Citizens' Community Enhancement Commission

Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission Regular Meeting Agenda July 20, 2015 4:00 p.m. DeKalb Municipal Building PLEASE NOTE LOCATION Haish Conference Room, Second Floor Our mission statement: We will listen to the community to identify, develop and test initiatives to improve the quality of life. We will develop public/private partnerships to implement sustainable initiatives. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF AGENDA (ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS) APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. April 20, 2015 Minutes 2. June 15, 2015 Minutes BUSINESS 3. Yards of Distinction presentation update 4. Historical Marker Proposal Update (DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association) 5. Rainworks Rain-Activated Art Project Update 6. Strategic Plan Community Conversations ADJOURNMENT Assistive services will be provided upon request  MINUTES MEETING OF THE CITIZENS’ COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT COMMISSION CITY OF DEKALB April 20, 2015 The Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a regular meeting on Monday, April 20, 2015 in the Haish Conference Room of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. Chair Johnson called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. ROLL CALL: Roll was recorded by Deputy City Clerk Tammey Higgins, and the following members of the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission were present: Susan Johnson, Cohen Barnes, Brad Hoey, Mike Mooney, Brad Pietens, Lisa Small, Camyle Tate, and Deborah Booth. Absent was Bob Boey. Also present were: Lauren Stott, Management Analyst, Jerad Heyad, City Intern, and Tammey Higgins, Deputy City Clerk. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Discussion regarding adding additional items to agenda occurred. Chair Johnson submitted the inclusion of Art Projects and Yards of Distinction in the agenda. MOTION Mr. Barnes moved to approve the Agenda as amended; seconded by Mr. Pietens. Motion carried on voice vote. Chair Johnson declared the motion approved. BUSINESS 1. DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association Historic Marker Request Status. Ms. Stott provided a status update and general background information to attendees regarding the DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association (DAAHA) Historic Marker request. She advised she had met with Jason Mangum, Executive Director of the DeKalb Park District and discussed site concerns. Mr. Mangum had offered the consideration of mounting the marker onto the wall of the mural which would require less maintenance. Discussion followed regarding different site locations and concerns. Ms. Stott further advised attendees that she would update the current agreement and would provide updates to Commission members to keep them current. She then asked members to select a Council meeting date at which to present the Agreement for Council consideration and vote. She further advised that there would be a groundbreaking ceremony for the marker and that as many members as possible should be in attendance. Discussion followed relating to the dates of June 8, 2015 and June 22, 2015 with members providing their responses. Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission April 20, 2015 Page 2 of 2 Chair Johnson was open to either date, with Mr. Barnes stating he was unavailable for the June 22, 2015 date. MOTION Ms. Small motioned that the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission provide support to DAAHA for the Historic Marker project. A voice vote called for by Chair Johnson provided a unanimous response in favor of the motion. 2. Proven Winners Planters Status. Ms. Stott commented on status of the planters. Mr. Hoey provided background information regarding the planters program which began in the Fall of 2011. Discussion regarding funding, placement, and maintenance aspects, along with participation of other community entities of the program followed. 3. Art Projects. Chair Johnson commented on the utility box art project which had been considered by the Commission. She shared the concerns that had arisen and the results of ComEd’s response to the proposed project. She advised that the Public Works Dept. had suggested fire hydrant painting as a potential project. Ms. Stott then offered responses from preliminary discussion with Fire Chief Hicks and Interim Public Works Director Laskowski. Chief Hicks was supportive, while Mr. Laskowski was concerned with potential issues. Ms. Stott advised attendees that if the Commission was interested in proceeding with this project, it should bring to attention of Mayor and City Manager. Further discussion relating to Interim Public Works Director Laskowski’s concerns about maintenance issues and public safety distractions were held. Mr. Hoey commented on his agreement with Chief Hicks and provided information on past experiences with like programs. Discussion followed amongst attendees relating to different experiences and potential approach to this consideration. Ms. Stott advised attendees their best step would be to bring project proposal to Mayor for consideration. Chair Johnson commented on meeting with the Mayor and submitting a proposal for the project. Additional discussion relating to other community experiences. 