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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES-2002-05-06-20023 q,� CITY COUNCIL .c#'OF EV,q CO. LLy��O ROLL CALL - PRESENT: May 6, 2002 Alderman Feldman Alderman Bernstein Alderman Newman Alderman Kent Alderman Jean -Baptiste Alderman Moran Alderman Wynne Alderman Engelman A Quorum was present. Alderman Rainey ABSENT: None PRESIDING: Mayor Lorraine H. Morton The OFFICIAL REGULAR MEETING of the City Council was called to order by Mayor Morton Monday, May 6, 2002 at 8:50 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. Announcements: Health & Human Services Director Jay Terry reported an outbreak of viral conjunctivitis on the Northwestern University campus with more than 200 reported cases so far. A team from the Illinois Department of Public Health joined the City staff in an ongoing epidemiological investigation of the event. He said what makes this unusual it this is a virus that would ordinarily not be seen here at this time of year. There are limited reports of the virus off campus. Information about conjunctivitis is on the City and University's websites. Conjunctivitis is preventable through vigorous hand washing, no sharing of glasses and linens, etc. Assistant City Manager Judith Aiello invited all to the Farmers' Market, which opens Saturday, May 18 and continues through Saturday, October 26 at Oak and University Place on NU's parking lot. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and free parking is available in the Maple Avenue Garage with a stamp obtained at the market. There are 30 farmers, two Evanston bread companies, music and other events throughout the year. Mayor Morton announced that the Evanston -Belize Sister City Pageant is looking for young women applicants to be Miss Belize. Applications are available on the City's web site and in the City Clerk's office; closing date is May 31. The Mayor also announced the 2002 Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Job Fair would be Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave; doors will open at 8:30 a.m. The program seeks business support and donations. National Historic Preservation Week Mayor Morton proclaimed May 12-18, 2002, National Historic Preservation Week. Communications: None McGaw YMCA -City Youth in Government- Swearing -in Ceremony Mayor Morton introduced and swore in elected officials: Aldermen: 9`h Ward, Quintin McGee, 8`h Ward, Gabe Monar; 7`h Ward, Jane Engelman; 6`h Ward, Amy Holmes; 5`h Ward, Alison Ossyra; 4" Ward, Torey Smith; 3`1 Ward, Claire Low; 2"d Ward, Margy Levinson; V Ward, Carrie Sear and Mayor, Hecky Powell, Jr. Appointed officials introduced 2 May 6, 2002 were City Manager, John Kim; Community Development Director, Tracey Driscoll; Library Director, Michael Phillips; Facilities Management Director, Nathan Render; Finance Director, Lindsay Wich; Fire Chief, Libby Tarkington; Management & Budget Director, Conor Desmond; Parks, Forestry & Recreation, Jazzmanie Dumas and Troy Jones; Police Chief Marco Martinez; Public Works Director, Jordan Graham; Health & Human Services Director, Sasha Smith and Human Relations Director, Whitney Jones. CITIZEN COMMENT: Gerald Gordon, 1228 Lake St., reported many did not get an opportunity to speak about traffic signals on Ridge at the P&D Committee meeting; noted the traffic engineer and City Manager had gone to Springfield that day to speak with the state preservation agency and IDOT and had preempted the City and citizens on this subject. Mr. Jennings had told them that IDOT and the state preservation agency had jurisdiction over this matter. Because the City is spending $400,000 on this project, he thought the City had jurisdiction. He said that one alderman had suggested in a chat room that the Traffic Guy is the public's means of getting information, which he termed inappropriate. He related that the Preservation Commission, in accordance with the Preservation Ordinance, in a May 2 letter requested that the City submit its traffic signal project in the Ridge Historic District for review. Until the City has complied with that request and the commission has issued a certificate of appropriateness, he said the City is in violation of its own ordinance. He thought the City's inattention to this matter would be of great interest to any property owner contemplating alteration of their property. If the City does not require itself to comply with requirements of the Preservation Ordinance, he did not know why any property owner would feel obliged to comply. He urged that work be stopped on this project until brought itself into compliance. He reported on April 30 the City wrote a letter to the Bureau of Design and Environment, Illinois Department of Transportation and he found problems with that letter. Some are: coordinating signals on Ridge will have unintended adverse consequences and is not justification for undertaking this project. Smoother traffic will attract more drivers, thereby increasing exhaust and noise pollution instead of decreasing it. As green lights are lengthened on Ridge, intersecting streets will have shorter green lights, which will create additional problems on those streets. Improving traffic flow in a historic district is in direct conflict with generally accepted historic preservation principles. Normally traffic is slowed down in such districts. During times of heavy traffic on