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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/12/2002 CWC MinutesMINUTES FLOATING COFFEE WITH COUNCIL SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2002 9:00 AM LOCATION NO. l: 2 ND FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM, VILLAGE HALL Mayor Gerald "Skip" Farley convened the meeting at 9:00 AM. Village Board members present were Trustees Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Michaele Skowron, Irvana Wilks, and Michael Zadel. Representing staff was Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Police Chief Richard Eddington, and Public Works Director Glen Andler. Village residents in attendance were: Julie Markus, 1710 Martin Lane Jim Sheehy, 708 S. See -Gwun Avenue Bill Petersen, 504 S. Emerson Street Patti Walpole, 206 S. George Street Joanne Engstrom, 110 N. Kenilworth Avenue Laura Bartell, 801 S. Emerson Street Bart Bartell, 801 S. Emerson Street David Schein, 512 Na -Wa -Ta Avenue Kevin Anderson, 617 N. Fairview Avenue Tom Grigas, 701 N. Fairview Avenue Yogesh Thakkar, 912 -B Boxwood Drive Prahlad Parekh, 914 -A Boxwood Drive Shah Akhilesh, 914 -B Boxwood Drive Bill Peterson, 504 S. Emerson Street, stated that he was attending to express his and his wife's opinion of the current status of traffic on Emerson Street and to tell the Village Board that they are correct in their assessment of Emerson Street traffic. They have lived on Emerson Street for ten years. Prior to that, they lived on Pine Street, a much quieter street. When they purchased their home on Emerson Street, they knew upfront there would be more traffic on it than on Pine Street. They believe that traffic volumes on Emerson Street have returned to normal now that the reconstruction of Route 83 is complete. There are, however, two issues that need to be addressed. Mr. Peterson has observed the majority of motorists do not adhere to the posted 20 MPH speed limit, and rolling stops are the norm at stop signs. Mayor Farley responded that motorists need to drive more responsibly. The Village cannot afford to have police on every street corner, but selected police enforcement is how the Village controls these types of traffic violations. Floating Coffee with Council Minutes 1 -12 -2002 Page 2 of 6 Bart and Laura Bartell, 801 S. Emerson Street. Mr. Bartell commented that speeding on Emerson Street continues to be a problem. The police's selected enforcement is they write one speeding ticket and then leave. Traffic volumes on Emerson Street have not decreased. Trustee Corcoran responded that our Police Department has limited resources. Traffic is a lower priority over gangs, break -ins, robberies, etc. The Village has considered adding three police officers as a traffic unit, but, due to the recent economic change, the Village cannot afford to add them at this time. The Village has patrolled and studied traffic issues more on Emerson Street than on any other street in the Village. The statistics show that traffic volumes on Emerson Street are back to the typical level for a collector street. The Bartells live at the intersection of two collector streets, Lornquist Boulevard and Emerson Street. Mr. Petersen also commented that he is against restricting left turns onto Emerson Street from Golf Road (that the Bartells have requested). Mr. Peterson had one last comment; making a left turn from eastbound Prospect Avenue to northbound Emerson Street is very dangerous. The Village should restrict this turning movement. Trustee Hoefert responded that there are only three locations to cross the railroad track and eliminating one would put too much pressure on the remaining crossings. Jim Sheehy, 708 S. See -Gwun Avenue, stated that he is attending in order to request stop signs on See -Gwun Avenue. Motorists are speeding on See -Gwun Avenue and using it as a cut - through street. Mayor Farley responded that the Village has more "political stop signs" than any other community. Political stop signs are stop signs that do not meet the traffic warrants. Trustee Corcoran stated that statistics show that stop signs do not control speeding. Motorists speed up between stop signs because they try to make up for the lost time for stopping. Trustee Wilks stated that prior Village Boards did not follow traffic engineering standards; but Village Board policy now is to install stop signs only if they meet the necessary warrants. Mr. Sheehy also requested the Village consider closing the See -Gwun Avenue bridge to solve the traffic problems. Mayor Farley responded, closure really is not an option. There are only a few streets that cross the creek, and closing See -Gwun Avenue is not feasible. Mr. Sheehy's request for stop signs and the issue of speeding will be studied by staff, and the results will be presented and discussed at a future Village Safety Commission meeting. Floating Coffee with Council Minutes 1 -12 -2002 Page 3 of 6 Julie Markus, 1710 Martin Lane, representing the Mount Prospect Youth Commission, requested the Village Board keep the youth of Mount Prospect in mind when building the new Village Hall. The new building should include a community center. Trustee Hoefert requested the Youth Commission supply the Village Board with some statistics on how many youths attend similar centers and what type of programs do the centers offer. This information would help the Village Board with their decision of whether or not to include a youth center. Joanne Engstrom, 110 N. Kenilworth Avenue, stopped