4. Yards of Distinction. Mr. Pietens addressed members as to status of the program. Attendees responded with comments relating to positive inputs, getting more people engaged in the program and the consideration of residents taking a more active role. Discussion continued with consideration of revamping the parameters of the program to include highlighting different items such as rotating banners, etc. along with suggestion to permit citizens to place nominations on the website. Considerations as to scheduling for application submittal and parameters for nomination were provided. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Mr. Pietens moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Ms. Tate. Motion carried on voice vote. Chair Johnson declared the meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m. ______________________________________ TAMMEY HIGGINS, Deputy City Clerk  MINUTES MEETING OF THE CITIZENS’ COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT COMMISSION CITY OF DEKALB June 15, 2015 The Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission (CCEC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a regular meeting on Monday, June 15, 2015 in the Haish Conference Room of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. Chair Johnson called the meeting to order at 4:09 p.m. ROLL CALL: Roll was recorded by Deputy City Clerk Julie Abraham, and the following members of the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission were present: Susan Johnson, Cohen Barnes, Brad Hoey (arrived at 4:11 p.m.), Mike Mooney, Brad Pietens, Lisa Small (arrived at 4:11 p.m.), and Deborah Booth. Absent was Bob Boey and Camyle Tate. Also present were: Management Analyst Lauren Stott, Management Intern Jared Heyn, and Deputy City Clerk Julie Abraham, Management Analyst Stott stated due to Tammey Higgins part-time work schedule she will not be attending the meetings to take minutes. She then introduced Julie Abraham, full-time Administrative Assistant, who will be taking the minutes of the meeting as her schedule allows it. Management Analyst Stott also reminded the CCEC to be mindful of the length of meetings as some staff attending the meetings are paid hourly and overtime might have to be paid. To keep costs down, the City is trying to cut back on the overtime staff are being paid. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mr. Pietens submitted the inclusion of ‘How can the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission be more supportive of City Staff’ on the agenda.’ MOTION Mr. Pietens moved to approve the Agenda as amended; seconded by Mr. Barnes. Motion carried on voice vote. Chair Johnson declared the motion approved. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes were not available for approval. BUSINESS 1. Yards of Distinction (June nominations) Mr. Pietens stated he submitted two last month but was unclear how the process was going to work since the May meeting was cancelled. He decided to wait until this meeting and discuss it as a group. Management Analyst Stott stated that if we have two nominations, we Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission June 15, 2015 Page 2 of 5 can go forward with it and put the nominations on the July City Council agenda. Mr. Pietens asked what the deadline is to get it on the July agenda. Management Analyst Stott stated the deadline for agenda items is two weeks prior to the meeting date. Mr. Pietens stated he has some more he would like to submit and encourages other CCEC members to submit some as well. Ms. Booth asked what information is needed and what the criteria is. Mr. Pietens stated he has been emailing pictures to Administrative Associate Higgins and includes the occupant’s name and address. If the occupant is home he has at times spoken to them about the award. In regards to the criteria, he believes the group has always strived to recognize people who pay attention to their property. There is some creativity to it but it also includes tender, loving care and it’s pretty evident when you drive by people who have spent time designing or maintaining their property. Mr. Pietens thinks it would be nice to have five to six award winners each month. Ms. Small asked if all submissions will be awarded. Chair Johnson stated depending on the number of submissions, the committee as a whole will have to decide. Mr. Pietens would like this discussion to be part of the how the committee can help staff agenda addition. Maybe the committee could work out a mechanism where it would not take a lot of staff manpower. Mr. Hoey stated perhaps we could identify a Dropbox or something where images could be viewed and committee members can vote. Vote on the top two or three each month and submit it to staff so we wouldn’t have to meet to gather information. Mr. Pietens wants to make sure nothing is done that violates meeting protocols. 