McHenry Times

City of Woodstock City Council Met April 20.

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 Mayor Brian Sager in the Council Chambers at Woodstock City Hall. Mayor Sager noted this meeting of the Woodstock City Council is being held under the Governor’s Emergency Declaration with Council members attending in person and remotely and those attending at City Hall observing social distancing. He stated it is being livestreamed as is the City’s policy. Inviting all to participate, Mayor Sager explained the procedures to be used by those attending remotely, including City Council, City Staff, and the Public, to join the meeting and how comments may be made, and questions asked. Mayor Sager explained the Consent Calendar.

Mayor Sager announced that Councilman Jim Prindiville has tendered his resignation from the City Council. He stated Mr. Prindiville owns property in the TIF District and felt it appropriate for him to resign, noting it is a requirement of the TIF regulations. Mayor Sager noted in addition, Councilman Prindiville had elected not to run for re-election, stating he will be recognized for his service at the next Council meeting on May 4. Mayor Sager noted it will be his last full Council meeting in 30 years as well.

A roll call was taken.

COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS: Darrin Flynn, Lisa Lohmeyer, Wendy Piersall, Michael Turner, and Mayor Brian Sager.

COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT ATTENDING REMOTELY: Gordon Tebo

COUNCIL ABSENT: none

STAFF PRESENT IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS: City Manager Roscoe Stelford, Chief John Lieb, Communications/Grant Manager Terry Willcockson, and City Clerk Cindy Smiley.

STAFF ATTENDING REMOTELY: Assistant City Manager/Finance Director Paul Christensen, City Attorney Ruth Schlossberg, IT Director Dan McElmeel, Public Works Director Christina Betz, Building and Zoning Director Joe Napolitano, Economic Development Director Garrett Anderson, Human Resources Director Deb Schober, Opera House Managing Director Daniel Campbell, Economic Development Coordinator Krista Coltrin, and City Planner Darrell Moore.

Mayor Sager noted the presence of a quorum under the revised rules of the Governor during this COVID-19 emergency. City Clerk Smiley confirmed the agenda before the Council is a true and correct copy of the published agenda.

III. FLOOR DISCUSSION

A. Presentation – Age Friendly Action Plan

Mayor Sager noted this is a presentation of the Age-Friendly Action Plan, yielding the floor to Project Manager Terry Willcockson. Ms. Willcockson recognized the individuals who made this project possible, opining it was a fantastic group. Particularly thanking Mayor Sager, Ms. Willcockson stated it has been her honor and pleasure to work with him for almost 30 years, opining it has been his vision and openness that has made the pursuit of an Age-Friendly Community possible. She stated it also would not have been possible without Woodstock’s friends at the McHenry County Community Foundation, which allowed the City to engage the NIU Center for Governmental Studies. Ms. Willcockson also expressed the City’s gratitude to the steering committee who made the project come to life and to Councilwoman Piersall for her help and guidance. She recognized the City’s representatives on the Committee, Krista Coltrin, Martha Hansen, and Andrew Celentano, for their work on the project, as well as Dick Ahrens, John Buckley, Melissa Cooney, Arlene Lynes, Stu Gaines, and colleagues at McHenry County. Ms. Willcockson stated it has been a joy working with the group, noting she is excited to see this project continue to move forward.

Ms. Willcockson introduced Ms. Mim Evans, Senior Research Associate, Center for Governmental Studies-Northern Illinois University, to share the highlights of what they have been doing this past year.

Ms. Evans stated it is her pleasure to be in Woodstock and introduced her colleagues who were attending tonight’s meeting remotely, Mr. Norman Walzer, Senior Research Scholar, and Mr. Andy Blanke, Research Specialist. She thanked Ms. Willcockson for her work on this project, noting this is the plan developed and approved by the Steering Committee.

