Riverwalk Commission

400 S. Eagle Street City of Naperville Naperville, IL 60540 Meeting Minutes Riverwalk Commission Wednesday, January 11, 2023 7:30 AM Municipal Center Lunchroom A. CALL TO ORDER: The Riverwalk Commission Chairman Kennedy called the January 11, 2023 Naperville Riverwalk Commission meeting to order at 7:30 a.m. The meeting was held in the lunchroom of the Naperville Municipal Center located at 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL. B. ROLL CALL: Present: Valla Aguilar (until 8:28 a.m.); Pam Bartlett; John Cuff; Jan Erickson; Jeff Friant; Mary Gibson; Ian Holzhauer; Pat Kennedy, Chairman; Leo Martinez (until 8:40 a.m.); Bill Novack; Tom Stibbe; Mike Sullivan (arrived 7:39 a.m.); and Carl Wohlt Absent: Also Present: Rebecca DeLarme, City Staff; Brian Dusak, ERA; Rick Hitchcock, former Riverwalk Commission Chairman; Stephanie Penick, Naperville Riverwalk Foundation; Carl Peterson, GRWA; and Marilyn Schweitzer, resident C. PUBLIC FORUM: Marilyn Schweitzer commented favorably on the South Gateway concept in the Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan but expressed her concerns about the connectivity between the Riverwalk and Edward Hospital. She discussed her concerns with the proposed plans for the 10 Martin Avenue facility that were previously shared with the Planning and Zoning Commission, City Council and the Riverwalk Planning, Design and Construction Committee (PDC). In addition to the connectivity to the Riverwalk, her concerns relate to the lack of sidewalks and sufficient pedestrian access along the entrance to the new facility, the size of the proposed signage and the need to address the opportunity for better wayfaring in the area. Kennedy thanked Schweitzer for her comments. He noted that while the South Gateway project of the Master Plan in its entirety has been in the works for twelve to thirteen years, the detailed design discussions for the South Extension began recently. Holzhauer noted that he would be in favor of the Riverwalk Commission taking issue with the size of the sign and City of Naperville Page 1 Printed on 2/9/2023 Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes January 11, 2023 discussion followed on if it that would fall under the Commission’s purview or not. Kennedy and Friant have met with Edward Hospital leadership and they would like to set up a meeting with the City, the developer’s engineers, and the Riverwalk consultants in January. Hitchcock noted that it was previously discussed that material choices and improvements could be made for the west side of Washington Street, specifically the north and south corners per Erickson, to be consistent with materials used on the east side. Schweitzer noted the importance of promoting the connection honestly and consistently to donors. The Commission expressed their appreciation for her comments and input. D. OLD BUSINESS: 1. Moser Tower Rehabilitation - Bill Novack Novack reported that the contractor has finished the majority of the work and Dusak advised that a punch list has been created and will be reviewed with the contractor shortly. Final cleanup will occur next and the project is near completion. 2. Fredenhagen Park Fountain - Bill Novack Novack provided an update on the good discussion that was held at last week’s PDC meeting, noting that plans for the fountain repair were near completion and the revised estimate was approximately $290,000. Ways to reduce the expense are being discussed per the City Council’s direction from the budget workshops. It was suggested at last week’s meeting that discussions should include the Exchange Club and members of the Fredenhagen family. Erickson provided background on the Exchange Club Memories Fountain, noting their initial donation of $250,000. She has reached out to charter member Mike Maher who is open to suggestions for a different focus point and she will also be reaching out to the Exchange Club President, members of their Board, and members of the Fredenhagen family. Kennedy thanked Erickson for leading these discussions. After a brief review of the main repair issues, the Commission discussed the estimated life span of the fountain, which is approximately seventeen years old, and the importance of including life-cycle costs when analyzing possible alternatives. 3. Riverwalk Master Plan - Pat Kennedy Dusak provided a brief update on the permitting and design for the Eagle Street Gateway project, noting the submittal has been made to DuPage County and they are expecting to receive comments within the next couple of weeks. They will continue to work toward finalization of documents and City of Naperville Page 2 Printed on 2/9/2023 Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes January 11, 2023 are expecting to bid the project in the spring, with construction starting in late spring or early summer. Novack reported that Congressman Bill Foster recently informed him that the bill for the $900,000 funding for the Eagle Street Gateway project was passed. The remaining half of the funding was included in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan, and once plans are finalized, this will go out for bid. Peterson gave an update on the discussions from the PDC meeting for the South Extension preliminary design. Some of the components discussed included the location of the walk in relation to the river, the type of separation from Washington Street, and the importance of bicycle access. They are closer on the conceptual design and will provide more information at next month’s PDC meeting for final input. Novack noted that the City’s Electric Utility had no issues with relocating their facilities in the area, which are the smaller wires, but will need to work with ComEd on the possibility of burying their larger wires. He also had preliminary discussions about the substation and the possibility of an addition to be used for Park District maintenance. Due to security reasons, they do not want these buildings physically connected so they will be looking at coordinating a structure to be placed next to the existing building, made with similar materials. Schweitzer commented on the traffic noise in the area and asked if some type of noise cancelling concept could be implemented. The importance of making this area safe and a place of solitude was noted by Peterson, with Dusak adding they will look at grading and that decorative berms may be implemented. Kennedy added that any modifications to current Master Plan projects or introduction of any new projects will be re-evaluated during the Asset Management Plan (AMP) walk in the spring and will be revisited annually. Erickson advised that she made a presentation on the Master Plan to our new City Councilwoman, Nicki Anderson, and her husband, Bill, who is a former Riverwalk Commissioner. 