Village of Western Springs Properties & Recreation Committee met May 14.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
Call to Order: 11:00 A.M.
Committee Members Present:
Nicole Chen – Trustee, Chair
James Tyrell – Village Trustee
Staff Present:
Alice Gallagher- Staff
Ingrid Velkme – Staff
Matthew Supert - Staff
Casey Biernacki - Staff
Chris Breakey - Staff
Jenny Pesek- Staff
Aleks Briedis- Staff
Liam Sullivan - Staff
Public Comment: None
Approval of Minutes:
The meeting minutes from 04/23/2020 were approved by Trustee Tyrell and seconded by Chair-Trustee Nicole Chen.
Recreation Department Financial Update due to COVID-19:
Director Briedis presented the Recreation Department’s program update to the committee. The program update details the plan for reopening the Recreation facilities and programs after the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) gives clearance. June 8th is the target for reopening pending IDPH clearance. If clearance is not given by the 8th of June, camps will begin at the end of June pending IDPH clearance. Recreation Department staff is doing continual research on how to incorporate social distancing and additional COVID-19 safety guidelines into programs moving forward.
The Recreation Department’s Revenues and expenses have both been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Recreation Department is cutting expenses of positions that are not being currently utilized, such as lunch staff and building supervisors. Chair-Trustee Chen inquired about the revenue losses due to the closure and Director Briedis gave a projection of $250,000 in lost revenue by May 31st. This is due to the refunds of fees for spring programs and lower than expected enrollment for summer programs. This number will increase if the temporary closure of programs continues due to refunds for summer programs. Chair-Trustee Chen asked Director Briedis which program or camps would have the significant financial impact if they were unable to proceed. Director Briedis stated that he has not have a definitive answer but stated that the Tennis and Lacrosse programs are a significant revenue stream, further analysis will be conducted if the summer programs are unable to proceed. His current focus remains having the programs ready to proceed for the tentative June 8th reopening. This topic will be further discussed at the Finance Committee taking place on May 15th.
Tenant Contract Extensions for Recreation Center and Grand Avenue Community Center:
Tenant contracts typically cover a five-year period. The current contracts end June 30th of this year. At the end of a contract, staff assesses square footage costs and update the lease price for the next five- year contract. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this tenant contract will be for one year while maintaining current lease prices. Lease prices will be adjusted for the next contract based on comparable spaces. Director Briedis proposed the addition of a force majeure provision to tenant contracts. This type of provision would allow the Contractor to not pay its month occupancy fees for up to two months if a force majeure event impacts its business – this type of provision is common in many agreements and is becoming more common due to the impact of this COVID19 pandemic. If all the tenants were given two months, the Village would forfeit approximately $87,000 in total. One tenant has requested for their contract to be altered because of a clause that states that they are personally responsible for payments. The request was forwarded to Mike Jurusik, The Village’s Attorney, who stated that all contracts would need to be altered if this request is granted. Mr. Jurusik provided the force majeure provision in response to the tenant’s request. Chair-Trustee Chen and Trustee Tyrrell both asked whether the personal guarantee is standard for commercial leases. Director Briedis stated that it is a standard clause based on the conversation with Mr. Jurusik.
Chair-Trustee Chen inquired about the challenges the Recreation department would face with the overall budget based on building upkeep and fixed expenses. Village Manager Velkme stated that it has a major impact on the Village’s finances, but it is important to assist contractors if possible because they are part of the community and their success is part of the Village’s overall success in these unprecedented times. The Committee recommended approval of the force majeure provision to the Board.
Recreation Registration Software: Proposal and Recommendation
Director Briedis spoke of the process of deciding what software is the best choice for the Village’s needs. Staff decided that RecDesk was the best option out of the ten software programs that were originally considered. RecDesk was ultimately chosen because it is affordable and very user friendly. The current software that the Recreation Department is using will be discontinued within the next few years, so it is a necessity to change platforms in the future. Director Briedis stated that the budget for software upgrades was $10,000 but this software will cost less than $8,200 because the recreation department will be building a new database rather than paying more to make the current database compatible. This software is web based with virtual training available so that staff can be trained right away.