Church and Davis, there will not be a noticeable improvement from coordinated signals. That is because much of this traffic turns off of them onto intersecting streets. The congestion on side streets will cause the traffic to back up on Church and/or Davis, in spite of coordinated signals. He urged them to drive downtown Evanston on Friday or Saturday evenings to see what he meant about side streets and congestion there. When there is not a lot of traffic, signals don't have to be coordinated. Alderman Newman asked that Mr. Gordon be allowed to speak an additional three minutes. No objections were raised. Mr. Gordon stated the project has been justified on an expected decrease in accidents, but he believes that other than installing this type of proposed fixture, no other method for improving safety has been tried. One less costly idea is to install short lengths of corrugated pavement at the appropriate distance ahead of the intersections to notify drivers that they are approaching a traffic signal. Other methods are used around the country and he suggested they be investigated prior to continuing this project. He alleged the system is not obsolete; exact or equivalent replacement parts can be obtained for less than the cost of a new system. The financial impact addressed in the City's letter, that contracts have been let and work begun, is unfortunate. But this is a major project with major consequences. The City should have notified the public, held public hearings and applied for preservation approval before letting contracts. Until all of that has been done, the work must stop. Lastly, he noted Ridge Avenue with its large elms arching over the street creating a green canopy, its beautiful lannon stone retaining wall and lovely homes is a particularly beautiful and historic street. This project will have a large and deleterious visual effect on this historic district. The massive horizontal members of the contemplated installation, with multiple fixtures hanging from them will be unsightly, intrusive and inappropriate. The vertical columns supporting them are extremely large, unsightly and, because of their scale, will be intimidating to pedestrians. He believed that the City has not made its case and its rationale faulty. The City has not clearly explained the parameter of this project to the tax paying and property owning public. He deemed the project unwarranted, undesirable, unnecessary and expensive and it will negatively impact property values on and around Ridge. He stated the anticipated results will not be achieved, and unanticipated ones will be. The City's cost of about $400,000, in this time of difficult budgetary problems is excessive. He urged that this project be canceled. 3 .2) 3 May 6, 2002 Pierre DeVincentis,, 1424 Wesley Ave., said the logic of this program is to increase efficiency and traffic flow on Ridge. He saw that as increasing traffic as Ridge becomes a well-known conduit through the City, which would bring pollution back to where it was or even increase it. What bothered him was the possibility that, to make it safer for Ridge to handle the increased traffic, someone would suggest that Ridge Avenue be widened. That would jeopardize the beautiful canopy of trees that are so important to the historic district. He thought unless the City dots every "i" and crosses every "t" with citizen input and committee review of this project, current litigation in relation to the Northeast Historic Preservation District will be jeopardized as well. Barbara Gardner, 1307 Ridge Ave., chair, Evanston Preservation Commission, said the City and IDOT made a colossal error in not getting proper preservation approval for the traffic signal project. She said the City must follow the same rules in the Preservation Ordinance as citizens do; that Ridge is a residential street, a series of neighborhoods and that Evanston abandoned Ridge Avenue 50 years ago by tearing down houses, allowing institutions and making Ridge an urban arterial street. Citizens did not abandon it with many long-time owners along the street. It has a great sense of place that is important to preserve. She stated that traffic control should not be on the backs of Ridge Avenue residents; asked why can't Evanston do as Wilmette did, downsize Green Bay Road from four lanes to three, one each way with a turn lane? It was suggested the basis can be changed to a historical style, but that does not make the mast arm go away, which is what people object to. She stated if this project costs more to make a change, let IDOT absorb it because they were the ones who made the first mistake. She urged them not to let the City Engineer bulldoze this project into being. He made a mistake by not getting local preservation approval and not notifying residents. She urged them not to compound the problem of letting this project go ahead over the strong objections of residents. Hal Mead, 2205 Maple Ave., spoke as a representative of Evanston's Energy Future; praised ETHS for installing co- generation at a cost of $1 million in 1992 noted it paid for itself in a few years. Savings on electric bills in the first year averaged $350,000. (Co -generation is making one's own power and using waste heat for other purposes.) He also cited Presbyterian Homes for installing a co -generation system in 2000. It is an institution that cannot tolerate power failures. He reported the motors