Economic Development Minutes 2013 12-03-13Page 1 of 3
APPROVED 4/1/14
UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Tuesday, December 3, 2013, 7:00pm
Yorkville City Hall, Conference Room
800 Game Farm Road
In Attendance:
Committee Members
Chairman Ken Koch
Alderman Joel Frieders
Alderman Carlo Colosimo
Absent: Alderman Teeling
Other City Officials
City Administrator Bart Olson
Community Development Director Krysti Barksdale-Noble
Code Official Peter Ratos
Administrative Intern Jeff Weckbach
Alderman Chris Funkhouser (arr. 7:05pm)
Other Guests:
Dave Gravel, V.P. Green Organics Paul Mitchell, Attorney
Jessie Sexton, Green Organics Gregg Ingemunson, Attorney
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Ken Koch at 7pm.
Citizen Comments None
Previous Meeting Minutes November 5, 2013
Minutes approved on a motion by Alderman Colosimo and second by Alderman Frieders.
New Business
1. EDC 2013-40 Building Permit Report for October 2013
No comments--for information.
2. EDC 2013-41 Building Inspection Report for October 2013
For information--no comments. Mr. Ratos noted that a job offer will be made soon for an additional
inspector.
Page 2 of 3
3. EDC 2013-42 Green Organics Annexation Agreement Amendment
This property is part of the Westbury East subdivision approved in 2004 (at Galena and Beecher). The
petitioner is seeking to reconfigure a 14 acre site on which Green Organics is located. They will
reconfigure their space to 9 acres and make their site more compact allowing them to increase the
volume of material they accept. There is a 1/8 mile boundary around the entire property. With the
additional operation, staff calculated about 9 additional vehicles per day will enter the property. A
Special Use permit is also being sought from the County for the west side.
Dave Gravel, V.P. Of Green Organics gave a presentation of his company. It was established in the
1990's when the State banned landscape materials from landfills. Grass, leaves and brush are brought
to them from March to December and in 2010, food scraps were allowed which they also process
separately. The product is bagged and sold to Home Depot, Lowe's etc. for organic gardeners/farmers.
Ms. Barksdale-Noble said the IPA inspects these facilities twice a year and she detailed the various
standards required. She said the City has worked with the County for consistency of the required
standards. The facility needs State permits and must have a 24-hour contact in addition to the lockbox
on the gated premises. Soil and water samples are taken throughout the year to meet IEPA
requirements. Possible odor issues were mentioned as well. She said that staff is requesting a 5-year
term while the company is petitioning for 10 years. Mr. Gravel noted that, as part of the Annexation
Agreement, Green Organics will cease operations when the nearby parcel to the west is developed.
Alderman Colosimo said this is a great use of the area while the area is undeveloped, but he does not
want a conflict between 2 entities. Ms. Barksdale-Noble answered that when staff did a concept
drawing, the property was in the northwest corner and that the southwest corner is the only platted area.
Alderman Koch also noted that the City lost a large sum of money when developers abandoned the
area, making that a far bigger issue.
Attorney Paul Mitchell was present and said his clients have contracts on a couple parcels. One is a 96-
acre parcel in the southeast corner that closes December 16th. He is concerned that Green Organics will
affect the portion that falls in the Westbury site. He said there are some odor complaints already and he
is concerned it will affect the development. However, Alderman Colosimo noted that the property
purchaser already knew the compost facility was there and that the Green Organics site is becoming
smaller. Mr. Mitchell replied that he did not know the composter was signing a contract for an
additional 5 or 10 years or this location.
Ms. Barksdale-Noble said this matter will go to the December 10th Council meeting for a Public
Hearing. All nearby property owners were notified, though it is not necessary in this case. Mr.
Mitchell also provided a 2006 soil sample report for an adjacent property. Comments included that the
Green Organics property had not significantly impacted the area. However, some carcinogenic
material were found in the soil and thought to be from an old burn pile or possibly from an old nearby
landfill. It was noted the landfill is west of the City limits. Mr. Gravel said a major compost benefit is
that is helps minimize water runoff and helps to break down some of the petro-chemical materials.
In summary, the matter will move to Public Hearing on January 10th and then to the Council on January
14th.
Old Business: None
Page 3 of 3
Additional Business:
Alderman Colosimo asked about the status of the B.U.I.L.D. Program. It will end March 24th. He said
he understood that some of the permits would not be paid for the entire amount. This matter will be
discussed at the upcoming Council meeting.
Alderman Frieders asked if any further information was available regarding the Hoover de-annexation,
however, there is no new information.
Mr. Gravel provided the Green Organics website (greenorganicinc.com) if further information is
needed by the committee. Alderman Koch asked if the City organic waste is taken to the this site.
Some of that waste is taken to Batavia, however, leaves are taken to a site on Immanuel Road where
they are ground and then burnt. Administrator Olson will research this.
There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 7:49pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by
Marlys Young