City Council - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call to order the city council meeting for the city of Highland Park, Illinois, April 27th, 2026. Will the clerk please call the role? Council member center. Council member Buckman here. Council member Ross here. Council member Tapia. Council member Little here. Council member Bloomberg here. Mayor Roing here. We have a quorum. Are there any objections to Council Member Little joining us electronically? No objection. None. Okay. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. Thank you.

Pledge 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. May I have a motion to uh approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the city council held April 13, 2026? Move to approve. Second. All in favor say I. I. I. I. We have a motion to approve the minutes of the closed session of the regular meeting of the city council on April 13, 2026. So moved. Second. All in favor say I. Thank you. Have a motion to approve the warrant list. So moved. Second.

Any comments or questions on the warrant list? Hearing none, will the clerk please call the vote? Council member Buckman, I. Council member Ross, I. Council member Tapia, I. Council member Little I. Council member Bloomberg. I. Mayor Roing.

I. Six eyes, no nays. The warrant list is approved. The next item on our agenda is the report of the mayor. We have no appointments this evening. There's one proclamation this evening. Excuse me. We are proud to recognize May as Jewish American Heritage Month, a celebration of the contributions of America's Jewish communities across all sectors. Led by the Whitesman Museum of American Jewish History, the country's only national institution dedicated to exploring and interpreting the American Jewish experience. 2026 marks the 10th year of this national celebration of Jewish American history, culture, and achievements. I will now read the proclamation. Whereas in 1654, a small ship carrying 23 Jewish refugees sailed into the port of present-day New York City. Fleeing oppression and discrimination, these courageous women and men faced resistance from the colony's leaders. Nevertheless, they secured the right to remain and became the first Jewish communal presence to settle on American soil. In so doing, they expanded the frontier of religious freedoms that would help define the bedrock principles upon which this nation was built. And whereas during Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor those 23 refugees and the centuries of successive generation of Jewish Americans who shaped by their own encounters with prejudice, persecution, and the promise of a better tomorrow have emboldened our nation to stand up for justice, equality, and freedom. And whereas the story of America was written in part by Jewish Americans who through their words and actions embrace the opportunity and responsibility of citizenship, knowing full well that democracy is not born nor sustained by accident. Throughout our country's history, Jewish Americans have proudly served our nation in uniform and elected office and on our nation's highest courts. They've made enormous contributions to America's cultural, scientific, artistic, and intellectual life. And they have marched, petitioned, and boarded buses to demand civil and political rights for all. from women's rights to voting rights to workers

rights. And whereas 370 years after those brave 23 uh Jewish refugees arrived in America, Jewish Americans continue to help our country thrive and prosper. This month, we honor the timeless traditions, heritage, and contributions of Jewish Americans who drive our progress as a nation each and every day. Now therefore, I, Nancy Rotary, mayor of the city of Highland Park and the city council of the city of Highland Park, do hereby declare May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month, and I encourage all residents to learn more. The Highland Park Public Library will have pre-selected books, films, and music materials available for patrons of all ages. Librarians will also help to guide patrons who seek information and resources to explore and discover the rich long history and contributions of Jewish Americans, including free access to in library use of ancestry.com to learn about and understand their genealogy. And I'd like to at this time invite Heidi Smith, who is the library's director, to accept the proclamation and to share information about the library's plans for the community to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month. Welcome, Heidi Smith.

Thank you, Mayor Roing, and council members. The library is proud to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month and to honor the many contributions Jewish Americans have made to our nation's history, culture, and society. The library's mission is to open doors to information and imagination. Jewish American Heritage Month reflects that mission by inviting us to learn about and to explore a rich and vital part of the American story. Throughout May, we're doing just that with programs and resources. Books by and about Jewish Americans will be on display in the lobby. Historian Leslie Goddard speaks about Gone with the Wind, the Jewish influence on a Hollywood classic on Tuesday, May 26th at 100 p.m. at Mcome Sol Lakeside. As Mir Rotary mentioned, for those who want to explore their Jewish heritage, as always, there's free in library access to Ancestry Library Edition. We invite everyone to join us in learning about, celebrating, and exploring Jewish American history and culture. Learn more at hp.org or stop in. We'll see you soon at the library. Thank you again.

Thank you, Director Smith. I'll give this to you. Thank you so much.