Ms. Evans then presented the Age-Friendly Livable Community Action Plan. She stated one of the biggest challenges the community will face in the coming years will be the aging of the community, noting Council will decide how to face these challenges. She stated the City will need strategies on how to best serve the entire population, noting the Age-Friendly Plan was put together to guide the Council as it works toward that goal. Ms. Evans stated this is important because soon, for the first time ever, the country will have more older adults than children, which is an amazing transformation, noting a projected increase of 39% in residents 65-74 and 50% in residents age 75+ between 2019 and 2029.

Ms. Evans noted what benefits older residents, benefits all, stating this plan is for the welfare of the entire community, as older residents also serve as volunteers, donors, engaged citizens, and elected or appointed community officials.

Ms. Evans stated a strong economy includes older residents and visitors. She opined focusing on the younger population denies the City the benefits of the older population.

Ms. Evans stated this project studied how age-friendly Woodstock is providing information on how this was determined. She noted AARP has an age-friendly livability index by which communities are rated, stating Woodstock is rated at 57, while Crystal Lake and McHenry are rated 54 and 53, respectively, with the higher the rating indicating better age-friendly livability. She stated compared to the Metro area, Woodstock has more assets than challenges per CMAP’s data. Ms. Evans stated this information indicates overall Woodstock is starting from the middle or better.

Ms. Evans stated when surveyed, residents stated their reasons for living in Woodstock, specifically indicating personal safety, family ties, social options, recreation, and healthcare as reasons to stay, while the cost of living, climate, lack of public transportation, and low walkability were reasons to consider leaving. The respondents listed more reasons to stay than to leave and felt more strongly about their reasons to stay. She noted additional survey findings are included in the Plan.

Ms. Evans then talked about the Focus group and interview findings, noting interviews were held with local residents, businesspeople, service providers and City Staff.

She noted discussions show housing is needed at both ends of the income spectrum and that older adults most often become or remain Woodstock residents because their children or grandchildren live here, meaning Woodstock also needs to be attractive to younger families. She noted the interviews also showed retirees desire housing that supports their more flexible lifestyle stating, these types of housing are not readily available now. Stating this type of housing is also attractive to younger households, Ms. Evans stated innovative housing such as for snowbirds and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) has potential. She stated the Square and all it has to offer is a critical asset with a positive outlook for growth, noting retirees and tourists look for the same things.

Ms. Evans then talked about the Plan and Actions for an Age-Friendly Woodstock, noting the four components are Vision, Goals, Strategies, and Projects. She stated the vision as developed by the Steering Committee is: Age-Friendly Woodstock Illinois is widely recognized as a warm, welcoming, vibrant community offering lifelong opportunity and enrichment for youth and adults of all ages, abilities and lifestyles.

Ms. Evans stated several models were considered in developing goals that would move the community towards achieving its vision, including the eight domains developed by the World Health Organization and adopted by AARP. She noted these eight domains helped develop a model for Woodstock, which is organized around four focus areas: Housing, Facilities, Services, and Activities. She stated 19 goals were then developed, which were divided among these four areas.

Ms. Evans stated taking the Vision to Projects is what will make the community Age-Friendly, noting by using the Plan, Woodstock can move from one step to the next to achieve the desired results. Ms. Evans then talked about how the City can move forward, outlining the key components for implementation and noting leadership is the key. She also noted the City is doing many of these things already.

Ms. Evans stated the next step is to approve the Plan for submittal to AARP and then to organize to implement the Plan by communicating with the residents, the stakeholders, and potential collaborators.

Mayor Sager thanked Ms. Evans for her presentation and also to all who worked so hard on this project. He expressed the City’s gratitude to Ms. Willcockson for her creative and dogged effort to bring this to fruition. He opined things do not happen overnight, but take effort and thinking in terms of the future and how the City can move forward. Mayor Sager noted while the City has already done a lot of these things on its own, the Plan establishes a process to move forward more aggressively toward an Age-Friendly Community.

Councilwoman Piersall commended Ms. Willcockson for her work on the project, including working with Ms. Evans and securing grant funding.

