April 11, 2000

Mayor Krajewski called the Workshop meeting of the Village Council of the Village of Downers Grove to order at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall.

Present:Mayor Brian Krajewski; Commissioners Marilyn Schnell, Thomas Sisul, Michael Gilbert, Sue McConnell; Village Manager Michael McCurdy; Village Attorney Daniel Blondin; Village Clerk April Holden

Absent:None

Visitors: Press: Jason Bramwell, Downers Grove Reporter; Susie Gura, Suburban Life Graphic Residents: Lori Pilster, Downers Grove School District 58, 1860 63rd Street; Ross Johnson, 1311 Gilbert; Marilynn Gerloff, 4241 Highland; Sidonie Hylander, 3920 Earlston; Joe and Kay Nasvik, 3934 Earlston; Mary Ellen Cahill, 3935 Elm; Paul Sassano, 3938 Earlston; Judy and Tom Vasey, 3979 Earlston; Michael T. Ouska, 4020 Earlston; Bob Vercillo, 4244 Lindley; Melody Paul, 4217 Lindley; Judith and George Sapiega, 3939 Earlston; Gary Mori, Hamilton Partners, 1901 Butterfield; Colette Wrona, 1033 Grove Staff: Lanny Russell, Fire Chief; Ken Rathje, Director, Planning Services; Greg Zimmerman, Director, Human Resources; Liangfu Wu, Director, Information Services; Mary Lalonde, Benefits Analyst; Bob Schiller, Traffic Engineer; Kent Adams, Fire Department; Dennis Burke, Risk Manager; Jerry Sprecher, Deputy Village Manager; Jeff Livergood, Director, Public Works; Marty Lyons, Director, Financial Services

Mayor Krajewski explained that Council Workshop meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are video taped for later cable cast over cable channel P/21.

The Workshop meeting is intended to provide Council and the public with an appropriate forum for informal discussion of any items intended for future Council consideration or just for general information. No formal action is taken at Workshop meetings.

The public is invited to attend and encouraged to comment or ask questions in an informal manner on any of the items being discussed or on any other subject. The agenda is created to provide a guideline for discussion.

MANAGER

Bids:

Canon Ambassador Contract Agreement. Manager McCurdy asked Marty Lyons to discuss this bid item.

Marty Lyons , Director, Financial Services, said this was a bid for copier purchases. He said the Village has not made a purchase of this type in recent history for office automation equipment. He said this represents a fleet purchase for copiers. It involves a liquidation of some leases and the consolidation of all copier usage under one umbrella to take advantage of economies of scale for purchasing and maintenance.

Staff is recommending the contract be awarded to Canon Ambassador for $117,608 for an outright purchase. He said this was studied for over a year involving all staff. Canon and Oce were the two finalists for the contract. He said all these copiers are digital, can take advantage of our networks, and will replace many of the laser printers that are slower and have lower resolution.

Staff also looked at financing. Mr. Lyons said the Village has acquired copier equipment in the past through a lease to purchase in order to operationalize the cost over several years. In this instance, staff looked at vendor leases, short-term notes from a banking institution or the cost for an outright purchase. The final recommendation is for an outright purchase. Staff will come back to the Council with a budget amendment in the Central Services account. Either in future value costs or present value costs there is still an interest rate differential between what we can make on our interest and what we have to pay on a loan. It is better financially to purchase the units outright. Because these units can be delivered in five to ten days, he recommended including them in this fiscal year.

The Mayor said he thought this would be more cost-effective over the long run and more efficient for staff.

Commissioner Gilbert agreed that it made sense to purchase the equipment outright.

Commissioner McConnell asked about whether the $117,608 price included the per copy maintenance fee cost.

Mr. Lyons said that is part of the operational budget and is less than what we are paying now. It is already in our Central Services budget. Mr. Lyons said he does not know the extent to which the departments will use this equipment but expects it to be higher than current use because it will be used both for copying and printing. He said the laser printers will not stay in the five-year plan if things work out well.

The Manager said this would be placed on the April 18 Active Agenda.

1-Yr. Contract for Village Corner, Legal Notices & Employment Advertising. The Manager said the Village went out for bids on a contract for the Village Corner, legal notices and employment advertising. Only one bid was received from the Downers Grove Reporter. The cost is $18,941 annually. Staff recommends awarding the contract for one year.

Commissioner Gilbert said the report states the Suburban Life Graphic declined to make a proposal citing organizational reasons precluding them from being able to do so at the time. He suggested waiting three more months. He asked that the Village Manager negotiate a three-month contract and rebid this in three months rather than waiting a whole year. He said he did not feel it was good idea to go with just one bid in this situation. Further, he said Commissioners Sisul and McConnell were working on some issues related to this, and may have some information and suggestions before the three months were up.

The Manager said he would be glad to negotiate this. In response to Mayor Krajewski, the Manager said the Reporter indicated they wanted to bid this for a year, but he said he could go back and negotiate for three months. This would be within his purchasing authority.

Commissioners Sisul and Schnell * agreed with this.

Good Samaritan EMS System Computerized Reporting System.* The Manager asked Lanny Russell to address this.

Lanny Russell , Fire Chief, said as the Good Samaritan EMS system has grown they have been inundated with paper. He described the reporting requirements of the paramedics. He said Good Samaritan has received permission to go to a paperless system for EMS reports. He said the Fire Department is looking to cooperate with them. This will involve using a handheld computer that will allow the paramedics to use a pen or a keyboard to fill out a report on the way to the hospital. They will download the information once they are at the hospital and print it.

The Fire Department is proposing licensing for three desktop units within the firehouses. The software can be put on all of the computers in all of the firehouses but the system will only allow use at three workstations at the same time. Chief Russell said that should be sufficient. This is compatible with the firehouse record system. He said Good Samaritan has worked extensively with the providers in order to find the right mix of hardware and software. He said this will decrease downtime and increase accuracy. He is proposing buying six Vadem Clio handheld computers from Buy.Com and appropriate software from RAM software.

Commissioner Gilbert asked about the part of the report that references funding this through the deferral of the CO2 modules and nitrous oxide units.

Chief Russell said the nitrous oxide units will not be replaced as the ones they have seem to be working well. The CO2 modules are deferred until the next fiscal year.

Commissioner Gilbert asked if this increase in technology would affect health or safety issues, or the delivery of services. Chief Russell said it would not.

Commissioner McConnell asked if the Village would get any additional capability for reporting activities or trending data from this.

Chief Russell said there would be performance data available from this. He gave some examples.

Commissioner Gilbert asked if that information was available now through the hospital. Chief Russell said it is not in a manageable format.

Fire Department Radio System. The Manager asked Fire Chief Russell to address this issue.

Chief Russell said the problems with the radio system were addressed a few weeks ago during a discussion of the strategic plan. He said there are many reasons for the problems including the number of people on the frequency, the buildings in the Village, distances being transmitted over, and interferences. Chief Russell said there is a way to use the UHF frequency no longer being used by Public Works without having to carry two portables. This is done by using a PAK -RT system, which is a mobile repeater. It involves installing a UHF radio in each of the fire vehicles. Staff can then transmit on the VHF frequency to the vehicle and it will be repeated to the VOC on the UHF channel. This should make for a safer, more reliable system that will make it easier for the fire personnel and the VOC telecommunicators. In a meeting with Ann Priorello, it was decided that this was a viable solution for five to ten years or until such time as the frequency is split on the VHF spectrum.

