Village of Bellwood Board of Trustees met May 18.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
Call to Order The Board meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Bellwood was called to order by Mayor Harvey at 6:00 p.m.
Roll Call Present; Mayor Andre Harvey, Village Clerk Janel Moreland, Trustees Ciavattone, Boston, Holman, Robinson, Delgado and Nightengale.
Pledge of Allegiance The Village Board and others in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mayor Harvey.
Presentation: None
Approval of Agenda Mayor Harvey requested a motion to approve the (May 18, 2022), board meeting agenda. Trustee Robinson moved, seconded by Trustee Boston to approve the board meeting agenda. The result of the roll call vote is as follows:
Ayes: 6 Trustees Ciavattone, Boston, Holman, Robinson, Delgado and Nightengale
Nays: 0
Abstain: 0
Absent: 0
Approval of Minutes: Mayor Harvey requested a motion to approve the minutes of the last Board meeting and Public Hearing meeting (April 20, 2022). Trustee Holman moved, seconded by Trustee Ciavattone to dispense with the reading of the minutes of the last Board meeting and approve the minutes as presented. The result of the roll call vote is as follows:
Ayes: 6 Trustees Ciavattone, Boston, Holman, Robinson, Delgado and Nightengale
Nays: 0
Abstain: 0
Absent: 0
Committee Reports
Public Works Department
Trustee Ciavattone reported the following: I have several items to report from the Public Works - April 2022. Water main breaks three, one fire hydrant repair, tree removal three, tree trimming 61, and potholes filled throughout the village one thousand three hundred ninety-one.
We are recommending the following items for approval on the consent agenda:
i, Item A - Approves the contract to the lowest responsible bidder for the first phase of the 2022 Street Resurfacing Project.
ii. Always remember our first responders, medical personnel, military personnel, active duty, active duty, and volunteers.
B. Community Development
Trustee Boston reported the following: We are recommending the following items to appear on the consent agenda:
i. Item B - Approves the reconstruction of the payment terms pertaining to the environment remediation of the of the lot commonly referred to 4901 St. Charles Road.
Item E - Approves the amendment to the previously approved bond. Attorney Castaldo added that due to the uncertainty of the bond market due to increase of rates. Mayor and Clerk to sign right away at the meeting, so it can get filed tonight. Attorney Castaldo quoted the Ordinance number to be assigned was Ord. 22-18. The Village Clerk couldn't confirm as this was unexpected.
c. Quality of Life
Trustee Holman reported the following:
We have no items appearing on the consent agenda.
Bellwood Community Resource Center monthly activity from April 1st through April 30, 2022, we've had eighty-four patrons. From the Building Department - Reviewed one hundred sixty-two applications reviewed and issued one hundred twenty-seven permits.
D. Administration
Trustee Robinson reported the following:
We are recommending the following items on the consent agenda:
i. item D - Approves the contract for storage of the village documents.
F. Public Safety
Trustee Delgado reported the following:
i. Item C - Provides for the installation of cameras in the police department and Village Hall,
ii. Item F. Provides for the purchase of the license plate readers to be deployed through the village.
Finance Committee Trustee Nightengale reported the following: i. I would like to make a motion to pay bills in the amount of $1,694,640.61 when funds become available. ii. No items on the consent agenda and nothing from the Ad Hoc Committee.
Trustee Ciavattone moved, seconded by Trustee Holman to pay the bills when funds become available. The results of the roll call vote are as follows:
Ayes: 6 Trustees Ciavattone, Boston, Holman, Robinson, Delgado and Nightengale
Nays: 0
Abstain: 0
Absent: 0
There are no items appearing on the consent agenda and nothing from the ad hoc public safety committee.
Ad Hoc Committees: Nothing to report.
Resolution 22-31 A.
A. A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of an Agreement by and between the Village of Bellwood and Chicagoland Paving Contractors, Inc.
Resolution 22-32 B.
B. A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of an Amendment to the Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Agreement by and between the Village of Bellwood and the Cook County Department of Environmental Sustainability and the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development.
Resolution 22-33
C. A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of an Agreement by and between the Village of Bellwood and On View Integrated Solutions.
Resolution 22-34
D. A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of an Agreement by and between the Village of Bellwood and Impact Network, LLC.
