Comprehensive Plan Implementation Subcommittee

Niles 2030 Plan Implementation Sub –Committee Meeting Summary Monday July 30th, 2012 The following persons were in attendance: Committee members Pat Dalessandro, Fred Kudert, Harry Major, and Mike Shields. Committee member Steve Gorski was not able to attend. Community Development Manager Rich Wlodarski chaired the meeting on behalf of Chuck Ostman who was also not able to attend. Also in attendance was George Van Geem Niles Village Manager. The meeting was called to order at 6:40pm by Interim Chairman Rich Wlodarski. 1. The Minutes of the July 16th, 2012 meeting were presented and approved unanimously by the Committee members present. 2. A brief discussion was held regarding a question and recommendation from Mike Shields to post the minutes of the Niles 2030 Plan Implementation Sub‐Committee on the Village web site in a manner similar to the practice followed with the minutes of Storm Water Commission meetings. It was agreed that the minutes should be posted and Rich Wlodarski will pursue this. 3. Fred Kudert inquired regarding the status of the hiring program for the Planner and Economic Development positions. Village Manager George Van Geem indicated that hiring is formally approved and the job descriptions were being revised prior to posting. While the reporting relationship for the two positions remains open the overall process is still expected to be completed within the next three (3) months, as previously estimated. 4. Interim Chairman Rich Wlodarski asked that the committee resume reviewing the Comprehensive plan beginning with the Commercial Areas section which follows the Residential section that was reviewed at the previous meeting. The new ranking format which was developed and approved at the July 16th meeting was used by each member in their individual evaluations. In addition, objectives which are or may be zoning related were also identified as such to insure their inclusion in the upcoming zoning revision program. By discussion of differing suggestions and opinions from Mike Shields and Harry Major it was agreed to continue with the previous practice of reading each objective in its entirety, posting  each individuals ranking and allowing for discussion of ranking differences as needed. 5. Using the above agreed upon process the Committee completed the review and discussion of the following sections: Commercial Areas, Community Facilities, Infrastructure and Development, and Transportation and Circulation. Individual rankings were compiled by Interim Chairman Rich Wlodarski for incorporation into the master spread sheet maintained by Community Development. The goal of the next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday August 7th is to review the remaining sections in a similar manner, completing the initial review process of all objectives. The complete list of individual rankings will then be compiled and averaged by Community Development to begin the prioritization discussions leading to the Committees recommendation of near term key objectives and implementation steps for presentation to and approval by the Village Board. 6. Several objectives were discussed in greater detail and expanded upon in the course of the individual reviews. They are as follows: Resolving parking issues along Milwaukee Ave. in order to improve appearance, and enhance and manage future development opportunities through zoning and regulation changes is likely to be more difficult than expected. Pat Dallesandro cited the shortage of alternative parking options if right of way parking is reduced or eliminated in certain areas as a significant problem. Village Manager Van Geem also commented that Niles, similar to almost all local communities, is not likely to undertake the purchase of land parcels for conversion to public parking which adds additional constraints in this area. Consideration of a formal Commercial Appearance Award program was also discussed. A wide range of perspectives and thoughts concerning the potential value and benefits of a program of this type were shared by the committee members and Village Manager Van Geem. The general consensus of the Committee was that this topic should be considered for further review in the upcoming prioritization discussions. Regarding Infrastructure and Development, Village Manager Van Geem commented that the Golf Mill Shopping Center should be considered as a primary candidate to focus on as there is a good fit with the Centers current status and many of the specific appearance and infrastructure objectives described in the 2030 plan. The Committee agreed that it is in need of updating and that it is well suited for consideration as a large scale project to develop and demonstrate specific infrastructure improvement methods and project management procedures which could then be used in other similar future Village programs. A question was raised concerning the viability of a large scale Golf Mill Improvement program. Is this really possible? Village Manager Van Geem commented that it is possible, including shared participation by Golf Mill ownership, with appropriate financing and structure. As an aside, he also indicated that Niles has a good history in successfully structuring TIF financing programs and achieving important goals through their use. The appropriateness of this option for the Golf Mill area and how it may apply, if suitable, was not reviewed in detail. There were several additional discussions concerning financing for 2030 objectives and other Village programs from several different perspectives. Mike Shields proposed incorporating a long term capital plan, as a budget document, into the Community Facilities section. Village Manager Van Geem supported this approach, that funding is an issue, as there is no specific spending identified in the current budget for 2030. Regarding funding, Mike Shields commented at a separate point in the meeting that he continues to see a large number of items that do not appear to require specific line item funding based on his review. Fred Kudert also commented that he believes a number of objectives are just action or direction steps, not requiring funding and hopefully, in certain areas where funds are required, that available funding can be utilized by a decision of alternatives instead of requesting additional funding. There was general agreement that further discussion of funding is very important and a consensus will be needed as part of the prioritization process. Regarding the Niles Free Bus, all ranked this as a “10” in terms of the need for a timely resolution of the issues concerning this service. In Transportation and Circulation, bike racks were discussed in detail. Harry Major commented, based on his personal commercial property ownership experience, that they are beneficial to the community as a tool to encourage biking. He indicated that the costs are low, approx. $250 for simple racks, and that he will consider installing additional racks at his Oak Mill Mall property. Based on the discussion Village Manager Van Geem commented that he felt it was important for Niles to encourage the larger scale installation of bike racks across the business areas of the Village. Village Signage was also discussed. The Committee agreed that in general, local signage was poor and should be a mid‐range priority. Village Manager Van Geem offered a similar opinion and commented regarding the individual timing ratings of the committee membership, that this need not be a longer term objective of several years out. Based on this, the committee’s general consensus was to place a much higher priority on this  specific objective in the upcoming overall review process as a short term objective. 7. In closing, an important aspect of the upcoming prioritization meeting was discussed. Harry Major offered the suggestion that the committee focus on finding consensus on ten (10) to perhaps fifteen (15) key items as a realistic number to consider from an implementation aspect for 2013. From his perspective the number of short and near term objectives is much lower than the forty eight (48) identified by Mike Shields in his analysis, primarily because of funding concerns. Mike commented that he continues to strongly believe that the large number of objectives he has identified as readily attainable can be implemented in the near term with no to little additional new funding. Fred Kudert offered a related personal opinion that a measurable number of goals appear to be direction and focus type of activities which should be attainable within existing budgets and manning. The Committee and the Village Manager George Van Geem, as noted earlier in the minutes, collectively recognize the major importance of resolving funding and also staffing questions as a key part of the process to identify the number of “10” level near term objectives that are attainable and subsequently worthy of recommendation to the Board and Village management for implementation. Addressing these questions will be a key aspect of the first prioritization discussion scheduled for August 21st. 8. Fred Kudert also commented that the Committee may want to consider including as part of the recommendations to the Board, establishing a formal series of “top down” meetings with Board participation to present the key details and expectations of the final program, after formal approval, to the Village Government from Department Heads to employees. It was also encouraged to consider incorporating other separate Village governing bodies and organizations, i.e. Park District and Library into the communication program along with the Chamber of Commerce for also connecting the business community. 9. The Committee agreed to meet again on Tuesday August 7th at 6:30 PM to complete the individual priority voting process and discussion. Parks and Open Space (16 objectives), Image and Identity (22 objectives), Economic Development (19 objectives), Sustainability (6 objectives) and Arts and Culture (9 objectives) are the remaining plan sections to review. Community Development will then complete updating the composite spread sheet and issue a copy to all Committee members in advance of the initial priority discussion meeting which the Committee agreed to schedule for Tuesday August 21st at 6:30 PM. 10. The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.