Chief Russell said he is proposing a contract with Communication Direct to provide the UHF radios and the mobile repeaters. Fleet Maintenance will install the equipment. Communication Direct will test and train staff. He said the contract is for $35,864.00. Some funds were budgeted in this year’s budget and some will come out of the capital improvement fund. He said this will be very helpful inside high rise buildings in the northern part of the Village as well as Good Samaritan hospital.

Mayor Krajewski asked if the Fire Department has tested or demonstrated these.

Chief Russell said they have not tested them. There are many of these in operation. He referenced Batavia and Kankakee County as well as the State Police. He said this is a proven technology and has been in operation for many years.

The Mayor asked about the FCC timeframe for splitting the VHF spectrum.

Chief Russell said he was not optimistic that it would be any sooner. He said the ultimate solution would be to have a pair of VHF frequencies in order to set up a repeater system within the Village. This will not happen until the FCC splits the spectrum.

Commissioner Sisul asked what would happen if the repeater goes down.

Chief Russell said they would still have their VHF radios and portables and would simply turn to that frequency. Therefore, they would not be any worse off. He said the handheld portables will do the same. He said this will allow for interdepartmental communication in the event of a large fire requiring mutual aid.

The Manager said there would be more than one truck on a scene with mobile repeaters in them, which would provide for backups if something happened to one. Chief Russell said there is no delay in the repeating.

Commissioner Gilbert said he had an occasion to go out with the two Deputy Fire Chiefs on one day and with Ann Priorello and the Manager on another day to demonstrate the problem. He said it is a very bad problem. In three different locations they could not transmit at all. He said this is definitely needed. With respect to splitting the frequency, Commissioner Gilbert said it was last done in 1980-81. They worked on that split for about 15 years.

The Manager said this would be put on next week’s Consent Agenda.

Contract Extension for Traffic Signal Maintenance. The Manager asked Marty Lyons to address this matter.

Mr. Lyons said the Public Works Director was also present. He said the bid was for $12,350. The report references $26,500 for Opticom Maintenance service, which is the total for all traffic signal maintenance. Mr. Lyons said Public Works is happy with the services and the contract extension is only going up by 2%.

The Manager said this would be on next week’s Consent Agenda.

Public Works Uniforms. The Manager asked Mr. Lyons to address this.

Mr. Lyons said Public Works is satisfied with this proposal. The total amount is $15,485. This includes most of what is worn for outerwear and summer wear.

The Manager said this would be put on next week’s Consent Agenda.

Consultant Services – Public Safety Software. The Manager said after this was last workshopped, staff solicited proposals for consultants to review the staff technology committee recommendations on software for computer-aided dispatch and general public safety software systems. RFPs were sent to seven consulting firms and six proposals were received. He recommends awarding a contract to Emergency Services Consulting Group in Oregon. He said they have done an extensive amount of work in public safety systems. He said they understood the basic needs in the RFP . They were the next to the lowest bid at $38,400. They were more responsive to the bid than the very lowest bidder. He recommended entering into a contract with this firm to review the public safety systems and make a recommendation to the Village. He said the contract is a phased approach. Staff will not move from one phase to the next before bringing it back to the Council.

Commissioner McConnell asked what the price would be for phase I only.

The Manager said the cost for the first phase was approximately $18,000.

Commissioner McConnell asked if the timeline of 120-150 days was for entire project.

Mr. McCurdy said it was. He said the contractor could start soon.

The Mayor suggested that in addition to the consultants surveying other communities, the Village could send a survey out to all the surrounding communities. He mentioned Schaumburg is doing a village-wide system management study.

The Manager said this would be place on next week’s Consent Agenda.

Ordinance Amending Section 28-103 of the Downers Grove Municipal Code – Zoning Violations. The Manager asked Dan Blondin to address this.

Village Attorney Dan Blondin said this is a housekeeping matter. He said the statutes were changed a few years ago to permit the municipal fines to be up to $750.00. Our general penalty fine is at a maximum of $750.00, but the fine provision in the Zoning Ordinance was never changed. This makes the Zoning Ordinance consistent with the general penalty provision of our ordinance. In response to the Mayor, Attorney Blondin said the minimum fines will be not less than $75.00 and not more than $750.00.

The Manager said this would be placed on the May 2 Active Agenda.

Health Benefit Program and Risk Management Renewals. The Manager asked Greg Zimmerman to discuss this item.

Greg Zimmerman , Director, Human Resources, said the Village renews its health benefit and risk management programs annually at the beginning of the fiscal year. There are seven renewals to be considered.

The Mayor said these all expire April 30. Many of them are being renewed for the fifth year of a five-year term. He said he would like to take a look all the entire insurance needs this summer. The Village has many insurance companies involved. He suggested that perhaps Commissioner McConnell participate in that project.

Commissioner McConnell said she would be happy to do that. She said there are many companies involved for a fairly small group of people and fairly high expenses. It would be worthwhile to look at the whole process including information and advice we are getting and ways to better manage our costs and provide better services for staff. She agreed with continuing with the existing plan this year, but suggested looking at even potentially other funding mechanisms.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The Manager said every year the Village considers a resolution that would opt it out of this Act. He asked Mr. Zimmerman to give background information.

Mr. Zimmerman said the Village has chosen to opt out of HIPAA . The Village is allowed to do this and does so in order to safe money. This needs to be done by resolution.

The Manager said this would be placed on the April 18 Active Agenda. This will require waiving the one-week waiting period.

Plan Commission Recommendation: Planned Development #31 – Esplanade at Locust Point. The Manager asked Ken Rathje to discuss this matter.

Ken Rathje , Director, Planning Services, said the Plan Commission forwarded a positive recommendation for Hamilton Partners latest phase of the Esplanade Planned Development. Hamilton is proposing a seven-story as viewed on the north (eight-story as viewed on the south) office building with a total of 188,802 sq. ft. This is to be built on a 11.2-acre portion of the 102-acre Esplanade Planned Development. The site is located in the area west of Lacey Road, north of Woodcreek Drive and to the southwest of the recently completed 1901 Butterfield Road building. It is located approximately 620 feet westerly of Lacey Road and 350 feet northerly of Woodcreek Drive.

The proposed building is to have a height as measured on the north ranging from 91 feet to the roof of the building to 108 feet 10 inches to the top of the mechanical penthouse. The south side will be adjacent to the stormwater detention pond. The height of the building on that side will range from 104 feet to 122 feet.

The minimum setback for the building is 69.5 feet. It exceeds that setback.

The building is to have a maximum width of 202 feet 8 inches and a depth of 103 feet 9 inches. There is a two-story, 26-foot tall wing that projects to the north side of the building. This wing will be connected by an elevated walkway to the parking deck recently completed. The walkway will have a vertical clearance of 14 feet to the driveway that passes below it. This ensures full access as the Fire Department requires a minimum of 12 feet.

