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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/11/2003 CWC minutes MAYOR Gerald L. Farley TRUSTEES Timothy I. Corcoran Paul Wm. Hoefert Richard M. Lohrstoffer Michaele W. Skowron Irvana K. Wilks Michael A. Zadel Village of Mount Prospect Community Development Department 100 South Emerson Street Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 VILLAGE MANAGER Michael E. Janonis VILLAGE CLERK Velma W. Lowe Phone: 847/818-5328 Fax: 847/818-5329 TDD: 847/392-6064 MINUTES COFFEE WITH COUNCIL Saturday, January 11, 2003 - 9:00 a.m. 2nd Floor Conference Room, Village Hall The meeting was convened at 9:00 a.m. Those present were Trustees Tim Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Rick Lohrstorfer, Michaele Skowron, Irvana Wilks and Michael Zadel. Representing staff was Village Manager Michael Janonis and Community Development Director William Cooney. Residents in Attendance: Francis Vlazny Carol Tortorello Charles Fuller Elaine Nekritz David Schein Jim Uszler Mai Holec David & Rachel Toeppen Dorothy Prostko Mr. & Mrs. Merrill Cotten 2103 Jody Court 223 S. Elmhurst Avenue 1424 N, Park Dr. 3 Court of Island Point, Northbrook 512 Nawata 9 S. Elm St. 927 Quince Lane 409 S. Hi Lusi 803 Hi Lusi 2710 S. Briarwood Dr. W. Charles Fuller, 1424 N. Park Drive: Mr. Fuller stated that he and David Schein were participating in the 2004 Illinois GIS Society Conference. He indicated that, as part of this conference, there would be a focus on GIS software and its uses in municipalities. He said that they would be focusing on how the Village of Mount Prospect uses GIS in its daily operations. He hopes to work with the Planning Department to set up a presentation to a group of conference attendees during the April 22-24 Conference. Mr. Cooney gave Mr. Fuller his business card and offered to meet with him and Mr. Schein to discuss this matter. Frank Vlazny, 2103 Jody Court: Mr. Vlazny said he had no specific issues to discuss but suggested that the Library stay where they currently are located because he felt it was a good set- up for their operations. He then asked where the Village stood in regards to the current budget crisis, given the slowdown in the economy. He was wondering, given that the federal and state governments were cutting back funds that it was likely the Village would be affected by these cuts. There was a general discussion of the status of the budget. Board members indicated this topic would be a priority during the first quarter of the year at Committee of the Whole discussions. Mr. Vlazny then indicated that he felt that both the elementary school and local park districts should consider consolidation because it is a huge waste of taxpayer dollars to have multiple districts Coffee With Council January i 1, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 2 serving the Village of Mount Prospect. Mr. Janonis displayed maps of both the elementary school districts and park districts that serve Mount Prospect. Several Board members stated that this topic had been raised in the past and that consolidation had failed in previous attempts. Mr. Vlazny was encouraged to raise this issue with those districts if he wished to pursue the matter further. Elaine Nekritz, 3 Court of Island Point, Northbrook: Trustee Wilks introduced Elaine Nekritz, the new state representative who will be representing the northeast portion of Mount Prospect. Ms. Nekritz introduced herself to the group and said she was looking for~vard to representing the Village for the next four years. There were some general questions raised by members of the audience regarding the state's budget crisis. The Village Trustees stressed their concern regarding the state's willingness to cut revenue sources to the Village and, therefore, placing the burden of those deficits upon the Village. Trustee Corcoran stressed the importance of O'Hare as an economic engine to the northwest suburbs and specifically to Mount Prospect. He hoped that Ms. Nekritz Would support the expansion of O'Hare and not delay the proposed improvements due to the current state of the economy. The issue of Medicaid revenues fi'om the federal government was also raised. Ms. Nekritz indicated that the State of Illinois received only 50% of the cost of providing Medicaid to its residents. She stated that that was one source the state would pursue with the federal government but was unsure of how successful they would be. Carol Tortorello, 223 S. EImhurst Avenue: Ms. Tortorello said she didn't have any major issues to raise but wanted to inquire about the status of Randhurst. Trustee Corcoran indicated that he and staff had met with representatives from the Urban Group to discuss the status of the mall. He stated that he had confidence in Urban since they appeared to have interests similar to the Village's to redevelop the property and make it a successful commercial venture. He stated that the Costco development was unlikely to begin prior to 2004 while Urban took one last look at the long-term prospects for the center. Jim Uszler, 9 S. Elm Street: Mr. Uszler, Executive Director of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, stated that he just wanted to inform the Village Board of two upcoming Chamber events. He stated that on January 22~d, Doug Whitley of the State Chamber of Commerce would be making a presentation to the Mount Prospect Chamber. He said that on February 3rd all the executive directors of the various chambers of commerce in Illinois would be meeting in Springfield to discuss with state representatives the importance of several key bills before the state. Mai Itolec, 927 Quince Lane: Mr. Holec inquired about the status of flood control improvements along the Des Plaines River. Mr. Janonis stated that the Village Board will be discussing the item at their January 7 Committee of the Whole meeting. He invited Mr. Holec to attend the meeting and listen to the full presentation by the Village's Engineering Division. A quick summary of the status is that the federal government appears to be committed to installing a levee along the east side of River Road to reduce flooding in the northeast portion of the Village. David Schein, 512 NaWaTa: Mr. Schein said he was present to listen to items raised but that he also wanted to inform the Board that the Knights Invitational Bowling Meet ~vas being held later today at the Brunswick Zone Bowling Alley. He stated that he had discovered this event several years ago and found it to be very entertaining and highly recommended the event to the Board members. offee With Council January 11, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 3 Dorothy Prostko, 803 Hi Lusi: Ms. Prostko said she was concerned with the property located at 500 W. Golf Road. She stated that the owner seems to be running a business out of their home and that they recently constructed a 3-car garage that did not have a driveway serving it. She feels the garage is being utilized as a storage facility for their home business and was curious what the Village regulations were regarding that matter. Mr. Cooney informed her that the homeowner could not utilize the garage for storage and that staff would investigate the matter and follow-up accordingly. David Toeppen, 409 S. Hi Lusi: Trustee Wilks said Mr. Toeppen had been invited to make a brief presentation regarding lighting for the new Village Hall/Community Center and Library projects. Mr. Toeppen said he is a member of the Dark Sky group, which is very interested in the use of light throughout the world. Mr. Toeppen stated that he had a slide show to present that illustrates the effective and ineffective use of light. He presented his twenty minute slide show and there were several questions related to the effective use of light and what types of lights would be most appropriate for the Village Hall site. There was some general discussion regarding hiring an outside consultant who specializes in lighting for the Village Hall project. There was general concurrence that the type of lighting that would be utilized for the project should be thoroughly reviewed to ensure the best resuks. The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Director of Community Development