And thank you for sharing the outstanding ways that community members can learn about and celebrate Jewish American history throughout the month. Thank you. May is also bike month, supporting initiatives that promote and facilitate non-motorized transportation throughout the city. It's one of the key policies of our Move HP plan. Move HP envisions the development of a comprehensive and connected non-motorized transportation system. These initiatives include infrastructure investment to make biking safer and more convenient and programming supported and led by the transportation and sustainability advisory groups. I will read that proclamation. Whereas the month of May has been celebrated for over 65 years as National Bike Month, promoted by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. And whereas millions of Americans engage in bicycling because it's environmentally favorable form of transportation as well as an excellent form of recreation and physical activity. And whereas the bicycle offers a clean, quiet, affordable, and healthy alternative to automobile commuting. And whereas Highland Park's road and trail system attracts bicyclists each year, providing economic health, transportation, tourism, and scenic benefits. And whereas creating a bicycling friendly community has been shown to improve individual health, well-being, and quality of life, growing the economy, attracting tourism dollars, improving traffic safety, supporting student learning outcomes, and reducing pollution, congestion, wear and tear on our streets and roads. And whereas the city council adopted the Highland Park Complete Streets policy on December 11th, 2023, which sets forth the goal of creating a safe, sustainable, attractive, and utilitarian multimodal network of streets that balances the needs of all users. And whereas the city of Highland Park is promoting greater public awareness of bicycle operation and safety education in an effort to reduce collisions, injuries, and fatalities, and to improve health and safety for everyone on the road. Now therefore, I, Nancy Rotary, mayor of the city of Highland Park and the city

council of Highland Park, do hereby declare May 2026 as Highland Park Bike Month and encourage all residents to use the bicycles safely for transportation and for recreation. At this time, I'd like to recognize transportation advisory group chair Elliot Rosson and also welcome advisor Christopher Johnson to the podium to accept the proclamation. I'm Chris Johnson. I'm a resident of Highland Park and a new member of the transportation advisory group. I've been biking my entire adult life and very much enjoy all the bikes train trails available in Highland Park. The members of TAG wish to thank Mayor Rotoring and city council for issuing the proclamation recognizing National Bike Month in Highland Park. The reasons to ride bikes are compelling. Bike Biking is fun, healthy, save people money, and it's environmentally friendly. In October 2020, as the mayor uh indicated, so the city issued the Move HP plan, a comprehensive 5-year update to BikeWalk 2030, Highland Park's non-motorized transportation plan. Move HP envisions the development of a comprehensive non-motorized transportation system. And on December 11th, 2023, city council adopted the Highland Park Complete Streets policy, which established the goal of establishing a network of safe streets. Highland Park has attained bronze certification as a bike friendly community through the League of American Cyclists program. The city is one of only 19 cities in Illinois who have received bronze certification. Our goal in TAG is to achieve silver status by identifying areas that will improve the cycling experience in our city.

Highland Park has also created a major bike route and signage program to highlight the most bikable streets, to provide navigation and signage to important community locations, and to educate motorists and cyclists. In addition, the city has created a guide to use for commuting to and from Metro Station. To celebrate National Bike Month, the Highland Park Public Library is promoting National Bike Month throughout the month of May with a display of bike related related books in its collection. The display will include many educational and fun handouts. In addition, the Kuanas Club of Highland Park and Highwood is sponsoring a kids bicycle safety clinic on June 8th from 10:30 to 1:30 a.m. to pm in the south parking lot of the high school. The park district is also sponsoring ScreenFree Week, the Empire bikes back, a familyfriendly family event to encourage bike riding for the whole family. That event will take place at Wayne Thomas Elementary School on May 3rd from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. And food truck Thursdays at Jen's Jensen Park in the Ravenia District is another bike friendly event. So, there's a lot going on in Highlight Park to recognize and promote bicycle fun, recreation, and safety. Once again, we thank you for your partnership and support.

Thank you. I could give you this Thank you very much so much. Appreciate it. Thanks for your volunteers. Appreciate that, too.