in to inquire about Village ordinances that address shared driveways. Ms. Engstrom's neighbor is planning on installing a fence down the middle of their shared driveway. Mayor Farley responded that spite fences are not regarded with much favor by the Village Board, and if a variance was required to install the fence, it is not likely that it would be approved. Ms. Engstrom should follow up with the Village Manager's office on this matter. David Schein, 512 Na -Wa -Ta Avenue, voiced his concern about the intersections of Emerson Street and Northwest Highway/Prospect Avenue. Cnuld a sign be installed at Prospect Avenue and Emerson Street that tells the motorist how many cars can stack on Emerson Street between Northwest Highway and the railroad tracks. Trustee Corcoran asked staff to look into the possibility of the sign. He also wants staff to restudy the whole area of Prospect Avenue and Route 83, Prospect Avenue and Emerson Street, and Emerson Street and Northwest Highway with respect to new traffic counts, turn movements, and just how the new signage and street configuration has impacted traffic in this area. Kevin Anderson, 617 N. Fairview Avenue and Tom Grigas, 701 N. Fairview Avenue, both stated that they were attending for informational purposes and had no issues for the Village Board's consideration. Yogesh Thakkar, 912 -B Boxwood Drive; Prahlad Parekh, 914 -A Boxwood Drive; and Shah Akhilesh, 914 -B Boxwood Drive. Mr. Thakkar is requesting the Village's help to resolve a problem with how parking stickers are being issued in the Boxwood Drive /Wheeling Road area. There are some buildings that do not have an association and they do not get the same number of parking stickers that the buildings with associations do. Mayor Farley asked Assistant Village Manager David Strahl if he was aware of this problem. Mr. Strahl responded that he has spoken with Mr. Thakkar before. The parking sticker system has been in place since 1996 and, with the exception of a few problems like Mr. Thakkar's, it has worked fairly well. Floating Coffee with Council Minutes 1 -12 -2002 Page 4 of 6 Trustee Corcoran requested that staff reexamine the parking sticker program and see if, in fact, there are any procedures that may need adjusting. Trustee Skowron told Mr. Thakkar that he, along with the other homeowners not represented by an association, may want to consider forming an association for better representation. Mr. Strahl told Mr. Thakar that he would be the Village contact for all future correspondence on this matter. Mayor Farley asked Mr. And Mrs. Bartell if they had anything else to add to the earlier discussions on Emerson Street. Mr. Bartell stated that the Village has had all this time to address the traffic issues on Emerson Street, but has done nothing to correct them. Trustee Skowron responded that is not true. She felt the Bartells should not portray the Village that way. Village staff has spent hours on numerous studies on Emerson Street. The results of the studies were not what they wanted them to be, so they are not satisfied with the Village's current position. Trustee Skowron asked the Bartells to tell her specifically what they want the Village to do. Mr. Bartell responded that it is the Village's responsibility to determine what needs to be done. That's why the Village has engineers. There being no further issues to discuss, Mayor Farley adjourned the meeting at Location No. 1 at 10:20 AM. Floating Coffee with Council Minutes 1 -12 -2002 Page 5 of 6 MINUTES FLOATING COFFEE WITH COUNCIL SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2002 10:45AM LOCATION NO. 2: HOLMES JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL The Floating Coffee with Council was reconvened at 10:45 AM by Mayor Farley. Trustees present were Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Irvana Wilks and Michael Zadel. Representing staffs were Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Police Chief Richard Eddington, and Public Works Director Glen Andler. Village residents in attendance were: Tom Kelly 1721 Estates Drive Jim Sheehy, 708 See -Gwun Avenue Dennis Prikkel,.1731 W. Pheasant Trail Frank Vlazny, 2103 Jody Court Bert Herrmann, 21.05 Jody Court David Schein, 512 Na -Wa -Ta Avenue Dennis Prikkel, 1731 W. Pheasant Trail, asked the status of the Dunkin Donuts that was going to be built on the southeast corner of Busse Road and Golf Road. Mayor Farley responded that plans were under review, but things have been delayed since September 11. The plan is still in place; if something doesn't occur very soon, the gravel lot will be removed and black dirt and sod will be installed. Tom Kelly, 1721 Estates Drive, asked if there is anything that can be done to correct the problem of sump pump discharges causing icing problems on the sidewalks. Mr. Andler responded that sump discharges may not extend beyond five feet from the house. Mr. Andler will set up a time to meet with Mr. Kelly to look at his specific situation and possible solutions. Bert Herrmann, 2105 Jody Court, stated that there is a similar problem at the rear yards of the houses along Jody Court from sump pump discharges. Mr. Andler responded that staff is currently working with several residents to resolve the issue. Floating Coffee with Council Minutes 1 -12 -2002 Page 6 of 6 Mayor Farley adjourned the meeting at 12:00 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Gle R. And r Director of Public Works GRAM X: \FILES \FRONTOFF\ADMIN\COFFEE W COUNCIL MINUTES 1- 12- 02.DOC