The building is to be constructed of glass and masonry. The masonry will be a mahogany wood colored granite. One of the most striking design features of the building will be its convex southwesterly wall facing the stormwater detention pond.

With respect to parking, Mr. Rathje said a minimum of 472 parking spaces is required. They will be providing 553 spaces of which 533 will be as an addition to the parking deck, which was completed as part of the 1901 Butterfield building. They can begin with the construction of the parking deck extension at any time as it was approved several years ago in anticipation of another building adjacent to 1901. There will be 20 surface level parking spaces to be located northwest of the building.

Handicapped parking spaces have been calculated on the basis of the combined parking for these two buildings due to the shared use of parking. A total of 26 spaces are necessary which is equal to the total number of handicapped spaces to be provided.

Driveway access will be via a new driveway into Lacey Road with a split median and turning lanes for traffic accessing the site.

With respect to traffic volume, Mr. Rathje said when the Esplanade Planned Development was first done, there was concern about the traffic handling capacity of the Woodcreek Drive, Butterfield Road intersection and the Woodcreek Drive, Lacey Road, Finley intersection. To take a conservative perspective on the development, the engineering staff was comfortable allowing up to 2,494,329-sq. ft. of building area before an additional traffic study would be needed. With the completion of the proposed building, Hamilton will have completed 1,840,000 sq. ft. This will leave 654,086-sq. ft. of floor area for Hamilton to develop prior to having to undertake a traffic study.

Mr. Rathje said with the construction of this building the existing stormwater detention pond will have to be somewhat modified to deal with the aesthetics, greenspace, landscaping and some of the park-like features Hamilton is achieving. The pond will lose a small volume of its detention capacity that will be relocated in the detention pond to the south of Woodcreek Drive. He said Bob Jungwirth has reviewed this matter and finds the plans are in good order. It will be necessary for Hamilton to provide revised easements upon completion of the reconstruction and redesign of the detention ponds. He said those easements are best provided after completion so they can be surveyed in place.

With respect to the amount of open space, the Zoning Ordinance requires a minimum of 20% of the area of an Office Research Manufacturing planned development be set aside as landscaped or wet areas. On a proportional basis for this phase of the development, a minimum of 98,121 sq. ft would have to be provided. The petitioner’s site plan shows 334,335 square feet of which 7,000-sq. ft. is “wet” open space with the remaining 327,000-sq. ft. being “green” open space. This is equal to approximately 68.15% of the land area that is being included within this phase. On an overall basis, it is anticipated that upon the ultimate development of the planned development there will be a significant amount of landscaped area above the 20% minimum requirement provided.

On the basis of floor area ratio Mr. Rathje said in 1998, Hamilton Partners undertook an amendment to the boundaries of the Woodcreek and the Esplanade Planned Developments. The transfer involved 7.0709 acres of the Woodcreek Planned Development being added to the Esplanade Planned Development. Hamilton stated at that time that even though the Doubletree Hotel site did not use all its potential floor area ratio, they would not ask that any additional floor area ratio be transferred into the Esplanade. They indicated they would do all of their floor area ratio calculations based on the original 94.9 acres. On that basis, they will have a floor area ratio of 0.4449 which is slightly less than half of the maximum 1.04 area ratio that can be achieved in the O-R-M zoning district.

With respect to engineering, Mr. Rathje said almost all of the infrastructure has been put in place. Other than the modifications to the stormwater management noted earlier, there will be some underground piping that will have to be relocated.

The Plan Commission forwarded a unanimous positive recommendation. They did note in their recommendation that there will be minor modifications to the truck dock that were acceptable. It is to be reshaped and will include their emergency generator.

Mayor Krajewski asked about the square footage of the 1901 building. Mr. Rathje said it is approximately 290,000 sq. ft.

The Mayor asked about the timeframe for the construction.

Gary Mori of Hamilton Partners said they plan to start this summer and finish by next summer.

Commissioner Sisul asked about plans for additional buildings on the site. Mr. Rathje said this plan will complete the central core. The overall planned development included a time schedule of approximately 20 years. It anticipates several parking decks and other buildings. He said it is a very long-range development.

Commissioner Sisul asked at what stage additional traffic studies would need to be conducted.

Mr. Rathje said a traffic study would be needed when another 650,000-sq. ft. of floor area is constructed. He said this is 188,000 sq. ft.

Commissioner Sisul said the problem he sees is with traffic flow in and out of the development.

Mr. Rathje said this was recognized about 10 years ago. The Village took a conservative approach in traffic planning at that time. He said there are other alternatives.

The Mayor said there was a meeting in the fall with the Tollway Authority. He said one of the options is to try to get an entrance out of the complex onto the Butterfield ramp for southbound 355.

Commissioner Sisul said that would be an ideal situation. People need to be able to get in and out of the development and there are only two major roads. He said Butterfield is very congested as is Finley during rush hour. He said he did not mean to suggest not going forward with this recommendation; however, we need to be aware that this will be a problem in the future.

Mr. Rathje said other developments were taken into account and it is now necessary to see actual practices as they relate to traffic. He said intersection capacity issues are tied to peak traffic hours.

Commissioner Sisul said we want to be sure to work with the landowners and the placement of their buildings for planning purposes.

Mr. Mori said the foremost consideration is to go through to Butterfield if the Tollway allows it. He said the extent of the traffic jam is currently three minutes.

Commissioner Schnell asked about the Tollway’s plans to widen or change access going north and getting off at Butterfield. She said this is very bad.

The Manager said there are currently no such plans. He said he is planning another meeting with the Tollway.

The Manager said this recommendation would be placed on the May 2 Active Agenda.

Parking & Traffic Regional Traffic Study. The Manager said Jeff Livergood and Ross Johnson, Chair of the Parking & Traffic Commission (P&T) would discuss this item.

Jeff Livergood , Director, Public Works, said this study represents many months worth of work performed by the Parking & Traffic Commission to evaluate traffic and pedestrian conditions in a regional area bounded by Ogden Avenue, 39th Street, Fairview Avenue and Main Street. He said this is the first time the Village staff or P&T has ever conducted a study of this type. P&T is typically a reactive body to concerns and traffic issues raised within the community. He said in this particular case there were a number of changes in the study area including Washington Street related to traffic flow from the hospital, Elm Street, and the construction of Walgreens at the corner of Ogden and Main. The Council requested P&T to evaluate the entire study area in order to fairly assess the situation as it stood, to evaluate the impact of the changes mentioned previously, and to determine if there were any other needs in the area. He said the best way to determine those needs is to listen to the residents and to conduct the public hearings.

Mr. Livergood said P&T met early last summer to determine how to conduct such an analysis. They discussed the types of data to be collected, the process to involve the public through the public hearings, how to gather data, how to evaluate the information from the public and how to formulate a recommendation.

The study area was split into two components to make for more manageable meetings. The first meeting of P&T for the area west of Earlston was conducted on October 19, 1999. On November 2, 1999 an additional meeting was held for the area from Glendenning to Fairview. P&T met in November to discuss the issues raised by the residents and to further evaluate the data. P&T deemed it appropriate to look at a few other areas to consider additional topics they felt needed to be evaluated or further refined such as regulatory controls at intersections, etc. The next meeting was January 2000 at which time particular attention was given to the Lindley Street and 41st Street area. P&T met again in February 2000 to prepare its final report to the Village Council. The Council has a copy of the report. Mr. Livergood said it is very extensive with a great deal of information. Mr. Livergood introduced Ross Johnson, Chair, Parking & Traffic Commission.

