
a grocery store site to a nearby residence; She stated that agreements have been
worked out with the two Dominick's, Sun Harvest, WalMart, the Jewel in Mount
Prospect and the Jewel in Des Plaines. She stated that the~target area is
approximately ~15 apartment complexes and presentabons have been underway and
well-received rega~ding"this,prdgram. . .The,personal shopping cart would be
sbbsidized by the participating grocery stores in the ,,Village with the resident paying
a modest fee. She stated that Village staff continues to advise stores to pick up
carts that happen to be left off their property and the stores are charged for cart
removal as necessary. -'
General ~mmen~ t~"b'yViliage Board ~members in~clude~ ~he followi~ng items:
B~ard members v~ere quite' receptive to th~ progra'm and felt it was a go0~l example
of business' and Vdlage working together for a, Solution. ,'~This item was for
information purposes only and to bring the Board up;to-date as to the progress of
addressing this..0~going problem.'
AMERITECH pUR(~HASE OF SPRINT .....
Assistant Village Manager Dave Strahl provided a general overview to the Village
Board. He stated that Ameritech is in the process of purchasing the Sprint service
area which covers approximately 6300 lines in Mount Prospect. Ameritech expects
a favorable decision from the Ilhnois Commerce Commission around November 1.
Ameritech is requesting the Villag~ accept the Ameritech Franchise Agreement
~urrently in'place~ with'the Village as the Agreement which would be extended to
cover the former Sp,rint service area. ~
.Consensus of the~Village Board Was to' approve the Letter of Agreement
~alloWing Ameritech ~to apply the Ameritech Franchise Agreement to the former
Sprint service area in Mount ProSpect. "" '
, T'" ....
,,ST UC URES IN THEP RK Y BASKETBALL HooPs
Public Works Director Glen A.dler pr0vide~ a gen ai ove iew of this topic. He
~stated,that Village Code prohibits private structures constructed in the par~ay,
howe~er, the~'~are a numbe~ of residents who-~a~'installed ~asketball ~hoops in
the public rights-oFway. Staff comes befor& the Village Board to advise'them of the
situation before proceeding with notification of residents to foster removal of these
structure~. Currently~ Staff i~'aware 0f apP(oxi~'ately 26 such basketball hoops
which are in ~iolation. '
General comments from theVill~ge Board members included the following items:
There are numerous,items that residents have,put in the parkways over the years
,including large mailbo~es/'landsca~ing~hi~h'mhy breate sight
'plantings,and Other iiems. 'Trustees felt t~t'~t~ff Should advise residents of the
'prOblem bf~Putting these Structbres in'(5~ ~ight-of~ay ~S~' sso~ as possible ~th a
future date e~tablish~d for their removal. Tru~tee~ felt t~a~ these strbctu~es create
a safety issueand need td be addressed:'
..... ' ~Village
Consensus of th~ Board was to advis6reSidents' ~' ~ wh0'are in Violation
'~f the Village ~C0de Concerning basketball hb'op ~tructure~ built in'the right-of-
'w~y to be notified as sOOn as'PosSible and Provid~d a deadline outlining when
t~e ~emoval must ta~e . ~'~'~
;RAILROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY PLANTINGS REMOVAL:~:" ''
Public Works Director Glen Andler provided a histo~ of the plantings which have
been pu~ in an~ maintained ~n't~e railroad right-of:way throughout M~unt Prospect.
He stated the Village entered into a lease in the 1960s to improve the appearance
of the right-of-way. "He state~ a' 19'82 leas~ all6wed fo~ i~'~'dscaPe d~sign work to
be un~e~aken bY thb Village t0 fu~her' enhanb~'th~'a~pearance~
::~'Railro'ad ha~'recenfly 'notified ~the Vdiage t~at it i~ canb~ling all lease~' ~egarding
landscape design n the right-oFway and they a~e'inst~tutin~lea~ zbnds~ 0f 500 feet
on either side of an intersection and removal of all plantings be~een the edge of
the railroad ties and 16 feet from those tie~
,~ t~~ ' ',~ C ~' ', ~ .... , '~ '- ~, , '~
Glen Andler provided a video summary showing whe're the lands(~aPe Would need
to be removed for illustration purposes. He stated there would be a need to remove
some plantings to improve sight lines ar{d those W~)uld be' undertaken very shortly.