She opined she has never seen an initiative that has the potential to touch every person in the community in a positive way the way the Age-Friendly Community Plan can. She stated she is impressed with the Plan and the potential it has for a positive impact.

Councilman Tebo stated he looks forward to the Plan’s implementation.

Mayor Sager expressed his hope that incoming Mayor-Elect Turner and the new Council will agree this is an important thing for the community.

In response to a question from Mayor Sager, without objection it was the consensus of the City Council to accept the transmittal of the Age-Friendly Action Plan, reaffirm the City’s Commitment to the Age Friendly Livable Community Program and authorize the City Staff to move forward with the recommendations identified within the Age-Friendly Action Plan.

B. Public Comment

There were no Public Comments forthcoming.

C. Council Comments

In response to Councilwoman Piersall’s questions concerning the status of the issuance of licenses for cannabis facilities, Mr. Napolitano stated the State first pushed out the date for craft growers, giving applicants time to amend their applications, subsequently suspending licensing due to COVID-19 with the process in limbo until the Department of Agriculture moves it forward. Concerning dispensaries

Mr. Napolitano stated the same is true, with applicants allowed to amend deficient applications, but the process being placed in limbo until action by the Department of Agriculture.

In response to a question from Councilwoman Piersall concerning the effect the new cannabis laws have had on police activity, Chief Lieb stated while it is true the Department started gearing up for increased activity when cannabis was legalized in 2019, this activity was not seen as people were not on the streets due to COVID-19. He stated now that people are out more, the Department has seen an increased amount of cannabis, mostly discovered during traffic stops. He noted there has been an increase in drivers aged 16 through 20 with cannabis inside their vehicles, which concerns him. Chief Lieb stated he does not have a direct correlation between an increase in crime in Woodstock and the legalization of cannabis.

In response to a question from Councilwoman Piersall, concerning a change in calls for service as noted in the Chief’s Department Report, Chief Lieb explained this is due to a change in how calls for service are identified with the consolidation of dispatch operations.

Councilwoman Piersall congratulated Chief Lieb in the naming of the Woodstock Police Department as one of the top workplaces for veterans in 2020.

IV. CONSENT AGENDA

Motion by L. Lohmeyer, second by D. Flynn, to approve the Consent Agenda.

In response to a question from Mayor Sager, the following items were removed from the Consent Agenda by the City Council or the Public:

Item D-5 – Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition of 217 W. Judd Street by Councilwoman Piersall.

Item D-9 – Hotel/Motel Tax Funding Disbursements by Councilman Turner

In response to a question from Mayor Sager, the following questions or comments were forthcoming from the Public or the City Council concerning items remaining on the Consent Agenda.

Item D-1 – Appointments and Reappoints of Board/Commission Members

Mayor Sager extended kudos to and commended the Cultural and Social Awareness Commission for their work on social outreach programs.

He also extended kudos to and commended the Historic Preservation Commission and Staff Liaison Darrell Moore for all their work on the Compatibility Report included in the Council packet, noting this answers many questions.

Mayor Sager stated he continues to work on nominations for the Cultural and Social Awareness Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission, which will be presented at the May 4th meeting.

Item D-6 – Certificate of Appropriateness for Public Art Installation

Chamber Marketing Manager Melissa McMahon, Vice-President of PRIDE thanked the Council on behalf of PRIDE for its consideration of the public art installation on behalf of inclusivity.

Mayor Sager affirmed the Consent Agenda to include all items A through D-4, D-6 through D-8, D 10 and D-11 as follows:

A. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

April 6, 2021 City Council Meeting

B. WARRANTS #3950 #3951

C. MINUTES AND REPORTS

Cultural and Social Awareness Commission Minutes February 22, 2021

Historic Preservation Commission Minutes February 22, 2021

Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes March 9, 2021

Library Board of Trustee Minutes March 11, 2021

Woodstock Police Department Monthly Report February 2021

Human Resources Department Monthly Report February 2021

Human Resources Department Monthly Report March 2021

Recreation Department Monthly Report March 2021

D. MANAGER’S REPORT NO. 177:

1. Appointments and Reappointments of Board/Commission Members – Acceptance of the Mayor’s Appointments and Reappointments of Board/Commission Members to the City’s Boards and Commissions as presented in the Council packet.

