BOARD OF TRUSTEES, REGULAR MEETING
Municipal Building: 874 Main Street, Antioch, Illinois
December 1, 2003
| CALL TO ORDER |
The committee of the whole meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to
order by Mayor Maravelas at 6:01 p.m. in the Municipal Building: 874 Main
Street, Antioch, IL. |
| ROLL CALL |
Roll call indicated the following Trustees were present: Pierce, Larson
and Porch. Also present were Mayor Maravelas, Attorney Long, Village Administrator
Probst and Clerk Rowe. Absent: Trustees Caulfield, Hanson and Turner. |
| KAREN DUNHAM |
Chamber President Karen Dunham said Chamber members are getting questions
from the residents and business community regarding the floodplain map changes.
Ms. Dunham said that as part of their mission statement, they try to provide
accurate information to its members and we have members who are greatly
affected by the proposed changes in the floodplain map. Ms. Dunham said
that she would use this meeting as a way to update their members with accurate
information and work with the village trustees and the village in any way
that they can, by communicating information, holding classes, and providing
speakers if we get to point where we need that sort of information. |
| MAYOR MARAVELAS |
Mayor Maravelas said the village formed a committee of the Village Board
of Trustees with Trustee Scott Pierce being the Chairman, and Trustees Dorothy
Larson and Mary Turner being members of the committee. |
| ATTORNEY LONG |
Village Attorney Bob Long said the short answer for the moment is that SMC
has taken the floodplain map off the table, according to the most information
that he has, they’re not presenting it to FEMA. He said this is a temporary
situation because obviously the information they collected or that they
compounded through the use of this mysterious computer program, it’s obviously
been created and sitting out there in some file. He said it’s not a matter
of at some point in time, it’s going to be a matter of when not an if they’re
going to propose this and come back with another plan under another administration
in four or five years as the heat dies down. They’re going to come up with
something new and send it to FEMA, maybe some kind of regulation will be
enacted by FEMA if there isn’t one presently. He also said that Washington
could regulate that if you have one of these, that you have to turn it over.
Attorney Long said that is one aspect, the immediate problem is there isn’t
one, the long term problem, there may well be a serious one. The problems
the village has identified with the mapping itself, is that we don’t know
what their data used to form their baseline so we could see what the accuracy
of that information was. Trustee Larson said that at the last committee
meeting SMC handed over a disk and she asked if that information is on it. |
| TRUSTEE PIERCE |
Trustee Pierce said they met with SMC last week and they turned over the
data that we have been requesting to Senior Planner George Sakas. He said
that Mr. Sakas is meeting with a representative from Chris Burke and Associates
that is a firm that we may hire to review the data for accuracy. He also
said that according to Ward Miller of SMC, they are not going to present
these maps to FEMA, but they are going to have a meeting on January 6, 2004
to discuss what they want to do from here. At some point in time, maybe
in three or four months, they will set the policy they want to follow. Trustee
Pierce said basically, this is being tabled until after the next election. |
| ATTORNEY LONG |
Attorney Long said that at the same time, this is the first of many studies.
He also represents Newport Township and they just received notification
that the Newport drainage district is being studied. |
| KAREN DUNHAM |
Karen Dunham asked if the floodplain maps for the County are being redrawn.
Attorney Long said that what happens is the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) maintains the flood maps nationwide, but, they obviously don’t
have unlimited amount of funding. They have created a set of maps from data
about 20 - 25 years ago for this area and that’s what we have been using
for flood maps ever since. When an agency comes along and decides it can
provide additional engineering studies, they gladly accept that data. He
said that FEMA has a review and hearing process, but in most instances,
unless there is well founded objection, they generally accept the information
and adopt that as part of the maps. Ms. Dunham discussed her understanding
of the FEMA maps from experience working at the bank. She asked if we are
basically protesting the changes to a certain ‘panel’ of the floodplain
maps. |
| TRUSTEE PIERCE |
Trustee Pierce said that we’re protesting the proposed changes to the panels
that cover the Sequoit Creek watershed which includes part of Lake Villa.
He went on to say that there are twenty-six watersheds in Lake County and
Antioch is the second one the County has chosen to do. Trustee Pierce said
that right now there are a lot of concerns because SMC is saying they are
tabling it and not going to do it, but, they are having a meeting on January
6 to decide what they are going to do.
