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Home My WebLink About08/26/1997 COW minutes .~ MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ~ AUGUST 26, 1997 .. I. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Farley called the meeting to order at 7:$§ p.m. Pmsentat the meeting were: Trustees George Clowes, Timothy Corcoran, Richard Lohrstorfer, Daniel Necchi and Irvana Wilks. Absent from the meeting was Trustee Paul Hoefert. Staff present included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Community Development Director William Cooney, Deputy Community Development Director Michael Blue, Building Coordinator Brad Paulson and Cable Production Coordinator Ross Rowe. II. MINUTES Approval Of Minutes of August i'2, 1997.~ Motion made by Trustee Corcoran and Secohded by Trustee Necchi to approve the Minutes. Minutes were approved unanimously. Trustee Wilks abstained. , '111. CITIZENs TO BE 'HEARD John Kern, 301 North William, spoke. He requested the Village Board reconsider the notification process given to residents within the normal 250' radius of property considered for rezoning. Hesuggested the change be made so that at least some residents would be notified of a pending Zoning change regardless of what the distance from the property under consideration is to ensure that at least an impacted resident may be made aware of the proposal. He also felt that there was some disruption during the meeting the previous ,week due to numerous inconsiderate audience members taking and receiving cellular phone calls and other communications. ~ IV. DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT , , ~ Norm Kurtz, Chairman of the Economic Development Commission, spoke. He is representing the EDC, the Plan Commission and the Business District ,, Development and Redevelopmer~t Commission. All.three groups,have drafted a joint memorandum to the Village Board requesting the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to provide an action plan for presentation to the Village Board. General comments of the Village Board members included the following items: Some Board members felt that such a Committee would be a continuation of the process of downtown redevelopment discussions. Some Board members also wanted to ensure that the process was not slowed down by the establishment of this Committee. There was a request to consider appointing two business owners from Mount Prospect to the Committee. There was some discussion as to the added value of a marketing consultant and what they would bring to the process. Some Board members also recommended property owners from the downtown area be included in the Committee. A suggestion was made to'consider a separate meeting with downtown property owners before the general open'house is scheduled highlighting the recommbndati0ns of the commission. Other Board members suggested fresh faces be considered for the group so that ~some new ideas are brought in including newer Trustees. Community Development Director Bill Cooney responded t0a number of the comments. He stated that it is important to include a market survey to determine how conditions have changed to ensure that all necessary efforts are directed toward the proper market. Norm Kurtz, spoke. He stated that he has received a number of inquiries from ~business Owners and residents who are interested in particiPating. He also reminded the Board that there were a number of residents which were involved in the process when the Pontarelli project started. He stated that it is his intention and the group's intention to meet at least twice per month until January 1998 in order to prepare the recommendations to the Village Board. Hal Predovich, Chair of the BDDRC, spoke. ~He stated that he has also been contacted by numerous volunteers wanting to participate and there is a large amount of interest in getting the process moving. General consensus of the Village' Board members was to establish the Ad Hoc Committee to re(~ommend downtown redevelopment action plan and proceed with appointments from the Mayor as soon as possible. BUILDING CODE UPDATE Community Development Director Bill Cooneysta{ed that this proposal before the Board this evening is to update ex!sting Codes to meet current construction techniques and improvements. He is requesting the Village Board consider adbpting the 1996 version of the BOCA with local amendments and updates. He stated the Village is currently operating under the 1990 version of the BOCA Code. Staff typical,ly requests an update of BOCA every three years so the Code does not become too outdated. He stated that the EDC~and Chamber have reviewed the proposal and have voted unanimously to support this change. "-"'~ Building Coordinator Brad Paulson provided a general overview of the changes requested. He stated that Code revisions are done on a national basis' based on construction techniques and changes or improvements in construction processes. He said local amendments typically are local requirements which reflect community standards. He stated that one of the other reasons to consider a change at this time is that the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) is in the process of reviewing Building Departments throughout the nation in order to include a rating as part of the typical ISO rating which currently includes Fire Department and water service capabilities. He stated an extensive staff review has taken place to ensure that all redundant areas have been removed along with overly technical language. He stated Fire Codes have been changed to allow more flexibility of choice for the owner so that they can make an economic decision that still meets the intent of the Code. , ~ Adelaide and Fred Thulin, local business owners, spoke. They support the change in the Codes as presented. Building Coordinator Brad Paulson responded t~°a question regarding living below ground or in the basement. He stated the conditions which allow such an option have been changed so that persons can live below ground so long as an escape window or a secondary means of egress is in place with the hard-wired smoke detectors as required by Code. General comments by the Village Board included the following' 'items: There were questions regarding how residents are informed of the Codes and how applications are provided in non-technical ianguage for completion. There was also a discussion concerning the~Permit Fee policy. There was also a discussion regarding the inclusion of the model Soundproofing Ordinance for new construction and the inclusion of this model Ordinance in the general Code. Trustees asked why some standards had been reduced from the previous requirements and a discussion ensued regarding the consistency of these changes. Brad Paulson responded to a number of these comments. He stated that the Permit Fees have not changed since 1984 and the discussion regarding the fees will undoubtedly be brought up in the near future. He stated by comparison Mount Prospect is quite Iow in terms of the fees charged. He stated that staff is also looking at simplifying the process for reviews any way possible. General consensus of the Village Board was to move forward with the 1996 BOCA Code with local amendments and present the appropriate Ordinance at a future Board me,eting for final determination. I. CABLE UPDATE Assistant' Village Manager Dave' Strahl provided a general Overview of the negotiations' progress to date regarding the details of the change in channel -location for Mount Prospect Government Access Television. Trustees requested consideration of adding a ghost logo in the lower corner of the programs' similar to other broadcast stations. ~ There was also discussion as to progress to date in ~terms of informing the viewing ~public. Cable Production Coordinator RoSs RoWe presented the new logo to th'~ Board for their information. VII. MANAGER'S REPORT None. VIII. ANY OTHER BUSINESS None.' IX:'~ ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:54 p.m. Respectfully submitte.d, DAVID STRAHL ' Assistant Village Manager DS/rcc