Ordinance 22-18
E. An Ordinance Supplementing Ordinance No. 21-29 providing for the Issuance of Taxable Tax Increment Revenue Bonds, Series 2022 (Bellwood Senior Apartments Project) of the Village of Bellwood, Cook County, Illinois, for the purpose of Amending the Sale Parameter Set Forth Therein. and Authe solution Lintegrate
Resolution 22-35
F. A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of an Agreement by and between the Village of Bellwood and Flock Group, Inc.
Mayor Harvey requested a motion to place the items on the Consent Agenda as presented. Trustee Boston moved, seconded by Trustee Holman.
The results of the roll call vote are as follows:
Ayes: 6 Trustees Ciavattone, Boston, Holman, Robinson, Delgado and Nightengale
Nays: 0
Abstain: 0
Absent: 0
Mayor Harvey requested a motion to approve the Items on the Consent Agenda as presented. Trustee Ciavattone, seconded by Trustee Boston.
The results of the roll call vote are as follows:
Ayes: 6 Trustees Ciavattone, Boston, Holman, Robinson, Delgado and Nightengale
Nays: 0
Abstain: 0
Absent: 0
Village Clerk's Report
The Village Clerk report was removed from the Board Meeting Agenda at the request of Mayor Harvey.
Mayor's Report
Mayor Harvey reported the following:
i. Join us tomorrow, May 19th at 7pm, for our Neighborhood Watch Meeting. PLCCA will be here to talk about job readiness and work programs. We will also have an attorney to talk about navigating employment and issues during Covid-19. Very good and informative meeting.
ii. On May 21st, from 10am-1pm, we will have a community shred day here at the village hall. You can bring 2 bags, doesn't say the size to shred free of charge. Chris Welch, Speaker of the House will be here. This is put on by him partnership with the village of Bellwood.
iii. Street Repavement, we're doing everything we can to get the streets repaved and the plant jets opened back up for paving and thanks to the board and financing for approving some dollars to get some of the streets paved.
iv. We're still trying to bring a downtown area to Bellwood. Thanks to Economic Developer, Peter Tsiolis. We had a meeting this morning with some big developers. We're trying to get them to cut us a big check so we can get things done in our community.
v. We are investing in a new camera system for our village hall. The system we have is old and outdated. We're going to be strategically placing cameras throughout the village for license plate reading. As crimes are committee, we will access to pull and track the person, and owner of vehicles. We will be able to view other cameras in other communities
vi.We are talking about strategic cameras throughout the village. You won't be able to see and know that the cameras are out there. We are still encouraging everybody to get Ring Cameras. Our detectives use those cameras very well. If you have one notify our police department.
New Business:
Attorney Castaldo - Reported that he had nothing to report. Requested for the mayor and clerk to sign the approved ordinance 22-18 amending the previously approved bond. Attorney Castaldo added that due to the uncertainty of the bond market due to increase of rates. He will file them tonight and get the clerk a copy after the meeting.
Unfinished Business:
None.
Public Comment:
Amy Crump Bellwood Public Library Director --Presented the Bellwood Library report for the month of April/May 2022 (see attached a copy of the report).
Henry Gene 615 Morris, Bellwood, IL. - First, I would like to thank the police department. They drive around and come through the alley at night. They're not stuck up; they speak up and waive. I have one problem; we have people moving out of Bellwood because their neighbors aren't keeping their property up. Complained about neighbor's home and the upkeep. The inspectors use to give tickets, now they're not up on it. There's an abandoned car that has been there for three years. Make people to cut their grass. The address of the home is 611 Morris.
How do I go about getting a handicap sign outside? Mayor-stop by my office and see my secretary, she'll help you with that.
Madeline MaGee - Complained about property on 24th Avenue, and I've also spoken about a property that was just purchased last year February. I've complained to the Building Department several times, now who do I go to about this? Mayor - just stay with the Building Department. We're writing citations on the properties
MaGee - Peter, the property at 840 25th Avenue, you said last week that there is a bidding war going on for the property. Are these corporations coming into our village? I want to know what's coming in our village. I've been here for forty years, and we really don't have anything to stay here for. What kind of business is coming to 840 25th Avenue? Now, you're looking at me like a deer in headlights. Peter - I never look at anyone like that. I thought I answered this question at the COW meeting. I said there was a bidding war between three corporations and that's a positive for Bellwood. That building was built in the 1940s it's outdated and there are three-four corporations willing to buy it for millions of dollars to tear it down and build a warehouse, industrial, corporate, manufacturing facility is kudos to the village administration. Seventy years have gone by without a new major industrial building coming to Bellwood. MaGee - Bellwood is not an industrial city. Peter-Bellwood is an industrial city and has been. I'm not going to argue with you about. It is a bidding war between private corporations, and they can sell to whoever they want to. It's great that they want to buy it, tear it down and build a brand-new building. It's going to improve taxes, create more jobs and make Bellwood a place people would want to go. MaGee - Is it something that residents can support? Mayor - First, the property hasn't sold yet. If they buy the property, the only thing that can go there is what is zoned for. We don't know yet because the building has not been sold.