So, as a League of American Bicyclists bronze, bicycle friendly community since 2018, we're proud to encourage community members to opt outside on two wheels. Visit the city's website to check out multiple self-directed biking tours, including the family-friendly bike tour through the Highlands neighborhood and tours of architecturally significant districts. Learn more at cityhpil.com/biking tours. Thank you. So, appreciate it. May is also building safety month. Public safety and quality of life depend on the quality and safety of our homes, buildings, infrastructure, and other structures. Building safety intersects so many aspects of daily life and we're proud to honor the professionals who work together to ensure the safety, sustainability, resilience, and accessibility of our infrastructure. I will read the proclamation. Whereas the city of Highland Park, Illinois is committed to recognizing the essential role of the built environment, our homes, our offices, our institutional buildings and other structures play in everyday life and when disasters strike. And whereas our confidence in the resilience of our built environment that make up our community is achieved through the devotion of vigilant professionals, building safety and fire prevention officials, architects, engineers, builders, trades people, design professionals, laborers, plumbers, and others in the construction industry who work year round to ensure the safe construction of buildings. And whereas dedicated members of the International Code Council, a nonprofit that brings together local, state, territorial, tribal, and federal officials who are experts in the built environment to create and implement the highest quality codes to protect us in the buildings where we live, learn, work, and play. And whereas modern building codes such as those adopted by the city of Highland Park include safeguards to protect the public from building safety hazards, including hurricanes, tornadoes, snowstorms, fires, floods, and earthquakes. And whereas building safety month reminds

the public about the critical role these professionals play in ensuring the safety of all buildings and structures is essential to our prosperity. Whereas Built to Last, the International Code Council's theme for building safety month 2026 encourages us all to raise awareness about building safety on a personal, local, and global scale. And whereas each year in observation in observance of building safety month, people all over the world commit to improve building safety, resilience, energy efficiency, and economic investment in home and in the community, and to acknowledge the essential service provided to all of us by local and state building departments, fire prevention bureaus, and federal agencies in protecting lives and property. Now therefore, I, Nancy Rotoring, mayor of the city of Highland Park and the city council of Highland Park, do hereby designate May 2026 as building safety month. And with that, I will say thank you to Joel Fontaine.

Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Joel. Thank you. Many thanks to the outstanding team in the community development department, especially director Joel Fontaine, deputy director Charmaine Laterer, building division manager Arhana Moanchandra, senior inspector Jim Ferber, and all of the staff who carefully review and inspect projects in our community from home renovations to exciting new developments. Thank you all and Joel, we really appreciate your team. So, thank you.

Um, there is other business The first week in May is International Compost Awareness Week, an opportunity to learn about the benefits of composting organic material such as kitchen and yard waste. This year we're celebrating with our partners at the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, also known as Swallco. Go Green Highland Park and the Park District of Highland Park with a special compost giveaway event on Saturday, May 9th. Bring a bucket to the parking lot at Hidden Creek Aqua Park between 9:00 a.m. and 1 p.m. to collect up to 20 gallons of locallymade compost for your gardens, flower beds, planters, and lawns. This year, the event has grown to include confidential document shredding and free herb seedling giveaways. Document shredding will be available between 10:00 a.m. and 1 p.m. Bring up to six bankers boxes of confidential documents for shredding, recycling. And while supplies last, there will be free herb seedlings to take home. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to uh recognize our graduating student commissioners through the city of Highland Park student commissioner program, outstanding Highland Park High School juniors and seniors volunteer their time on behalf of our community as student members of one of our advisory groups, boards, and commissions. I have to say every spring we bring third graders into city hall and we do mock city council meetings and I say to these third graders who are eight years old in eight years in double your life when you're in the 11th grade you can continue to participate in city government and they go we're on it and they do and we appreciate everybody's commitment to serving and engaging with our community. But tonight it's our pleasure to thank and congratulate the class of 2026 student commissioners. These graduating seniors have volunteered their time and provided their unique perspectives to help shape conversations and policy recommendations. We invite those students who were able to join us this evening to stand when their names are called. And we are pleased to recognize

the following leaders. Maddie Cashy and Cassidy Colberg, Business and Economic Development Advisory Group, Addison Edelstein and Francis Peterson, Cultural Arts Advisory Group, Amelia Klo, Historic Preservation Commission, Mitchell Mitchell Pausner, Housing Commission, Emmy Dubin, Gracie Goldstein, and Olivia Rosenlat, Human Relations Advisory Group, Nora Gladstone and Ranata Smaller, Library Board of Trustees, Autumn Fall, Plan and Design Commission, Joseph Moyer and Liam Ornstein, Sister Cities Foundation, Amelia Griffin and Lucas Huber, Sustainability Advisory Group, Noah Kaplan and Ian Robinson, Transportation Advisory Group. My dad,

I don't know why they have Ian on here, but go Jacob. I sent the letter. They was on the letter. I called and they said they were fixing it. They left me a voicemail back, but obviously they didn't fix it. Please hold. No. Kaplan and Jacob Robinson. Transportation. Please come forward. I have something for you. Thank you for coming out this evening. Let's hope it has

and if it doesn't, I promise you we will be sure to fix. No, don't do that. Ah, we are correct. It is Jacob. Wonderful. Official handshake. Thank you. And this groovy corn to take with you. Thanks again for volunteering and Emory Dow's zoning board of appeals. So congratulations to you, Jacob. And you are invited to come on up and have a picture with the council. and we so appreciate that you came out this evening. Come on up. Thank you.

