Board of Trustees Meeting

VILLAGE OF HOMEWOOD BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2024 VILLAGE HALL BOARD ROOM CALL TO ORDER: President Hofeld called the meeting of the Board of Trustees to order at 7:20 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: President Hofeld led trustees in the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Deputy Village Clerk Nerissa Major called the roll. Those present were Village President Richard Hofeld, Trustee Julie Willis, Trustee Vivian Harris-Jones, Trustee Jay Heiferman, Trustee Lauren Roman and Trustee Allisa Opyd. Trustee Phillip Mason was absent. President Hofeld introduced staff present: Village Manager Napoleon Haney, Village Attorney Chris Cummings, Director of Economic and Community Development Angela Mesaros, Director of Finance Amy Zukowski, Police Chief Denise McGrath, Director of Public Works Josh Burman and Assistant Village Manager Terence Acquah. MINUTES: The minutes of the July 9, 2024, regular Village Board meeting were presented. There were no comments or corrections. A motion was made by Trustee Heiferman and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to approve the minutes as presented. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Roman and Opyd. NAYS –None. Motion carried. CLAIMS LIST: The Claims List in the amount of $413,558.64 was presented. There were no questions from the Trustees. A motion was made by Trustee Willis and seconded by Trustee Roman to approve the Claims List as presented. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman Roman and Opyd. NAYS –None. Motion carried. President Hofeld said three items totaled 58% of the Claims List: $96,290.32 for E-COM, $88,621.57 for Thorn Creek Basin Sanitary District, and $55,732.04 to Universal Concrete Grind for sidewalk repairs. HEAR FROM THE AUDIENCE: President Hofeld invited any audience member to address the board on any subject not on the agenda. Laura Alexander a resident of the senior development north of 175th Street and west of Halsted Street came to voice her concerns about the casino construction and how it is impacting her quality of life. She said the exhaust from heavy trucks and the tar and other products used to lay a new road may have a negative impact on her health. She also raised a concern about how new traffic signals will be timed so that residents of her subdivision can easily access 175th Street. Tasia Little of Mr. Bowaz said she is a small business owner renting a second-floor space on Ridge Road. She needs more space and asked the board to reconsider the 2018 Ridge Road property sale. She said the space would be perfect for her needs. President Hofeld told her the Board has already approved a contract for the sale of the vacant storefront at 2018 Ridge Road. Trustee Opyd told Ms. Little that she would work with her to find the space her business needs. PRESENTATION: Assistant Village Manager Acquah gave the Trustees an update on a new emergency system RAVE/Smart 911 that will be going into effect as Homewood’s emergency service E-COM merges with South-Com. The new RAVE system offers more features at a lesser cost compared to the current system. It will allow the Village to send text, email and phone messages throughout the Village, or to select neighborhoods. The Smart 911 system allows residents to input personal information, such as health issues, disability-mobility issues, number of persons and pets at a residence, so that emergency staff know how they can best assist on an emergency call. He said the Village will begin a promotional period to increase subscribers into the new system. OATH OF OFFICE: Acting Clerk Major administered the oath of office to Valerie Spada who was promoted to a full-time finance clerk position, and to Joshua Burman, the new Director of Public Works. OMNIBUS VOTE: The board is asked to pass, approve, authorize, accept, or award the following items: A. Reappointments/Appearance Commission/Economic Development Committee: Approve the reappointments of Jack Hrymak and Kalinda Preston to the Appearance Commission for a three-year term ending on July 23, 2027; and Terry Keigher and Craig Schmidt to the Economic Development Committee for a two-year term ending on July 23, 2026. B. Bid Award/HVAC Replacement/Jones Environmental Control, Inc.: Award a bid to Jones Environmental Control, Inc. of Mokena, IL, the lowest responsible bidder, in the amount of $41,878 to replace the HVAC rooftop unit located at the Village of Homewood Auditorium, 2010 Chestnut Road. C. Bid Award/Street Sweeping Services/ Advance Sweeping Services: Authorize the Village Manager to engage the services of Advance Sweeping Services of