2. Ordinance – Approval of FY21/22 Budget – Approval of Ordinance 21-O-27, identified as Document 1, An Ordinance Adopting the City of Woodstock, McHenry County, Illinois Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2021-2022.

3. F21/22 Salary Structure and Schedule of Authorized Positions – Approval of the following FY21/22 Budget Items.

1) Exhibit III, identified as Document 2, the City of Woodstock FY21/22 Salary Structure for Non-Represented Employees; and

2) Exhibit IV, identified as Document 3, the City of Woodstock FY 21/22 Schedule of Authorized Positions/FTEs.

4. Ordinance – Approval of FY21/22 Water/Sewer Rates – Approval of Ordinance 21-O-28, identified as Document 4, An Ordinance Amending Portions of Title 6, Chapter 4 of the City Code of the City of Woodstock, McHenry County, Illinois, Pertaining to Water and Sewer Rates.

6. Certificate of Appropriateness for Public Art Installation – Approval of the “Love is Love” public art installation on the staircase connecting Jefferson Street to the Square, subject to a Historic District Certificate of Appropriateness, to be reviewed and approved by City Staff, and an agreement, which will be reviewed and approved by the City Attorney’s office.

7. Ordinance – UDO Text Amendments – Approval of Ordinance 21-O-29, identified as Document 5, An Ordinance Amending Various Chapters of the Woodstock Unified Development Ordinance Relating to Variation Standards and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

8. Ordinance – Benton Place Redevelopment Agreement – Approval of Ordinance 21-O-30, identified as Document 6, An Ordinance Approving an Amendment to the Redevelopment Agreement Between the City of Woodstock and Benton Place LLC.

10. Award of Contract – Emricson Park Basketball Court Resurfacing – Authorization to award a contract for the removal, replacement, and restriping of two (2) basketball courts at Emricson Park to the lowest responsible bidder, Chicagoland Paving, Lake Zurich, IL, for a total bid price of $50,000.

11. Waiver of Competitive Bids and Award of Contract – Mosquito Abatement Services Agreement:

a) Approval to waive the requirement for competitive bids to provide mosquito control services; and

b) Authorization to award a contract for 2021 mosquito control services to Clarke for the quoted price of $5,085 for each application of larvae control products and $9,500 for each citywide adult mosquito spraying.

A roll call vote was taken on items A through D-4, D-6 through D-8, D10, and D11.

Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, G. Tebo, M. Turner and Mayor B. Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: None. Motion carried.

Item D-5 – Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition of 217 W. Judd Street Councilwoman Piersall recused herself and exited the Council Chambers at 7:55 PM.

Motion by M. Turner, second by D. Flynn, to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition of the building at 217 West Judd Street.

In response to a question from Councilman Tebo, Mayor Sager stated he has not heard any discussion of moving the house in question, noting this would be up to the private property owner. Mayor Sager opined the building is in very bad shape, describing this further and questioning the capacity to move it.

Councilwoman Lohmeyer stated she is excited to see this item on the agenda, noting she has spoken with the petitioner about the goals for his business, including to add more green space to the community. She expressed her support for the action before the Council.

A roll call vote was taken. Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, G. Tebo, M. Turner, and Mayor Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: W. Piersall. Motion carried.

Councilwoman Piersall returned to the Council Chambers and rejoined the proceedings at 8:00 PM.

Item D-9 – Hotel/Motel Tax Funding Disbursements

Councilman Turner recused himself and exited the Council Chambers at 8:00 PM

Motion by L. Lohmeyer, second by W. Piersall, to approve the FY21/22 Hotel/Motel Use Tax Tourism Grant Recommendations authorizing disbursement of funds to local non-profit organizations in accordance with Staff’s recommendations.

