Board of Trustees Meeting

VILLAGE OF HOMEWOOD BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023 VILLAGE HALL BOARD ROOM CALL TO ORDER: President Hofeld called the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees to order at 7:00 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: President Hofeld led trustees in the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Clerk Marilyn Thomas called the roll. Those present were Village President Richard Hofeld, Trustee Julie Willis, Trustee Anne Colton, Trustee Vivian Harris-Jones, and Trustee Jay Heiferman. Trustee Lisa Purcell and Trustee Lauren Roman were absent. President Hofeld introduced staff present: Village Manager Napoleon Haney, Village Attorney Chris Cummings, Assistant Village Manager Tyler Hall, Public Works Director John Schaefer, Economic and Community Development Director Angela Mesaros, Fire Chief Bob Grabowski and Police Chief Denise McGrath. MINUTES: The minutes of the meeting of July 11, 2023, were presented. There were no comments or corrections. A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Willis to approve the minutes as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Heiferman and Harris-Jones. NAYS –None. Motion carried. CLAIMS LIST: The Claims List in the amount of $529,534.64 was presented. There were no questions from the Trustees. A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to approve the Claims List as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, and Heiferman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. President Hofeld said three items totaled 52 percent of the Claims List: $82,565 for Korrellis Roofing for work on the Homewood Science Center annex; $97,410.52 to D’Orazio Ford for a police vehicle and a public works vehicle; and $94,092.33 for payment to Thorn Creek Basin Sanitary District. HEAR FROM AUDIENCE: Resident Carrie Bonanotte of Spotlight Performance Academy, asked if there were spaces available for her group to practice and perform. She was referred to staff who would be able to address her question. The Village Board received several letters from residents via email. Copies of all letters were distributed to all Trustees and the Village President. (Attached) OMNIBUS VOTE: Consider a motion to pass, approve, authorize, accept, or award the following item(s): A. R-3151/Donation of Vehicle: Pass a resolution honoring James R. Wright and the donation of his 1954 Fire Chief car to the Village of Homewood. B. R-3152/Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement/Joint Emergency Telephone Systems: Pass a resolution authorizing the Village President to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement to consolidate the E-COM and SouthCOM public safety joint emergency telephone systems. C. Agreement/Legal Services/Laner Muchin Ltd.: Authorize the Village President to enter into a two-year full-service fee agreement for labor law legal services with Laner Muchin Ltd. of Chicago, IL. D. Budget Amendment/Purchase/Downtown Outdoor Speakers: Approve a budget amendment allocating $30,000 of ARPA funds for the downtown outdoor speaker project; waive competitive bidding due to a sole source provider; and, approve the purchase of equipment from AirNetix of Smyrna, GA in an amount not to exceed $22,905 and $7,095 for unforeseen installation costs related to the downtown outdoor speaker project. E. Letter of Intent/HCF Homewood II, LLC/2024 Chestnut Road: Approve a Letter of Intent with HCF Homewood II, LLC for the purchase and redevelopment of the property at 2024 Chestnut Road (Village Hall parking lot). F. M-2259/Sale of Surplus Property/Vehicles: Pass an ordinance authorizing the Village Manager to sell or dispose of 13 items as surplus property, including six police vehicles, four public works trucks, and two cargo trailers. G. M-2260/Lease Agreement/Homewood Arts Council: Pass an ordinance authorizing the Village President to enter into a two-year lease renewal agreement with the Homewood Arts Council for use of the Village’s auditorium through June 30, 2024. President Hofeld asked for a separate vote on Item A and Trustee Colton asked for a separate vote on Item E. A motion was made by Trustee Heiferman and seconded by Trustee Colton to approve Resolution R-3151 honoring the late Jim Wright and accepting his fire chief car. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, and Heiferman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. Representatives of Mr. Wright’s family stepped forward to accept the resolution. Chief Grabowski shared a recollection of the first time he met Mr. Wright when he was a fire cadet and promised that the fire chief’s car will be part of the Village’s 4th of July parades. Village Manager Haney shared a recollection from 2020 of working with Mr. Wright on organizing a Zoom meeting for the Homewood Historical Society. He said he stepped forward to take on that responsibility because it was Jim Wright who asked. Mr. Wright’s many friends gave a round of applause after the resolution was approved. President Hofeld stated that Item D regarding the purchase of outdoor speakers would be deferred to a future board meeting. Trustee Colton requested that Item E, the letter of intent for potential sale and redevelopment of the Village Hall parking lot, be voted upon separately. President Hofeld asked for a vote on Items B-C-F-G. A motion was made by Trustee Willis and seconded by Trustee Colton to approve Items B-C-F-G on the Omnibus Report. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Heiferman and Harris-Jones. NAYS –None. Motion carried. On the question of Item E: Letter of Intent for the purchase and redevelopment of property at 2024 Chestnut Road, numerous residents came forward to address the board. Attorney Cummings told audience members this was not a sale of property, but rather an agreement to allow HCF Homewood LLC to present a plan for the vacant village parking lot. It is nonbinding on either party. The plan will go to the Planning and Zoning Commission for review. Once the plan is before the Board, Trustees will consider the proposal and decide if an agreement between HFC and the Village should move forward. Residents raised several concerns:  Eliminating the parking lot would eliminate easy access to not only Homewood businesses but activities, such as the Farmer’s Market and programs at the Village Auditorium.  Build the water tower on that site. Public Works Director Schaefer said the site was already considered for development, so the Village looked for alternate locations and bought the site of the old library for a water tower.  Why sell the property for $1; that property is worth more. President Hofeld said the Village works with developers. He believes investments through redevelopment mean additional tax revenue for the Village over time. This is the not the first development to get village property for $1.  The village should be supporting its small businesses, rather than a major developer.  The Hartford Building promised parking for residents but didn’t meet the need, so it’s made a deal to use a parking lot at LaBanque Hotel.  If the new development is approved, will it have set asides for senior/low income families? President Hofeld said the trend is for residential to be mixed within a downtown area to stimulate the economy. He pointed to developments in North and Northwest suburbs and the success they have brought to their communities. Director Mesaros said the parking lot property was identified for redevelopment in 2004. A study in 2015 found that Homewood’s downtown could accommodate 200-250 apartments/condos. There was an earlier proposal to develop the property for condos, but it didn’t materialize. Several in the audience asked when Trustees would be accepting comment on any plan for that lot. Several said they believe the deal is already done. President Hofeld invited residents to any of the discussions that are open to the public. The dates/times are posted on the Village website. President Hofeld invited Tim Flanagan of HCF to give a preview to what he hopes to do on the parking lot site. The proposal calls for first floor parking for the 59-unit apartment complex. It will have special amenities, such as a rooftop deck, a fitness center, conference facilities to better accommodate those who work from home. Mr. Flanagan said public/private partnerships are the only way developments like this get done. He knows Homewood from work his firm did in constructing several businesses on Halsted Street. He said the Hartford Building his firm is building in downtown is 36 units and considered a small development. Response has been good, and 45 percent of the units are already rented. Trustee Willis told the audience she was happy they were there giving their opinions on the proposal. Trustee Colton said it seemed the proposal was fast tracked. She prefers to go slowly on any project for that site. Trustee Heiferman said if the Trustees don’t support the Letter of Intent, they will never know what plan is being presented. The Letter of Intent is just the first step. The site has been considered for development for over a decade. When the Village is given a proposal in the future, he will consider how it will fit into Homewood. Trustee Harris-Jones recognized that the Village is landlocked. She said she appreciates comments from the audience. Input will help her make a sound decision, and she assured the residents the Village Board is there to listen to their comments and concerns. A motion was made by Trustee Willis and seconded by Trustee Heiferman to approve a Letter of Intent with HCF Homewood LLC for the purchase and development of the property at 2024 Chestnut Road. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, and Heiferman and President Hofeld. NAYS – Colton. Motion carried. GENERAL BOARD DISCUSSION: Trustees again thanked the audience for attending the meeting, reiterating that the input was invaluable. EXECUTIVE SESSION: A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Willis to move into Executive Session to discuss collective bargaining under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)2. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, and Heiferman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. The board moved to Executive Session at 8:15 p.m. The board returned from Executive Session at 8:45 p.m. ADJOURN: A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to adjourn the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, and Heiferman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned on voice vote. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn Thomas Village Clerk