Yeah, you can step forward.

Wonderful. Thanks again. Thank you. Okay, the next item on our agenda is business from the council. All council members serve as liaison to city advisory groups, boards, and commissions, and attend these meetings to hear firsthand the insights and contributions of commission members. Tonight, council members Buckman and Bloomberg are going to provide reports on the work of the business and economic development advisory group and the sustainability advisory group, respectively. Council member Buckman, let's begin with BAG. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. New Mayor Rotoring. I serve as a liazison to the business and economic advisory group commonly known as BAG. BAG is comprised of seven community leaders, both residents and business owners who are passionate supporters of our local businesses committed to working together to foster vibrancy and create that sense of place that is unique to Highland Park as well as two dynamic student adviserss. Although the mayor, city council, all BDAG members, and all staff have an important role in our priority of economic development, I would like to recognize chair Chris Falcon, vice chair Stephanie Kirch, Assistant City Managers Jason, and business development division staff Jamie Elder and Corey Conn for their work and leadership. BDAG's mission is to foster a vibrant local economy by supporting businesses, advising on economic incentives, and promoting open communication and partnerships that strengthen the city's prosperity. BAG advisers are critical components to gathering community feedback to inform recommendations for strategic planning and economic development policies. Their efforts have been instrumental in sustaining productive dialogue and engagement between the city and local business leaders. A prime example of their outreach efforts focused on strengthening local business success and informing city services are the business forums. In addition to their regular meetings, we are in the process of hosting five business forums focused on gathering insights from business stakeholders to identifying opportunities and encourage collaboration. The forums are being held in the major business district sent central district ravenside crossroads brierggate gerity square and old elm north marine and include a guided interactive program on the five e

of experience facilitated by bag chair Chris falcon. Outside of the forums advisors also support business recruitment and retention efforts through open communication with city staff. for example, altering alerting to businesses needing assistance. Overall, these efforts aim to enhance accessibility and communication, address challenges proactively, and foster the city's reputation as a responsive businessfriendly environment. Bed's 2026 work plan also includes evaluating new and existing incentive programs, identifying complimentary businesses to strengthen attraction efforts, and recommending special events to boost local and regional tourism. Additionally, advisers propose strategies to recognize and celebrate business achievements, supporting a more vibrant and competitive local business environment. Another focus of advisors is work to strengthen business and economic development outcomes. This includes continuing to develop approaches for addressing long-term commercial vacancies and attraction of viable tenants. Adviserss also help refine the business development strategic plan as needed to asssure alignment with evolving market conditions and community goals. These efforts aim to reduce vacancies, enhance property competitiveness, and support a more dynamic, resilient local economy. The city has tremendous momentum this year in attracting, retaining, and growing businesses, and BDAG remains a key part of our shared success. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Brookman, and thank you to Chair Chris Falcon and all the members of the business and economic development advisory group for your ongoing engagement and support for our local economy. Council member Bloomberg, if you could provide the sustainability advisory group report.

Thank you, Mayor Roering. I serve as the liaison to the sustainability advisory group, commonly known as SAG. SAG focuses on policy, community engagement, and public education on matters pertaining to the stewardship of Highland Park's environment. The advisory is composed of six community leaders and several dedicated student liaison under the direction of chair Jay Futterman and vice chair Michael Cle. Sustainability manager Austin Knight serves as staff liaison with assistant city manager Erin Jason. You get around uh and assistant to the city manager Ashley Palitzka provide additional guidance. The mission of SAG is to provide advisory recommendations in the following areas. Matters related to the preservation, enhancement, management, and protection of the city's environment and natural resources. matters pertaining to education, outreach, and communications regarding preservation and enhancement of the city's environment and natural resources, proposed amendments and variations to environmental and natural resources related policies, regulations, ordinance, and plans, and the implementation and updates of the city's sustainability plan. The sustainability advisory group meets every other month with smaller working groups focused on energy, communication, green business, natural areas, and policy meeting more regularly to advance objectives in line with the sustainability strategic plan and the city's aggressive greenhouse gas reduction efforts. A major focus of the group is public education. SAG advisers provide content for the city's weekly sustainability Sunday Facebook posts and sustainability spotlights in other communities uh communication modalities. They table at local events sharing information on programming and opportunities for residents and