MaGee - The scooters, I'm concerned with these scooters. The riders are supposed to be 18 years or older according to the agreement that you signed. I've seen small children riding in the street. It was mentioned that they're not supposed to be ridden in the street, I have to listen to some of the recordings of these meetings about what you all say. Mayor - We don't follow Chicago's Ordinances in Bellwood. You cannot ride in a bike lane on a motorized vehicle. Someone asked were there going to be lanes like bike lanes for the scooters and I said you can't ride motorized vehicles in bike lanes. You're concerned that who's riding the scooters. MaGee - According to the contractual agreement, you must be 18 years and older to ride the scooter. Children are riding these scooters in the street. I asked you last week who's responsible. Mayor - Their parents are liable. You have to pay with a credit card. I know parents that let their fifteen-year-old drive a car with no license. The parents are liable for that. If they get into an accident and something happens, they are liable. MaGee - Last week you said the motor vehicle is liable for hitting that child or person on that scooter. Mayor - whoever is at fault is liable. What we said last week was there is no liability to the Village of Bellwood. MaGee - How does the Village of Bellwood benefit? How does the residents or village benefit from these scooters in our town? Mayor – There are some residents that applaud the scooters being in town as transportation, so if you have to send your eighteen-year-old kid from one side of town to the library they can use the scooter verses paying for an Uber but that's up to the user. This is a pilot program, which means its trial and error we're going to see if it benefits the village. MaGee - Is Bellwood compensated any type of way? Mayor - No ma'am.
Shaunta resident of 436 50th Avenue - When it comes to the businesses coming into Bellwood, I think one of the big questions is what is the village doing to attract businesses that the residents can actually enjoy like restaurants or services? Warehouses are great it brings jobs into the community, but we don't have a walkable neighborhood atmosphere. Mayor - This is why we're trying hard to make a downtown type of Bellwood that has restaurants, coffee shops, donut shops, we have been working tirelessly, me and the economic developer. We had a meeting today with a billionaire who are pleading to help us develop and do exactly what you're talking about. The three words I said in the meeting was work, live and play, walkable, that's what we're looking for in our community and that's what were trying to build on St. Charles Road.
Shaunta - When it comes to the upkeep of Bellwood, some businesses that we have are the biggest issues. They don't bother to do landscaping, clean their lot, or pave the parking lot. It looks really bad. If you go down the main streets which is Mannheim Road, it looks bad. Mayor - We want someone to come in a develop Mannheim Road. It's a state street. The setbacks are so tiny that people don't want to open a business there because it's such a fast street. We have a new development coming to Mannheim and we're trying to get people to purchase property. The Village is looking to purchase property ourselves. If you see something or have a problem, please call my office or the building department and we will issue citations. Here at the village, we issue citations for people not doing upkeep. Once we issue them a citation we can't go and arrest them. There was an eighty-year-old lady whose garage was falling down. She called me and said, you can keep on giving them to me, I can't fix it, I have no family that's going to help me, so we have some people that don't abide by the tickets. We have a resident that owes $198,000 in tickets. We keep writing tickets, but we can arrest them. At some point if we have enough tickets on the property, we try to condemn the property so we can tear it down but all of that takes time in the court system. My door is always open, you can always call me and come see me. If you have a problem that needs to be handled right away come see me, call me, we will deal with it right on the spot. Understand, zoning is only so much the village can do. We can't arrest people for not abiding but we keep writing citations. We're not letting up.
Adjournment:
Mayor Harvey requested a motion to adjourn the Board meeting. Trustee Holman moved, seconded by Trustee Ciavattone to adjoum the meeting. Upon a voice vote, the motion carried unanimously. Mayor Harvey declared the meeting adjourned, with no further business to come before this Board, this meeting stands adjourned at 6:32 p.m.
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