Ross Johnson , Chair, Parking & Traffic Commission, said the Council has received the report. He said many people, mainly staff, put a great deal of effort into this. He said the Commission did their homework by travelling the area, and conducting hearings. He said issues involving speeding, traffic volumes, student safety to and from school, and the tragic accident that took place on 41st Street are very emotional. It is sometimes hard to separate sound studies and traffic advice and statistics from emotions.

Mr. Johnson said in general, they found the whole area to be fairly typical compared to other areas in the Village. There were some noted exceptions such as the higher than average traffic volume on Highland Avenue during school hours due to Highland Avenue being the only access to the school. Speeding on the streets, while not ideal, was typical of other areas in the community. They found three intersections in the area that need additional traffic control devices to designate right of way on a particular street, which should be the sole purpose of these devices. Yield and stop signs designate who has the right of way at an intersection. Many people feel these devices should be used to try to regulate speed; however, they are not to be used for regulating speed. The intersections identified were 40th and Glendenning, and 40th and Earlston. He said traffic volume was fairly low and they felt that yield signs designating who had the right of way would be sufficient. The other intersection was at 40th and Lindley where P&T recommended a two-way stop sign to designate who has the right of way at that intersection. He said the sight distance at this intersection is reasonable but not the most desirable. They felt that if one is not familiar with the intersection, the sight distance could be a problem. There are many trees and shrubs, and the streets are narrow in that area.

Mr. Johnson said there was considerable discussion about sidewalks. P&T feels sidewalks should be constructed and placed according the matrix developed. He said the report goes into this in depth. He said there was considerable resident concern over the fact that there are not many pedestrians walking the area because they do not feel it is safe. Consequently, residents drive their children to school and do not go out at night for walks, and so forth. He said sidewalks would remedy that.

School access was discussed including alternatives for dropping off and picking up children off of 39th Street. He said this was not part of P&T’s recommendation, but it might help relieve some of the traffic volume on Highland Avenue.

Mr. Johnson said they also looked at great length at the issue of street closures. They felt anytime a street is closed it has an effect on neighboring streets. In this case, there was a request to close Lindley Street at Ogden Avenue or just north of the Speedway driveway. P&T found that some people felt it would be an ideal street to close, but there were also many residents against closure of streets in general and of Lindley in particular. Those that live in the area use the Speedway service station and like to have access to and from the service station.

Mr. Johnson opened the discussion to questions.

Commissioner Schnell asked if P&T looked at turning restrictions from Speedway to prohibit a right hand turn into the residential area as a part of the recommendation not to close Lindley.

Mr. Johnson said they did discuss that issue. One of the problems is that turning restrictions would prevent people from making a right turn to go north bound on Lindley, but those who want to turn on Lindley would exit out on Ogden Avenue going west and then make an immediate right turn onto Lindley going north. P&T felt this might make turning movement and traffic flow in that area more hazardous than it is now. Further, the volume on Lindley is not that high. It is fairly typical of residential streets. As an average, residential streets in the Village carry 800 vehicles a day. Lindley was 623 and 783 during different times of the day. The highest volume street in the area was Highland Avenue at 1150. Turning movement restrictions worked very well on Washington Street.

Commissioner Schnell clarified that the sidewalk matrix for that area is 41st Street from Highland to Elm, the full length of Elm from Ogden to 39th , and the full length of Earlston.

Mr. Johnson said there was some discussion as to whether the sidewalk on Earlston should go all the way to Ogden, but the feeling of the P&T is that it should. Mr. Johnson said those were the sidewalks on the matrix and designated originally to be constructed in 1999. It was postponed. There were other sidewalks in the region that were a little further down in the matrix. He said the difference between the total point system that has been applied to the various streets is not that great.

Commissioner Schnell said 41st Street ends at Elm Street. She said there is walking path in there. She asked if paving that path was discussed.

Mr. Johnson said it came up in the discussion and P&T feels it should be done. He said if we want to encourage students walking to and from the grade school, it should be extended beyond that. Mr. Johnson said the school district has designated 41st Street as a hazardous roadway.

Lori Pilster from School District 58 said a study was done along 41st Street to have it declared as a serious safety hazard. As such the District would provide free busing and be reimbursed for it. However, IDOT has denied that request to declare it a serious safety hazard. She explained that it is a point system basis and one of the points is for length of hazard. District 58 had designated all of 41st Street, about .7 miles, as a hazard, which would allow three points in the IDOT scheme. IDOT did not accept this designation and reduced the points to one, which no longer qualifies it as a serious safety hazard.

Commissioner Schnell clarified that this was to have students bused to Highland. Ms. Pilster said that was correct. She said Ogden Avenue is declared a serious safety hazard for Herrick students.

Commissioner Schnell referred to the report, Exhibit 3, pedestrian counts. Mr. Livergood confirmed that those counts were of all pedestrians and not just school children.

Commissioner Schnell asked how they were calculated. Mr. Livergood said they were counted in July and October on two separate days during the peak hours between 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and from 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Mr. Johnson said those figures are somewhat skewed because many residents will not allow their students to walk to school due to perceived hazards.

Commissioner Schnell said she asked the question because there are not even this number of children on the block.

Mayor Krajewski asked about the Commission’s conversation about sidewalks going through on 41st Street .

Mr. Johnson said P&T’s responsibility in the past has not been to determine the annual sidewalk construction list. It was the feeling, though, that sidewalks should be placed there. He said there was a general feeling that sidewalks are not wanted because they will cut into people’s yards and cause their shrubs and trees to be cut down. He said they do not hear very often from the people wanting sidewalks. He said at the hearings there were more people wanting the sidewalks than that did not want the sidewalks. He referenced other areas in the Village where this has happened. He said the people they have talked to on Washington Street are delighted with their sidewalks even though it was a controversial issue there. He said it does not work well if there are no connecting sidewalks.

Mr. Johnson said the area is unique in that it does not have a collector street in it. This presents a concern for street closures. They are all residential streets running to 39th and Ogden or Fairview and 41st. When a street is closed, the traffic using that street is going to find another route. In this particular case, there are limited ways for traffic to get in and out of the area. The more streets are cut off, the more difficult it becomes for residents to find their way through the area. He said if it is decided to close some of the streets, it may become necessary to look at the possibility of opening 41st Street in order for residents to get in and out of the area more effectively.

Commissioner Gilbert said he did not see too much in the report related to IDOT ’s rules for an SRA . From the standpoint of how Ogden Avenue functions, not its designation, Commissioner Gilbert said it is his opinion that we should be following the rules of an SRA . Under those rules, there should be no through traffic at least 1/4 mile back from Highland Avenue. He asked if P&T discussed this issue.