Trustee Caulfield arrived at 6:15 p.m. Trustee Pierce said that he believes that we are going to have fight
different issues, legal, technical and political issues. Trustee Larson
said that finding fault with the data is our best hope. Trustee Pierce
said that if we can’t we have to work on the SMC committee members. He
also discussed the industrial and residential areas that may be affected
by the proposed changes. Attorney Bob Long said there may be some older
buildings in the industrial park area that are in the existing floodplain,
but the proposed changes would affect many more. Karen Dunham said the
properties in the existing area may already have flood insurance, so this
may not be a shock to them if they have been paying flood insurance all
along. Trustee Larson said that from what they have heard, once SMC designates
this new floodplain area, the property owners may lose about one-third
of their property value. Trustee Pierce said that Representative JoAnn
Osmond and Lake County Board member Judy Martini have stepped forward
to help the village. He also said the village is involved with the Mayor
forming a committee of business owners, the township is getting involved
and he is please to hear the Chamber wants to be involved too. He said
the more united we are as a village and community, opposing this, the
better off we are. Mayor Maravelas said the committee is looking for more
participants, so if Chamber members know of anyone that would like to
involved, they should contact Trustee Pierce, Trustee Larson or Trustee
Turner. Attorney Long said we may get help from homeowner’s associations.
Trustee Pierce said that SMC is appointed by the County Board, six members
are members of the County Board and six elected Mayors. He said that we
will publish this information in the December village newsletter and the
Mayor will have an update in each month. Chamber Director Mike Cascone
will be the contact person regarding information and committee meetings
concerning SMC. |
| EVENTS ON SKIDMORE | Chamber President Dunham said the Chamber holds several of their events on Skidmore Drive and they have been well received. The Chamber appreciates the opportunity to use band shell. She discussed the success and growth of the Taste and it’s an event the Chamber directors are very proud of. She said they also use that area for the craft fairs that are held on Father’s Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. This past craft fair, due to the fact that there was a railroad crossing closure, they had some issues with traffic. She said that North Avenue was closed, the Orchard Street extension was being used by the Craft Fair and as a result there were two east/west thoroughfares in town were closed and created some traffic issues. |
| KAREN DUNHAM |
Ms. Dunham said that she appreciates the fact that it was not very pleasant.
However, she believes it was simply the case of unfortunate timing and she
would like to move forward with their 2004 Events schedule. Ms. Dunham listed
the events involving Skidmore Drive which included the Father’s Day arts
and craft fair, the Taste of Summer in July, and the September arts and
craft fair. She said that she thinks these are important events, they bring
a lot people into town. She would like to get support from the Village Board
of Trustees to hold these events and using the Orchard Street extension. |
| TRUSTEE LARSON |
Trustee Larson said that she fielded a lot of criticism over the last event.
She said that she does not have a problem with the Chamber using part of
Orchard Street. When some of these events come in, it appears that they
close down Orchard Street on a Monday for a Thursday event and there are
people in the community that have expressed their concern. She went on to
say that it appears the carnival sets up the equipment and almost uses the
area as a campground from one gig to another. This is how it appears to
some people and she hasn’t gone down there to specifically look at who is
set up and who is not. Trustee Larson said if the Chamber could shorten
the duration of the closing there would be less opposition.
Chamber Director Sandy Norwood arrived at 6:25 p.m. |
| KAREN DUNHAM |
Ms. Dunham said the arts and crafts fair set up late in the day on Friday,
approximately 4:00 p.m. and tears down Sunday evening by 6:00 p.m. Trustee
Larson said that she has never received the number of phone calls like she
did over the last craft fair, but she is sure it’s a result of a combination
of so many things and people were frustrated. Trustee Caulfield said it
would be ideal for all the events to be pushed off of Orchard Street to
the Skidmore parking area. He said that it seems like there is space to
do that, if you look at it. Ideally, he would like to see that happen. He
discussed a possible compromise and there have been discussions regarding
making the parking lot bigger or covering up the detention areas. Trustee
Caulfield said that the responsibilities of these events need to be coordinated
with all sides involved, such as the police department, events department
and the public works department. Mayor Maravelas said we need better coordination
from the village corner all the way up to Depot Street so we don’t have
that bottleneck up there. He said that Trustee Caulfield brought it to his
attention and he felt there wasn’t good coordination between the village,
the Mayor’s office and the other departments. Mayor Maravelas said with
the village’s help, we can correct that by next year’s events. He also said
that this is only the second year that the events have been located across
the street and we are all still learning the process. Karen Dunham discussed
moving the events off of Orchard Street. She said they would lose some space
and they would also lose the visual siting of the events and they would
be working simply off of signage. Ms. Dunham briefly discussed the timing
of set up and tear down of the events. Regarding the 885 Civic Club carnival
the set up and tear down can be coordinated with them. Trustee Porch said
that over the past two years, the Chamber has become more aware and sensitive
to the time frames that Orchard Street is closed and next year’s Taste can
be set up on Wednesday instead. Trustee Pierce said that he thinks it’s
a great location and believes it would work better with better coordination.