4. Riverwalk Bicentennial Fund - Pat Kennedy Kennedy advised that the fund has been registered with the State of Illinois. The first Board will consist of Erickson, Hitchcock, and John Joseph but that it can expand. They will review the bylaws and authorize the registration for the 501(c)(3) and will bring back before the Commission. E. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Eagle Street Gateway Project Funding - Bill Novack City of Naperville Page 3 Printed on 2/9/2023 Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes January 11, 2023 This item was addressed under D. 3., with Novack reporting that Congressman Bill Foster recently informed him that the bill for the $900,000 funding for the Eagle Street Gateway project was passed. F. REPORTS: 1. Approval of Minutes - Pat Kennedy Approve minutes from the December 14, 2022 Riverwalk Commission meeting Attachments: 22RWCMinutes1214 A motion to approve the December 14, 2022 Riverwalk Commission meeting minutes was made by Friant, seconded by Novack. MOTION CARRIED 2. Public Relations - Valla Aguilar Receive the monthly Public Relations report Attachments: 23PublicRelationsReport0111 Aguilar reported there was a 28% increase over the last period and the Naperville Riverwalk was mentioned in 170 articles, social media posts and broadcasts during the month of December. Highlights included: Eagle Street Gateway Funding; 16 Most Photo-worthy spots in Naperville (msn.com); holiday events; Healthiest Cities in America (#19); and Naperville Events for 2023. 3. Chairman - Pat Kennedy Kennedy announced that Engineering Resource Associates, Inc. (ERA) and Gary R. Weber Associates, Inc. (GRWA) were renewed as the Riverwalk consultants and expressed his appreciation to Dusak and Peterson for being a part of the Riverwalk Commission. 4. Finance - Bill Novack Receive the December Riverwalk financial report Attachments: 22RWCFinancials12 Novack reviewed the financial report through December 31, 2022 that was included in the agenda packet, noting that it is not the final report for the year as we will continue to receive additional invoices in the next coming weeks that will be charged to 2022. 5. Park District - Tom Stibbe City of Naperville Page 4 Printed on 2/9/2023 Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes January 11, 2023 Receive the monthly Park District report Attachments: 23ParkDistrictMemo0111 Stibbe noted a few highlights from the Park District report that was included in the agenda packet. Staff is continuing with invasive removals, winter pruning and taking down holiday decorations. Pipes burst in the warming shelter bathrooms and were repaired. Discussion followed on the need for seasonal employees and if/when the Park District would seek contract assistance. Stibbe advised that the Park District recently held a job fair and received interest and they also monitor their website. He noted that the addition of the full-time and full-time seasonal employees recently hired would definitely help and that there were currently seventeen to twenty employees assigned to the Riverwalk. 6. Riverwalk Foundation - John Cuff There was no report for the Riverwalk Foundation. 7. Donor Recognition - Rebecca DeLarme DeLarme reported that the Spring ’23 Legacy Gift order deadline is March 15th and currently consists of twenty-five 4” x 8” and four 8” x 8” commemorative brick orders. Installation should occur sometime in May. 8. Planning, Design, and Construction - Bill Novack for Jeff Friant Receive the January 3, 2023 Riverwalk Planning, Design and Construction Committee draft meeting minutes Attachments: 23PDCMinutes0103Draft Novack advised that all pertinent information from the PDC meeting was previously discussed at this meeting. G. MEETING SCHEDULE: **Riverwalk Planning, Design & Construction, January 31, 2023, 7:30 a.m. Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL Riverwalk Commission, February 8, 2023, 7:30 a.m. Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL **Riverwalk Planning, Design & Construction, February 28, 2023, 7:30 a.m. Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL Riverwalk Commission, March 8, 2023, 7:30 a.m. Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL City of Naperville Page 5 Printed on 2/9/2023 Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes January 11, 2023 H. ADJOURNMENT: Prior to the end of the meeting, Erickson presented the Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan PowerPoint presentation to the group. The presentation was well received and the following suggestions were made: 1) Penick suggested it be mentioned that this was a collaborative project with the Riverwalk Foundation for their contribution and as part of their educational mission; 2) Sullivan suggested using the function to transition areas of a map to highlight the area being discussed (Erickson will mention to Deb Newman or Bartlett can assist with this); 3) a master copy of the presentation be kept; and 4) Holzhauer suggested if the word “fathers” was used to change it to “figures” or “leaders”. A motion to adjourn was made by Friant and seconded by Sullivan. The meeting adjourned at 9:09 a.m. MOTION CARRIED Respectfully submitted by Rebecca DeLarme, City Staff City of Naperville Page 6 Printed on 2/9/2023