use natural gas. The price of natural gas goes up and down and even with increased costs, money was saved. He stated that large power plants waste about 70% of the heat they generate. He recommended that other large power users in Evanston consider use of co -generation. Len Sciarra, 3003 Park Pl., architect, works on sustainable designs and high performance buildings; serves on the ASHRAE Committee, which is the National Energy Standard. He urged the City to promote sustainable design within the development process and that it encourage sustainable design principles in renovation/construction of its facilities. He said there are many conceptions of green or sustainable design due to complex environmental issues. Green buildings embody a design intent based on balancing environmental responsiveness, resource efficiency, and cultural and community sensitivity. The goal is buildings that meet the needs of occupants while being mindful of future generations. He said that while sustainable design creates positive impacts on the environment, the real benefits lie in improving quality of life for employees and reducing operating costs for the owner. This would make Evanston a more desirable place to live, shop and maintain a business. He explained that by increasing the amount of daylight in a typical office, employees benefit from a better quality of light while the physical building consumes less energy for lighting. By being thoughtful of the types of materials used on the interior, employees benefit from not being exposed to man-made chemicals and less is spent on maintenance by using hard surfaces as opposed to carpet. By designing for natural ventilation and an energy recovery system, employees get the benefit of fresh air through operable windows while the building consumes less energy for heating/cooling. Through planting of native vegetation, employees benefit from a more diverse landscape and less is spent on landscape maintenance. By developing properties that enhance public transportation, employees don't have to drive and the owner benefits from an increased labor force. By designing exterior lighting to respect neighbors, the neighbors benefit and less power is consumed. A basic strategy is to think about these principles at the beginning of the process of renovating or building a new facility. CONSENT AGENDA (Any item marked with an Asterisk*) Alderman Feldman moved Council approval of the Consent Agenda with these exceptions: Bid of Groot Recycling & Waste Services for dumpsters (Neighborhood Cleanup Program), Resolution 37-R-02 — Allocation of MFT Funds for 25( 4 May 6, 2002 Street Improvements and Ordinance 46-0-02 — Binding Appearance Review. Seconded by Alderman Engelman. Roll call. Voting aye — Feldman, Newman, Jean -Baptiste, Wynne, Bernstein, Kent, Moran, Engelman, Rainey. Voting nay — none. Motion carried (9-0). * ITEMS APPROVED ON CONSENT AGENDA MINUTES: * Approval of Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of April 22, 2002. * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (9-0) ADMINISTRATION & PUBLIC WORKS: * Approval, as recommended, of the City of Evanston payroll for the period ending April 25, 2002 and the City of Evanston bills for the periods ending May 7 and that they be authorized and charged to the proper accounts, summarized as follows: City of Evanston payroll (through 04/25/02) $1,898,349.31 City of Evanston bills (through 05/07/02) $1,844,028.81 * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (9-0) * Approval of the lowest responsive and responsible bid of Site Design Group for professional services for the Hinman Ave. Tot Lot Redevelopment for Parks/Forestry & Recreation at a cost of $29,706.18. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (9-0) * Approval of the proposal of Wolff Clements for professional services for the James Park and Merrick Rose Garden Redevelopment Projects for Parks/Forestry & Recreation at a cost of $46,253. * APPROVED— CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (9-0) * Approval of the lowest responsive and responsible bid of Clauss Brothers Inc. for the construction of the Butler Park Renovation Project for Parks/Forestry & Recreation at a cost of $823,615.73. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (9-0) * Approval of the proposal of Legat Architects for professional services for the Fleetwood-Jourdain locker room and lift construction for Parks/Forestry & Recreation at a cost of $29,695. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (9-0) * Approval of the emergency purchase to hire Jay Dee Contractors to stabilize the construction shaft at Orrington & Noyes St. at a cost of $98,540. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (9-0) * Approval of a contract with Harding ESE, Inc. to provide construction supervision services for the Underground Storage Tank project at Municipal Service Center at a cost of $17,950. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (9-0) * Approval of Contract Amendment #1 for engineering services during construction of Phase VIII, Contract A with Harza Environmental Services for an increase of $4,048, raising the project cost from $550,410 to $554,458 and extend the term of agreement to December 31, 2002. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) * Approval of Contract Amendment #2 for engineering services during construction of Phase VIII, IX and X with Harza Environmental Services for an increase of $126,515, increasing the project cost from $1,442,000 to $1,568,515. APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) 352, 5 May 6, 2002 * Approval of Change Order 41 for Pinel Andrews Construction for the Snyder Park Renovation Project at a cost of $5,347.75. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) ■■■E■ * Special Event: 2002 Evanston Starlight Concerts — Consideration of a request to hold the annual Starlight Concert Series at Dawes and James parks from June 20 to August 1, 2002. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) * Special Event: Custer's Last Stand — Consideration of a request to hold the 30' annual Custer's Last Stand on June 15-16, 2002 on portions of Custer, Washington and Chicago Ave., various sidewalks and St. Paul and Eiden parks. * APPROVED —CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) * Traffic Calming Plan: Speed Humps — Consideration of a petition to place speed humps on Brown Ave., between Foster and Emerson; and on South Blvd., between Wesley and Florence. APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) * Resolution 36-R-02 — Intergovernmental Agreement with IDOT — Consideration of proposed Resolution 36-R-02, which authorizes the City Manager to sign an agreement with the Illinois Dept. of Transportation (IDOT) for a project to reconstruct the Dempster St. bridge and improve Dempster St. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (8-0-1) (Alderman Bernstein abstained due to a possible conflict of interest.) * Ordinance 51-0-02 — Increase in Class D Liquor Licenses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 51-0-02, which increases Class D liquor licenses from 22 to 23 with the addition of Luma Limited, Inc. dba Lou Malnati's Restaurant, 1850-54 Sherman Ave. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 52-0-02 — Increase in Class D Liquor Licenses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 52-0-02, which increases Class D liquor licenses from 23 to 24 with the addition of The Noodle Shop Co., Inc., dba Noodles & Company, 930 Church St. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 47-0-02 — Increase in Class V Liquor Licenses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 47-0-02, which increases Class V liquor licenses from 0 to 1 with the addition of D&D Finer Foods, 825 Noyes St. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 50-0-02 — Increase in Class U Liquor Licenses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 50-0-02, which increases Class U liquor licenses from 0 to I with the addition of The Presbyterian Homes Organization, dba The Presbyterian Homes, 3200 Grant St. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 53-0-02 — Decrease in Class D Liquor Licenses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 53-0-02, which decreases Class D liquor licenses from 24 to 23 with the change in ownership for New Japan Oriental Cafd, 1322 Chicago Ave. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 54-0-02 — Increase in Class D Liquor Licenses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 54-0-02, which increases Class D liquor licenses from 23 to 24 due to the sale of New Japan Oriental Cafd, Inc., dba New Japan Oriental Cafd, 1322 Chicago Ave. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA 3 S3 6 May 6, 2002 * Ordinance 49-0-02 — Decrease in Class B Liauor Licenses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 49-0-02, which decreases Class B liquor licenses from 13 to 12 with the change in classification of The Keg, Inc., dba The Keg. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 48-0-02 — Increase in Class B 1 Liauor Licenses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 48-0-02, which increases Class B 1 liquor licenses from 0 to 1 with the change in classification for The Keg, Inc., dba The Keg, 810 Grove St. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 43-0-02 — Prohibiting Parking on Same Block after Exniration of Time Limitation — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 43-0-02, which prohibits the sequential parking of a vehicle on the same block after the expiration of the time limitation at which the vehicle was park. MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 26-0-02 — Amending Sections of the Citv Code Regarding Vehicle Stickers — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 26-0-02, which amends Chapter 8, Title 10 of the City Code pertaining to the wheel tax. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 45-0-02 — Declaring Citv Property as Surplus — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 45-0-02, which declares two vehicles as surplus so that they may be publicly offered for sale at the Village of Libertyville auction on June 1, 2002. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 42-0-02 — Prohibiting U-Tums on Northbound Prairie Ave. — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 42-0-02, introduced April 22, 2002, which amends Schedule 10-11-3(A) of the City Code to prohibit U-turns on northbound Prairie Ave. between Grant and Lincoln streets from 7:30-9:00 a.m. and 2:30-4:30 p.m. * ADOPTED CONSENT AGENDA AND ROLL CALL (9-0) PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT: * Sidewalk Cafe Permit (Tvpe 2 Restaurant) — Cafd Express, 500 Main St. — Consideration of a recommendation of the Site Plan & Appearance Review Committee to approve a sidewalk Cafd permit for Cafd Express, 500 Main. * APPROVED —CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0). * Sidewalk Cafd Permit (Tvpe 2 Restaurant) — Einstein Brothers Bagels, 1745 Sherman Ave. — Consideration of a recommendation of the Site Plan & Appearance Committee Board to approve a sidewalk cafd permit for Einstein Brothers Bagels, 1745 Sherman Ave. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) * Sidewalk Cafd Permit (with liauor) — Jackv's Bistro, 2545 Prairie Ave. — Consideration of a recommendation of the Site Plan & Appearance Review Committee to approve a sidewalk cafd permit (with liquor) for Jacky's Bistro, 2545 Prairie Ave. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) * Sidewalk Cafd Permit (with liquor) — Oceanique, 505 Main St. — Consideration of a recommendation of the Site Plan & Appearance Review Committee to approve a sidewalk cafd permit (with liquor) for Oceanique, 505 Main St. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) * Nomination to National Register of Historic Places — Consideration of a recommendation of the Preservation Commission to approve an application for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the WCTU Administration Building, 1730 Chicago Ave. * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (9-0) 3sy 7 May 6, 2002 * Ordinance 41-0-02 — Special Use for 950 Church St. - Tvpe 2 Restaurant (Corner Bakerv) — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 41-0-02, introduced April 22, 2002, which approves a recommendation of the ZBA to grant a special use permit for a Corner Bakery Caf6 restaurant at 950 Church St. * ADOPTED CONSENT AGENDA AND ROLL CALL (9-0) * Ordinance 44-0-02 — Snecial Use for 940 Church St. — Type 2 Restaurant (Marble Slab Creamery) — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 44-0-02, introduced April 22, 2002, which approves a recommendation of the ZBA to grant a special use to permit a Marble Slab Creamery ice cream shop at 940 Church St. * ADOPTED CONSENT AGENDA AND ROLL CALL (9-0) APPOINTMENTS: Mayor Morton asked for introduction of the following appointments: Thomas R. Carey Environment Board 1120 Lake St. Marybeth Schroeder Library Board 2734 Asbury Ave. Linda Laatsch, Ph.D. Mental Health Board 2457 Pioneer Rd. Stephen Droll Preservation Commission 1106 Seward St. Susan Rundle Preservation Commission 1505 Hartrey Ave. Mayor Morton asked for introduction of the following reappointments: Shirlee Taraki 1864 Sherman Ave. Gordon Guth 1404 Rosalie St. * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA Commission on Aging Ladd Arboretum Committee REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES ADMINISTRATION & PUBLIC WORKS: Alderman Jean -Baptiste moved approval of the lowest responsive and responsible bid of Groot Recycling & Waster Services for dumpsters for the Neighborhood Cleanup Program for the Public Works Department at a cost of $26,025. Seconded by Alderman Rainey. Alderman Kent asked if the City spent over 126,100 for this service in the past? Public Works Director David Jennings said they have gone over occasionally. Alderman Kent said eight dumpsters are needed for cleanups in the 5" Ward and asked if there was a limit to the number they could get. Mr. Jennings stated there was a communication that went to the A&PW Committee which says - Budget Considerations - "it is common for there to be more requests than can be handled with the approved budget. When the annual budget is reached, the A&PW Committee will be notified and a 3 SS 8 May 6, 2002 decision can be made to either continue or stop for the year." Alderman Kent confirmed that dumpsters would be delivered Saturday mornings and removed Monday mornings. There is a penalty if Groot does not pick up by 5:00 p.m. Monday. Alderman Kent asked what could be done when dumpsters are overfilled and couches, etc are left? Mr. Jennings responded that Groot is only obligated to pick up what is in the dumpster and must notify the City if there is material outside the dumpster. He explained the contract obligates the City to go to Groot for the first 12 boxes per weekend and Groot is not obligated to provide more than 12 per weekend. If Groot does not provide more than the 12, the City goes to the next supplier and may pay more for the next 13-20. He said generally most weekends there are 12 and a few weekends 20 are needed. In response to Alderman Bernstein, Mr. Jennings said this contract buys use of about 100 dumpsters. Alderman Rainey was concerned about the situation where no dumpsters are delivered when the neighborhood has planned a cleanup and asked for a number to call on Saturday. Alderman Rainey said the dumpsters are policed but neighbors can turn their backs and a landscaping company will dump an entire week's worth of landscaping debris and the residents cannot put anything in. She reported police were called to such a scene and were unable to do anything. Mr. Jennings stated that the ordinance would have to be changed to make it illegal for somebody outside the area or a commercial venture to use the dumpsters. He said they have a clear order of tasks that the company faxes to the City, so if they cannot get dumpsters the City can go elsewhere for them. Alderman Kent asked if procedures had changed for neighborhood groups and was there a record of those groups? Mr. Jennings