by allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Trustee Estrada Volpe? Here. Trustee Zabajanovic? Here. Trustee Conte? Here. Trustee Sargent? Here. Trustee Kaminsky? Here. Trustee Lolino? President Saviano? Motion to excuse the absence of Trustee Lolino. I'll second that. All in favor say aye. Aye. OPPOSED, DO YOU GUYS HAVE IT? OKAY. OKAY, WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENTS. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS TONIGHT? IF YOU DO, COME OUT AND WALK UP TO THE MICROPHONE. JUST STATE YOUR NAME, PLEASE. HELLO, MY NAME IS JESSICA PROST. My partner Matt and I are new residents of Elmwood Park. We recently moved from North Carolina and we own a 2021 Chevy Silverado. According to the Elmwood Park code, we aren't allowed to park our truck on the street in front of our house as our car falls under a second division vehicle. From the code itself, I quote, second division vehicles, trucks, tractors, trailers, campers, house trailers, boat trailers, and vans, or any vehicle which is designated or used for pulling or carrying freight or pleasure vehicle used for commercial purposes shall not park on the streets located within the village of Elmwood Park. Our truck is our only vehicle. It's not being used for any commercial purposes. It's not being used to tow a trailer. It's the same vehicle as any other full-size SUV on the road right now. The house we bought on 74th Avenue has no driveway in either the front or back of the house. And right now, our garage is completely full of moving boxes. We quite literally have nowhere to park our car if not in front of our street. I did some research on how the city of Chicago handles pickup trucks and found that they also had this rule in place for second division vehicles. But in 2018, they revised section 9-64-170 of their code to allow for non-commercial pickup trucks with a valid city sticker. to park on a residential street. Elmwood Park already uses village stickers for parking in residential neighborhoods, so why can't that be used as a designator for personal pickup trucks? We urge the village to update the code, as the city of Chicago has already proven it to be outdated. Thank you for your time. How long do you think those boxes are going to be in your garage? A while. We're currently renovating our basement, which is going to be our main storage area. You know, give our chief your name and your address and your telephone number, please, and we'll talk about it. We'll see. Because yours is the ordinance, and we've tried to talk to residents about this before. There's a total uproar on these vehicles. And I agree with you in part with the fact that there are, you know, SUVs and things like that, but those are considered by the ordinance compliant. But, yeah, give them the information and we'll get back to you. Okay. Thank you very much. Where are you parking right now? They're tearing down the house next to us right now. We're off of North Avenue on 1616, and I think they're tearing down 1615. Right. And so we're parking. He just moved out. So after I started getting tickets, then I started parking there for now, and now she goes to work during the day. So we've kind of been parking there, but obviously they're going to tear down that house. How about for an hour if you just parked in our public parking along right there, right behind the restaurant row? Is that, okay, so are you allowed to park there overnight? Yeah, is that allowed overnight? Well, not Panera's lot, but the one like right behind Masa, and that's going to be a parking lot when we get done knocking that house too down. And you have a vehicle sticker. get a permit from us and you get parked there. So we'll work it out. He'll get ahold of you and we'll take care of you. Thank you. Thanks. Good evening. My name is Robert Nemec. I've been a lifelong resident of Elmwood Park. Grew up here. My wife and I have raised our five children here. And tonight I wanted to kind of discuss with you the homeless gentleman that you see in Central Park and more particularly on the block that I live. I live on the 2100 block of 75th Avenue. His name is Ricky. I think his last name is D'Amato possibly. I know you're familiar with him. So unfortunately Ricky has been, his cousin lives in the condominium building next door to us and he's become more and more frequent just to be wandering in front of our OUR HOMES AS OF LATE. HE'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE KNOWN HIM FOR PROBABLY TEN YEARS OR MORE. HE USED TO FOR PROBABLY TWO YEARS. HE SLEPT IN THE PARKING LOT IN A CAR FOR LIKE TWO YEARS BEHIND THE APARTMENT BUILDING. DURING THAT TIME, WE'VE TRIED TO BE COMPASSIONATE, GIVE HIM, YOU KNOW, SOCKS AND HATS AND GLOVES WHEN HE'S DURING THE WINTER AND GIVE HIM SOME FOOD OCCASIONALLY AND STUFF LIKE THIS JUST TO HELP HIM OUT. I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK I'M INSENSITIVE TOWARDS HIM. WE'VE KNOWN HIM A LONG TIME, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, As we see him now, it becomes more and more apparent that there's more and more mental illness that's occurring. And the biggest concern is that his behavior has become erratic. My