He suggested the parties involved meet two to three weeks before the event
to ensure everything is in place. Trustee Porch said that Billie Horton,
Special Events Coordinator, created an event checklist that gets distributed
to the village departments involved. |
| TREE LIGHTS |
There was a brief discussion regarding the lights on the trees located on
Main Street and whether the lights should be left on throughout the year.
At this time, a final decision was not made. |
| ADJOURN | There being no further discussion, the meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m. |
| CALL TO ORDER |
The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order by Mayor
Maravelas at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building: 874 Main Street, Antioch,
IL. |
| ROLL CALL |
Roll call indicated the following Trustees were present: Pierce, Larson,
Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. Also present were Mayor Maravelas,
Attorney Long and Clerk Rowe. |
| MINUTES 11/10/03 |
A motion was made by Trustee Porch, seconded by Trustee Larson to approve
the minutes from the November 10, 2003 meeting as presented. On roll call,
the vote was:
YES: 5; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, and Hanson. NO: 0. ABSTAIN: 1; Turner. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| MINUTES 11/13/03 |
A motion was made by Trustee Pierce, seconded by Trustee Porch to approve
the minutes from the November 13, 2003 meeting as presented. On roll call,
the vote was:
YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| MINUTES 11/17/03 |
A motion was made by Trustee Larson, seconded by Trustee Porch to approve
the minutes from the November 17, 2003 meeting with the following corrections:
On page 4479 under ROLL CALL; Roll call indicated the following Trustees were present: Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. On page 4481 under OCTOBER FINANCIAL STATEMENT; A motion was made by
Trustee Caulfield, seconded by Trustee Pierce to accept the financial
statement for the month of October 2003 as presented. |
| TROOP CARE PACKAGES |
Dr. Debbie Rentner approached the Board asking for their support in sending
care packages to those who are from Antioch and serving in the military
and are stationed in Iraq. Dr. Rentner read aloud a letter from the Mayor
and Board of Trustees that she will include in the package. She asked the
Mayor and Board of Trustees for a $250.00 donation to help cover the cost
for the care packages. Trustee Porch asked that the letters be personalized
to each serviceman or servicewoman. Dr. Rentner said that she welcomes help
from anyone in the community and she asked if anyone knows someone from
Antioch who is currently serving in the military, to forward their information
to her.
A motion was made by Trustee Pierce, seconded by Trustee Turner to authorize a $250.00 donation to Dr. Debbie Rentner for the care packages being sent to the men and women from Antioch who are serving in the military. On roll call, the vote was: YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR |
Mayor Maravelas discussed Superintendent of Public Works Bill Smith’s hard
work and accomplishments he made throughout the year. He then presented
Mr. Smith with an Employee of Year award. Mr. Smith thanked the Mayor and
Board of Trustees for their support. Trustee Hanson said that Bill Smith
is one of the many employees that are dedicated and he is the first one
to receive the Mayor’s award. He said that he feels good overseeing the
public works department under his committee. Trustee Porch said she has
had the opportunity to work with Mr. Smith on many occasions and that it’s
a pleasure working with him.
|
| CITIZENS |
Mr. George Close, Lakewood Drive resident, discussed the construction at
the Wal-Mart site. He asked if all the permits are in place to begin construction.
Robert Silhan, Director of Planning, Zoning and Building, said that a site
development permit was issued on September 10. Mr. Close asked about the
permits from the county and state. Mr. Silhan said that we have letters
from both highway departments relative to the design to the improvements
to the highway. He said they are in construction with all the environmental
permits from the Army Corp. of Engineers, the IEPA. We also have the approval
letters from the highway departments relative to the design of the highway.
