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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 5/11/2004 - Economic Development Commission McHENRY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 333 South Green Street,McHenry,lliinois 60060 (815)363-2100 e-rnail: kkunze�a>cLtnchetiry_.ii_�ss fax: 815-363-2128 \... MCHENRY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISS/ON Agenda Tuesday, May 11, 2004 12:30 p.m. Municipal Building — Council Chambers 1) Approval of Minutes: March 9, 2004 regularly scheduled meeting April 13, 2004 special meeting 2) Treasurer's Report 3) McHenry County Industrial Council Report 4) Chamber Report 5) City Report 6) Transportation Report � 7) Special Projects Report 8) Welcoming Committee Report 9) McHenry County EDC Tourism Committee Report 10) Ad Hoc Committee Report 2004 Goals and Objectives 11) Other Business Posted and Mailed April 5,2004 � Executive Board: David Gelwicks,Donald Doherty,Janice Jones, Kit Carstens Economic Development Commission Meeting Tuesday,March 9,2004 McHenry Municipal Center 12:30 p.m. � Present: Kay Bates, William Bolger, Kit Carstens, D. William Dodds, Donald Doherty, David Gelwicks, Phil Hintz, Janice Jones (arrived at 12:55 p.m.)Kathleen Kunzer, Susan Low, Bill Marinangel, Doug Martin, Joseph Napolitano, Aied Neumann. Absent: Carol Chrisman, Daniel Curran, Doug Maxeiner, Dick Pagealow, Kaxen Patel, John Smith, John Swierk, Richaxd Wimmer. Also in attendance representing District 15 efforts to inform the community about the impending referendurn on the March 16`�primary ballot. Chairman Gelwicks called the meeting to order at 12:32 p.rn. A roval of Minutes Motion by Bolger, seconded by Neumann, to approve the minutes of the November January 13, 2004 Soard Meeting as presented. All ayes. Motion carried. Treasurer's Report Chairnian Gelwicks noted the balance in the EDC Treasury remains at$1110.69 as there was no activity in the account during the past two months. A request for payment of the McHenry County Industr�al Council Annual Dues in the amount of$100 was received and required Boazd authorization to pay. Motion by Carstens, seconded by Bolger,to authorize the payment of$100 to the McHenry County Industrial Council for Annual Dues in the amount of$100, and to approve the February 2004 Treasurer's Report as presented. All ayes. Motion carried McHenry County Industrial Council Report Representative Gelwicks stated there was no meeting since the last EDC Board meeting and there was no MCIC � report. Chamber Report Bates reported the 2004 Fiesta Days has been scheduled for July 16�'thru the 25`''. Entertainment is being lined up. It was suggested the Fiesta Days Guide be utilized as a summertime guide (advertising such events as the Kiwanis Soap box Derby, 4�'of July Fireworks,etc.)and not strictly for Fiesta Days Events. The McHenry Dowrrtown Merchants organization met within the past month and sevaral members are considering joining the Chamber in order to coordinate downtown revitalization efforts. Bates reported there is great interest in establishing a cruise night in the community. Bates acknowledged the Welcome to McHenry sign is in need of replacement. The sign is located on Dr, Hult's property who is being consulted regarding locating a replacement sign on his premises. Motion by Bolger, seconded by Law,to approve the Chamber Report as presented. All ayes. Motion carried. Citv Report Director of Community Development Napolitano reported building activity continues to flourish in the city. He also reported on the status of the following projects: • Budreck Property annexation and development • Gilger Property annexation and development • Koehn Property anneacation and development • First Midwest Property redevelopment of the Carey Building. � Director Napolitano and Planner Martin recently attended a Shopping Center Alliance Conference in Chicago where networking was initia,ted with potential retail and resta.urant entities. Page 2 - EDC January 13,2004 Route 120 roadway improvements are continuing with cornpletion anticipated by late summer. The city will meet with `- IDOT officials regarding IDOT's request to entirely close the Crystal Lake Road/Route 120 intersection and Front and Elm Streets intersection for improvements.Work will begin on the McCullom Lake Road and Route 31 intersection in August. In response to an ir,quiry, Director Napolitano stated PRDC is progressing with the purchase and build out of Windsor's Village Gieen Project. PRDC is also moving forward with the senior citizen residential development along Bull Valley Road noi th of Church of Holy Apostles. City Sta1�is warking with the County to coordinate Bull Valley Road access and signalization to assist the PRDC development, the