Mr. Johnson said it was discussed. He said they did find out that IDOT is no longer considering designating Ogden Avenue an SRA . He said he thinks this is because the right of way is fairly limited and there is a tremendous number of businesses and access points on and off the street. He said closing or having limited access within 1/4 mile to cutback access points would be desirable, but one must also look at the practicality of it. He said he believes the P&T members felt that it may be desirable at a later date to close specific streets when a development occurs.

Mr. Johnson said Lindley does not carry an excessive amount of traffic. The feeling is that if there are 700 cars using that street in a 24-hour period and that street was closed, those vehicles will have to find some other way to get in and out of the area. Residents who live on that street will have to drive on someone else’s street. An origin designation study determined that even at the busiest times the majority of vehicles using the roadway were residents who entered but did not exit the area.

Commissioner Gilbert said the reason Ogden Avenue was not designated an SRA has many parts to it. He said he was referring to the function of the road as opposed to how IDOT would view a road that functions that way. He asked how P&T factors in an almost unanimous petition from the people on Lindley asking for their street to be closed.

Mr. Johnson said the petition that was submitted did not follow the policy the Village Council established regarding the requirements for the request for closure of a street. Further, prior to this study, P&T looked at the street closure policy at the request of the Council and recommended a more stringent policy that the Council passed. The more stringent policy was in discussion when the Lindley residents filed their petition. The petition fell far short of the policy that had been in effect for many years.

Mr. Johnson said the reason for having the policy is because closing a street has much more of an impact on the area than just the residents living within a block or two of the street being closed. It affects the entire area and requires the signature of a certain percentage of residents living on the street, another percentage living within a certain radius of the street and proper notification of all the people affected within a certain area. The new policy adopted a year ago goes even further than that. It was the Commission’s feeling that this was wise due to the effect and impact it has.

Mr. Johnson said there are extenuating circumstances for every street closure. He said it was his opinion that they should have waited to close Highland to see the impact of Walgreens.

The Mayor said the petitioner did not meet the criteria under either the old or the new street closure policy.

Mr. Livergood said because the petition did not meet the criteria of the Council policy, it was sent back to the resident advising that according to Council policy there were a certain number of signatures that need to be collected on a particular radius. The radius was actually measured and the resident was given a the list of residences required on the petition. Despite the fact that a valid petition had not been received, P&T treated the issue as if a petition had been properly filed. The notification list for the meeting held in January specifically to discuss Lindley was the same as the list provided to the resident in relation to the petition.

Commissioner Gilbert said the petition did not include the peripheral streets including Washington. It was almost unanimous among the residents of Lindley that the street should be closed.

Mr. Johnson agreed, although he said it did not meet the criteria for closure.

Commissioner Gilbert said the Ogden Avenue plan has been discussed many times. He said it is clear that planners, the Council and IDOT have all indicated that a certain number of streets and driveways need to be closed. The EDC has stated that there are a number of opportunities to be had by closing those streets and allowing property to be used in a different way. Based on that, there are two streets that do not go all the way through – Lindley and Highland. All of the other streets go through from Ogden to 39th Street. He asked about the objection to closing Lindley as opposed to some other street in that area if they are looking for streets to close and have evidence that it is an appropriate thing to do.

Mr. Johnson said he cannot speak for the people who put the report together about the closure of the street. He said he thought their purpose for closing streets was strictly from a development standpoint or to improve a development and the potential for improving traffic flow and cutting down the number of access points in order to make it easier to get in and out of businesses on Ogden Avenue. He said that may be wise and logical to do at a later date when those opportunities arise. He said he thought it would be premature to look for streets to close before development opportunities arise. The effect of the closure of the streets will be on the residents and the neighborhood. The street closure policy is to make sure the residents have a chance to voice their opinion and to assess the effect the street closure will have on them.

Mr. Johnson said that although they talked about the issue and there was a request, P&T has not had a formal hearing based on the Council policy on the closure of Lindley. If it is the feeling of the Council that it should be done, Mr. Johnson recommended following the policy and making sure that all the residents and those that are affected are aware of the potential for that street to be closed. He suggested it be taken up as a separate issue.

Mr. Johnson said P&T looked at this region for many reasons. He said the street closure was uppermost in the minds of the Lindley residents. He said the Commission feels that closing a street creates so many more problems than it solves. In this particular case there was not a lot of bypass or heavy traffic, and there are not many accidents. He said he is well aware of the accident but feels it was attributable to other factors.

Mr. Johnson said as Ogden Avenue develops streamlining and cutting down access points has to be reviewed, but it will have a negative impact on other streets to move 700 vehicles from a particular street. He reiterated that there does not appear to be a major problem on Lindley.

Commissioner McConnell said this study was very helpful to her. She said she likes the idea of looking on a pro-active basis and as a whole due to the impact. With regard to speeding, she asked if it was the Commission’s opinion that the stop and yield signs will help address this issue.

Mr. Johnson said a stop sign affects speeding within about 200 feet before and after the sign, but studies show that stop signs have no effect on speeding with the exception of that short distance before and after the sign. He said according to traffic experts, stop signs should be used for designating who has the right of way, not to control speed. The other problem is that when a stop sign is placed that does not meet a certain criteria or a certain set of warrants, people using that street lose respect for that stop sign. People then tend to get careless resulting in rolling stops or in ignoring the sign. He said that is when accidents happen. It can have a negative impact.

Commissioner McConnell asked if there are any types of speed control devices other than stop signs and speed bumps that might be appropriate to consider in this area.

Mr. Johnson said speed bumps are illegal to be used on a public street in Illinois. Speed humps, which are a more gradual rise, can be used but do not have the impact of speed bumps. Speed bumps in parking lots and driveways are used in private parking areas. The only major effect is enforcement or the appearance that an area is being more closely scrutinized. He said placement of the speed-designated sign helps and sometimes has an impact as does additional police surveillance, patrolling an area, issuing tickets and additional signage. He said lowering a speed limit artificially does not slow traffic down. He said it is a difficult situation. Mr. Johnson said speeding and volume of traffic are the biggest complaints we have in the Village. He said most of the time they find that the speeders are us—the ones who live and drive in the area. Those familiar with the area tend to be the ones speeding.

Commissioner Schnell said the vast majority of the people at the hearings wanted sidewalks. She asked how many people attended the hearings. She said the Council received petitions last fall from residents who did not want sidewalks. She said perhaps those who did not want sidewalks did not feel they needed to attend the hearings because they had already given the Council feedback.

The Mayor said one petition was 50/50, but the vast number of the residents in attendance at the Council meeting were opposed to the sidewalks.

Mr. Johnson said there are a few streets where there are a number of residents against the sidewalks in a particular area. He said they were disappointed in the turnout for the hearings. They were well publicized and residents seemed to be very concerned, but not more than 25 residents attended any one meeting. Of the residents that were there, the majority felt the sidewalks were needed The area is perceived not to be safe due to the lack of sidewalks.

Commissioner Sisul thanked the Commission for working on this project. He said the Council has felt this is important. He said it was something different and unusual for the Commission and the Council is very interested in this approach. He asked about the reaction of the members of the Commission to undertaking this sort of project.

