At a recent meeting, the River Forest Village Board approved a proposed upgrade of street lights to LED bulbs.
The board is the legislative and policy-making body of the village. It includes the village president and six trustees.
Below are the minutes from this meeting, as provided by the board.
VILLAGE OF RIVER FOREST
REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MINUTES
A regular meeting of the Village of River Forest Board of Trustees was held on Monday, June 13, 2016 at 7:02 p.m. in the Community Room of Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, IL.
1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Upon roll call, the following persons were:
Present: President Adduci, Trustees Conti, Cargie, Colwell-Steinke, Dwyer and Gibbs
Also Present: Village Clerk Sharon Halperin, Assistant Village Administrator Lisa Schemer, Police Chief Greg Weiss, Public Works Superintendent Jeff Loster, Public Works Supervisor Mark Janopoulos, Fire Chief Jim Eggert, Finance Director Joan Rock, Village Attorneys Lance Malina and Greg Smith
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
President Adduci led the pledge of allegiance.
4. ELECTED OFFICIALS COMMENTS AND ANNOXJCEMENTS
a. Swearing-in of Fire Lieutenant Ed Howe
Fire Chief Jim Eggert introduced Lieutenant Howe and discussed his experience, expertise, and service with the Village. Clerk Halperin administered the Oath of Office. Board members congratulated Lieutenant Howe.
Trustee Gibbs congratulated the Oak Park River Forest High School softball team for winning the State championship. He suggested that President Adduci invite the River Forest members of the team President Adduci also congratulated the softball team and stated the Village will extend an offer to
a. Village Board Regular Meeting Minutes - May 23, 2016
b. Village Attorney April Invoice-$13,527.97
c. Extension of Agreement - IMET Tolling - Resolution
d. Award of Bid - 2016 Crackfilling Program - A.C. Pavement Striping - $41,600.08
e. Award of Bid - LED Street Light Upgrade to Steiner Electric for $48,585.35
f. Monthly Department Reports
g. April 2016 Accounts Payable - $ 1,757,820.32
h. Performance Measurement Report
i. Village Administrator Report
Trustee Dwyer made a motion, seconded by Trustee Cargie to approve the Consent Agenda items A through I.
In response to a question from Trustee Dwyer regarding Item E, Public Works Superintendent Janopoulos stated that mercury bulbs will not be available in the future and that the lifespan, maintenance, and energy costs of an LED bulb are superior. He also stated that the lower energy demand is less taxing on underground cables and could potentially extend their life expectancy.
In response to a follow-up question from Trustee Cargie regarding the return on investment, Mr. Janopoulos stated that he does not have that information in front of him but that it would likely be achieved within the 15 year lifespan of the product.
In response to a question from Trustee Conti, Mr. Janopoulos said that the LED lights had been already been installed on Madison Street.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Conti, Gibbs, Colwell-Steinke, Dwyer, and Cargie
Absent: Trustee Corsini
Nays: "None
Motion Passes.
6. RECOMMENDATIONS OF BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
8. NEW BUSINESS
a. Resolution of Support for North Avenue ITEP Project with the Village of Elmwood Park Trustee Cargie made a motion, seconded by Trustee Gibbs to consider and approve the attached Resolution that authorizes the submittal of a grant application for ITEP for the Elmwood Park/River Forest North Avenue Streetscape project.
Assistant Village Administrator Scheiner the Villages plans to explore the ITEP grant for Streetscape improvements on the north and south sides of North Avenue in conjunction with Elmwood Park as it did for the Madison Streetscape Project. She noted the ITEP grant is capped at $2 million therefore the Village had to reverse engineer the project and stop the project at Lathrop due to the costs. She stated other funding could be available for this project in the future that would allow the Village to continue the improvements from Lathrop to Thatcher. She said the total cost of the project is estimated at $3.2 million leaving $1.2 million as a shared cost to be split between River Forest and Elmwood Park.
In response to a question from Trustee Cargie, President Adduci stated there have not been appropriations for this grant and this is in anticipation of a capital budget.
