McHenry Times

City of Woodstock City Council met May 21.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

A regular meeting of the Woodstock City Council was called to order at 7:00 PM by Deputy Mayor Mike Turner on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, in the Council Chambers at Woodstock City Hall. Deputy Mayor Turner welcomed those present and explained the consent calendar process and invited public participation. He noted, as is the City’s policy, this evening’s meeting is being live streamed with a recording archived should members of the public wish to view it in the future.

City Clerk Smiley confirmed the agenda before the Council was a true and correct copy of the published agenda.

A roll call was taken.

COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Darren Flynn, Lisa Lohmeyer, Wendy Piersall, Jim Prindiville, Gordon Tebo, and Michael Turner.

COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: Mayor Brian Sager

STAFF PRESENT: Assistant City Manager/ Finance Director Paul Christensen, City Attorney Ruth Schlossberg, Public Works Director Jeff Van Landuyt, Economic Development Director Garrett Anderson, Chief John Lieb, IT Director Dan McElmeel, City Engineer Ryan Livingston, Sgt. Dan Wesolek, Officer Dan Pauley, and members of the Woodstock Police Department.

OTHERS PRESENT: Transportation Commission Chairman Andrew Celentano, Cultural and Social Awareness Commission Member Joe Starzynski, and City Clerk Cindy Smiley

III. FLOOR DISCUSSION

A. Recognition of Service – Officer Daniel Pauley

Deputy Mayor Turner asked Officer Daniel Pauley and Chief John Lieb to join him at the podium.

Without objection, the City Council approved the recognition about to be bestowed upon Officer Pauley.

Deputy Mayor Turner stated it is bittersweet to recognize someone who is leaving the City of Woodstock, which is what the City is doing this evening with Officer Pauley. He noted Officer Pauley has been with the City for 20 years, citing his many accomplishments during his career and the positions in which he has served with the Woodstock Police Department. Deputy Mayor Turner noted the many commendations received by Officer Pauley, stating he has dedicated his professional life to serve the Woodstock community. On behalf of the City Council, the residents and the businesses of Woodstock, Deputy Mayor Turner wished Officer Pauley health and happiness as he begins the next chapter of his life.

Chief Lieb thanked Officer Pauley for his 20 years of service and for everything he has done for Woodstock. He presented Officer Pauley with a gift on behalf of the City.

Officer Pauley stated it has been great serving the community with his fellow officers, noting he has enjoyed working in Woodstock with the community.

B. Proclamation – Retirement of Sgt. Daniel Wesolek

Without objection, the City Council approved and adopted A Proclamation Honoring Sergeant Dan Wesolek on the Occasion of His Retirement.

Deputy Mayor Turner read the proclamation and presented it to Sgt. Wesolek. He stated this is also a bittersweet event, noting Sgt. Wesolek’s many years of service.

Chief Lieb stated he cannot thank Sgt. Wesolek enough for his solid work with the Woodstock Police Department. He noted he has worked alongside Sgt. Wesolek, worked for him, served as his Deputy Chief, and finally as his Chief. He stated Sgt. Wesolek was one of the people who could always be counted on for solid information on what was happening. He wished Sgt. Wesolek the best in everything he does from this point forward.

Chief Lieb then presented Sgt. Wesolek with his 25-year pin.

Sgt. Wesolek thanked the City for many years of support. He specifically thanked Chief Lieb and Mayor Sager. He asked all to keep the Woodstock Police Department in their thoughts noting the great men and women and the great Chief who are part of the Department.

Deputy Mayor Turner thanked Sgt. Wesolek for his many years of service to the City, its residents and businesses. He also thanked the officers recognized this evening by Sgt. Wesolek, their families and the members of the Woodstock Police Department present this evening.

C. Presentation: Woodstock High School Students/Transportation Commission

Deputy Mayor Turner stated it is a privilege to have students from Woodstock High School who have been working with the Transportation Commission in attendance this evening to make a presentation. He asked Transportation Commission Chairman Andrew Celentano to come forward to introduce the students.

Mr. Celentano noted Public Works Director Jeff Van Landuyt, Steve Thompson from District 200 and himself created a program with students from Woodstock High School. He stated this is an elective capstone course in which they embrace a problem and work to find a solution, noting they work on real problems, which must be approved by the Department of Public Works. Mr. Celentano stated this is the only on-going relationship between a city and a school district of this kind in the U.S.