Mayor Sager noted these funds go to a variety of not-for-profit organizations that promote Woodstock to bring visitors to the city. He expressed thanks to Ms. Willcockson and Mr. Anderson for their work on behalf of this program.

A roll call vote was taken. Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, G. Tebo, and Mayor Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: M. Turner. Motion carried.

Councilman Turner returned to the Council Chambers and rejoined the proceedings at 8:03 PM.

V. DISCUSSION

1. NRSA Update

Mr. Napolitano provided Council with an update on this project, noting it was authorized a year ago with the majority of the funding to be provided by County CDBG funds and supplemented by City resources. He stated when COVID-19 came along, everything came to a halt at the County level, with CBDG funds being delayed and diverted to COVID-19 relief, resulting in the project being put on hold. He stated recently; however, a Public Hearing was held on the City’s CDBG request, with the project being recommended for funding in the amount of $65,000 which is less than the amount requested. He noted there were $3,000,000 in total requests, with the County having $1,000,000 for disbursement. Noting along with the $65,000, the City will contribute $25,000 to this project, for a combined total of $90,000.

Mr. Napolitano stated City Staff has been working on specific programs to offer including a curb appeal program, offering exterior improvements to homes that need them including landscaping and rain gutters. Noting the NRSA includes a lot of seniors, he also described a Better with Age Program, which is designed to complement the City’s Age-Friendly initiative and would offer improvements to help the homes become more age-friendly, so seniors can stay in their homes for a longer period.

He stated another program that would be offered is a Lead-Paint Removal Program. Mr. Napolitano then talked about an infrastructure improvement program, which would include sidewalk repairs, sidewalk installation, and possible street lighting within the NRSA.

Mr. Napolitano stated Staff is anxious to roll out these programs, hoping to be able to do so later this year.

Mayor Sager thanked Mr. Napolitano for the update, opining it is a good plan to move the project forward noting this is a trial project. He stated he is pleased the project was recommended for $65,000 in funding by the CDBG committee.

In response to a question from Councilman Tebo, Mr. Napolitano stated the possibility of receiving grants in future years is dependent upon the level of funding requested by others and the funds available.

In response to a question from Councilwoman Piersall concerning the need for Council approval of the disbursement of the funds, Mr. Stelford stated Staff will have a better understanding of the requirements upon receipt of the CDBG funds. He stated Staff will finalize the programs and bring this back for Council approval. He noted based on the anticipated dollar amounts, Council would not need to approve specific awards to individual homeowners, but would have the final determination on the programs’ parameters. Councilwoman Piersall reminded those present that Council did discuss whether landlords would be participating in these programs as well as homeowners, and if they do participate this could be coordinated with the Landlord Registration Program.

In response to a question from Mayor Sager, there were no comments forthcoming from the public.

Councilwoman Lohmeyer noted as the Rt. 47 improvements are completed, this area will become more of an entryway into the community.

2. Opera House Programming

Mayor Sager noted Mr. Campbell has provided Council with a summary list of what the Opera House is working on.

Mr. Campbell stated this has been an interesting year for the Opera House, which was hard hit by the mitigation efforts in response to COVID-19. He noted the facility is still operating on a virtual basis per COVID-19 restrictions, opining they may start to see a relaxation of restrictions by July, with full opening by September. He stated the Opera House has a robust line up of events planned once they are allowed to operate again. He stated Staff is working toward more outdoor programming this summer, describing this further.

Councilwoman Lohmeyer stated she was hoping to discuss planning for post-COVID and how the City can expand what is already offered at the Opera House.

In response to questions from Councilwoman Lohmeyer, Mr. Campbell stated the events that were most successful in 2018 and 2019 were concert events such as Jeff Daniels and Guitar Night. He stated some events can benefit greatly when they involve built-in audiences. He stated the number of events held at the Opera House peaked in FY18/19 at 870, which was the highest in many years. He stated most events are held on evenings and weekends, with approximately 300 total performances, between the Main Stage and Stage Left Café. Mr. Campbell then discussed the remaining 400 non-performance and rental events, also hosted at the Opera House during the year, explaining this further. He stated right now daytime, weekday, and non-prime evening events are exceeding the Opera House’s performance ratios, noting they require less resources.

