City Council

MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL APRIL 24, 2017 The regular meeting of the Hammond Common Council of the City of Hammond, Lake County, Indiana was held on April 24, 2017 in the Hammond City Council Chambers. Council President Janet Venecz presided. City Clerk Robert J. Golec facilitated. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was recited by all. Invocation by Councilman Emerson. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Markovich, Spitale, Kalwinski, Torres, Higgs, Emerson, Woerpel, Rakos, Venecz ABSENT: None TOTAL: 9 READING OF THE MINUTES Councilman Spitale, supported by Councilman Emerson, moved to approve the minutes of April 10, 2017 and place on file. AYES: ALL APPROVAL OF CLAIMS Councilman Markovich, supported by Councilman Higgs, moved to accept the claims from April 10, 2017 through April 19, 2017. Claim #2362 through claim #2655, inclusive. ROLL CALL VOTE (approval) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Kalwinski, Torres, Higgs, Emerson, Woerpel, Rakos, Venecz NAYS: None ABSENT: None Motion carried 9/0/0 CLAIMS APPROVED PUBLIC HEARINGS 17-09 Amending Ordinance No.’s 4793, 7516, 8553, 8576, also known as Section 99.26 of the (Ord. No. 9373) Hammond Municipal Code, Pertaining to Park Permits for Events 17R-12 A Declaratory Resolution of the Hammond City Council Designating that a Certain Area of (Res. No. R12) the City of Hammond, Indiana be Established as the Korellis Economic Revitalization Area to which Deductions from Assessed Value may be requested by an Applicant to the Common Council of the City of Hammond Pursuant to Indiana Code 6-1.1-12.1 No one spoke. Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 1 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. APRIL 24, 2017 COMMUNICATIONS Councilman Higgs announced the Mayor’s Night Out in the 3rd District on April 26th at Maywood Elementary School in the cafeteria at 6:30 p.m. Councilman Markovich announced the West Lake Corrider, NICDE South Shore Line is holding an open house for Hammond residents, businesses, and organizations for the West Lake Corridor Railroad Project on Saturday, May 13th from 10 a.m. to noon at the Kenwood Elementary School. Councilman Higgs read a letter from the Hammond Public Library inviting the council to join them in celebrating National Library Week this month. They are asking people to come and take selfies at the Information Service Desk. Councilman Higgs read a letter from Mark Heintz of the Park Department, asking to let Councilman Higgs know that the tree at 255 Dyer Blvd. was paid for and removed. It was in the parkway on the street. Councilman Higgs announced the Mayor’s Annual Prayer Breakfast on May 4th, 2017 at 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Dynasty Banquet Hall. COMMITTEE REPORTS Community & Crime Watch Committee - Councilwoman Venecz - Announced upcoming meetings: Wed., May 3; Edison Community Watch; Edison School; 6:30 p.m. Tues., May 2; Harrison Park; VFW; 6:30 p.m. Fri., May 5; Irving Community Watch; Irving School; 9:15 a.m. Pulaski Park Neighborhood Assoc.; Tues., Apr. 25; American Legion; 6:30 p.m. ORDINANCE 3RD READING - FINAL PASSAGE None INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES 17-10 An Ordinance Reclassifying Certain Lands for Zoning Purposes for Property Commonly Known as 1837 Calumet Avenue from R1-U Single Family Urban Residential to C-1 Local Commercial District Councilman Kalwinski, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved the proposed ordinance to 1st and 2nd reading by title and referred it to the Building & Zoning Committee with the Intent to Consider on May 8, 2017. ROLL CALL VOTE (1st & 2nd reading) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Kalwinski, Torres, Higgs, Emerson, Woerpel, Rakos, Venecz NAYS: None ABSENT: None Motion carried 9/0/0 MOTION CARRIED Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 2 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. APRIL 24, 2017 RESOLUTIONS 17R-16 A Resolution of the Hammond City Council Confirming Resolution No. 17R - 12 that Designated and Established a Certain Area of the City of Hammond, Indiana as an Economic Revitalization Area to Which Deductions from Assessed Value May Be Requested by an Applicant to the Common Council of the City of Hammond Pursuant to Indiana Code 6-1.1-12.1 Councilman Woerpel, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved for adoption. ROLL CALL VOTE (adoption) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Kalwinski, Torres, Higgs, Emerson, Woerpel, Rakos, Venecz NAYS: None ABSENT: None Motion carried 9/0/0 RESOLUTION NO. R16 ADOPTED 17R-17 A Resolution of the Hammond City Council Granting Korellis Holdings, LLC (D.b.a. Korellis Roofing, Inc.) An Assessed Valuation Deduction (Tax Abatement) for the Occupation of an Eligible Vacant Building Pursuant to Indiana Code 6-1.1-12.1 Councilman Woerpel, supported by Higgs, moved for adoption. ROLL CALL VOTE (adoption) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Kalwinski, Torres, Higgs, Emerson, Woerpel, Rakos, Venecz NAYS: None ABSENT: None Motion carried 9/0/0 RESOLUTION NO. R17 ADOPTED 17R-18 Resolution of the Hammond City Council Granting Korellis Holdings, LLC an Assessed Valuation Deduction (Tax Abatement) for Qualified Tangible Real Property Pursuant to Indiana Code 6-1.1-12.1 Councilman Woerpel, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved for adoption. ROLL CALL VOTE (adoption) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Kalwinski, Torres, Higgs, Emerson, Woerpel, Rakos, Venecz NAYS: None ABSENT: None Motion carried 9/0/0 RESOLUTION NO. R18 ADOPTED Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 3 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. APRIL 24, 2017 NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS Councilman Higgs, supported by Councilman Woerpel, moved to have a letter sent to Code Enforcement regarding 6105 Noble Street and 6120 Willard in regards to having those properties either sold or demoed because they’ve been vacant for a number of years. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Councilman Higgs, supported by Councilman Woerpel, moved to have a letter sent to the City Engineer regarding NIPSCO poles; 64/741 on 1000 Kenwood; 89/607 on 5900 Rhode, adjacent to City Hall where the lights have been out for quite some time. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Councilman Torres, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved to have a letter sent to Public Works regarding 800 through 1100 Gostlin. The parkways are in need of gravel. There was gravel there and it’s just worn out. It needs to be replaced. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Councilman Torres, supported by Councilman Higgs, moved to have a letter sent to Code Enforcement, Planning & Redevelopment and a copy to the Lake County Health Department regarding 1700 block of Summer, the old Glidden Paint Company. There are about fifty (50) tires sitting by the fence. They are a fire and mosquito hazard. What is the status of that building? It looks like it should be demolished. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Councilman Higgs, supported by Councilman Woerpel, moved to have a letter sent to Code Enforcement regarding 5632 Claude. All the windows are broken out and there is some activity going on over there. It is an emergency that it be boarded up. It is a nuisance and really needs to be boarded up immediately. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Councilman Higgs, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved to have a letter sent to Code Enforcement and the Street Department regarding the 5400 block of Walter. The alley needs to be cleaned up. There is a lot of debris and all kinds of things, couches and whatnot, in that alley. Also, the 5600 block of Erie, the alley needs to be cleaned up. Also, 936 Merrill, on the corner, the tree on the lot and the fence is falling down. The owner probably needs to be cited. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 4 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. APRIL 24, 2017 NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS cont. Councilman Higgs, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved to have a letter sent to the City Engineer regarding 1132 Drackert, there is a sink hole in the middle of the street. Robinson Engineering originally did all those street projects. Eaton, as well as Drackert, needs to be looked at because some of the streets are sinking in. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Councilman Higgs, supported by Councilman Woerpel, moved to have a letter sent to Code Enforcement regarding 910 Conkey Street, that lot needs trees picked up. Please have those trees removed and get them up. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Councilman Higgs, supported by Councilman Woerpel, moved to have a letter sent to Code Enforcement regarding Ms. Pearline Jinkens house at 936 Conkey Street, it has been vacant for over fifteen (15) years. What is the status of when this property will be demoed? There is a beautiful house next door to it and that house is just sitting vacant and it needs to be torn down if no one is going to buy it and rehab it. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Councilman Torres, supported by Councilman Higgs, moved to have a letter sent to Redevelopment and Environmental Management regarding the old laundromat at 800 Hoffman. What is the status? What were the results of the borings? LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Councilman Higgs, supported by Councilman Woerpel, moved to have a letter sent to Public Works regarding the 164th block, just next to Rev. Burns Drive, there’s a huge tire that was in the lot that I had pulled to the crosswalk to get it out of the lot. I’m hoping that it won’t sit there. Could someone pick that up along with the tree limbs that’s been sitting on the lot. LETTER SENT: APRIL 26, 2017 Council President Venecz - At this time I would like to say congratulations to our Clerk, Bob Golec, and his wife Kathy, for their 52nd wedding anniversary which is today. Congratulations, Clerk Golec. Council President Venecz - I would like to let everyone know also that Saturday night at the Civic Center is the 911 Slug Fest. Police and Fire, locally, and from surrounding areas, will be boxing each other. General admission tickets will be $10 and the proceeds will be going to the Make a Wish Foundation. So it’s a very worthy cause and I encourage everyone to go out Saturday night. Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 5 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. APRIL 24, 2017 NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS cont. Councilman Markovich - Talk about anniversaries, tomorrow my father passed away forty two (42) years ago. So he would have been a hundred and one (101) and it’s dates like that that you never forget. It’s like if it’s World War I, World War II, those are things that you really remember. Forty two years ago, April 25th, 1975, getting the call, and then riding in the ambulance with them and back then they didn’t have defibrillators or anything like that so you’re trying to do CPR on them in the back of an ambulance and that’s something you’re never gonna forget. I just feel like saying that since we’re talking about anniversaries. PUBLIC EXPRESSION Ameenah Waarith - Requested No Parking signs from Wildwood Street to Highland. A homeowner on the corner of Michigan City Road and State Line gives big pool parties and there is a high volume of traffic coming in from Illinois. He charges and advertises on the internet. They are noisy and parking into the residential areas. Calumet City has already put No Parking signs on the Calumet City side. So now they are all parking on the Hammond side. The neighbors are willing to submit a petition. Dave Sutkowski - The baseball fields were built for the kids. Organizations have to pay to use the south field. Hammond kids leagues have to pay. The Hammond Babe Ruth League wanted to have a tournament, it cost them $700 for the weekend to use the south field. It is disturbing that these fields were built for kids of Hammond organizations and now it’s gonna cost you from $150 to $200 a game, or $700 a tournament. The fields were maintained by the organizations that used them and now they are maintained by the city and they are no where near ready like they were in the past. Now we’re bringing adult league teams in there. We’re taking away from the children. Councilman Rakos, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved to adjourn. AYES: ALL ________________________ Janet Venecz, President Hammond Common Council ATTEST: ________________________ Robert J. Golec, City Clerk Time: 6:45 pm cb Minutes approved at the Common Council Meeting on May 8, 2017. Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 6