Gilger Properry development, and the Church of Holy Apostles. In response to board inquiries, Director Napolitano reported: • China Light i�awaiting delivery of specialized kitchen equipment; • Pea Pod Restaurant is slowly moving forward toward opening-they have experienced construction delays; • No Way Jose-no current status on the viability of the restaurant is known; • Wa.hl Property redevelopment-no current viable projects at this time. Motion by Doherty, seconded by Dodds,to approve the City Report as presented.All ayes. Motion carried. Transportation Report Doherty suggested city Staff provide the board updates to transportation issues as they are more informed regarding current transportation concerns and projects. Special Projects Report Cazstens reported the Riverwalk Liaison Committee will meet Wednesday, March 10`� at 3 p.rn. The committee will `-- work on finalizing the design development plan prior to its presentation to Council in the near future. It is hoped the final design will be approved within the next sixty days. If this occurs, Riverwalk groundbreaking could potentially occur this spring or summer pending the city's securing a second strong deveIoper for the project. Some discussion occurred regarding the Eby Brown property, the Ponarelli Property, the Green Street Medical Arts building and the Wahl Property. Bolger indicated no further fundraising efforts would occur until the final development design plan has been approved. Motion by Napolitano, seconded by Neumann, to approve the Special Project Report as presented. All ayes. Mation carried. Welcoming Committee Report There was no Welcoming Committee Report. McHenr�ty EDC Tourism Committee Report Carstens reported the Tourism Committee is planning a Tourism Roundup in April. Brainstorming and determining the needs of tourism-associated business and industry will be accomplished. Motion by Bolger, seconded by Doherty, to approve the McHenry County EDC Tourism Committee Report as presented. All ayes. Motion carried. McHenrY Elementary School District 15 Presentation In attendance were Dorothy Wolf and Geri Condon, residents and parents of School District 15 students. Ms. Wolf reminded the Board School District 15 has placed a referendum question on the March 16`�' primary ballot. The � request is for a$.30 increase in the district's rate. Ms. Wolf cited the large class sizes, old text books, and removal of sports and activities as reasons the community should support the upcoming referendum. The sch�ool board has pazed back and done what the community has requested following previous referendum request failures. School administrator salaries have been frozen. Efforts have been made at communicating the status and position of the Page 3 EDC January 13,2004 board's request. The community-at-large has been surveyed. The results of the survey are indicated on the district's �-- website. Dr. Dodds noted an article and table indicating how the referendum would impact homeowners was puhlished in Sunday's Northwest Herald. Ms. Condon affirmed the pledge to reduce class sizes, replace the outdated text books and reduce the need t��further remove curriculum and activities from the schools. The proposed $.30 tax rate increase can work. Ms. Condon stated a community is known by the schools it keeps. The McHenry community must do all in its power to suppor� the school system. The community needs a solid school base in order to attract quality development to the ar;,a. For further informaticn the public ma.y visit the website: Some discussion followed regarding ways the EDC can support the efforts of the referendum committee. It was suggested the EDC be listed as a co-sponsor of an advertising campaign which will be implemented on March 12`� through the 15�'. Motion by Bolger, seconded by Carstens, that the EDC endorse the McHenry Elementary School District 15 referendum question on the March 16, 2004 Primary Ba11ot, and that the EDC be a co-sponsor of the pro-referendum ad campaign to talce place this weekend. All ayes. Motion carried. New Business There was no New Business. �004 Goa1s and Ot,�jectives Chairman Gelwicks suggested the Board scheduled a special meeting to discuss the 2004 Goals and Objectives. It was � the consensus of the Board to schedule a Special Meeting on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 at 12:30 p.m. at the McHenry Municipal Center Council Chambers. Each member was asked to rate the list of obtainable goals: A Top priority B. Important but not priority C. Not important at this time. Each member is asked to submit their list of rated goals to the recording secretary so that a complete list of rated priorities can be set prior to the meeting on April 13�'. Adjournment Motion by Doherty, seconded