Councilwoman Lohmeyer stated her wish to see the Opera House be more profitable, expressing her concern at the most recent Opera House financial reports. She asked how the Opera House might broaden what is offered to make it more profitable. She stated she is glad to hear they are doing multiple events during the day and talked about how corporate events might be held at the Opera House. She hoped to discuss how to expand usage of the Opera House.

Mr. Campbell stated he would be happy to have a more in-depth discussion with Councilwoman Lohmeyer. He stated many of the questions raised by Councilwoman Lohmeyer play into the history of the Opera House. He noted the Opera House is part of the municipality offering services to the community. Mr. Campbell stated there are areas which can be expanded on, noting he would like to do more corporate events. He talked about reimaging the facility and building out the space to make it more attractive for these events.

Mr. Campbell then explained the modification to the liquor license issued to the facility, which will result in more sales, along with expanded concessions.

He stated the Opera House Staff are in the process of developing a long-term plan, noting the Staff started making progress in 2019 and then 2020 happened. He opined the Opera House has tremendous potential.

In response to Councilman Tebo’s questions concerning District 200’s Summer Theater, Mr. Campbell stated they would be holding their performances at the high school this summer, returning to the Opera House in 2022. He stated he has left the door open should they wish to use the Opera House this summer. Councilman Tebo stated he would like to see these performances at the Opera House.

Noting the Opera House Advisory Commission recommended offering programs to attract a younger audience, Councilman Flynn opined the list provided by Mr. Campbell does not target that market, asking his plans for drawing this group to the Opera House. Mr. Campbell stated at this point he is not focusing on that specific audience, noting the 18 to 30 demographic is what every entertainment facility is trying to capture. He noted that the 18 to 30 audience is looking for a different type of experience than is offered at the Opera House, opining other venues have also started to shy away from that demographic. He stated the Opera House should not shy away from pursuing programming for this audience, but it should not be looked at as the “be all and end all.” He further opined the Opera House should focus on programming that fits a niche this demographic is looking for that other venues are not providing.

He stated he has been looking at bringing programming to Stage Left which has been more popular with the younger demographic, opining perhaps if they patronize Stage Left, this could evolve to programming on the Opera House Main Stage. As an example, Mr. Campbell stated the plan to resume the Stage Left Comedy Events, including partnering with established comedy venues as booking agents. He also noted a new program to bring in exclusive music events from Chicago to Stage Left as a type of private party exclusive event. He stated often a venue has to do a trial run on new things, noting this is a long-term plan.

Expressing support for the comedy idea, Councilman Flynn asked about bringing in outside promoters. Mr. Campbell responded that the Opera House does work with outside promoters and producers.

Councilman Flynn asked if Mr. Campbell has compared the Opera House fee structure with that of the Raue and other theaters in the area. Mr. Campbell responded there is a vast demographic shift between Chicago and this area, noting even 20 miles closer to Chicago is a tremendous difference. He opined the Opera House pricing structure from the past two decades is under where it should be, opining it could be increased by 25% to 30%. He stated it is his intent to start raising ticket prices to increase the venue’s overall profitability.

Councilman Turner opined it behooves the Council to look at what kind of approach it is taking with respect to the Opera House at it emerges from COVID-19. He stated when the movie theater and the Opera House go dark, the Downtown goes dark. He opined the new Council needs to continue to explore opportunities to expand and enhance the programming opportunities for the Opera House.

Councilman Turner expressed his appreciation to Mr. Campbell and asked him to use his creativity to move the Opera House forward to get back to where it was before the pandemic, and to evolve it to some place new. He opined perhaps certain demographics can be better reached with a different matrix of types of performers. Noting there are several good small promoters in the area, he opined this may be a way to add to the opportunities at the Opera House.