Permits have not been issued from the highway departments. Mr. Close asked
the Village Board if they have a problem with them beginning the construction
without the permits. Trustee Pierce said that he understands that Wal-Mart
has received all the required permits to begin the construction and Lake
County has indicated in writing that as soon as they receive the right of
way on both of those corners they will issue a permit for that. Mr. Close
again asked if the Board was comfortable with them beginning construction
without all the permits in place. Attorney Bob Long said that once the building
permit is issued, it is out of the Board’s jurisdiction. |
| TRUSTEE PORCH |
Trustee Porch applauded the Village on the tree lighting ceremony and on
the holiday parade. |
| BELLI & BELLI |
A motion was made by Trustee Caulfield, seconded by Trustee Porch to authorize
payment of $10,239.59 to Belli & Belli, Invoice No. 03-2491, for the additions
and alterations for the Antioch Senior Center architectural and engineering
services per the contract. Trustee Caulfield said this amount brings the
total to the $17,500 that is the amount that we authorized. On roll call,
the vote was:
YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| TERRY’S FORD |
A motion was made by Trustee Caulfield, seconded by Trustee Hanson to authorize
payment of $46,392.00 to Terry’s Ford Lincoln-Mercury for the purchase of
two Ford F-350 Trucks. On roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| AUTHORIZE PAYMENT |
A motion was made by Trustee Caulfield, seconded by Trustee Pierce to authorize
payment of the remaining accounts payable in the amount of $188,422.00 as
prepared by the Village Treasurer. On roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| MANUAL CHECKS |
A motion was made by Trustee Caulfield, seconded by Trustee Porch to approve
the manual checks written to date for the Water and Sewer account totaling
$75,258.07, the Payroll account totaling $11,211.89, the Dolly Spiering
Fund totaling $11,845.07, the General account totaling $138,138.66, and
the Police Pension Fund totaling $2,971.96. On roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| CLOCK TOWER |
Trustee Caulfield said there is an item on the agenda to authorize payment
of $2500.00 from the Antioch Clock Tower fund to Seater Construction for
the soil boring tests at the site. He said that he didn’t have a chance
to read the invoice and paperwork before the start of the meeting because
it was not included in the agenda packet.
A motion was made by Trustee Caulfield, seconded by Trustee Larson to authorize the Village Treasurer to issue a manual check in the amount of $2500.00 from the Antioch Clock Tower Fund to Seater Construction for soil boring tests at the site. Trustee Caulfield said that he doesn’t understand what the payment is for, because he thought the tests were already done. Trustee Pierce said that he felt the first thing we should be doing is accepting a proposal instead of the payment. Attorney Long said if the only charge is $2500.00 it’s within the $10,000 spending cap. Trustee Caulfield asked if Seater Construction was related to the Clock Tower Committee. Attorney Long said that Mr. LaFontaine is a construction manager, but not for Seater. Trustee Porch asked if it made sense to do the tests at this time because of SMC proposed floodplain map changes. Both Trustee Pierce and Attorney Long said that we could be working on both items at the same time and that the additional information might be of value. On roll call, the vote was: YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| SPIERING CD |
Trustee Caulfield said that prior to the meeting, Trustee Porch asked him
to ask the Village Treasurer to look into some favorable CD rates for the
Dolly Spiering CD that is coming due at the end of the month. |
| TRUSTEE LARSON |
Trustee Larson reminded Board members there is a committee meeting scheduled
on December 2, to hear a presentation from a company who develops and runs
park areas. This meeting will be a combined meeting with members from the
Antioch Township will also be attendance. |
| CHRISTOPHER BURKE |
Trustee Pierce discussed the proposal for Professional Engineers Services
related to Reviewing the draft Sequoit Watershed Floodplain study and mapping
project. Mr. Thomas Burke from Christopher Burke Engineering Ltd. was present.
He said Christopher Burke Engineering is a full service civil engineering
firm and one of their specialities is water resources and that is what the
proposal addresses. Mr. Burke discussed the SMC maps, how the maps were
prepared, if they accurately reflect what is actually there and will look
at that on behalf of the village. Also, if the information is correct, what
could be done regarding the impact. Mr. Burke discussed a similar situation
they faced approximately two years ago.
A motion was made by Trustee Pierce, seconded by Trustee Larson to accept the proposal from Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd., for professional Engineers Services related to reviewing the draft Sequoit Watershed Floodplain Study and Mapping project, in the amount of $9800.00. On roll call, the vote was: YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| TRUSTEE PIERCE |
Trustee Pierce said that as of December 31, 2003, Catholic Charities will
no longer be providing meals at the senior center. The Village is working
with Senior Center Coordinator Paul Howard formalize a plan to offer a similar
services. He also said that the senior center is holding a food drive for
the Antioch Food Pantry. In addition to the food items, they are looking
for donations such as soap, shampoo, paper goods because these items are
not covered by food stamps. Trustee Pierce also announced the village engineer
position has been offered to Christian Nyberg. |
| EXECUTIVE SESSION |
A motion was made by Trustee Porch, seconded by Trustee Hanson for the Mayor
and Board of Trustees to go into executive session at 8:05 p.m. to discuss
the possible purchase of property as required by ILCS 120/2 C 5. On roll
call, the vote was:
YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| RETURN |
A motion was made by Trustee Pierce, seconded by Trustee Caulfield for the
Mayor and Board of Trustees to return from executive session to the open
meeting at 9:00 p.m. with no action taken. On roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6; Pierce, Larson, Caulfield, Porch, Hanson and Turner. NO: 0. THE MOTION CARRIED. |
| ADJOURN |
A motion was made by Trustee Larson, seconded by Trustee Pierce to adjourn
the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees at 9:01 p.m. |
____________________
Candi L. Rowe, Clerk