by Dodds,to adjourn at 1:55 p.m. All ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Kathleen Kunzer, Recording Secretary � Economic Development Comm�ssion Special Meeting Tuesday,April 13,2004 McHenry Municipal Center �•- 12:34 p.m. Presen�t: Kay Bates, I�:it Carstens, Daniel Curran, D. William Dodds, David Gelwicks, Kathleen Kunzer, Susan Low, Kathleen Marinangel, Doug Martin, Douglas Maxeiner, Joseph Napolitano, Ned Neumann, John Smith, Rich Wimmer.. Absent: W illiam Bolger, Carol Chrisman, Donald Doherty, Phil Hintz, Janice Jones, Dick Pagealow, Karen Patel,John Swierk. Chairman Gelwicks c�lled the meeting to order at 12:35 p.m. 2004 Goa1s and Obiec;n;ves Chairman Gelwicks :�tated the purpose of today's Special Meeting if to have a round-table discussion in order to discem obtainable goals and objectives for 2004 for the EDC. He noted a survey was distributed to all members who were asked to prioritize the list of suggested goals and objectives. The results of the survey were as follows: A-Top Priority(3 PTS) B-Important but not priority(2 PTS) C-Not important at this time(1 PT) Tall of surve results Points Goals and Ob' ctives ABCBCBACC-AAACAB: 31 1. Support reopening of McHenry Downtown Theatre 6A;4B;SC ABCCCC-CCC-CCCCCC: 18 2. Voice objection to Metra's possible Johnsburg railyard and station lA;1B; 13C AABCCC-CCC-CCCCCB: 21 3. Promote siting Metra railyazd and/or station south of McHenry 2A;2B; 11C Co rate Center AAACABAAABAABBA: 39 4. Riverwalk—promote 2004 groundbrealdng 10A;4B; 1C �`. BBBBBBBAAAAACAA: 36 5. Tourism—encourage City Council to pass Hotel Tax and cooperate 7A;7B; 1C with Co EDC tourism committee CAACABCAABBCAAA: 34 6. Recognition Awards— 8A;3B;4C o Im roved commercial corridors o Efforts of individuals and business owners o New azrivals in town AACCABBBAAABCAB: 34 7. Support statewide altemative school funding 1A;SB;3C o Relationship between Governor and State Board of Education is unhealth o T�monies are sent to Springfield with little return to McHe Coun schools o Local communities will deteriorate if local funding is sole su rt of schools BACCABACC-AACBAA: 32 8. Support improvement of city admnustrative infrastructure to court, 7A;3B; SC aUract and endce u scale commercial entr reneurs CABABAABAABAAAA: 39 9. Identify commercial deficiencies(i.e.large home furniiure store) 10A;4B; 1C and enooura e loca ' of retailer in ci CACACBAAACAAACA: 34 10. Encourage diversification of retail offerings in city(too many banks, 9A;1B; SC a da advance,car tide loans, izza ors,etc) CACCBCACCCA-C-AAA: 28 11. Assist in developing administrative ann of city Staff and 6A;1B; 8C d artments which attract develo ment CACAABAABAAABBA: 37 12. Encourage development of vacant land next to Sullivan Foods 9A;4B;ZC CAACABABAAAAAAB: 38 13. Encourage beautification of Route 31 between Lillian Street and \,,, 10A;3B;2C John Street BAACA+AABBAAAAAA: 40 14. Transportation issues 11A;3B; 1C Page 2 EDC April 13,2004 CABAAABBBAAAAAA: 39 15. Business retention �-- 10A;4B; 1C CABABBAAAAAAAAA: 40 16. Downtown vitality 11A;3B; 1C CBBABBBBABACABA: 33 17. Vacant office space SA;8B;2C CABBACABBBBCABA: 32 18. Restaurant and retail development along Route 31 SA;7B; 3C Additional comments s�ibmitted were: If EDC makes items#2,#3,and#10 priority,this individual will submit resignation Items #2 and#3 aze City Council decisions Utilization of space is market-driven. Metra service is a priority but city and Metra must work together Diversification of retail offerings is none of EDC business—this is a free market. Siting Metra south of town only worsens city traffic issues and provides no relief. Why would Metra siting in 3ohnsburg/north of McHenry be detrimental to McHenry economic development? Final Results Listed Order of Prioritv: • Transportation Issues • Downtown vitality • Promote Riverwalk gound-breaking �.. • Identify commercial deficiencies and encourage locating of large box retailer in city • Business retention • Beautification of Route 31 between Lillian Street and John Street • Development of vacant land next to Sullivan Foods • Tourism—Hotel Tax—and cooperation with County EDC Tourism Committee • Recognition awazds • Support statewide altemative school funding • Diversification of retail offerings in city • Vacant office space • Improvement city adininistrative infrastructiue to encourage more commercial development • Restaurant and retail development along Route 31 • Reopening of Downtown Theater • Develop administrative dept of city in order to attract more development • Promote Metra siting south of McHenry Corporate Center • Object to Metra Johnsburg railyard and station Chairman Gelwicks stated a11 responses were submitted and compiled by the Recording Secretary and the listed results are being