businesses to incorporate sustainable options into their daily lives. host informational community con conversation speaker series and collaborate with local sustainability partners such as go green highland Park on programs like the EV car showcase featured at Arbor Day this past weekend. Other highlights from the 2026 work plan include administration of climate coach, a volunteer neighbor-to- neighbor climate coaching program for all Highland Park residents to provide sustainable information and recommendations on actionable actionable items. Topics range from native plants, recycling and composting, heat pump technology, insulation, solar, and more. spreading awareness on the current gas powered leaf blower regulations and the upcoming potential total ban on gas powered leaf blowers in 2027. Facilitating an annual solar homes tour, hosting a compost giveaway with local partners taking place this year on May 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Hidden Creek Aqua Park where residents may collect up to 20 gallons of compost for use in their homes. This year, the event will also include confidential document shredding from 10:00 a.m. to 1 pm. Last year, the city collected 2,880 pounds of documents during their shred event. implementing actions in the 2023 to 2027 sustainability plan to achieve the greenhouse gas reduction goals of 45% by 2030 and net zero by 2035 with a focus on communication energy and natural resources. Further information about SAG can be found on the city's website at www.cityhpil.com or contact the city manager's office with any questions. Thank you.

Wonderful. Thanks, Council Member Bloomberg. Thank you as well to Chair Futterman and to all the SAG adviserss for your work to protect our natural environment and encourage community members to adopt sustainable practices. Special thanks to all who participated in this past week's Arbor Day celebration sharing valuable information about various city programs including recycle coach, climate coach, and hefty renew as well as co-presenting the EV showcase. Very fun. Um, city manager Newkerk, will you now please provide the staff report?

Yes, I will. Thank you, Mayor. Um, we are pleased to present the first quarter update to the city's fiscal year 2026 major project work plan. Um, so as a reminder, we presented this work plan at the start of the year. We have 122 major projects and we generally define a major project as an initiative that is outside of our day-to-day operation or a significant public-f facing initiative. 92 of those projects are currently underway or complete. Um, and so individuals can go to the city's website to get updates on each one. Each project aligns with one or more of our core priorities, but for the purpose of reporting. Um, we just report in that pie chart there based on the primary priority um, of each initiative. And then just a couple of highlights, we have 34 projects with the primary focus of public safety and 27 focused on economic development. Um, every single priority is really based on um the foundations of one of the city's priorities, which is fiscal stability. And so in every staff report that's presented to the mayor and council for consideration, we do have a financial impact as part of our staff report that we identify um on the staff reports. And then if individuals go to our website, uh again you can see each project by department and a status of each one. Um we also have a spotlight tab on the website. So if a project's complete, you can see just shown there on the right um there's photos and a more description of the initiative. We will continue to provide updates on a quarterly basis. And then I just want to uh give special thanks to our communications manager Amanda Bennett for managing this very user-friendly um web page where people can see updates of the major initiatives that we're working on. And special thanks to really all the departments because every person has a hand in just not only making sure that these projects

get done but that we are communicating updates to the public. Um and then just very briefly we have eight items on the omnibus agenda. All are recommended for approval and have associated detailed staff reports. I just want to highlight two. Uh number six is a uh formal rejection of the bid for the phase one of the lead service line project. Um I'm sorry, it's for phase two. Yeah, sorry. For phase two. Um included in the staff report, we made a note that um based on a minor technical irregularity at the bid opening, so that's the rationale for rejecting the bids. Um, bids have been reissued with an opening scheduled for May 18th. Um, so if individuals are interested in seeing the bid specs, they can go to our website or give us a call if they have any questions and we will report on our recommendation for uh the contractor um after the 18th. And then second item just to bring to your attention is number eight, which is a rightaway license agreement with Easy Fiber Texas for installation of fiber optic communication facilities. Municipalities are required to uh allow these installations within their right ofways but subject to agreements and terms and conditions. So we've been working very closely with our corporation council. We have an agreement that's recommended for approval on the agenda. That agreement is also based on um comprehensive review of our own regulations and looking at other municipal regulations. And I do understand there is a question on that. there is um uh vice president of governmental affairs Garner Duncan is in the audience um this evening as well and can answer questions.

