Citizens' Community Enhancement Commission

MINUTES MEETING OF THE CITIZENS’ COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT COMMISSION CITY OF DEKALB June 18, 2018 The Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission (CCEC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a regular meeting on Monday, June 18, 2018 in the Haish Conference Room of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. The meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. ROLL CALL Roll was recorded by Economic Development Planner, Jason Michnick, and the following members of the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission present were: Chair Sue Johnson, Cohen Barnes, Deborah Booth, Michael Mooney, Brad Hoey, and Brad Pietens. Bob Boey was absent. Also present at the meeting were Melissa Beck, Kate Cardella, Alex Nerad, Jeanine Holcomb, and Christine Wang. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION Chair Johnson asked for someone to make a motion to approve the agenda, which was made by Mr. Barnes. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mooney and was carried on a voice vote. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Ms. Beck and Ms. Cardella introduced themselves to the commission and discussed their interest in getting engaged with the mission and initiatives that the commission is currently working on. The members of the commission also introduced themselves and provided a background of what the commission has worked on over the past several years. Mr. Nerad and Ms. Holcomb spoke on behalf of the Egyptian Theatre and shared with the commission their plans to approach the City with a request for Tax Increment Financing funds to install air conditioning at the historic theatre. The City and Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre (P.E.T.) have been engaged in conversations about installing air conditioning for a number of years. A previous engineering study estimated the project to cost in excess of $2 million. P.E.T. is planning to request up to $2.5 million. In addition to the installation of air conditioning, there is also a planned expansion to the south side of the theatre that will include larger bathrooms and concessions areas. The mechanical equipment would then be installed on top of the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission May 21, 2018 Page 2 of 3 newly constructed addition. Mr. Nerad shared a website link (www.itstimefor12months.org) with the commission where more details can be found. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION Chair Johnson requested a motion for approval of the May 21, 2018 minutes. Mr. Mooney moved to approve the minutes. Mr. Pietens seconded the motion. Motion carried on a voice vote. OLD BUSINESS 1. Review of Paint-A-Plug submissions The committee reviewed three new submissions that were sent in during the previous month. One of the three was approved. The commission requested that Planner Michnick reach out to the other two applicants and request further details on their concepts. Should those applicants provide the requested detail, Planner Michnick is instructed to approve them. 2. Discussion on Public Art Policy Ms. Wang provided an overview of the research she has conducted as it relates to public art policies. The commission discussed several components of the policies and identified the following questions to be discussed in greater detail: • How is public art defined? • Should a permit be issued for public art? If so, what kind and how does the artist apply? • Who commissions the artwork (i.e. owner of building, City, private donors, etc.)? • Are there different rules for different kinds of artwork (e.g. temporary, rotating, permanent, etc.)? • How will maintenance be handled? The commission also commented that many of the example programs that were highlighted were through independent arts councils and not through municipalities. One specific example of a city program was through Portland, Oregon. The program was specifically for murals on private buildings. The commission discussed a strategy of breaking up the “Public Art Policy” into individual programs, rather than trying to create a comprehensive policy that covers all components of potential public art. The commission had already started this type of program with Paint-A-Plug, so there is a format to be followed. Planner Michnick asked the commission what type of program they would like to see next. The commission agreed that a mural program was the most desirable to create next. 3. Downtown Cigarette Receptacles Planner Michnick provided an update to the commission and informed them that he had spoken with Alfredo’s Ironworks in Cortland. They would be capable and willing to design and fabricate anything that the commission desired, but need to have a general idea of the desired design to get started. The commission discussed different concepts, Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission May 21, 2018 Page 3 of 3 including modifying the existing downtown garbage bins and trying to fit in with the existing downtown streetscape designs. NEW BUSINESS 1. Discussion on Attracting New Special Events to DeKalb The commission briefly discussed special events and determined that there were several groups in the community that have ideas, but do not know how to go about putting on a special event. The commission recommended that the City investigate creating an easy to navigate application and approval process for special events. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Chair Johnson requested a motion for adjournment. Mr. Pietens moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mr. Hoey. Motion carried on a voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 5:24 p.m. ________________________________ Respectfully Submitted by Jason Michnick, Economic Development Planner