oldest son lives next door to me with three of my grandchildren. They were outside about a month ago playing in front of the house. And he decides to open his pants and urinate in front of the building at that point. He has defecated behind my son's garage at the condominium building. I've seen him urinate in the alley numerous times. It's just becoming more and more worrisome. And the problem is, too, he talks to himself. He's yelling across the street like the invisible person over there. So we just worry. Obviously, a lot of people have even commented on Facebook, hey, he's very friendly, yada, yada. And we know him and we'll say hi to him. There is that concern, and it doesn't matter what time of day. We literally leave our house. I can leave at 5 in the morning. My daughters sometimes have to come home late at night from work, and I have to wait outside, and he's there. And he stands there, and he looks at them, and he makes them nervous, to be honest. I have two daughters that are still in our house and stuff, and they're worried to get out of their vehicles because he's standing there just staring at them and stuff. So I know I've talked to the chief of police and some other people in the village previously and stuff, and I know they're working on it, but if there's anything that the board can maybe you know try to i don't know what other social services and in the you know two years ago when it was really cold uh my son and i took him down to pacific guard admission in the city we were hoping that you know he would get some social services and maybe get some help he left after like two days after it warmed up and stuff so um you know we care about the guy we you know for his well-being and stuff but um it's just seriously i mean if I know where some of your houses are. You wouldn't appreciate if the guy was just standing outside your house all the time and stuff. You shouldn't have to be exposed to that kind of garbage. I agree with you 100%. And I know the police, they're kind of handcuffed as to what they're limited to do, that kind of thing. But I just wanted to bring it up. Have we ever talked to Light and Family Services about him? We did. If we get enough of these recurring incidents documented and citations are written, is there someone that we could contact in the state to have them, you know, RE-EVALUATE IT OR? I'LL FIND IT. I'LL FIND IT OUT. I'LL FIND IT OUT. WE APPRECIATE YOUR HELP. YOU KNOW, WHATEVER YOU CAN DO. AGAIN, IT IS WHAT IT IS AT THIS POINT, BUT... WELL, HANG IN THERE. WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. OKAY, THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. IS HE A VETERAN? DO YOU KNOW? HE'S NOT A VETERAN. OKAY, MOVING ON. Let's get to the committee reports. Madam Clerk. The only thing I wanted to report is that with our presidential election coming up, we have secured the Parks and Rec Center across the street. That's where we're going to be holding early voting this time around and in the future. So we did change the time of the November board meeting to 7 o'clock to accommodate the early voting that would have been here. We're going to be at our regular time at 6 o'clock now since it's going to be over at the Parks and Rec Center. So I just wanted to let everybody know we will be at 6 o'clock in that November meeting. That's all I have. Okay. I would like to thank our village employees for their hard work this spring and summer, the movies and concerts in the park, the taste and the car show. And I'm looking forward to the end of summer bash, which is Thursday at 7 o'clock. There's going to be kids' activities, the bounce house, face painting. free Popsicle for the kids, food trucks, including Caputo's and Top Butcher, and then 7th Heaven from 7, it starts at 7 o'clock. So come on out to celebrate the end of summer. Thank you. Mr. President, two weeks ago, Plan Zoning and Development Commission met in these village quarters and conducted a public hearing for the MAP amendment, which we're going to be, is on the agenda this evening for another parking lot on North Avenue. Again, passed unanimous with no concerns. On September the 27th, the library is holding their Sock Hop. Right now they're soliciting sponsors, but they do need ticket sales. So if you're interested in going to the Sock Hop, please visit the library's website and you can purchase your ticket there. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. From our school district, Elmwood School and John Mills will have open houses on Thursday just before the summer bash from 5 to 6.30. The high school will have theirs on September 18th. And from the Committee for the Relay for Life, please join us to scare away cancer on Friday the 13th at John Mills School. Good. No report, Mr. President. Mr. President, I'd like to report tonight that the Finance Committee met this evening at 5.30 p.m., reviewed the bills and vouchers for the month of August, and unanimously recommended same for approval tonight. I would also like to commend the administration for all of our departments and yourself and the village manager on the Taste of Elmwood Park. That was a very successful event. And the car show, which was the second car show, the DARE car show, which was very nice as well. Thank you. No report, Mr. President. Mr. Volpe? Mr. President, as you know, last month the Board authorized the installation of turf in the playground areas throughout Torpey Park. And since then, we have planted eight trees. We replaced the wood timbers around those playground areas. We added some concrete. And most recently, we installed a new black vinyl-coated fence. Frankly, the park looks better than ever. And the Board will be asked tonight to ratify my approval of a proposal from Standard Fence in the amount of $16,775, which was for that new fence that they installed. 