Great. Thank you. Much appreciated. Um assistant to the city manager Pelitzka, if you could please introduce the next item on our agenda, business from the public.

Thank you, mayor. The next item on the agenda is business from the public. This is an opportunity for members of the public to address the city council on a topic that is within the council's purview and jurisdiction but is not listed in another location on the agenda. If you would like to speak about a matter that is listed on the agenda, we ask that you wait until that agenda item is called and we will give you an opportunity to speak. Then if your matter is on the omnibus consent agenda, please let us know if you'd like us to remove that matter from the consolidated list so that you can speak about it. Please be aware that business from the public is not intended to be a forum for open dialogue or engagement with members of the city council. Rather, it is intended as an opportunity to make comments to the city council. Please do not expect a response from anyone tonight. If appropriate, we may direct the city manager or other city staff to respond to questions or issues raised at a later date. All comments should be directed to the city council. All speakers will be limited to three minutes. We request that the public not applaud or make other comments after any speaker. We ask that everyone be respectful, civil, and non-repetitive.

Great. Thank you. Are there any members of the public who wish to be heard this evening on an item not on tonight's agenda. Please approach the podium and state your name for the record. Good evening.

Peter Mini, 1853, Sheen Court Park. Thank you for this opportunity to speak. I want to pass some of these brief uh powerpoints. For the past six years, we've been fighting this out of sound ordinance at our house like and it's been very stressful. So, these are just some of the things we've been my family's been counting the in this problem. I want to play a clip from three years ago because it took us three years to to get to this point just to get a judge involved. Therefore, I find the defendant liable on each and every one of the eight citations liable.

I will indicate that each particular fine has a minimum fine of $50.

So that's we were on a good roll. I thought it's been 3 years and the sound is still out of ordinance and we just wish that Andrew Ule will come to his senses and stop resisting. I thank Steve Elrod and Gita for their time into this. Um but it's 3 years after that determination and he said I want someone out there every day until this is fixed. Well, it's not happening. We did come to some hopefulness that they were going to build a 12-oot soundwall barrier on their burm. We agreed to the burm. Then we had another city meeting and then all a sudden the this wall is 5 ft from our house near the property line. I said, "No, we agreed to the wall and it's also better for the sound because it's close to the building the better." And even Joe Fontaine said, "Yeah, I understand. If it's on the burm, it's higher. It's going to catch the second level." I said, "Yes, and this is common sense." They said, "They want us to sign a paper so we can be on our property to do this this soundwall structure. It's it's against the ordinance in the law to have a structure on the property line or near the property line. It's got to be 10 ft away. This is a structure. I'm in the business. There's no reason for us to sign something. It's not our problem. Stay on their property to they want to sign something so they can come on our property. But to do that, they have to tear down all the arbor viders they put down and tear down the nice, beautiful wood fence that we have. Why would they need to come in our property to drill the pylons for the holes which are this big? You fill them full of cement. You put the structure in to hold the panels and that's it. We're done. We're just concerned that something Andrew is up that wants to sign us something to release us from some something and we're just concerned and we want to make it clear that this that's where we're scared. We just want them to fix the problem. This

is not our burden. We just want to help. We beg of you once again. Six years of tossing and turning in bed. Andrew Ule has got this wonderful place to build this building. We gave him that. The city gave him that beautiful parkfront property and it's in return the residents get ruined. Our neighbor our our health is diminishing. It's time for him to be good neighbors. Thank you. Thank you. Did you want to respond or just um Well, mayor, we'll continue to stay in communication with Mr. Morini and we certainly understand his concerns. We are in regular communication with the Albian team and we'll provide a um an update to the city council as well.

Much appreciated. Thank you. Thanks, Mr. Mini. Um with that, we will move to our omnibus items for consideration. I'm going to pull item eight. I have some questions, so I'm seeking a motion to approve items 1 through seven. So moved. Second. Any comments or questions on items 1 through 7? Hearing none, will the clerk please call the vote? Council member Buckman, I. Council member Ross, hi. Council member Tapia, hi. Council member Little. Council member Bloomberg. Hi. Mayor Roing. I I think that's six eyes and no nays for one through seven. Item eight. Did you hear an I? Yeah.