presented to the Commission for general discussion at tlus meeting. Chairman Gelwicks stated he hoped following discussion,the Commission would arrive at three or four attainable goals and/or objectives for this year. He anticipated creating ad hoc committees to meet and discuss ways to accomplish the stated goals and objectives. Chairman Gelwicks invited open discussion regarding the listed items. Transportation: Several points were discussed including: `.. • City has a newly-created Transportation Committee which is in its infancy. • It is too early in the Transportation Study/Transportation Committee timeline to initiate a letter-writing campaign to elected federal and staxe officials. Page 3 EDC April 13,2004 • The EDC could act as a liaison between the city and participating landowners to help secure needed r�ght-of- �' way for roadway expansion, etc. • TFIC is already in place to provide a united effort in securing grants and ather funding for transportation improvements/expansion projects. • The EDC sheuld wait for the city's transportation study to be completed prior to offering support as needed. Consensus: There is not much the EDC can do at this juncture to facilitate transportation issues. Suggestion was made to have Chairman Gelwicks draft a letter to the City Council stating the EDC is available to support in whatever way possible Council's efforts to a;�sua.ge transportaxion issues in the city. Action Item: Chairman Gelwicks draft letter to City Council. Downtown Vitalitv: It was noted Downto�vn Vitality is acEually encompassed in several listed priorities,namely: Rivenvalk, commercial deficiencies, development of the vacant land next to Sullivan Foods, support of the downtown theater. Following very len�thy discussion,the following points were noted: • Promote developers approaclung city for potential Riverwalk and/or downtown redevelopment. • Infrequency of rail service is an impediment to downtown business recruitment. • Consider approaching Metra.regazding increased rail service and promote siting station/railyard in Johnsburg. • Need assurance that downtown Metra station will not be abandoned. • City needs existing and expanded rail service. Lengthy discussion occurred regarding Metra,service expansion. It was noted Metra will take the path of least resistance and utilize available monies where there is no opposition to service expansion. �� Consensus: It is important to let Metra lrnow the EDC wholeheartedly supports the expansion of rail service to and for our community. Action Item: Ci#y Administrator Maxeiner to draft EDC aggressive letter of support to Metra. Letter to be reviewed and signed by a11 members of the EDC Boa.rd. Action Item: Prepare resolution of support to be submitted to Metra. Further discussion occurred regarding what the EDC should focus its energies on during the coming yea,r. Discussion included ways in which to become more aggressive in downtown redevelopment recruitment It was agreed ttus item is a top priority. The Board agreed the best way to redevelop the downtown is to be proactive in recruitment. Action Item: Create Ad Hoc Downtown Redevelopment Recruitment Committee comprised of Chairman Gelwicks, Bates, Carstens and a member of city staff to be determined by the Mayor and City Administrator. Action Item: Ad Hoc Committee to meet prior to next regularly scheduled Board meeting to determine definitive recruitment plans. Other Issues: • It was also suggested a large furniture store should be recruited. • Identify developers for Riverwalk and/or downtown redevelopment and have a team of EDC Board members persona.11y visit them • Investigate affordable housing for the downtown area �"' • Mayor Low is talking with area Mayors regarding statewide alternative school funding. She will keep the Board apprised of this�roup's efforts. • General concurrence there are three principal areas the EDC should focus on this year: Page 4 EDC April 13,2004 o Downtown Redevelopment including Riverwalk development �"' o Business Retention o Transportation including Metra service and expansion, Adjournment Motion by Neumann, seconded by Cazstens,to adjourn at 2:02 p.m. All ayes. Motion can ied. Respectfully submittf;d, Kathleen Kunzer, Rec:ording Secretary � � McHENRY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 333 South Green Street�McHenry,Illinois 60080 (815)363-2100 e�rtail:kkur�z�=r'a�ci.mchenry_iLif�. fax: 815-363-2128 � Economic Development Commission Apri I 2004 Treasurer's Report Balance as of 3/31/04 $1110.69 Date of Transaction Income Expenditure Balance Previous Balance $1110.69 � Current Balance as of 4/30/04 $1110.69 signed: date: �1-�-�� Janice . Jo s, Secret reasurer � Executive Board: David Gelwicks,Donald Doherty,Janice Jones, Kit Carstens