2. Historical Marker Proposal Update Management Analyst Stott stated she has had several conversations with Larry Mix from the DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association (the Association). He is very eager to get this to the City Council. There have been a couple delays. The City and the City Attorney has been working with the DeKalb Park District (the Park District) and their attorney to reconcile issues with the contract. One item we are waiting for from the Park District is a list of allowable locations in that area. Management Analyst Stott would like to include the list with the agreement prior to giving to City Council to avoid any confusion on where to place the markers. Once the list is received, the City can let the Association know their placement options. It is the hope to have the complete information for the first City Council meeting in July. Any committee members who can attend the meeting should be available for the presentation. Chair Johnson asked the date of the meeting. Management Analyst Stott stated July 13 but did not want to say the 13th is for sure. Once all information is received, she will notified committee members at which Council meeting the presentation will take place. Mr. Mooney asked how long it would take to install the marker. Management Analyst Stott stated the hope was to have it by Corn Fest but Mr. Mix said with the delay he is not sure whether we will be able to. She explained to Mr. Mix that the City and Park District each have their own attorney who reviews every item so when there are changes it goes back for review and that person may not be able to get to it right away. She assured Mr. Mix that we would do everything we can to make it go as quickly as possible.  Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission June 15, 2015 Page 3 of 5 Ms. Small stated Jason at the Park District received the request for the list on Thursday which missed the Park District packet deadline for the upcoming meeting so it will not be reviewed until July 16. Management Analyst Stott stated she wasn’t informed it needed to go to the Park Board. With these meeting dates, it may not go to the City Council until August. Chair Johnson asked if the plaque has been ordered. Management Analyst Stott stated she was not sure. Chair Johnson stated Mr. Mix thought it would take 30 or 60 days to get the plaque done after he ordered it. Mr. Hoey asked for a reminder of the plaque location. The reply was the park at First Street and Lincoln Highway. Management Analyst Stott stated she believes she can send Mr. Mix an email stating the agreement is essentially good and she wouldn’t hesitate to recommend ordering the plaque because each entity is ok with it. We just need to make sure the location is agreed upon. Mr. Mooney asked if the location was on the building. Management Analyst Stott stated the Association preferred that it not be on the building which is why the list was requested from the Park District so that a location for both parties is agreeable. Mr. Hoey stated he would really like it if we could get it for Corn Fest because it adds another opportunity to get some media coverage on it, to get acknowledgement and it also gives us an opportunity to get on board to promote Agra Tourism, which is booming. Mr. Hoey sits on the CBB Board and is working closely with that group to promote that and this would be one more opportunity to get that out. Particularly, when we have our big festival of the year, Corn Fest, as an unveiling. Mr. Hoey stated he understands the ramifications but if we could get it done by Corn Fest that would be good. Again, we could take advantage of the media coverage by getting into the local paper and Associated Press (AP) picks up a lot of the Daily Chronicle’s stories. We can still look at other opportunities to push it out but Corn Fest would be a good one to wrap it up at Corn Fest. Management Analyst Stott stated she doesn’t want the ordering of the plaque to be the roadblock. She inquired if any CCEC members would be willing to reach out to Mr. Mix to order the plaque. Mr. Hoey asked if the plaque has been designed and ready to go. Management Analyst Stott stated the wording has been developed and they know it will look just like the one on Nelson Road. Mr. Hoey asked Management Analyst Stott to forward him Mr. Mix’s contact information and he will reach out to him. She will do that tonight via email. Mr. Hoey stated having worked on some of these plaques and documents before if he doesn’t have a design and it’s in the works and has to get approved by several bodies that will give the CCEC and indication of whether or not it will make the Corn Fest deadline. It will provide the CCEC with a realistic deadline. Management Analyst Stott stated the Park District has been great and very responsive. It’s the time involved to make sure a proper/full review is completed. 