Lower. Yeah. Okay. Item eight is a resolution approving a public right ofway use license agreement between the city of Highland Park and Easy Fiber Texas LLC for installation of sorry hang on a second of um fiber optic communications facilities. I just had um three questions about this. So Joel or applicants, whoever wishes to come answer. Um, where I was wondering where the cabinet locations will be specifically. I know we went through some issues with AT&T several years ago. Feel free. Sure. Go ahead. Um,

I do defer to the applicant on that. They we did provide they did provide as an exhibit a generalized map of the city showing location. Correct. Huge on the map. So I just couldn't tell where it was going there. Uh good evening uh mayor and counselors. Um to answer your question, please state your name for the record. Oh, I'm sorry. Uh Garner Duncan. Uh I'm the senior vice president of government affairs with Easy Fiber based in Houston. Um to answer your question, the cabinet locations right now, those are are we've identified those as the preliminary locations for them. I don't there's a map in the in the in the packet. Um right somewhere. Is there a way to pull that up on

It's in the PowerPoint. It's in it's also in the agenda for today's meeting. So those are the the locations identified are preliminary. Um right now that's based upon fiber footage. Um each of those cabinets serve about 7 to 8,000 homes or 7 to 8,000 connections. Um and since we are doing a a ubiquitous build across the city, um the city and adjoining cities will need um cabinets nearby. Um because they have Yes, here we are. Um

so I saw that there were two and I just because it was so opaque, I couldn't tell what the streets were and sort of what the locations were and if they are in front of residences or generally not those are going to be generally on um we like to use county or ID dot roads um to put them there. Okay, they're about the size of a traffic control um panel. So, about the size of this podium here, right? Um we normally put them in areas where there's already traffic control um systems um to where they're just kind of they blend in with the with the the community, but they are generally I'd probably say 99.9% of the time not located in any type of residential area, especially in front of homes.

Okay. So the southeast one looked like it was on Sheridan Road which is an I do road but does have several residences. So again I was looking for more specificity in terms of if that is indeed where you are planning to go like what are those inter um it's not so we do two levels of engineering drawings. One there's a high level design which is what you're seeing here. Mhm. Um a low-level design is actually when uh we send fielders out. So we get the the GIS um maps from the city. Mhm.

Um that has all the utilities in there. So whenever we create permit packages, that's included into the low-level design. And from there, we'll actually work with you um on on where that is. But if if it's if it's in front of a residence, we generally will not put it in front of residents because of the the eyes. Now, if it is on an IDOT road or a county road and the city requests that landscaping around it or some some villages down south have asked us to wrap them in some type of um like in in back in Texas, we have some and where I live, we have one that's uh it's got NASA on it since we because you like

so because other traffic control cabinets have there's NASA, there's one for George Bush because he is from there. Okay. Um there's Astros. Um, so we have them wrapped u, but also other villages have asked us to to uh landscape around it and we'll happily do that as well. So I'm still looking for specificity and I understand under federal law we can't say yes or no, right? Is this sort of along the same lines as cellular? We have a high level um requirement but we we have a um an agreement that we're working through and there is an obligation to work with the city on location. Okay. So that would be through director Fontaine's department then or through public works. We're going to come both. Community development.

Community development. Okay. Yeah. Those those cabinets are permitted and we request addresses. Okay. For those. Okay. So we we obviously have to work with you on on those um because those will take commercial power. So there's a little bit of complexity there because we need to be within about 200 feet of of a transformer where where comed can come down and actually provide power to it. Okay. We absolutely work with you on on the best possible location for that. Do they make noise? They very little. They have a small fan, but they do have a small fan and they they generally come on during the summer when it's above 92 93 degrees. Okay. To keep the equipment cool, but it's you can barely hear it within a few feet. Should you do you know what the decibel level is for them? I don't.

Okay. So, I think that's another question we want to answer to better understand the placement so that we're not disrupting quiet enjoyment. Right. Um I haven't we haven't had any complaints about them and we've have about 600,000 homes passed. Okay. Across the nation. Great. So, that would be if we did get a complaint that'd be the first one I've heard. Welcome to Highland Park. Um, so in terms of nonuse, if there's a change in technology, who's responsible for removing whatever is it would be you. Okay. Um, and who repairs what? We've covered it. Okay. And who repairs the public right of way if equipment needs maintenance? We do. They do. Okay. It's in the document. I understand. I'm just asking.