Mr. Celentano stated the students must write a paper, make a model, and then make a presentation, which is what the groups are doing this evening. He introduced the first group of students, Ethan Patterson, Andrew Tillman, Jackson Schumacher, Kyle Troy, and Devin Fox, who then made a presentation on the Madison & Calhoun Intersection.

The students stated this intersection contains a large hill crossed by railroad tracks which presents a danger point, noting the hill restricts the view leading to confusion and 45 crashes between 2013 and 2015.

The students talked about their research and observations, stating they observed 3,219 vehicles go through the intersection in a five-hour period with 45 near crashes.

The students stated the main part of their solution includes specialized solar-powered signage which will flash. They stated they used a closed-loop electrical system, describing how it would be placed to make the signage work. They showed a model depicting the intersection and their solution estimating the cost of the project to be $23,630 plus construction costs.

The students thanked the members of the Transportation Commission, as well as Mr. Van Landuyt and Mr. Livingston of the Department of Public Works.

In response to questions from Councilman Tebo, the students stated while the wires needed for the electrical system would be high enough, permission from Union Pacific would not be needed. They provided more information as to how the signage would be tripped showing this on the model and why they chose this method. Councilman Tebo stated he is very impressed with the students’ efforts, noting this is a wonderful experience for them prior to entering college.

Deputy Mayor Turner stated he is very impressed with their idea and the work that was put into this project. He opined the creativity of their idea is remarkable and has much potential. He stated it is a remarkable skill to be able to take a problem, assess it, and come up with a solution.

Councilman Prindiville commended the students on their work on this project, as did Councilman Flynn.

The students were recognized with hearty applause.

The second group of students, Vanessa Olandese, Alex Fetzner, and Dominik Post then made a presentation on their project, Sewer Grate Augmentation.

The students stated their problem was the clogging of sewer grates leading to the flooding of property and homes resulting in property damage and stress. They talked about the requirements for their solution and their initial investigation including a survey across the City. They showed the results of the survey and talked about their assessment of the problem.

The students cited their ideas for solving the problem stating their ultimate solution was the use of permeable concrete to stop the debris before it reaches the grate. They showed a model and diagram of their solution, and described how it would work.

The students reviewed the process by which they developed their prototype, and how it would work on various City streets. They described, for those present, the various tests they made on their prototype, including strength tests, which showed no damage to the concrete. They then talked about how they tested the flow rate and determined how this would stop the debris.

Concerning costs, the students opined the costs would be two to three times the cost of normal concrete.

They concluded that their system would be best suited to areas where debris clogging would be a problem and would not be needed in every grate. They noted it would work well to stop debris and decrease clogging.

The students thanked everyone for their help on this project.

Councilman Prindiville commended the students on their research, noting this could be relevant for other reasons, not just clogging. He opined it could be relevant for parking lots and private development and also for environmental reasons.

In response to a question from Councilwoman Piersall, the students stated many bridges are made of permeable concrete as well as sidewalks in forest preserves and roads in Japan.

Deputy Mayor Turner commended the creativity of the students’ solution and their ingenious and unique approach. He thanked the students and wished them well.

Mr. Celentano stated the students are part of project “Lead the Way” and are headed toward careers in engineering. Deputy Mayor Turner thanked Mr. Celentano for his work with the students.

Councilman Tebo thanked District 200 for getting to a practical application of theory.

D. Public Comment

Nancy Smith, 501 Stewart, spoke about the need for a marijuana dispensary in Woodstock. She stated she has MS and now must drive to Deerfield for her monthly supply as there is no dispensary in McHenry County. She described the security measures that are required at such a facility. Ms. Smith described her symptoms which are relieved by the use of marijuana and urged the City Council to research the facts. She also urged the City Council to actively seek a dispensary, noting the tax revenue that could be realized by the City. She opined this would be a great service for McHenry County residents.

Deputy Mayor Turner expressed appreciation to Ms. Smith for bringing this issue to the Council. He asked Mr. Christensen to pass this along to Mayor Sager and City Manager Stelford.