In response to a question from Trustee Dwyer, Assistant Village Administrator Scheiner stated the Village has to be awarded the contract first. Trustee Dwyer stated the Village has a lot going on such as finishing the sewer project, Lake Street, and Madison. He said while a $2 million dollar grant is substantial, he feels $600,000 is a lot of money. In response to a question from Trustee Dwyer, President Adduci said that the Village is committed if it applies for the grant but may be able to modify it. President Adduci stated this is an opportunity to not only get the grants but the Village would not be likely to undertake this project alone. Assistant Village Administrator Scheiner stated there are funding sources available through capital improvement reserves, motor fuel tax, and TIP funding may be available in the future. President Adduci stated if the Village wants to revitalize North Avenue, this project would have to be done. She added that many other municipalities are after these grants, and that the Village would make a good case along with Elmwood Park. She discussed some safety issues along North Avenue and noted that this would be an opportunity to address them. Trustee Gibbs stated he understands Trustee Dwyer's concerns but he feels the Village should keep asking for these grants. Trustee Conti stated she believes it took three attempts before the Village was awarded the grant for the Madison Street streetscape. President Adduci stated she agrees with Trustee Gibbs that it is the Boards duty to find money to improve the community and she highly recommended approval of this resolution. In response to a question from Trustee Cargie, Assistant Village Administrator Scheiner clarified how North Avenue T1F dollars could be used to fund the project.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Conti, Gibbs, Corsini, Colwell-Steinke, Dwyer, and Cargie
Absent: Trustee Corsini
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
b. Renewal of Agreement - Youth Interventionist Program
Trustee Gibbs made a motion, seconded by Trustee Conti to approve the Youth Interventionist Program Agreement.
Gavin Morgan, Oak Park Township Manager, thanked the Village for its involvement in the Program. He noted the Township's fiscal year is different from the Program's fiscal year. He said there was a vacancy in one of the positions, therefore, the budget was based on the previous salary for that position and that the budget will be approximately $18,000 less than the budget before the Village Board. He announced that the position was filled last Monday by Tiana Hill and he hopes everyone will have an opportunity to meet her. He stated the Township bills the Village for the actual costs of the program and that 95% of that cost is for the salaries of two interventionists and one interventionist supervisor.
In response to a question from Trustee Cargie, Mr. Morgan stated the Oak Park River Forest High School (OPRF) is still using the service and the school has a counseling staff that has replaced the Thrive counselors. In response to a question from Trustee Steinke, Mr. Morgan stated that OPRF refers many students to Menta but the Township still gets clients from the school.
Menta is a new alternative school to which OPRF refers students with behavioral disorders, anxiety disorders, and other issues. He stated OPRF is actively referring students to the Township. Mr. Morgan said a number of their clients are also at the Menta program. He noted that Menta has completed its first year in the community.
In response to a question from President Adduci, Mr. Patania stated that Menta does not augment the Township services but is an alternative school that is completely separate from the Township. In response to a question from President Adduci, Trustee Steinke stated Menta is also used by OPRF for students that are suspended. Mr. Morgan explained that OPRF is piloting ideas. He said that straight mental health issues are referred to Thrive and other agencies in town and the Township is used for intervention services.
In response to a question from President Adduci, Mr. Patania stated the Township works in collaboration with OPRF in respect to issues involving gangs, drugs, and violence. He noted that gang issues are not the major issues they work with, and the gang issues they see usually involves ties to the students' old neighborhoods and family. In regard to drugs, he stated they see students that are medicated and may be misusing medication as well as students using marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco. He reported he is grateful that none of their clients is using heroin. He stated the violence issues they see are as a result of generational trauma, physical abuse, and domestic violence. He said they are doing more work with families and spending more time with the parents. In response to a question from Trustee Steinke, Mr. Patania stated summers are not as busy and the Program has approximately thirty eight active clients. In response to a question from Trustee Cargie, Mr. Morgan stated sixteen of those are students from River Forest.
