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HomeMy WebLinkAboutVILLAGE BOARD - 10/25/2005 - MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF ELK GROVE VILLAGE, ILLINOIS HELD AT THE CHARLES J. ZETTEK MUNICIPAL BUILDING, 901 WELLINGTON AVENUE ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 25, 2005 Mayor Craig B. Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. 1. ROLL CALL: Present: Mayor: Craig B. Johnson; Trustees: Nancy J. Czarnik, Bart K. Dill, Patton L. Feichter, Samuel L. Lissner, James P. Petri, Chris Prochno Also Present: Village Manager, Gary E. Parrin; Village Attorney, George B. Knickerbocker; and Village Clerk, Ann I. Walsh A quorum was present. 2. INVOCATION Reverend Rodney L. Pickett, Pastor, Wesleyan Community Church, delivered the invocation. Reverend Pickett conveyed greetings to the Board and Mayor Johnson from Mayor Purpi, the former Mayor of our Sister City, Termini Imerese. Reverend Pickett was part of the Sister City delegation that recently traveled to Sicily. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Village Board Meeting held on October 11, 2005 as submitted and dispense with the reading. MOVED: Trustee Petri SECONDED: Trustee Czarnik VOICE VOTE MOTION CARRIED 4. REPORT OF THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES October 17, 2005 - Mayor Johnson attended a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of Panera Bread on Biesterfield Road. Sunnyside Up breakfast and pancake house restaurant located on Devon at Rohlwing Road has opened for business. The Mayor welcomed both new businesses to the Village. October 25, 2005 – The Mayor spoke before the seniors at the Elk Grove Senior Center and gave his annual State of the Village address. Appreciation was extended to Phil Barry and Marge Hart for that invitation. Birthday wishes were extended to Trustee Nancy Czarnik. O’Hare Report – Mayor Johnson reported that at 4:00 p.m. today, the U.S. Court of Appeals lifted the stay preventing Chicago from working on the expansion of O’Hare airport. The Mayor stated the stay has nothing to do with the merits of the case to defeat the ill-advised plan and SOC would be going into the Chicago District Court on Friday to request an injunction on the District level. The stay order on the District Level is what has protected Bensenville, Elk Grove and St. Johannes Cemetery for the last three years. Whether successful or not, Mayor Johnson stated the Court case will continue to move forward. The merits of the case have not changed. Chicago, in its response to the stay order, removed the cemetery property from the expansion plan and submitted a new cost benefit analysis. Mayor Johnson said this proves that Chicago knew the cemetery issue and financing was going to be very difficult to overcome. Chicago felt removal of the cemetery from its plan would be to its advantage. The Mayor closed his report saying the fight is far from over. Fire and Police Presentation – A recap of the experiences and accomplishments of the Police, Fire Department, and Village of Elk Grove in response to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita was presented. Deputy Chief Michael Lebert addressed the Board and told of his experiences as a team leader of the EZ Company and showed slides of the destruction caused by the Hurricane Katrina. Deputy Chief Lebert was part of a group of 150 Illinois Police Officers called up by ILEAS on September 2, 2005 to join together in Springfield and prepare for the journey to New Orleans. Those officers remained in New Orleans for 17 days during which they were responsible for helping and removing 1144 people from the devastation. Approximately 95% of the City had been evacuated during these efforts. The Deputy Chief extended his appreciation to the Chief, the Board, and the Village Manager for giving him this opportunity and stated we should be proud of Illinois’ efforts. Fire Chief Goostree then told of the State of Illinois MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) deployment of 660 firefighters to Louisiana on September 5th followed by a second deployment of 440 firefighters on the 18th of September by the State of Illinois. Lt. John Fordon and Firefighter Thomas Reinhardt represented Elk Grove. On September 30, 2005 the final deployment of 220 firefighters from Illinois took place. At that time, Battalion Chief, James Denna, was sent by Elk Grove Village. Lt. Fordon showed slides of the “tent city” and hard shelters provided for his group in the city of Algiers. During his narrative, Lt. Fordon told of the disease, the procedures used for decontamination, and the fires fought throughout that area. At this time, 7:35 p.m., Mayor Johnson and Village Attorney Knickerbocker left the meeting room to be interviewed by a TV news reporter. Lt. Fordon discussed the devastation of neighborhoods and showed slides of many buildings in the central business district that lost windows due to the storm. Lt. Fordon expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to represent Elk Grove in these efforts and said it was an eye opening experience. Firefighter Reinhardt accompanied Lt. Fordon in the rescue efforts but was unable to attend the Village Board meeting. Mayor Johnson and the Village Attorney returned to the meeting at 7:42 p.m. The Fire Chief continued and explained that Battalion Chief Denna also participated in the firefighting and rescue efforts and was put in charge of a weapon intervention team company consisting of one truck company and two engines. Chief Goostree pointed out that the day after the hurricane hit he and Chief Schmidt met with the Village Manager to lay out a plan on how Elk Grove could assist. The Chief, accompanied by Deputy Chief Vrshek and Public Works Fleet Services Superintendent Jack Gray, traveled to Clarmont Harbor Mississippi with donations from the Village consisting of a 1996 ambulance filled with fire gear and 3000 feet of 3” fire hose and a 1993 emergency fire engine. At 7:46 p.m. Mayor Johnson left the meeting room once again to be interviewed in the atrium by a TV reporter. The Fire Chief commented on slides shown to the audience that highlighted the Clarmont Harbor Mississippi trip. Appointment - Motion to appoint Trustee Petri as temporary Mayor Pro-tem in the absence of Mayor Johnson. MOVED: Trustee Feichter SECONDED: Trustee Prochno VOICE VOTE MOTION CARRIED Certificates - Chief Schmidt presented Deputy Chief Michael T. Lebert with a Police Department Certificate of Commendation as a token of his appreciation and commended Deputy Lebert on his participation in the rescue efforts. At 7:52 p.m. Mayor Johnson returned to the Council Chambers. Trustee Petri then stepped down as Mayor Pro-tem and Mayor Johnson proceeded with the meeting. The Mayor joined Chief Schmidt and Chief Goostree at the podium. Chief Goostree called upon Battalion Chief Denna, Lt. John Fordon, Deputy Fire Chief Al Vrshek and Jack Gray to join him and presented Fire Department “gold leaf letters” to each person proclaiming sincere appreciation for efforts put forth in New Orleans. A commendation will also be given to Firefighter Thomas Reinhardt. Mayor Johnson presented Chief Goostree with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Mayor and Village Manager to thank him for participation and coordination of the trip to Clarmont Harbor Mississippi. The Mayor talked about appreciation of our quality of life and how fortunate we are that people would sacrifice their time away from home and family to assist fellow Americans. Mayor Johnson thanked the many family members who attended the presentations and advised them they could leave the meeting at this time if they so desired. Trustee Lissner wished Trustee Czarnik a Happy Birthday and gave a brief report on the recent trip to Termini Imerese, Sicily by a Sister City delegation. He commented the trip was successful and mentioned progress was made during visits with the businesses, schools, medical facilities and government officials. A meeting was arranged for the delegation with the Cardinal and Archbishop of Palermo, which was noted as one of the many highlights of the trip. Trustee Petri traveled with the Sister City group and stated it was a worthwhile and successful trip. Teachers from Admiral Byrd and Salt Creek Schools were included in the delegation and spent one day visiting a Termini school. Five Doctors from Alexian Brothers observed a medical clinic and the surgeries at one of the hospitals. Three psychologists attended a seminar with 100 other psychologists from Sicily. Police Chief Schmidt met with the State, Federal and local Police. The delegation visited many towns, including Palermo, and they stressed economic development programs for the future. Trustee Petri noted the City of Chicago had approached Palermo and Trustee Petri encouraged the Palermo officials to also consider Elk Grove Village for business exchanges. Trustee Petri spoke with the Mayor of Albania who indicated an interest in economic opportunities with Elk Grove. Trustee Czarnik reported on business meetings and school visits she attended as part of the Sister Cities group, and commented on the good food and the successful exchanges between Elk Grove and its Sister City. Trustee Feichter reported he would attend the November 4, 2005 Greater Woodfield Association special signing ceremony for the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. It will be a ceremonial signing for the 30 businesses that have already committed to do business with the new convention center. The Convention Center will also bring business to the Elk Grove Village. On October 25, 2005 Trustee Feichter met with the Community Character Coalition to plan the January 19, 2006 special breakfast to be held for members of the business community in Elk Grove Village. The theme will be “ethics = profits”. It is hoped that from this meeting the businesses will be interested in participating in some training programs.