stated there is a record of neighborhood groups and aldermanic approval has been removed from the form. He said that aldermen would be notified on the Friday preceding cleanups in their ward. If a community group comes to the City they will fulfill the request. Roll call. Voting aye — Feldman, Newman, Jean -Baptiste, Wynne, Bernstein, Kent, Moran, Engelman, Rainey. Voting nay — none. Motion carried (9-0). Resolution 37-R-02 — Allocation of MFT Funds for Street Improvements — Consideration of proposed Resolution 37-R-02, which authorizes the allocation of $56,650 of Motor Fuel Tax Funds as a local match for improvements of the Dempster St. bridge and Dempster St. Alderman Jean- Baptiste moved approval of this item. Seconded by Alderman Engelman. Roll call. Voting aye — Feldman, Newman, Jean -Baptiste, Wynne, Kent, Moran, Engelman, Rainey. Voting nay — none. Motion carried (8-0-1). Alderman Bernstein abstained due to possible conflict of interest. PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT: Ordinance 46-0-02 — Bindine Appearance Review — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 46-0-02, which approves a recommendation of the Plan Commission to incorporate binding appearance review within the purview of the Site Plan & Appearance Review Committee and adopt the Site Plan & Appearance Review Design Standards. Alderman Newman reported the committee began a discussion of the binding appearance review ordinance but did not finish. The sense of the committee was to continue the discussion and that would be the sole item at the May 20 meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. The other item was the traffic signal modernization in the Ridge Historic District. Residents raised issues as to whether the City should go forward with this project. Mr. Jennings answered questions. The committee decided that the whole Council needed to be involved quickly because this project is in the Capital Improvement Budget and residents raised legitimate issues that needed to be answered because the project has begun. Alderman Jean -Baptiste pointed out this project falls under the purview of the A&PW Committee because it is public works and the further discussion on this is proposed for the next A&PW Committee meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. Alderman Newman stated there was a difference of opinion; that the issue raised was about the appearance on the public way. In Alderman Newman's view, the issue of appearance and preservation made this a P&D Committee issue. There were seven or eight speakers and more that wished to speak. There was discussion of possible meeting dates and when all could attend. Alderman :� s& 9 May 6, 2002 Feldman raised a point of order; was not certain that the argument Alderman Newman presented for this item to be in P&D was valid. Alderman Feldman said the contract for the project came before the A&PW Committee and the fact that there are objections to its design does not eliminate it from that jurisdiction. It should come before the committee where originally presented and approved. He agreed the entire Council needs to be present. Mayor Morton confirmed that Alderman Newman had asked that this issue be placed on the P&D Committee agenda. Alderman Newman said this is a serious issue to people who live along Ridge Avenue and an allegation that the City did not comply with its own Preservation Ordinance. Committee members were unaware of that until it was pointed out. Alderman Newman stated the P&D Committee has jurisdiction over the Preservation Ordinance and residents along Ridge were entitled to a timely response to issues they raised about this project since it is in the beginning phase. Alderman Newman pointed out that the Rules Committee decides jurisdictional disputes. Alderman Feldman has letters/calls about pollution, traffic, financial, priorities in the community that relate to A&PW. He said switching jurisdictions was not a light matter and did not care who chaired the meeting. Aldermen Rainey and Bernstein agreed. Alderman Bernstein suggested it be on the Council agenda because it was time sensitive. Alderman Jean -Baptiste said they could decide who would chair the meeting in the meantime and needed to pick a date. Mr. Crum stated they should meet as soon as possible. Alderman Newman suggested a joint committee meeting in the Council Chamber at 5:30 p.m. on May 20. HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE: Alderman Rainey announced the Human Services Committee would meet on May 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Noyes Cultural Arts Center. CALL OF THE WARDS: 91' Ward. Alderman Feldman spoke about the recent unfortunate vandalism to the new Levy Center before it has opened and called those responsible mindless and grossly inconsiderate. The Levy Center is dedicated to senior citizens, people who have paid their dues and earned the right to some kind of decent recreational facilities. A great deal of work has gone into that facility. Any defacement done to that building is done to a population that deserves respect. He spoke of the horror of the shootings that occurred in Evanston during the past few days. Police knocked on his door and handed him an envelope and nothing could duplicate the horror he felt as he learned that one person died and four were wounded, one in critical condition. He said all look for explanations