Trustee Cargie questioned the Township's action with regard to Stephen Jackson. He stated Mr. Jackson was a positive force for many of the OPRF high school students from everything he has read. He pointed out that the Township's director of human services has a side job according to his Linkedln page and that Mr. Jackson was fired for having a side business. In response to a question from Trustee Cargie, Mr. Morgan stated he cannot discuss personnel issues. There was a brief discussion regarding Mr. Jackson among the Board.
Trustee Steinke requested a summary of the intervention process. Mr. Patania stated the Township receives a referral from the OPRF counselor, social worker, or a discipline dean in response to a problem they recognized that involves gangs, drugs, or violence. He said the Township reviews the case to determine whether their services are appropriate. He continued, the referral source will explain to the youth and parents the services that the Township offers. He stated that the Township meets with the youth and the family and performs an assessment. Mr. Patania said the Township sets up a timeline and a plan and puts a community wrap around the youth and the family creating a support system. He stated one of the biggest benefits of the Program is that they do home visits. He said they often work with the police and arrange welfare checks and they provide basic necessities such as food if needed.
In response to a question from Trustee Cargie, Mr. Patania stated the Township has been visiting the library on a regular basis and has identified some of the students responsible for the graffiti, etc. He said some of the students attend the school and the interventionists will be spending time at the school with these students. He noted there have been no incidents since the Township has been involved. President Adduci stated the Board heard reports from library staff that some of the vandalism was serious. Mr. Patania stated there was damage to some computers and they have not found out who was responsible.
In response to a question from President Adduci regarding the funding formula, Mr. Morgan stated both the Township and the Village should be at 5.5%.
In response to a question from Trustee Steinke, Mr. Morgan stated the Program will provide all taxing bodies with a certificate of insurance.
In response to a question from President Adduci, Trustee Steinke stated she met with the Township once. In response to a follow-up question, Trustee Steinke stated she is not sure what the liaison role is or whether they should meet more often. President Adduci stated it is useful for the Board to look at the cost-benefit of programs the Village is supporting with tax dollars. In response to a question from President Adduci, Mr. Morgan stated the Township does an annual presentation at the Oak Park Council of Governments (COG) meetings, similar to what they do in River Forest. Trustee Steinke stated she does not have a clear picture of how the interventionists work. Mr. Patania stated what they do is case management. He said when they receive a referral, there is a very specific need or a crisis. He explained that the first thing they do is stabilize the crisis and after the crisis is stabilized they provide case management. He said once the client reaches the end of the plan, they reevaluate whether additional services are needed and it is up to the family whether they wish to continue services. In response to a question from President Adduci, Mr. Patania stated the referrals they receive are for their three specialties (gangs, drugs, and violence) and they also receive referrals from other sources such as the library and the police. He said when they receive a referral in regard to drug use, they initially work to reduce the harm, and they initially work on all issues with a harm reduction approach. He discussed clients that may need assistance in the courts. In response to a question from Trustee Conti, Mr. Patania stated some clients are short term and they may be referred elsewhere and the Township tracks them. He added that other clients may have issues at home and receive services for a few years. In response to a follow up question from Trustee Conti, Mr. Patania stated some clients may be receiving multiple services at the same time such as a dietitian, psychiatrist, the courts, etc. He continued, they may be missing some of those services and that is where the case management comes in. He stated once a client has met the plan, the Township continues to monitor and is available to provide more services if needed.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Conti, Gibbs, Colwell-Steinke and Dwyer
Absent: Trustee Corsini
Nays: Trustee Cargie
Motion Passes.
9. EXECUTIVE SESSION
10. ADJOURNMENT
Trustee Cargie made a motion seconded by Trustee Gibbs to adjourn the regular Village Board of Trustees Meeting at 7:48 p.m.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Conti, Gibbs, Colwell-Steinke, Dwyer, and Cargie
Absent: Trustee Corsini
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
Sharon Halperin, Village Clerk
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