No, no. I just want you to know we we've covered it. I know you have. Awesome. All right. Well, thank you so much. Any other questions on item eight? No. I appreciate those questions. So, thanks. Uh, all right. With that, I'm seeking a motion to approve item 8. So, moved. Second. Will the please call the vote. Council member Buckman. I. Council member Ross. Hi. Council member Tapia. Hi. Council member Little I. Council member Bloomberg. I. Mayor Roing.

I. Five eyes or six eyes. And no. Nays. Item eight is approved. Under other business. Thanks, by the way, for joining us this evening. Um, we have an ordinance designating the property at 273 Sheridan Road as a local landmark. Um, can we just have a couple of words about that since we are highlighting our historical homes which we you as treasures appreciate pulling this out from the omnibus so we can learn more about another fantastic historic home in Highland Park.

Yes, it really is, mayor. Thank you. Um, so, uh, before you this evening is an ordinance designating, uh, 273 Sharon Road a local landmark. Um, and we're recommending that the council do so as recommended by the Historical Preservation Commission. Um, it the home is is currently um, owned by Kimberly and Barry um, Shelman. Um, and they have voluntarily landmarked their property for local landmark designation. uh nominated the property for local landmark designation. Property was a personal home of a famous landscape architect Marshall Johnson. It's a French eclectic style home and a prairie style landscape on the property. The uh architect for the home was William Betts and as I had mentioned landscape architect Marshall Johnson. Um Marshall Johnson, just a word about Marshall Johnson. Um with regard to this property, he's the original owner. Um and um uh does he designed the rose garden um what's called the gardener's memorial uh at Laurel Park right next to city hall. Other notable works include Chicago Columbus Park um and Ford Motor Company 199 uh 1933 World's Fair exhibition as well. Um he's the former president of the Highland Park Park District's men's garden club and that's where the uh gardener's memorial had come from. Uh he's also Jen Jensen's son-in-law and inherited Jensen's practice and continued his prairie style landscape work after his death. Oops. Um a little bit about French eclectic style characteristics. I mean you can see it mimics old world French architecture. shirt. It's a revival style similar to tutor. Um, it's popular

between 1920 and 40 uh in Highland Park and other places as well, of course. Um, and you know, the French style inspiration brought back to the US post World War I. Um, the steeply pitched roofs with hip dormers, dominant cross gable, prominent chimneys, and masonry walls. So, here's some views of this wonderfully uh beautiful home. Um, we'll just click through them. got some really nice uh pictures that we were able to use here of the home. And you can see just a beautiful beautifully maintained and and and really significant and the landscape conditions, the stone outcroppings, um stone paths, um and the lampost that was mentioned. Um the historical preservation commission adopted a resolution recommending preliminary landmark and they found six landmark criteria were met and that the uh property had sufficient integrity and on April 15th uh voted unanimously to adopt the planning report that's in your packet along with the findings of pack that are also in the packet and they made the final recommendation to you uh that this property be designated a local landmark. Um staff recommend adoption of the ordinance, mayor. Um and uh welcome this as our 79th uh local landmark in the city of Highland Park.

Fantastic. Wonderful. And we know that the architect of the house was William Betts who did a number of homes in the region and lived across the street. So created a wonderful house for his neighbor. Um and we're delighted to to feature it this evening. I highly recommend people take a quick ride and drive by 273 Sheridan Road. You can see all of this from the street and in the spring there are some and summer there are some amazing landscape components that come through that we know were planted by Marshall Johnson. So thank you so much. Um with that I just have to sorry

just have to say it is um wonderful. It's what a lovely home. I haven't seen it in person, but the photographs look absolutely lovely. And uh you know, thank you to the owners uh for Yeah. for landmarking it. Wonderful. Thank you. Uh mayor, I'm going to move to approve an ordinance designating 27 uh 273 Sheran Road as a local landmark. Second. Wonderful. Thanks. Any further discussion? Hearing none, will the clerk call the vote? Council member Buckman. I. Council member Ross. I. Council member Tapia. Hi. Council member Little. Council member Bloomberg. I. Mayor Roing.

I. Six eyes, no nays. Um, item A is approved. I'm now seeking a motion to go into close session for purposes of discussing personnel and pending litigation. U motion to go into close session to discuss personnel and pending litigation pursuant to 5CS120/2C1 and 11 respectively. Is there a second? Second. Thank you. Will the clerk please call the vote? Council member Buckman I. Council member Ross. Hi. Council member Tapia. Hi. Council member Little I. Council member Bloomberg. Hi. Mayor Roing. I. Six eyes. No. We will go to close. Thanks. And that