However, in~orde~ to comply with the 500 foot~r~Jle ahd the 16 foot clear'zone on
either side of the tracks, it is estimated the Village would have to ~remove
approximately 900 shrubs or trees and 600 trees and shrubs Would have to be
~se~erely (~ut back.~ '"~ ' ~ '~;
Village Manager Janonis stated that Mr. Andler, Forestry Superintendent Sandy
Clark, and himself participated in a meetingat Union Pacific headquarters today to
determine whether any middle ground is possible 'to address the Situation. He
stated the 500 foot rule is in the Illinois Vehicle Code and has been for a number of
years. However; typical regulations in'othe'~ sta;[es only require 250 foot rule on
either side of intersections. Union Pacific ha~ stated they would like to work with
'individual municipalities on a caSe-by-case basis and has asked the municipalities
to assist in changing legislation to lessen the impact but i~prove safety as defined
by ~egulations.' He Stated that the recent Change in poli.cY has been driven by
lawsuits from victims of train crossing accidents. He stated that there are
discussions underway with representatives from the Northwest Municipal
C0nferen~e to lessen the impact,.
General comments 'from the Village Board member's include~ the following items:
Board members felt the 500 foot rule appears to be more of a rural ~rea
requ'i~ement Which would apply to ~ncontrolled interSec~ior~s and maynot apply to
urbanized areas. Trustees were"also concerned about'the lost investment if the
plantings were removed as projected. They also were concerned about maintain!ng
safety without adversely impacting appearance.
Donna Johnson, ;1009 Westgatel spoke.' 'She stated that she is h~)peful that the
plantings would not have to be.remove~ as ordered by Union Pacific. However, she
wanted to remind Trustees that residents were told by the Village to remove items
from the right-of-way previously and she finds it interesting that the Village is now
fighting to keep items in the right-of-way When residents themselves are not allowed
to keep things in the right-of-way.~
This information was I~iougl~t forward only for information to the Village Board and
the public and no determination has been made yet regarding the status of the
plantings ....
MANAGER'S REPORT
Village Manager Janonis wanted to remind people of the Welcome New Resident
event scheduled for October 25, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., at the Senior
Center. He also stated that Budget meetings will be starting on October 28, at
6:00 p.m and continuing on November 11 and November 25.
[~A~Y OTHER BUSINESS
'Trustee N0cchi stated th~{ ~Trustee Lohrstorfer is currently ~t'the Villag'e'of Buffalo
Grove providing~, testirn~ny~on~ the Viliage's~ beh,alf,~ regarding~ the,~addition.~ of another
track on the Wisconsin Central line .....
Trustee Hoefe~ inquired a~ to the ~{aius of the retaining ~wall,alogg the 'railroad
right-of-way.
Pu~blic works Director Andler, sated that the wall have worked well over time
and have not exhibited any,failure. ,,
T~h~tee' Cl0Wes'stated that he was in a~endance at,he COffee with council on
~October ~1~ and~notic0d ~hat there~was ~ cedaih ~m~unt'of Confusi0h as to the
Ioc~ti0n of the me~{ing be~n~ split be~en Village Hall an~d RoSe~ F~ost School.
He stated that there were around 50 residen{s present a~ Robe~ Frost and many
~esidents also sh0w~d up at th~ Village Hall on the same iss6e 6f Palwaukee noise
atth VII g H II
e lBO a ~
Trustee Wi'lks stated that she iSc0ncerhed that ha~ing ~ meetihg in tw9 places is
quite confusing and it creates a problem with geeing people from one location to the
other and she would suggest that future floating Coffee with Councils be~convened
at 'a single location. ~ .................
Trustees Clowes',and Hoefe~ stated t~hat they
suppo~ fut~[~ flohting Coffee with
Councils being convened at a siqglerlocation.
, ADjOURNmENT-~ ,~-,?,, ,',,~
There being no fu~her business, the meeting adjourned at 9:42 p.m
DAVID STIHL
, , , ~ .,; Assistant e Bna er
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~USERS~DAVES~WIN[OFFICE[1014COW MIN