7415 West Fullerton and 7417 West Fullerton are single family homes. They're located on the south side of Fullerton across from the public safety building and the skate park. Last week, I signed two contracts to acquire these homes subject to this board's approval. If we're successful in the acquisition, we'll take the steps necessary to demolish the existing structures, and construct a surface parking lot, which will be a municipal parking lot that will have 23 parking spaces available predominantly to employees of the police, fire, and public works departments. The transactions, if approved, will close in early October. The current budget reflects funding to replace the roofs at several municipal buildings. Following a solicitation process, the board will be asked tonight to award contracts to visions construction and roofing for the public safety building, the public works building, and partial village hall, and armor shield construction to the library. The board will be asked tonight to consider a contract with Burke LLC to construct new parking lots, cul-de-sacs, a roundabout, and replace certain areas of concrete along Grand Avenue. The guaranteed maximum price is is $716,847. Construction includes the parking lot at 74th Avenue that also has a cul-de-sac and an alley gate, resurfacing of Restaurant Row parking lot, the construction of the 77th Court parking lot, the gate and cul-de-sac at 75th Avenue, the roundabout at 75th Avenue and Armitage, and some concrete replacement along Grand Avenue. Professional services total 116,900 and all work should be substantially complete this fall. The board will be asked to ratify my approval of a proposal from Standard Equipment Company to replace the engine on the village's 2016 street sweeper. The current engine has failed and a new engine is required to operate the sweeper. The estimated cost for parts and labor is $36,057.95. Due to our heavy reliance on these street sweepers and the high cost of replacement, I did authorize the repair on August 22nd, 2024. As you know, the village was recently awarded a $4 million loan through the IEPA Public Water Supply Loan Program. The board will consider a proposal from Christopher Burke Engineering to assist the village in completing the associated loan documentation and bidding documents for the first phase of a lead service line replacement project. First phase is anticipated to include 400 properties with known lead services. Burke will identify the properties, prepare design documents, coordinate loan documentation and approvals with the IEPA, manage the bid process, and ensure the quality of all executed work. Projected total cost of $323,090 will be paid from loan proceeds. The Village has applied for an OSLI grant to partially fund the construction of pickleball courts in the Village Circle. In connection with this grant application, the Board will be asked tonight to adopt a resolution certifying that sufficient matching funds are available and that if awarded, the project will be completed within the time frame established. The Board will be asked to approve a settlement agreement with Chicagoland Remodeling, Inc., related to a mechanics lien that has been recorded on 1613 North 76th Avenue in 2011. As you know, the Village has filed a... in action to foreclose its lawful interest in this property. If Elmwood Park accepts title to this property, the agreement obligates the village to pay Chicago Lane $6,500. I am pleased to report that Cook County has agreed to award the village a grant in the amount of $500,000 toward the design engineering of the Grand Avenue grade separation project. With this award, Cook County will have thus far pledged $5.7 million toward this vital project. The board will be asked tonight to consider an IGA related to this grant award Design engineering is projected to be complete sometime toward the end of 2026. And the Board will consider two resolutions tonight related to the Belmont Avenue TIF. The first will authorize the first meeting of the Joint Review Board on October 3rd, 2024, and the second resolution authorizes a related public hearing to be held on November 4th, 2024. Thank you. Okay, I have a report. We'll move on to consent agenda. THIS EVENING ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, WE HAVE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES HELD ON AUGUST 5th, 2024. RECEIVE AND FILE MINUTES OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON JULY 1st, 2024. RECEIVE AND FILE MINUTES OF THE PLANNED ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT MEETING HELD APRIL 22nd, 2024. A MOTION TO APPROVE PAYMENT OF THE BILLS AND VOUCHERS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2024 IN THE AMOUNT OF $5,282,113.13. various license applications received and processed by the Village Clerk's Office. We have an ordinance approving, authorizing, and ratifying execution of residential purchase agreement for the acquisition of the property commonly described as 7415 West Fullerton Avenue, Elmwood Park, Illinois. An ordinance approving, authorizing, and ratifying execution of residential purchase agreement for the acquisition of the property commonly described as 7417 West Fullerton Avenue, Elmwood Park, Illinois. A resolution authorizing the execution of a settlement agreement and releases. A resolution authorizing the acceptance and execution of a professional design engineering services contract with Christopher B. Burke Engineering Limited for the lead service line replacement project phase one. A resolution authorizing, I'm sorry, approving and authorizing the execution of an intergovernmental agreement between the Village of Elmwood Park and the County of Cook for design engineering funding for the Grand Gateway Grade Separation Project. A resolution authorizing the Village of Elmwood Park to apply for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Agency's Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant for the Conte Circle Pickleball and Park Improvements Project. An ordinance ratifying the acceptance of a proposal from Standard Fencing Company Inc. for the purchase and installation of fencing at Torpey Park. An ordinance authorizing the acceptance of a proposal from Standard Equipment Company for the replacement of an engine for the Village-owned Street Sweeper. An ordinance authorizing the execution of a contract with Armor Shield Construction Inc. for the repair and restoration of the roof at the Elmwood Park Public Library. An ordinance authorizing the execution of a contract with Visions Construction and Roofing LLC for the repair and restoration of the roof at the Elmwood Park Village Hall. An ordinance authorizing the execution of a contract with Visions Construction and Roofing LLC for the repair and restoration of the roof at the Elmwood Park Public Works Department. An ordinance authorizing execution of a contract with Visions Construction and Roofing LLC for the repair and restoration of the roof at the Elmwood Park Police Department. An ordinance to approve and authorize the execution of a standard form at-risk construction management contract for designer-led design-build project buy-in between Burke LLC and the Village of Elmwood Park for the construction of parking lots and street improvements throughout the Village of Elmwood Park. And a resolution proposing a redevelopment plan and project for and the designation of the West Belmont Avenue redevelopment project area, and the adoption of tax increment allocation financing, therefore convening a joint review board and calling a public hearing in connection therewith. Okay. Motion to approve, Mr. President. I'll second. And then any discussion? Seeing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Trustee Estrada-Volpe? Yes. Trustee Zavagevic? Yes. Trustee Conte? Yes. Trustee Sargent? Yes. Trustee Kaminsky? Yes. President Saviano? Yes. First one we have is from Sherry Millard. She is with the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago. She is requesting permission to solicit for their fall product program, which will be September 20th to October 16th of this year, and their Girl Scout cookie program, which will be December 13th to January 15th, 2024, at various locations in the village. Move to approve. Clock in. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it. We have a recommendation of approval from Marissa Massey, Plan Zoning and Development Secretary, approval for the MAP Amendment special use at 1611 North 77th Court. Motion to receive and file, Mr. President. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Aye. And from John Carrozza, Knights of Columbus, a request to solicit for the annual Tootsie Road Drive September 13th to the 14th at North Avenue and Harlem Avenues. Move to approve. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Yeah, he's had it. No old business. We'll move on to new business. Under new business, we have an ordinance to approve a map amendment rezoning the village-owned property located at 1611 North 77th Court to B2 General Business District and granting a special use permit for the construction of a public parking lot at said location. Motion to approve, Mr. President. I'll second. Okay, on that, Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Trustee Estrada-Volpe? Yes. Trustee Zavaznovic? Yes. Trustee Conte? Yes. Trustee Sargent? Yes. Trustee Lolino? I'm sorry, Trustee Kaminsky? Yes. President Saviano? Yes. Okay, seeing no other business brought before the board tonight, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. So moved, Mr. President. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Meeting's adjourned. See you at the party in the park.