Councilman Turner stated his comments are couched with the commitment to the preservation of community theater, while advocating for considering an approach to make the Opera House more vibrant.

Mayor Sager stated the challenges associated with COVID-19 have been incredibly difficult for the Opera House and the Recreation Department, as well as for Woodstock’s businesses. He opined it is interesting from a developmental aspect that any time one goes through extreme challenges, a sense of resilience allows for finding a way forward. He further opined COVID-19 has encouraged and ignited us to look for new approaches, which is what Mr. Campbell is doing and what Council is discussing this evening (i.e., the establishment of a new norm, a new height). He noted the many advantages Woodstock has in this endeavor to move forward, noting he looks forward to the many new opportunities.

Noting all wish to be as profitable and as fiscally responsible as possible, Mayor Sager stated the balance between profitability and quality of life and service must be understood. He opined just as the City does not look at its parks to pay for themselves, it cannot say the Opera House has to pay for itself. He stated the Opera House is a public entity that enhances the quality of life. He noted financial responsibility and management is a must, stating Staff is to be commended for this. Mayor Sager asked that the import of the services the City provides from arts, leisure, and recreation, not be sacrificed as these are essential to the quality of life.

Councilwoman Piersall noted that in a normal year, the dollars generated by the Opera House do cover its operating costs, but not the cost of the building. Mr. Stelford stated this is a factor, but may not be totally the case, noting there is a dedicated property tax that supports the Opera House’s operations. He agreed there is definitely a cost to support the historic building.

Councilwoman Piersall opined the costs that Mr. Campbell must cover are not a fair expectation. Noting she looked at the Raue, she stated they have memberships and sponsorship opportunities that offer special pricing and asked if the Opera House could offer some special promotions including alcohol. She also suggested partnering with the Chamber to sell dinner and a show packages, or with the bed & breakfast to offer overnight packages.

In terms of reaching out to a younger audience, Councilwoman Piersall suggested exploring YouTube which attracts a large following. She also suggested reaching out to District 200 to brainstorm with students and find out what type of acts they are looking for and also appointed a student to the Opera House Advisory Board. Mr. Campbell stated he is pursuing a YouTube series with a large following.

Noting the great ideas expressed this evening, Councilman Turner indicated his agreement with Mayor Sager’s comments that the Opera House does not have to pay for itself. He opined it is important for the City to maximize all opportunities. The City needs to ask if it is maximizing the Opera House, opining this can be done while preserving the Opera House.

Councilman Flynn opined TikTok is very popular. He suggested rather than looking at profit, additional opportunities to maximize revenue should be explored.

Councilwoman Lohmeyer thanked Mr. Campbell for his presentation. She stated people will come out of the pandemic and will want to spend money, noting she would like to see them spend it in Woodstock. She opined the Opera House will need a variety of shows.

Mr. Campbell stated he would like to put on a Woodstock’s Got Talent production. He opined there are many things possible at the Opera House if they are provided with the proper resources to do so. Noting previously the Opera House was primarily a rental theater, Mr. Campbell stated he is trying to make it a producing theater, but that there are limitations, particularly regarding human resources.

Councilman Turner suggested considering outsourcing or partnering as Mr. Campbell reaches the facility’s limits. He also encouraged him to continue to ask for additional resources.

Councilman Tebo noted since Mr. Campbell has been on board, there really has been an explosion of ideas. Noting COVID-19 put a damper on these, he expressed confidence in Mr. Campbell. He urged him to be careful with pricing, asking him to keep in mind that seats need to be filled.

VI. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Councilman Turner stated there will be a discussion of Benton Street on May 4th. There were no other additions or deletions to the proposed items for future agendas.

VII. ADJOURN

Motion by D. Flynn, second by L. Lohmeyer, to adjourn this City Council meeting to the next regular meeting at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at the Woodstock Opera House.

Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, G. Tebo, M. Turner, and Mayor B. Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:57 PM.

https://www.woodstockil.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_council/meeting/42811/f_-_04-20-21_city_council_minutes.pdf