and without them it is difficult to understand when or if they can ever gain some kind of control. He has not heard a explanation that he understood that could be applied to change people's behavior. He said it happens all the time and in his lifetime he has seen too much of it. He said this community deserves better than this and this incident does harm beyond belief to people here to have that kind of random violence occur. He paid his respects to all victimized by the shooting; said people have come to Council and asked when they are going to do something about the violence. He was speechless and thought the City was doing things about violence - all the things they do to improve people's lives, improving parks and recreation, and making Evanston a beautiful and safe place, all thought that would make a difference. It may have been, but was hard to tell. He was saddened and felt impotent to deal with this. 1s1 Ward. Alderman Newman referred the iurisdiction question of the traffic light modernization on Ridge Avenue to the Rules Committee; thought they will find overlapping jurisdiction. The way the matter got to them was about the City not following the Preservation Ordinance. He reported that Mr. Crum and Mr. Jennings had met with the Illinois Preservation Agency that day to further understand how the project would proceed. He reported reading the Budget Committee minutes with the list of 37 ideas. While appreciating the intent of the committee, he wanted further explanation on how creating a separate library district with an elected board and another park district would save people money. He imagined colossal legal problems due to the fact that the City owns all the resources and land. He suggested the issue of abolishing the Township be referred to the Human Services Committee and did not think there was support for that. The third area concerned raising parking rates in the parking garages. He invited the alderman who made that suggestion to come to the Parking Committee on May 29 to discuss it. He said raising the parking rates is complicated and pointed out that downtown workers pay $876 to park in a City garage for an entire year. They are obligated to pay Cook County the next dollar increase on the base rate and increase on the monthly rate. None of that income will come to the City. 35�_7 10 May 6, 2002 If the rates are raised, there is the issue of the cost of parking meters downtown. He said this is complicated and he would put that on the Parking Committee agenda for discussion with the Council member who referred it. He said they learned how much people care about the appearance of the community because something that seemed as mundane as how traffic lights would be on corners is a serious issue to people living on Ridge Avenue. He said appearance is something they are attempting to address with the Plan Commission's suggestions on binding appearance review. Further comments on that subject are welcome. 2"d Ward. Alderman Jean -Baptiste spoke about the shootings over the weekend. Sunday morning he received news of what had occurred. At midday, a constituent called and asked him to look at three bullet holes in his garage door. Later on that afternoon, he was visited by parents of the two young men who were wounded in one of the shootings. He said unless people here begin to overcome alienation from one another and, with their neighbors, take on the negative events that are in their neighborhoods, then things will continue to go on with negative consequences to the community. He has encouraged constituents who come to him with problems to organize because in all of these situations it is a small number of people who are involved in negative activities. Most people are upstanding citizens but if they are not organized and show a presence where negative things happen, then things will continue to fester. One constituent pointed out where drug activities were going on; another where the owner was selling liquor out of his garage and people would hangout and be loud. He said it was important for people to remain vigilant and do something to make a difference in their environment. Staying behind closed doors allows things to go on and impacts negatively. By encouraging residents to organize, he did not mean to take the place of police. 3rd Ward. Alderman Wynne invited all to the Young Evanston Art festival at Dempster/Chicago May 18-19. She reported an excellent turnout and many good ideas came out of the recent 3`' Ward town hall meeting. Police Officers Shep and Pettineo answered many questions. Another meeting is planned for the end of summer. 41h Ward. Alderman Bernstein reported a meeting convened by Dick Peach about the Summer Youth Employment Program. People from the Youth Job Center, Peer Services, businesses and Chamber of Commerce met to analyze what the community has and to see if they can go forward with something better. He announced the auction for 1314 Ridge would be held on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn. He suggested sustainable energy and green design dovetail nicely with binding appearance review. With some sources of energy drying up, they need to look at other appropriate sources of energy and its time to architects think in those terms. 