3. Rainworks Rain-Activated Art Project Consideration While at a meeting regarding other business, Brian from OC Imageworks talked to Mr. Barnes about the Rainworks Art Project. It’s a chemical you put on the sidewalk and when Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission June 15, 2015 Page 4 of 5 it rains, it beads the water, doesn’t let it penetrate, which causes a discoloration. There is dry color and wet color and very cool designs can be done. He believes OC Imageworks would love to be part of this project and imagines there is an opportunity there to work cooperatively to do something. OC Imageworks has the skill set from of the artistic stand point and then the City could help out with materials. He believes the chemical lasts two to six months. Management Analysis Stott stated it lasts for the summer and then it sort of fades away so there is no maintenance. Once it’s applied, it’s done. Management Analyst Stott stated she invited Jared Heyn to join the meeting. Mr. Heyn is a Management Intern and is attending on behalf of the Public Works department to talk about this project. Mr. Barnes stated Brian from OC Imageworks said he would come to a meeting to discuss this project. The CCEC then watched a short video about the Rainworks Rain-Activated Art Project. Mr. Barnes asked Management Analyst Stott if she knew the cost. She stated no and plans to research the cost. Discussion ensued regarding the project. Mr. Hoey stated the chemical composition needs to be looked at to make sure it’s acceptable for the atmosphere, etc. He also stated Artigras is another opportunity for this project. Chair Johnson stated we need to have someone look into the cost. Mr. Barnes volunteered to contact Brian from OC Imageworks to come to a CCEC meeting. Management Analyst Stott stated she will put it on an agenda. Mr. Hoey stated some points of discussion previously held were location, sustainability, duration and City staff time. Mr. Barnes stated once the templates are completed, they could be reused and the ongoing cost would be the materials. Management Analyst Stott asked Management Intern Jared Heyn to speak about the changes in the Public Works department and the time commitment able to be given by that department. Management Intern Heyn stated as you know the City currently does not have a Public Works Director so staff time is a considerable constraint. If you have been following the budget discussion, you know that funding, especially in the Public Works department, is particularly strapped. This is a concern the department would have with the project. With that said, Mr. Heyn has spoken with Interim Public Works Director John Laskowski and they are supportive of a project like this. Whether it’s a rain resistant paint or something like they do in Minneapolis which is a stamp. The caveat to this is the City would need the CCEC to take the lead on such things as design, cost, and location before we start the project. Mr. Barnes asked if we should wait to find out if there is funding available before proceeding. Management Intern Heyn can look into it but did not want to make any promises. He recommended the CCEC look into grant options. Mr. Hoey inquired if this could be part of the Frontier Communications ABC Grant. Mr. Barnes stated he is on the committee and will ask. Mr. Hoey would like to see it included in the proposal. Management Analyst Stott stated that an estimated cost will give guidance on if the project is achievable. Ms. Small looked up the cost and stated it is $230 for five liters before delivery. Mr. Barnes stated it would be nice to have a dollar threshold from the City.  Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission June 15, 2015 Page 5 of 5 Mr. Barnes stated he will run this idea by the Frontier ABC Committee to see if this project qualifies. Chair Johnson believes community art projects are fundable if you get the word out and have a strong committee behind it. 4. How can the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission be more supportive of City Staff? Mr. Pietens stated he believes the City is pressed for time and funding and would like the CCEC to be proactive. He thinks the City is currently in a slump and would like to build a positive image and believes the CCEC can do that through their projects. For the Yards of Distinction and Lights of Distinction, Mr. Pietens would be more than happy to shepherd these projects. Mr. Hoey stated he believes this will help. It was decided that Mr. Pietens and Mr. Mooney will work on this project together on the Yards of Distinction. Mr. Mooney inquired about the planters and time involved. Management Analyst Stott stated Public Works staff have been doing this and there is minimal involvement needed. Additionally, Management Analyst Stott stated that if there are project, etc. that the CCEC believes are not being done, let her know as she might not be aware of them as she hasn’t been the staff liaison for the CCEC very long. Mr. Barnes stated that regarding the Rainworks Project he will contact OC Imageworks and other items mentioned earlier, but he is not able to provide the time right now to be the lead person on the project. No lead person was decided at this meeting. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Mr. Hoey moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Mr. Mooney. Motion carried on voice vote. Chair Johnson declared the meeting adjourned at 4:54 p.m. JULIE ABRAHAM, DEPUTY CITY CLERK