Rockford, IL, the only responsible bidder, for contract sweeping services for five residential and 15 commercial sweeps in an amount not to exceed $8,366.66 per residential sweep, and $833.33 per commercial sweep. D. Purchase/Passageway Lighting/Chicago Lightworks: Waive competitive bidding due to the nature of the purchase and authorize the purchase of ten (10) Color Kinetics Red, Green, Blue, White (RGBW) lights and one (1) Pharos controller from Chicago Lightworks, of Lisle, IL, for an amount not to exceed $27,228. E. Waive Competitive Bidding/Contract Approval/Tivoli Lighting/F.H. Paschen: Waive competitive bidding due to only one vendor available for this project and, approve a contract with F.H. Paschen, of Chicago, IL for the purchase and installation of Tivoli lights along both sides of Martin Avenue, from Chestnut Road to Martin Square, in the amount of $170,978.94 with a contingency amount of $8,000 to cover the costs for any unforeseen and/or underground construction issues for a total amount of $178,978.94. F. Agreement/Public Parking Lot Signage/ROEDA Signs: Authorize the Village President to enter into an agreement with ROEDA Signs of Lynwood, IL the only bidder due to the technical nature of this project. Competitive bidding would be impractical. The contract  calls for illuminated public parking lot entry signs and parking directional signs in the amount of $64,463. G. Redevelopment Agreement Amendment/Wind Creek IL LLC: Authorize the Village President to enter into an amendment to the redevelopment agreement with Wind Creek IL LLC. Before the vote, Item D was deferred for further consideration. Attorney Cummings addressed a question from the floor on Item G. He explained that the Village already has a redevelopment agreement with the Village of East Hazel Crest and the developers of Wind Creek Casino. Rather than consider it as one project, this amendment is dividing it into two parts because there is a possibility of a second hotel tower and additional parking. The first phase is what’s now under construction – the entertainment venue, the tower and the parking garage. Only the parking garage is in the boundary of Homewood. The amended agreement doesn’t change the compensation or tax revenue agreements. Trustee Opyd asked if the Village would be using any grant money for the HVAC at the auditorium. Manager Haney said at this time the Village has not received the Department of Community and Economic Opportunity grant funding. Because of the 30-year age of the current HVAC unit, the Village needed to replace it immediately and couldn’t wait to learn if it would be a reimbursable DCEO expense. She also mentioned that the funding for the Tivoli lights will be funded from federal COVID-19 economic stimulus dollars provided through the American Rescue Plan Act. A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to approve the Omnibus Report, with the exception of Item D. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Roman and Opyd. NAYS –None. Motion carried. NEW BUSINESS: Finance Director Zukowski presented a liquor license application for Board consideration. Mitchell and Michaels Plat Du Jour will be taking over the vacant space at 18031 Dixie Highway. The owners are asking for a Class 4A liquor license. David Mitchell, the chef and part owner of the business, told the Board the concept is for food to be ordered for either carry-out or eat-in as a cafeteria-style operation. The business also will be offering catering services and will be able to open the space for special events, such as weddings, showers and birthday parties. He hopes to have comedy shows in the evenings. A motion was made by Trustee Willis and seconded by Trustee Roman to direct staff to prepare a license for Mitchell and Michaels for consideration at a future Village Board meeting. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Roman and Opyd. NAYS –None. Motion carried. GENERAL BOARD DISCUSSION: Trustees praised village staff, police, fire and public works for all that they did to assist residents after the tornado hit on July 15. The Public Works Department was able to get assistance from surrounding communities. Trustee Opyd said having food trucks in the Southgate area was “brilliant” and much appreciated by residents, especially those still without power four days after the storm. President Hofeld said ComEd crews should also be commended for their outstanding efforts. ADJOURN: A motion was made by Trustee Opyd and seconded by Trustee Roman to adjourn the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Roman and Opyd. NAYS –None. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Nerissa Major Deputy Village Clerk