Resident, 250 Redwing, asked if a decision had been made on the Community Events sign on Rt. 47. Deputy Mayor Turner confirmed the Council has voted on and approved this item. The resident opined this sign will be distracting, stating only one or two lines can be read and that Sherwin Williams has a sign and also there are trees and bushes in the area of the sign.

E. Council Comment

In response to a question from Councilwoman Piersall, City Attorney Schlossberg stated there may be a way to find out how many medical marijuana cards have been issued in McHenry County through the State’s website, stating she will investigate. Deputy Mayor Turner asked that Councilwoman Piersall’s request be forwarded to Mayor Sager and City Manager Stelford as well.

Deputy Mayor Turner stated last week Council received a memo from the City’s advocate Joyce Nardulli informing them of a significant development. He stated the Governor’s budget includes funding for the widening of Route 47 through Woodstock to Route 120. Deputy Mayor Turner stated this is a substantial step forward and is a testament to the City’s efforts over the past couple of years. He credited City Staff, Mayor Sager, the prior City Council, and Ms. Nardulli for this achievement.

Deputy Mayor Turner noted Monday is Memorial Day, which is a significant event on the Square. He stated information is available on the City’s website concerning this event and urged everyone to remember this day.

IV. CONSENT AGENDA

Motion by J. Prindiville, second by G. Tebo, to approve the Consent Agenda.

In response to a question from Deputy Mayor Turner, there were no items removed from the Consent Agenda by the Council or in response to a request by a member of the Public.

In response to a question from Deputy Mayor Turner, there were no comments or questions forthcoming from the City Council or the Public concerning those items remaining on the Consent Agenda.

Deputy Mayor Turner affirmed the Consent Agenda to include items A through D-5 as follows:

A. MINUTES

May 7, 2019 City Council Meeting

B. WARRANTS: #3857 #3858

C. MINUTES AND REPORTS:

Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes April 9, 2019

Human Resources Monthly Report April 2019

D. MANAGER’S REPORT NO. 134

1. Ordinance – Variations for 304 S. Madison Street - Approval of Ordinance 19-O-50, identified as Document 2, An Ordinance Granting Variations from Sections 7A.3, 7B.2.4, and 7B.3.2 of the Unified Development Ordinance to Bring the Existing Nonconforming Buildings and Use of the Property for a Four-Unit Apartment Building into Conformance at 304 South Madison Street, Woodstock, Illinois.

2. Proposal – Hiring Tax Credit Attorney – Authorization by the City Council to retain Miller Canfield to provide legal services as outlined in the historic tax credit transaction proposal dated May 3, 2019.

3. Purchase – Server/Exchange Upgrade – Approval of the following:

a) Authorization to hire Heartland Business Systems for consulting services at an estimated cost of $13,500;

b) Approval to purchase computer hardware from Dell Computers for $47,756; and

c) Authorization to upgrade software at a cost of $31,944 from CDWG.

4. Rejection of Bid – Bulk Rock Salt/Partnering Initiative – Authorization to reject all bids submitted for the purchase and delivery of Bulk Rock Salt for the City of Woodstock under bid #19-07 Bulk Enhanced Rock Salt/Bulk Rock Salt Partnering Initiative opened on April 25, 2019 by the County of McHenry Purchasing Department on the behalf of all partnering communities.

5. Award Contract – Crack Sealing – Approval to award a contract in FY19/20 for crack filling services to SKC Construction for an amount not-to-exceed $90,000 with all work completed based on the year one unit bid price of $0.38/lineal foot.

A roll call vote was taken on items A through D-5. Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, J. Prindiville, G. Tebo, and Deputy Mayor M. Turner. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: Mayor Brian Sager. Motion carried.

V. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

There were no changes, additions, or deletions to the tentative future agendas.

ADJOURN

Motion by J. Prindiville, second by L. Lohmeyer, to adjourn this regular meeting of the Woodstock City Council to the City Council Visioning Workshop on Monday, June 3, 2019, at 2:30 PM in the Council Chambers. Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, J. Prindiville, G. Tebo, and Deputy Mayor M. Turner. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: Mayor Brian Sager. Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.

https://www.woodstockil.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_council/meeting/26411/f_-_5-21-19_city_council_meeting_-_part_1_of_1_-_minutes.pdf