Mr. Johnson said it was positive as a whole. They were a little overwhelmed initially, but as they got into it, they found the concerns of the residents were fairly limited. He said if the Commission is to become more proactive, they need better communication to review plans before they are finalized. He said some of the developments with limited access points, curved streets and cul de sacs cut traffic down but create traffic nightmares. There are many problems attributed to the curved streets including vehicles getting in and out of the area as well as speeding, cars travelling over curbs, knocking down mailboxes, and so forth. These are the kind of things learned after the fact that we could benefit from and eliminate in the future.

The Mayor asked for comments from the audience.

Marilynn Gerloff , 4241 Highland, said she lives close to Lindley. She said a similar situation came up with the Steak & Shake. Residents were concerned about traffic and the Council decided on a no right turn out of the Steak & Shake onto Downers Drive. She said it is very effective. From Steak & Shake, neighbors make a right hand exit onto Ogden and make a right turn onto Downers Drive and go north. In the Lindley area, she said people could exit the Speedway on Ogden, go to Main Street, make a right turn and another right turn on 41st Street would put them back in the neighborhood. If it is too dangerous to make an immediate turn from Ogden to Lindley, they could go one more block to 41st Street. In this way the road would still be open but traffic from the Speedway is cut down. She said the no right turn at the Steak & Shake is very effective.

Kay Nasvik , 3934 Earlston, said they came before the Council last summer with a petition and was assured that there would be no sidewalks on Earlston Road. When they received notices for the meetings, they ignored them because they thought the issue was resolved. They went to the meeting in February to be sure a yield sign would be placed at the end of their block. They were appalled and amazed to be told that there would be sidewalks on the street regardless of the residents’ feelings. They expressed concern about the 42 trees that would have to be taken down. They also expressed concern about the sidewalk going through the park that is going to be a wetland. She was told that the Park District did not have funding, the Village was tired of waiting and was going to put them in anyway. She called the Park District and was told they did have the funding. She circulated another petition, which the Council has. She reached all but one resident on the street. Two abstained and two want sidewalks. There are 11 children on the street going to Highland in the fall.

Mayor Krajewski said when the petition was presented, the Council was not sure they would not put sidewalks there but would look at where residents want sidewalks that are also a high priority. They are still looking at sidewalks and where to be put them. He said the Council talked about that at the budget hearing earlier this evening. The Council also asked P&T to do a comprehensive study of the whole area.

Mayor Krajewski asked if the petition was only from 39th to 40th Street. Ms. Kasvik said it is mostly parks beyond that. She said they were fairly sure they did not have to worry and so did not attend those meetings.

Joe Nasvik , 3934 Earlston, provided the Council with written comments. He said his concern is particularly related to Earlston between 39th and 40th Streets. He said this is an emotional issue because the character of the block would be changed so much with the addition of a sidewalk. He expressed concerns regarding sidewalks cutting into their front yards, cutting through retaining walls, loss of trees, hazardous conditions and the expense. He made some suggestions to improve safety including installation of a “yield” or stop sign, posting streets as “not through streets,” police enforcement, posting “Children at Play” signs, and posted speeds. He said last summer the residents were told the Village would not spend money building sidewalks where they were not wanted. The overwhelming majority of homeowners on Earlston do not want sidewalks with all the destruction to property that will ensue. He emphasized that he was appalled by the speed study indicating the fastest car traveled at 50 mph, and by the amount of traffic on the street. He said the street is not designed for this. He said the problem is not sidewalks, but the amount of traffic on the streets and the speed of the traffic.

The Mayor said speeding traffic is a problem throughout the entire Village. Following Ms. Gerloff’s suggestion, students are working on a slogan. Further, the Village Manager is spending considerable time on this issue. The Village does not have enough Police Officers to patrol every street.

Commissioner Schnell said when this was discussed last fall the wetland banking program at 40th and Glendenning was brought up. She recalled listening to the County talk about plans including chipped walkways. She said the program is fully funded and staff was to check with the County to determine if they would even accept sidewalks going through their wetland project. She asked if that has been checked.

Mr. Livergood said he believes they will accept pathway type appurtenances. He said he has not seen any plans yet for the wetland. He does not know the schedule or have any other information.

Commissioner Schnell said she heard it was fully funded, that it was going to go before their Board, and that it would be built soon. She said her concern is that they basically want it as wetland. She thinks we should talk to the County to find out if sidewalks are consistent with what they are planning. Glendenning and Elm are in the middle of that project.

Mr. Livergood said the last discussion he had with the County was over a year ago. At that time their intent was to maintain the public way which in this regard is roadway as there are no sidewalks there now. There may be a possibility that if they develop the wetland with no sidewalks we may never put sidewalks in. There may be a possibility that if we put sidewalks in first, they will maintain them when they develop the wetland.

Commissioner Schnell said the important issue is that the County may not want us to do it. People may be getting upset about a project we cannot do because of the wetland project.

Mr. Livergood said if we put the sidewalks in before the wetland goes in, he thought the County would be pressed to maintain them.

Commissioner Schnell said she would like the answer to the question of whether the County would approve of sidewalks being there considering what they were told. We need to know if they do not consider sidewalks to be appropriate in the middle of a wetland.

Commissioner McConnell asked about the impact of signs such as “Not a Through Street” and “Children Playing.”

Mr. Livergood said “Not a Through Street” is not enforceable. It only has an impact on those that think it is. Commission Schnell said there were signs on 39th Street and Candlewood. Mr. Livergood said we do not know the impact of such signs. The attempt is to potentially divert traffic.

With respect to “Children at Play” signs, Mr. Livergood said they are not supportive of such signs. The fear is that by posting the sign in one block, many other blocks will follow and the signs will become commonplace with no meaning. Furthermore, he said there is a possibility that these signs give children and parents a false sense of security to be near or in the street. They have never supported placing those types of signs.

Tom Vasey , 40th & Earlston, said he has been trying to get a yield sign on his corner for a number of years. The traffic study now says there should be one, but it will be on 40th Street. He said the traffic and speeders are on Earlston. He thinks it is on the wrong corner. Regarding the study, he said Mr. Johnson referred to people in favor of sidewalks. He asked when they were contacted and said he was not contacted.

The Mayor said he was referring to the people that showed up at the meeting.

Mr. Vasey suggested surveying the residents as to whether they want sidewalks. He said the residents get left out.

Commissioner Sisul said we are dealing with a snapshot that can change immediately. If we rely only on resident input it is only a snapshot that might change next year if there is a turnover in the neighborhood.

Mr. Vasey said he understands the concern. He said his street has not had much turnover. He said the sidewalk does not affect his property too much, but would affect others. He does disagree with the plan to remove all the trees.

The Mayor said he feels the area from 41st Street to Highland School needs sidewalks. Earlston does not lead to a school and the residents do not want sidewalks.

Commissioner Schnell said she is in agreement that sidewalks should be on 41st Street. She said there is no value in forcing sidewalks on those that do not want them. They may not be of much benefit to the community plus there are unanswered questions regarding the wetland project. She said the Council needs to be responsive to the residents. The Mayor agreed.

Commissioner Gilbert said Commissioner Sisul’s and Mr. Vasey’s comments are both correct. He said they need to review the process for determining where sidewalks are to be put. He said he is not sure it is a sound enough process. He said they still do not have a good understanding as to what everyone in that area wants.

