Riverwalk Commission

400 S. Eagle Street City of Naperville Naperville, IL 60540 Meeting Minutes Riverwalk Commission Wednesday, February 8, 2023 7:30 AM Municipal Center Lunchroom A. CALL TO ORDER: The Riverwalk Commission Chairman Kennedy called the February 8, 2023 Naperville Riverwalk Commission meeting to order at 7:30 a.m. The meeting was held in the lunchroom of the Naperville Municipal Center located at 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL. B. ROLL CALL: Present: Valla Aguilar; Pam Bartlett; John Cuff; Jan Erickson; Jeff Friant; Mary Gibson; Ian Holzhauer; Pat Kennedy, Chairman; Leo Martinez; Bill Novack; Mike Sullivan; and Carl Wohlt Absent: Tom Stibbe Also Present: Rebecca DeLarme, City Staff; Mike DiCristina, Naperville Park District; Brian Dusak, ERA; Stephanie Penick, Naperville Riverwalk Foundation; and Carl Peterson, GRWA C. PUBLIC FORUM: There were no public comments. D. OLD BUSINESS: 1. Moser Tower Rehabilitation - Bill Novack Novack advised that an on-site meeting was scheduled this afternoon with the contractor to walk through the project and review the punch list. They hope to have all items addressed within the next month so the fence can be removed before the weather warms up. 2. Fredenhagen Park Fountain - Bill Novack Novack advised of plans to hold discussions with the Castagnoli family and the Exchange Club regarding repair of the Exchange Club Memories Fountain and possible alternatives that may reduce expenses, per City Council’s directive. Erickson advised that she spoke with the Exchange Club and they are very open to ideas. They requested to be a part of future discussions. Erickson asked DeLarme to provide her with contact City of Naperville Page 1 Printed on 3/9/2023 Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes February 8, 2023 information for Tom Castagnoli. Novack advised that options will be explored and brought back before the Commission for further discussion. If there is no traction on an alternative feature, the fountain repair will be placed out for bid. Kennedy advised that he and Erickson were meeting with the mayoral candidates to review the 2031 Riverwalk Master Plan. The possibility of a winter feature was brought up during a recent meeting and the idea of a convertible element such as a fire pit was briefly discussed. 3. Riverwalk Master Plan - Pat Kennedy Novack reported on the $900,000 federal funding bill that was recently passed for the Eagle Street Gateway project, noting they were informed they would need to go through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to receive the funding. Dusak advised that ERA is reviewing the information to determine how this process will impact the project’s timeline. ERA has recently received comments from DuPage County on their initial submittal and will be reviewing to incorporate all information into the construction documents before going out to bid. No high level concerns have been identified at this time. Erickson inquired if there were any deadlines in the grant that may be missed by going through this review process, with Novack advising that more information was needed from the grant administrator, which is expected in the next month. Peterson provided a recap on the South Extension discussions from last week’s PDC meeting and reviewed the updated renderings with the Commission. He noted feedback received indicates the existing sidewalk on Washington Street is used as a bike path by many people. He discussed the proposed concrete bicycle path that would split off at the newly proposed plaza and separate from the Riverwalk path between Hillside Road and Martin Avenue. Discussion followed on creating a spur that would connect Edward Hospital to North Central College, while still discouraging bicycle use on the Riverwalk. It was noted that if ComEd agreed to remove the existing utility poles, the existing sidewalk could be widened to accommodate bicycles. The importance of allowing safe access to the existing businesses at Hillside was also noted, with Dusak suggesting the possibility of adding a staircase. Peterson added that they are proposing standard Riverwalk seat walls to be a part of the gateway to identify the Riverwalk without necessarily including a welcome sign. Wohlt discussed the opportunity of coordinating signage at the intersection of Martin Avenue with Edward Hospital. Kennedy noted the importance of Edward Hospital’s feedback and that a meeting was being planned with them, Ryan Companies and the Riverwalk consultants to review the South Extension and the 10 Martin Avenue development. City of Naperville Page 2 Printed on 3/9/2023 Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes February 8, 2023 Novack provided background on the former Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Committee (BPAC) that was under the City’s Transportation Advisory Board. Currently, the Naperville Environmental and Sustainability Task Force (N.E.S.T.) works to encourage reduction in vehicular traffic. Novack noted that any recommended changes to the City’s bike plan would need to go before the City’s Transportation Advisory Board. Novack will provide and review Naperville’s Biking Map at next month’s meeting. Dusak will provide the Commission with timelines for preliminary engineering for the project. 