Citizens' Community Enhancement Commission

DeKalb Municipal Building PLEASE NOTE LOCATION Haish Conference Room, Second Floor 200 South Fourth Street DeKalb, Illinois 60115 AGENDA Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission January 22, 2019 4:00 p.m. A. Roll Call B. Approval of Agenda – Additions / Deletions C. Approval of Minutes – November 19, 2018 Regular Meeting D. Public Participation E. New Business F. Old Business 1. Discussion and Approval of Paint-a-Plug Applications 2. Continued Discussion on Mission and Duties of the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission – Aligning with the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan G. Adjournment 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.  MINUTES MEETING OF THE CITIZENS’ COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT COMMISSION CITY OF DEKALB November 19, 2018 The Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission (CCEC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a regular meeting on Monday, November 19, 2018 in the Haish Conference Room of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. The meeting was called to order at 4:04 p.m. ROLL CALL Roll was recorded by Economic Development Planner, Jason Michnick, and the following members of the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission present were: Chair Brad Hoey, Melissa Beck, Deborah Booth, Sue Johnson, Brad Pietens, and Ellingsworth Webb. Jeanine Holcomb was absent. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION Chair Hoey asked for a motion to approve the agenda, which was made by Mr. Pietens. The motion was seconded by Ms. Johnson and was carried on a voice vote. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION Chair Hoey requested a motion for approval of the October 15, 2018 minutes. Ms. Booth moved to approve the minutes. Ms. Beck seconded the motion. Motion carried on a voice vote. NEW BUSINESS 1. Downtown Holiday Lights Planner Michnick informed the commission that downtown holiday lights had been cut from the budget during discussions the previous year. Unfortunately he was unaware of the cut until recently and wanted to discuss the use of the commission’s budget funding to install lights before the holidays. Mayor Smith stated that the proposed cut had been included in a larger package and Council was not aware of the detail, otherwise it is likely that the lights would not have been cut. Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission August 20, 2018 Page 2 of 3 The commission discussed the use of the funding and possible vendors or contractors to reach out to. The lights had previously been installed by an outside vendor. When the cut was made, the contract with the vendor was terminated and the lights were returned to the City. The lights are currently being stored at Public Works. Ms. Johnson made a motion to recommend the use of the commissions $5,000 to hire a vendor to install the lights. The motion was seconded by Mr. Webb. The motion was approved unanimously. Planner Michnick will update the commission after reaching out to vendors and contractors. OLD BUSINESS 1. Paint-a-Plug Approvals The commission reviewed Paint-a-Plug applications that had been received over the past month, including one from the Egyptian Theatre and three from the DeKalb Library. A motion was made by Mr. Pietens to approve all of the applications. Ms. Booth seconded. Motion was approved unanimously. The commission also discussed advertising for the Paint-a-Plug day that will go along with ARTigras in 2019. It was determined that the City should begin marketing the program and day at the end of February or early in March. Planner Michnick will coordinate with the City Manager’s Office to get various social media posts and announcements scheduled. Mr. Hoey will also work to get a press release framework drafted for NIU alumni communications. 2. Continued Discussion on the Mission and Duties of the Commission – Alignment with the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan The commission continued discussing the role and mission of the CCEC, emphasizing a desire to support the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan (AGN Plan). A final draft of the AGN Plan was presented to Council during the November 13, 2018 Committee of the Whole meeting. Formal adoption will be considered at the next Council meeting. The next major step in the process will be to align short term projects, funding sources, and community partners that can assist in implementation. City commission are reviewing the plan to identify the projects and initiatives that align with their own missions and discuss implementation strategies and identify potential partners or funding sources. As the commission reviews the AGN Plan, Planner Michnick encourages members to look at al 45 projects and not just the 10 Transformational ones that have been identified. An example of a project or initiative that may align with the enhancement commission is developing neighborhood identity or branding. The commission has discussed branding extensively in the past and could contribute ideas and strategies for that project. Another example that a commissioner pointed out was streetscaping and demarcating the Greek Row area and encouraged the commission to also review pages 22, 29, 35, and 64 in the plan. Planner Michnick requested that the commission review the full AGN Plan over the next month and email him with ideas that could be added to the next agenda. Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission August 20, 2018 Page 3 of 3 ADJOURNMENT MOTION Mr. Webb made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Ms. Johnson. The motion carried on a voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 5:05 p.m. ________________________________ Respectfully Submitted by Jason Michnick, Economic Development Planner