Mayor Krajewski said at the next workshop the Council will look at the sidewalks throughout the Village to determine priorities as to where they will be put in the future.

Bob Vercillo , 4244 Lindley, said there was support for closing Lindley at the P&T meetings. Regarding accidents, he said P&T referred to two since 1984 but he knows of three since December 1999. He said they did not show volume of traffic on Highland between Ogden and 41st at any period. He said the study should have referenced Lindley’s traffic before Speedway. He said turning restrictions on Washington only made a difference on the first block. After the first block, Washington is carrying 963 cars. It made Lindley busier. One of the comments from P&T was to deal with it if a street gets busy.

The Mayor asked Mr. Vercillo for his philosophy for the street closure policy for the Village.

Mr. Vercillo said it should be done on an individual basis for each street. He said they submitted their petition before the policy was changed. They were told at the P&T meetings that the Lindley closure was one of the subjects to be brought up. Notification was mailed to the region and there was not an overwhelming response of people who did not want the street closed. Regarding the petition, he said he never got a response to questions from the previous Mayor. He asked for clarification but was never given a response. He felt it did not make sense to get signatures from residents on some of the streets because they do not share common traffic.

The Mayor said the criteria is 1500 feet from the intersection. P&T drew a radius around the area and supplied the names of the residents.

Mr. Vercillo said the previous Mayor promised there would not be an entrance from Speedway onto Lindley. It is there and was forced on the residents. He said they have asked for a no right turn sign but have not gotten it. He said much of the traffic from the neighborhood comes from the hospital, which is inappropriate use.

Mary Ellen Cahill , 3935 Elm Street, said a year ago this started with sidewalks on Elm and Earlston. It has expanded to the traffic and speeding, and closing streets.

The Mayor said the Council asked for this regional study about 1 1/2 years ago. Another issue that was brought forward was the installation of sidewalks. When P&T came back with the regional study it included the sidewalks in the recommendations. He said the sidewalk issue brought by Ms. Cahill before was a separate issue.

Ms. Cahill said she feels the issue is being put to the side. She said is happy to hear there will be a sidewalk workshop next month.

The Mayor said this was discussed at length before this meeting.

Ms. Cahill said she expected the study to have a common sense approach in that sidewalks would take one somewhere. If a sidewalk is put on the east side of Elm Street, children would have to walk across 40th Street to get to the sidewalk on 41st Street. The children who wait for the bus at Herrick wait at the dead end of 40th and Elm. The sidewalk is not going to help them on the east side of the street. If the sidewalk ends at 40th and does not go to Ogden, it creates more problems. She would like to bring the issue back to the sidewalks.

The Mayor said the issue relates to schools because District 58 is cutting back on their bus service. More and more children will be walking to school. He said they want to discuss giving this higher priority.

Ms. Cahill said she hopes citizen input is considered. She said nobody is out on the street walking anyway. She asked if the sidewalks would be of use. The citizens of Elm and Earlston came to talk about sidewalks.

Joe Nasvik , 3934 Earlston, said with regard to children, more parents are driving their children to school. He thinks that is not so much because parents are afraid of traffic as they are afraid of people. Regarding planning, he said it should be situational. He said sometimes plans are changed in an area. Because it is decided that something does not fit a long-range plan does not mean it cannot change at sometime in the future. Making a decision now does not cast it for all time.

The Mayor said that is his opinion as well. He said he likes putting sidewalks on 41st because of the school. But if the decision is not to put sidewalks elsewhere it does not mean it will never be done. The issue may come back at some time.

Colette Wrona , Grove Street, said it is easy to drive faster than you realize. She said speed lights are very helpful. She said she has not heard any input from the Police. She asked if they have been consulted. She suggested the people from the hospital be educated about what they are doing to the area since they are part of the problem.

The Mayor said the Village has a speed machine that is moved throughout the Village. He said they have consulted with the Police. He said there are between seven and nine cars working in all the zones. Amongst their duties they do traffic enforcement. There are not enough police officers to cover every street. He said when Police are assigned a particular street, traffic slows down, but when the Police move to another street, the traffic speeds up again.

Melody Paul , 4217 Lindley, said a possible solution would be to take the money for Earlston’s sidewalks and put it into a road barrier on Lindley. She said street closures should be on an individual basis. She said District 58 feels Lindley is a safety hazard and asked what criteria they used to make this determination. She said the studies probably did not take into consideration the number of trucks using the street. She said she and the majority of people on Lindley Street would like to see it closed for safety reasons. She said it would be almost impossible to put sidewalks on the east side of Lindley unless the sewers were removed. She said she has heard about development on Ogden Avenue in the future. She asked how much more Ogden Avenue can be developed. She said Speedway has been an issue since it went in. She said the desire to have Lindley closed goes way back.

The Mayor said Mr. Johnson stated that the majority of the residents on Lindley would like the street closed.

Mr. Johnson said Lindley as well as other streets in the area are on the matrix for sidewalk construction.

The Mayor said all these are on the sidewalk matrix. The Council will be looking at this and may be revising it. He said there are two separate issues. Tonight is the regional traffic study. The other issue regards sidewalks. He said it takes about a year to put in sidewalks after the decision is made due to the engineering that needs to be done. He said the Council would like to develop a plan to identify the streets through the matrix, discuss the plans with the residents, and make a decision as to where they will before the engineering phase.

Commissioner Schnell said she believes that if Speedway were to be built today and the same criteria used to close Highland were applied to Speedway, Lindley would be closed. The criteria used to closed Highland was the effect it would have on the immediate residences, the possibility of increased traffic on Highland and turning issues. She said she thought all of those would fit Lindley and the Speedway. Speedway was built a long time ago. She said if the thought on the part of the Council is not to close Lindley, she would still like to try the no right turn to see the effect. It did appear to work in Burlington Highlands

The Mayor said he agrees with a no right turn on Lindley. He said it may cut down on by-pass traffic.

Commissioner Sisul said he thought the Council tried hard in dealing with Highland to make it a very special situation. He said the Council was concerned there would be other streets that might try to be brought in under the same umbrella. The Council wanted to show why Highland was very unique. He said he remembered the residents on Highland felt they were unique as well and not like the other streets. He said the Council tried to narrowly define the closing in order to avoid a situation of broadening the policy. The policy was developed over a long period of time addressing the needs of the whole community rather than one particular street. He said the Council drew the radius out beyond the street in order to weigh the impact on the whole neighborhood.

Commissioner Sisul said this report studied an area that needed to be reviewed. He said P&T proactively looked at this situation. He said it was to their credit that they dedicated the time and energy to conduct this study. He felt it was a very thorough study of the situation.

Commissioner Sisul said the street closure policy has existed for some time and has served the community well. He said he would not be in favor of making it situational. A street closure is too global and must take a Village-wide approach. Regarding no right turn on Lindley, Commissioner Sisul said that if something does not serve a purpose it should not be put in place. He said the Steak & Shake no right turn was not on any of the plans and was not suggested by any of the neighbors. He said it was offered by the Council more than it was requested.