Village Fuel Management System: Proposal and Recommendation
Director Supert explained that the Village fuel system serves public works and the park district. The pump and fuel storage were upgraded three years ago but the management software upgrade was pushed back. The current software is ten years old and runs on Windows XP, which is not completely depreciated, which is a security risk. The proposed software, PetroVend, which is a similar platform to the current, but it is server based and will be compatible with current hardware. The total price for the equipment and installation that would be required is $16,183 which was part of the budget for the current fiscal year. Trustee Tyrrell inquired about what the function of this system is. Director Supert explained that this system monitored the usage for each user and vehicle. This upgrade will prevent the loss of fuel through theft. The system also assists in the tracking and billing for Park District usage. This upgraded system will also notify the fuel supplier that fuel levels are low in order to prevent shortages. By using this system, it will allow the village to track mileage, run time, and maintenance of vehicles and project the best time to sell a vehicle in order to get the most in return. This system can be built upon to provide more utility in fleet management. Village Manager Velkme suggested that it would be a consideration in the future to request that the park district share in the cost of fuel system maintenance based on their fuel usage. Chair-Trustee Chen asked about the benefits that this system would provide beyond fleet management, such as an economic benefit. Director Supert elaborated by saying that it would not have a direct economic benefit but rather it would assist the village by tracking vehicle idle hours, which is something that they are not currently able to track because it is currently a manual input system. Chair-Trustee Chen asked what the village’s annual fuel expenditures are. Director Supert said that the budget for fuel this year is $120,000 which is largely dependent on fuel prices.
Illinois Tollway Intergovernmental Agreement: First Addendum
Director Supert explained that the village would like to make an addendum to the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the tollway regarding the BNSF bridgework. This addendum would modify and clarify the current language of the IGA. The way the current IGA is set up, if the tollway does any damage to the village’s water main, transmission and/or sewer main that would require repair, the village would require the tollway to conduct that repair. As time has progressed, both parties have come to the realization that it would be much more efficient to have the public works department to conduct the repair because the contractor may not have the skillset or equipment required to complete the repair. This addendum would clarify that if there is not an immediate service disruption, the tollway can schedule a repair with their crews but if there is a service disruption that requires immediate attention, the public works crew will conduct the repair and bill the tollway for the work. Director Supert explained that we have not experienced any issues yet and this addendum is meant more as a precautionary measure that has come up in discussions with the tollway. Director Breakey explained the billing process is conducted by using the standardized billing hours for equipment usage and manpower hours. Director Supert clarified that the tollway had sent the village the first draft of the addendum and the comments in the addendum are the village’s comments on their draft, it is just a matter of working out details.
Capital Project Summary Report:
Director Supert provided an update:
East Train Platform: The village has received notice that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has approved the replacement plantings. All replacement plantings should be in place by the end of May. This is the final item of this project before the village can proceed with the final invoicing and quantities with IDOT once that is completed.
Wolf Road Bike Path: Phase one of engineering was fully approved in March. The village is waiting on a phase two engineering proposal from JJ Benes & associates. Tree mitigation cost is part of the phase two engineering and the IGA document that would need to be coordinated with the Forest Preserve District. The tree mitigation cost for this project will be approximately $43,000.
West Underpass Construction: The village is still on track for the June IDOT letting for construction. There are two items that the village still needs to resolve. The first item is the BNSF easement agreement, which was approved by the village board in April and is still awaiting signature from the BNSF, which has been delayed because the BNSF’s office is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Second item is the hearing process with the Illinois Commerce Commission Petition, which could potentially push the village off the June letting schedule.
Other:
Director Breakey provided an update on Lawn Avenue tree replacements. The tree species that are there are not conducive to that placement and need to be replaced. Director Breakey and the village forester picked out six new trees from Hinsdale Nursery as replacements under the village’s tree replacement program. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the planting has been delayed. The trees will be replaced in late May depending on weather.
Nicole Chen, Trustee-Chair Motioned to adjourn James Tyrell, Trustee seconded motion
The meeting adjourned at 12:01 P.M.
https://www.wsprings.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_05142020-1060
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