04/30/2001MINUTES
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
April 30. 2001
The Village Board met as a Committee of the Whole at 7:30 P.M. on Monday, April 30, 2001 in
the Board Room of the Village Hall. In attendance were:
Steven Harris, Mayor Robert Franz, Manager
Jerry Kayne, Trustee Peter Coblentz, Village Attorney
Derek Ragona, Trustee Barbara Little, Director of Public Works/Engineering
Harriet Rosenthal, Trustee Diane Mikula, Assistant to the Manager
Vernon Swanson, Trustee
Project Calendar
The Manager listed four projects/issues which will demand the Board's attention over the next
several months.
Senior Center Multi -Family Scavenger Service
Deerbrook Mall Redevelopment Police Building Renovation
He asked if additional information was needed on any of these topics or if others should be added
to the list. After some discussion on each, it was agreed:
Senior Center The Board will meet with the Park District Board on
May 31 st at 7:30 P.M. in the community center. No
position is expected to be taken that evening. Rather, the alternative sites will be presented
along with a traffic study of both the north and south ends of Brickyards Park. The
respective boards would then discuss the matter among themselves before determining the
next course of action.
Deerbrook No further action will be taken by the Board prior to the
Plan Commission public hearing on May 24th. It is
expected that Lend Lease will submit a draft Sales Tax Sharing Agreement for Village
review prior to that date.
Multi -Family Scavenger Service The Board will meet on Thursday, May loth at 7:30
P.M. with Onyx representatives to discuss scavenger
service to multi -family developments in Deerfield.
Police Renovation Also on the loth, Architect Kurt Hezner will be invited
to review the bids received for renovating the police
building. The Village has until the end of May to accept or reject the bids. The Board
acknowledged the April 20th letter from West Deerfield Township regarding plans to expand
their space in the annex. They will be invited on the loth to discuss how the two agencies
might cooperate on a building renovation project.
Committee of the Whole Meeting
April 30, 2001
Page 2
Osterman &Taukegan Intersection
Barbara Little reviewed with the Board the latest plan for the intersection improvement at
Osterman-Longfellow/Waukegan. Unless the sidewalk along the west side of Waukegan Road is
reduced to 5', the parking impact on Success Bank will make the project impossible. Several
alternatives had been explored including the use of the alley along the cemetery. None is
acceptable to the bank.
After further discussion, the Board reluctantly agreed to the 5' sidewalk, but directed staff to work
with the bank to install as much pedestrian space as possible. It was suggested that a low wrought
iron fence, matching the cemetery fence, might be installed to separate the sidewalk from the
parking lot.
Annexation - Northwest Area
The Village has received another request to annex property along the Village's border in northwest
unincorporated Lake County. The Manager noted that the Village will probably continue to receive
these requests to annex on a "piecemeal basis" ... the concern being that the unimproved street and
lack of storm sewers will become a Deerfield problem in the future.
The Board, while recognizing some inherent problems in the process, did not believe much could be
done to address annexation on a more comprehensive basis. Most property owners in that area are
satisfied with well water and septic systems.
Residence Inn Liquor License Request
The Board discussed Residence Inn's letter requesting a beer and wine license to serve alcohol at
their regular social hour each evening. This is the hotel's third request since it opened in 1989.
After discussing the matter, it was the consensus that a license should not be issued in light of the
potential problems involving minors.
Landsca ing - Deerfield Square
The Manager asked the Board if CRM Property could substitute 5' Arbor Vitae for the decorative
fence planned along the railroad tracks. The Village has been looking for a way to screen the
commercial area as well as mitigate sounds emanating from the development. The Board agreed to
the change.
Trustee Vacancy
Mayor Harris described the process by which he intends to fill the vacant Trustee position. He
asked Trustees Rosenthal and Seiden to serve on a screening committee that will review all
applications received. Public interviews will then be conducted of any candidate selected by at least
two of the three committee members. Once interviews are completed, the committee would
recommend one person to the full Board for a final decision.
Committee of the Whole Meeting
April 30, 2001
Page 3
The Trustees discussed the process. Some questioned why the entire Board would not conduct the
interviews. Mayor Harris responded that a streamlined process would be better, but that any
Trustee will be able to question a candidate before a final selection is made. Trustee Rosenthal
asked for some time before responding to whether or not she will serve on the screening committee.
Memorial Day Event
Trustee Kayne clarified his plans for a Memorial Day picnic in Jewett Park. He emphasized that
this is not a Village event but rather a social gathering that he is organizing on his own. He has
invited representatives of the various local governments and civic organizations to attend.
Some Trustees expressed concerns about competing with the American Legion events planned for
that day, and with Trustee Kayne publicly announcing an event that implies the entire elected Board
had input in planning.
Conflicts of Interest
Trustee Rosenthal raised the issue of Mayor Harris' law firm representing a client that is involved
in a lawsuit with CRM Properties at Deerfield Square. Although it was disclosed by the Mayor,
she is uncomfortable with it in that, through our Redevelopment Agreement, we are partners with
Charles Malk in completing the development and seeing it occupied. Mayor Harris responded that
he had sought a legal opinion on the matter and was assured that it was not a conflict of interest.
He remarked that it was no different than Trustee Heuberger's involvement in Deerfield Centre over
the past several years. The Village Attorney stated that. in his opinion, this is not a conflict of
interest.
The meeting adjourned at 9:18 P.M.
Minutes prepared by:
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RCWERT D. FRANZ, Villa a Man rr