Citizens' Community Enhancement Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB CITIZENS’ COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT COMMISSION MARCH 18, 2019 The Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission (CCEC) held a regular meeting on March 18, 2019 in the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. The meeting was called to order at 4:03 p.m. A. ROLL CALL Roll call was recorded by Executive Assistant Ruth Scott and the following members of the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission (CCEC) were present: Melissa Beck, Deborah Booth, Brad Hoey, Jeanine Holcomb, Susan Johnson, Brad Pietens, and Ellingsworth Webb. No one was absent. Also present were: City Manager Bill Nicklas, Executive Assistant Ruth Scott, Brian Oster of OC Creative, and Carolyn Morris. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS Ms. Beck asked that downtown banners be added to the agenda for discussion. Ms. Booth asked that 2019 Artigras funding be added to the agenda for discussion. MOTION Mr. Hoey moved to amend the agenda as noted above; seconded by Ms. Booth. VOTE Motion carried by a majority voice vote of those present. MOTION Ms. Holcomb moved to approve the agenda as amended; seconded by Ms. Booth. VOTE Motion carried by a majority voice vote of those present. C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission March 18, 2019 Page 2 of 3 Ms. Johnson moved to approve the CCEC minutes of March 18, 2019; seconded by Mr. Webb. VOTE Motion carried by a majority voice vote of those present. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Mr. Oster presented ideas to draw attention and publicity to the downtown area, which included painting cross walks red and black, “eyeballing” objects, pallet chairs, and fun signs pointing out interesting locations. There was also discussion about painting a viaduct. Discussion ensued regarding Mr. Oster’s presentation. Ms. Beck asked what the scope of the CCEC is. Mr. Hoey stated it’s been a conduit for citizens to present ideas for potential discussion with the City Council. Mr. Nicklas stated the CCEC is an advisory commission and not a decision-making body. There was brief discussion regarding a draft of a public arts policy. Mr. Nicklas stated it’s important to come up with new ideas that are within reach, noting he would see what he could do around mid-year to help facilitate a small amount of funding for spontaneous ideas. Mr. Hoey stated that perhaps the CCEC could identify two of the ideas presented by Mr. Oster to accomplish before Corn Fest. Discussion ensued regarding potential grants and community groups interested in helping with projects. E. NEW BUSINESS 1. 2019 Artigras Funding Discussion regarding this item centered around planning and funding. There was also brief discussion regarding the history of the event. It was concluded that it could be a successful event with the right leadership and community involvement. F. OLD BUSINESS 1. Status of Paint-a-Plug Applications.  Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission March 18, 2019 Page 3 of 3 Discussion regarding this item included applications that have been submitted, reviewed and approved, one of which was from the DeKalb Public Library. They plan to get started on their project in April. There was also discussion regarding the possibility of a press release to draw attention to the project. 2. Downtown Banners Mr. Nicklas spoke regarding downtown banners, noting his intention to add new banners from Fourth Street to First Street that will draw attention to Northern Illinois University. There will also be banners with a patriotic theme. 3. Continued Discussion on Mission and Duties of the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission – Aligning with the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan. This item was not discussed. Mr. Hoey stated he would try to find the document that was created by Jason Michnick that provided information from other communities regarding public art policies so that the CCEC could review it and make a recommendation for moving forward. Ms. Booth asked about subcommittees for the CCEC. Executive Assistant Scott stated she would refer to the City’s Municipal Code chapter that references the CCEC to see if subcommittees are allowed. G. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Mr. Webb moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Mr. Pietens. VOTE Motion carried by a majority voice vote of those present. The meeting was adjourned at 5:32 p.m. _____________________________________ RUTH A. SCOTT, Executive Assistant Minutes approved by the CCEC: April 15, 2019