4. Riverwalk Bicentennial Fund - Pat Kennedy Kennedy reported that the inaugural meeting was held and the Riverwalk Bicentennial Fund (RBF) Board consists of Erickson, Rick Hitchcock and John Joseph. They have filed with the state and IRS for 501(c)(3) status and have a bank account. They continue to engage with Deborah Newman Marketing/Communications on the marketing materials that were funded by the Riverwalk Foundation and they are still working on the video component. Erickson described RBF as a major fundraising arm of the most ambitious group of projects that the Riverwalk has undertaken in recent past. She noted the importance of the supportive partnership between the two entities and suggested adding an additional voting member to the Riverwalk Commission from RBF. Discussion followed on the Riverwalk Foundation’s voting member, John Cuff, and the past member from the Millennium Carillon Foundation. The Commission also discussed the duration of this need lasting for the timeline of the RBF and the Master Plan. A motion was made by Erickson for the Riverwalk Commission to add another voting member from the Riverwalk Bicentennial Fund and recommend to City Council to amend Title 2-12 of the Naperville Municipal Code to increase the number of Riverwalk Commission members from 12 to 13. Motion was seconded by Friant. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY with Stibbe absent E. NEW BUSINESS: There was no new business to discuss. F. REPORTS: 1. Approval of Minutes - Pat Kennedy Approve minutes from the January 11, 2023 Riverwalk Commission meeting City of Naperville Page 3 Printed on 3/9/2023 Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes February 8, 2023 Attachments: 23RWCMinutes0111 A motion to approve the January 11, 2023 Riverwalk Commission meeting minutes was made by Cuff, seconded by Bartlett. MOTION CARRIED 2. Chairman - Pat Kennedy Kennedy spoke of a recent trip to Greenville, SC and their newly redeveloped downtown area that focused on a waterfall and a new pedestrian bridge. He encouraged the group to visit riverwalks in other towns they may visit to continue to feed the Commission’s vision. 3. Finance - Bill Novack Receive the January Riverwalk financial report Attachments: 23RWCFinancials01 Novack reviewed the financial report through January 31, 2023 that was included in the agenda packet. 4. Park District - Mike DiCristina Receive the monthly Park District report Attachments: 23ParkDistrictMemo0208 DiCristina reviewed highlights from the Park District report that was included in the agenda packet. All holiday decorations have been taken down and returned to storage, snow removal was the focus for short period of time, and staff is continuing with the invasive removal project in Sections 1, 2 and 8. The annual flower design has been finalized with delivery scheduled for May. Staff continues with winter tree pruning, rejuvenation pruning and overgrown landscape focused around Section 2 in Centennial Park. 5. Riverwalk Foundation - John Cuff Cuff reported that the Riverwalk Foundation Board meeting was held on February 1st. He noted that the Foundation would like to see a water feature at Fredenhagen Park. 6. Donor Recognition - Rebecca DeLarme DeLarme reported that the Spring ’23 Legacy Gift order deadline is March 15th and currently consists of twenty-seven 4” x 8” and five 8” x 8” commemorative brick orders. Installation will occur in May. 7. Public Relations - Valla Aguilar City of Naperville Page 4 Printed on 3/9/2023 Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes February 8, 2023 Receive the monthly Public Relations report Attachments: 23PublicRelationsReport0208 Aguilar reported that the Naperville Riverwalk was mentioned in 71 articles, social media posts and broadcasts during the month of January, a 39% decrease in coverage over December. Highlights included: 20 Best Cities for Walking Your Dog (Naperville #10, HGTV.com), Moser Tower work completed; and 8 most affordable Naperville, IL suburbs to live in (blog). 8. Planning, Design, and Construction - Jeff Friant Receive the January 31, 2023 Riverwalk Planning, Design and Construction Committee draft meeting minutes Attachments: 23PDCMinutes0131Draft Friant noted there was not a quorum at the PDC meeting so no actions were taken. Discussion was mainly focused on the South Extension and Fredenhagen Park and all pertinent information from the PDC meeting was previously discussed at this meeting. G. MEETING SCHEDULE: **Riverwalk Planning, Design & Construction, February 28, 2023, 7:30 a.m. Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL Riverwalk Commission, March 8, 2023, 7:30 a.m. Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL Riverwalk Planning, Design & Construction, April 4, 2023, 7:30 a.m. Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL Riverwalk Commission, April 12, 2023, 7:30 a.m. Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL H. ADJOURNMENT: A motion to adjourn was made by Friant and seconded by Sullivan. The meeting adjourned at 8:43 a.m. MOTION CARRIED Respectfully submitted by Rebecca DeLarme, City Staff City of Naperville Page 5 Printed on 3/9/2023