Commissioner Sisul said everyone is concerned about speeding and traffic. He said the Village is getting funding to add Police to the department. The Council has asked the Police Chief for advice on policing an area for speeding and its effect on other areas. The Police Chief said they are looking to have more floating cars in order to station cars in an area where there is a problem on a more frequent basis. He said if there are more cars in an area, there is more of an opportunity see people speeding.

Commissioner Sisul said he thought the P&T traffic study was very good. He supports the recommendations.

Commissioner Gilbert said he wanted to address both the sidewalk issue and the closing of Lindley. He said regarding sidewalks, there are three things that can happen: none, all or some. He would like to see a poll of all the residents in the entire area of Main to Fairview and 39th to Ogden. This would be one piece of information; however, it is not the only criteria.

Mayor Krajewski asked if the question would be for one’s own particular street or for the area.

Commissioner Gilbert suggested asking if sidewalks should be put in that area and if so, where. He said he thought the Council would get a good picture of what the residents feel in the whole area. He said it follows with things done in the past.

Commissioner Gilbert said he doesn’t think much can be done on the sidewalk issue until the next Workshop meeting.

Regarding Lindley, Commissioner Gilbert said he strongly agrees Lindley should be closed. It is a unique situation. He said he respects the P&T report, but he thinks their job was to look at this from a technical standpoint. There are emotional issues as well as a number of other influences such as the type and nature of the businesses at the south end of the street – Speedway and the spa, the virtually unanimous wishes of the residents that they want the street closed, the historic factors including the fact that the residents have asked that the street be closed more than once, IDOT ’s plans for the area, and the Lakota Plan and its recommendation for closing streets. He said IDOT very specifically recommended Lindley to be closed for a number of reasons. He said we can’t wait to close the streets until we have a developer. We need to be more proactive and create the opportunities for further development and for better traffic flow. This will include closing specific streets. It won’t necessarily fall into the criteria that has been laid out. There will be exceptions to the criteria.

Regarding the petition, Commissioner Gilbert said it was not in the exact form outlined in the policy, but he does not think we can reject a request simply because the petition form did not meet the standards. The citizens came in good faith. It should be seriously considered.

Commissioner Gilbert said this issue needs to be put to rest formally. He feels the street closure should be voted upon. He feels the Council owes the citizens a vote even though there is no recommendation from P&T.

Commissioner McConnell said with regard to the traffic, the logical next step would be to implement the regulatory suggestions made by P&T. She said if there is potential of getting a benefit from no right turn on Lindley from Speedway, she would support it. She said the Council should consider evaluating the impact in a year and look at a mini-study on this same area to see if it had the desired effect. Hopefully at the same time the Council will get additional information on the Ogden Avenue Lakota Plan as to where things may be in order to tie the pieces together and have a cohesive, coordinated plan for traffic.

Commissioner McConnell said the enforcement by the Police Department with the use of the speed machine and the new officers would be very beneficial in that area. She said it does make a difference when one sees Police Officers.

With regard to the sidewalks, Commissioner McConnell said she will not be here for the Workshop meeting where this will be discussed, but during the budget workshop she wrote out a process she thinks might be beneficial. She said she would be happy to expand on that with the Manager before the meeting to use as an opportunity and a starting place to have conversation about how to make this process work better. She said it includes an opportunity to make sure the Council is looking at both the safety issues as well as the input from the residents in the area.

Mayor Krajewski recommended going forward with the regulatory recommendations including the no right turn onto Lindley. He asked Mr. Johnson if P&T would need to hold a public hearing regarding closing Lindley.

Mr. Johnson said the policy has been to make sure that all the residents within a certain radius that are going to be affected by a street closure have a chance to voice their opinion of it. He said the people on Washington and Elm Streets would have an opinion because they will see some of the increase in volume as a result of that closing, as will people on 41st Street. That is why the Village established that policy. It provides that everyone will be well aware of the impact it might have on the rest of the area. He said P&T did not address the street closing specifically in that way.

Village Attorney Dan Blondin suggested that the Council might also want to have P&T have a hearing on the no right turn out of Speedway. He does not think Speedway was ever notified that this was an official action the Village was considering.

Commissioner Schnell asked if the Manager could put a temporary no right turn at Speedway.

Mr. Blondin said he had a concern because this is regulating a private driveway.

The Mayor suggested a public hearing on the no right turn issue and on the closure of Lindley.

Commissioner Gilbert said he thinks this has already been done and he thinks they should move forward. There have been many opportunities for people to speak on this issue in the last six months.

Mr. Blondin asked Mr. Livergood to send him a copy of the notice. He will review it to see if it is sufficient.

Mr. Livergood said Tab 8 in the report lists five items for future Council action. This includes the yield and stop signs and housekeeping ordinances for the parking restrictions.

Mr. Blondin asked for a copy of the those items.

The Manager said the enabling ordinances for the regulatory recommendations will be placed on the May 2 Active Agenda. Staff will report back to the Council regarding access out of the Speedway.

Motor Fuel Tax Resolution. The Manager asked Jeff Livergood to discuss this.

Mr. Livergood said each year the Council is requested to authorize the appropriation of Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) monies to be used for the annual roadway maintenance contracts. This year the amount is $1.3 million. He said this is the first step in fulfilling IDOT ’s various requirements for use of MFT funds. He said the report included a listing of the streets scheduled to be completed this year as part of our maintenance projects.

The Manager said this would be placed on the May 2 Active Agenda.

Fee Waiver Request – St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. The Manager said St. Paul’s has requested a waiver of fees for the construction of a small two-story rear addition. He said the amount is $2,531.47 for the building permit and stormwater bond.

The Mayor said the groundbreaking is Sunday.

The Manager said this would be placed on the May 2 Active Agenda.

Contract Extension for Brownfields Redevelopment Grant. The Manager said the Village has been awarded a grant from the Illinois EPA in the amount of $119,338 for an environmental assessment of Block 117 owned by the Village in the central business district, and the ten acre site owned by Highland Property Management on Ogden Avenue. He said most of the funding is for the Ogden Avenue site. The total project amount is estimated at $170,482. The grant will cover $119,338. The difference will be derived from local in-kind costs, local cash and cash from the property owner of the Ogden Avenue site.

The Manager said this proposal is to increase the current contract with Versar, Inc., an environmental consulting firm, from $14,300 to $158,983. The Village currently has a contract with Versar to perform environmental assessment services for the Block 117 site.

The Mayor asked if the Village has an agreement with the owner of the Ogden Avenue site to repay the Village if he does not go forward with the development following this assessment. The Manager said the Village has such an agreement.

A member of the audience asked about the Ogden Avenue site. The Manager said it was at Ogden and Lacey and is a vacant piece of property.

Colette Wrona , Grove Street, asked about the outdoor café license for Founders Hill Brewery. She said she was surprised to learn of this and about the approval process.

Mayor Krajewski said the Liquor Commission reviewed their qualifications for a liquor license for outdoor service not for a café license. He said the Liquor Commission found Founders Hill qualified to have a liquor license for outdoor service. The matter of a café license will have to go before the Council at both a Workshop and regular Council meeting. The public would be invited to comment on the issue.

Ms. Wrona asked about notification of the meetings. The Mayor said it would be in the Village Corner.

There being no further discussion, the Workshop meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m.

April K. Holden Village Clerk tmh/