5`h Ward. Alderman Kent said he understood the shootings were not gang or drug related but could be both. He said the community must continue to come together and get over the fear of what is on the streets. He said the most important part for the community was to continue to believe that there is justice. There are people trying to get to the people who might have a better idea of what happened though they will not call the Police Department because they don't trust the police. So they have a situation of honest people not being part of the process of getting to the solution. He saw that as the next step for that part of the community. People are scared when they hear gunshots on the street and even more frightened when it close to their home. People are so scared they don't want to call the police but call their minister or alderman or call someone to call the police. He said they must get over the "communication hump" and establish trust and relationships, which was where they started some ten years ago when they had a large void. They started with foot patrol officers and tried to show police were doing they best they could and there is only so much they can do. This is where the eyes and ears of the community come into play. Somebody in that area knows exactly what happened and when that person comes forward, they cannot be left out there alone. No matter the cause, these shootings were senseless and messed everything up. Alderman Kent reported problems on the east side of the 5m Ward had resulted in a City/Northwestern University Task Force He reported meeting with the Associated Student Government, Lucile Krasnow, William Banis, Human Relations Commission, City Manager, Police Department and many department heads. He said they are trying to enter into a cooperative state with students who live in off -campus housing because they are residents and get over the perception that students are not wanted and that a few bad students represent them. They had a panel dealing with how police deal with problems. He stated they ar all working together. Information was given to students on trash pickup, responsibilities of living off campus and protectio to the landlord. They have identified places that are not good to live in; discussed break-ins when students are away. The talked about building community relationships and neighborhood watch. They discussed getting dumpsters to clear up debris SS91 11 May 6, 2002 in the alleys and will try to coordinate cleanup days so that when students leave there is a place to put items they don't want. He saw this as a positive step. He asked that this information be included in the monthly report of the City Manager. 6" Ward. No report 7th Ward. No report 8" Ward. Alderman Rainey reported the worst remaining slumlord is gone and the building was sold to one of the best developers here. She said the community, staff and inspectors let it be known to this slumlord that he would not be tolerated, so he left. She noted that five people were gunned down in Evanston in 12 hours — four on Brown Avenue and one in an alley on Howard Street. She suggested the problem is there are people with guns and until the community rises up and objects to the presence of guns here, these events will keep happening. Over a year ago, when she advocated for a gun buyback program, the biggest resistance she had was from police who said the buyback programs aren't any good because what they get are the guns that would have been turned in anyway. She did not believe that. She pointed out without an opportunity to turn them in they could be stolen. She said when people drive and shoot with guns any person could be a victim as well as those on Brown or on Howard in the alley. She noted a little girl in Chicago was shot standing in the hallway of the building where she lived by a person she never knew or saw before because it was a stray bullet. She said until the community rises up and opposes guns here and insists that people turn in everybody they know and call every judge they know there will be gun violence. There are people who serve three or four years for homicide and are out on the street with guns in violation of their parole. She said one of the biggest problems Evanston has are the judges at the Skokie courthouse, because when the graffiti, stealing and aggravated assaults happen, these people are treated leniently so one thing leads to another. Whenever there is a shooting, there is a lull, then a retaliatory shooting occurs. She predicted this would be a hot summer. She stated that Gerald Gordon had demeaned her and the 8`h Ward message board because the 8`h Ward does not have a chat room. On the message board, when people were saying that Council was secretive in planning the street light modernization on Ridge Avenue, she did some research. She said the matter has been before the A&PW Committee since 1999. She pulled up a couple of articles from the RoundTable and wanted to show that this project was not a secret. She has gotten about 100 calls over four years about how terrible the traffic signals are on Ridge Avenue. She saw organizing, synchronizing and controlling the signals on Ridge as a good thing and her posting this information was not inappropriate. There being no further business to come before Council, Mayor Morton asked for a motion to adjourn. The Council so moved at 10:49 p.m. Mary P. Morris, City Clerk A videotape recording of this meeting has been made part of the permanent record and is available in the Citv Clerk's office. 1