Public Safety Minutes 2002 06-27-02 1
UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING
T JUNE 27,2002
6:30 P.M. a a-oa
In Attendance:
Alderman Larry Kot Alderwoman Rose Spears Chief Harold Martin
Alderman Mike Anderson
Guests:
Steve Walker
APPROVAL/CORRECTIONS OF MINUTES:MAY 23,2002
The minutes were not in this packet.This item will come back to the next meeting on July 25th.
MONTHLY POLICE REPORTS FOR MAY 2002 also also had issued a few more tickets
Chief Martin reported that there were 12 DUI's in the May report. They
than normal.He said that it was a very productive month for the street.He said though there are only 2
burglaries to report for this month,there are several for June report.Alderman Kot asked how they were
handling fireworks complaints.He said it is something to expect this time of year but when it is going on a
month before the 0 it can be annoying.Chief Martin said that they do respond if they hear any fireworks
but that they have only had a couple of complaints on that.He said the officers do talk with people and give
them warnings and let them know it is illegal to have them.Alderman Kot said he just wanted to make sure
things were being done in case of any complaints.Chief Martin said he would speak with his officers to be
more aware of residential areas that might be lighting off any fireworks.Alderman Anderson asked the
situation with the squad cars.Chief Martin said that that some are still on back order.They removed one
squad that needs to be striped and then it will be operational. Squad car 14 had to go back to have the radio
installed.It will be back by the middle of next week. Squad 4 has just been striped and will go in for radios
in a couple of days.He said that they got rid of M6 in June and that it went over to Public Works for Eric
Dhuse to use.The radios were taken out of it.
This item will go to COW.
FIRE&POLICE COMMISSION ANNUAL REPORT TO BE GIVEN AT JULY 23.2002 CITY
COUNCIL MEETING
Chief Martin stated that there will be an annual report given to the City Council on July 23rd.He said that
all the commissioners are still the same;Bob Johnson is the Board Chairman and Jim Jensen was voted
Secretary.He said that the police officers that went to Springfield have completed their first week. He
noted that 2 out of the 40 attending were sent home,but they were not ours.He said other than that
everything was going fine.They had readjusted some rules,but everything is going smooth.
UPDATE ON LOCATING THE OLD WEATHER WARNING SIREN
Chief Martin stated that Eric Dhuse said that he is still working on this and that it is disconnected and ready
to be taken down.Mr.Dhuse reported to thte Chief that when he went to work on it that it it was larger than
he thought it would be and he thought it might need a cement base.They will have to put up a telephone
pole or tower to put it on. Chief Martin said he asked him to get it done as soon as possible,but it seems
with the schedule,they haven't had the time to get to it.
This item will come back to the next Public Safety meeting on July 258i.
WEATHER WARNING SIREN—SUBDIVISION
Chief Martin reported that they received the ordinance that Oswego had. Alderman Anderson commented
that there was a funding fee that equated to$100 per home from the Resolution in 1997.Chief Martin said
that it might have gone up since then depending on the costs of the siren.Alderman Anderson asked Chief
Martin to check with Oswego,to see if the figures are still the same.Also,to have something written up by
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Attorney Dan Kramer. Chief Martin said he would see if they could get something in writing. Alderman
Kot said by the looks of it shouldn't be all that difficult to do.He thought it would be a good to move this
along as soon as possible.Chief Martin said that in the 1996 resolution the maintenance fee was almost
$17,500 and that it included the pole.Alderman Anderson said that we should probably insist on asking for
$18,000 or$100 per home.Alderman Kot said that he would rather see the siren go up than to wait for the
funding.He felt that they should get the siren put up as long as there will be homes there. Alderman
Anderson said he would rather have the developers give them the$2,000 and put the sirens up rather than
waiting for funding and asking for the$100 per home. Chief Martin said that there still could be an issue
with the cost of maintaining the sirens.He said he would speak with Fulton about what the life expectancy
is for the sirens. Right now there is a$1,400 a year maintenance fee. Alderwoman Rose Spears asked if
there were other manufacturers other than Fulton. Chief Martin said there are other manufacturers but that
Fulton seemed to be the best.Alderwoman Spears suggested maybe adding to the resolution,something
that mentions that the committee would have to approve the company. Alderman Kot asked if the reason
they have asked$100 per home would be because it would ensure they would have money to maintain it.
Chief Martin said yes. Alderman Anderson pointed out that before these subdivisions go up that these fees
should be collected from the developers to make sure the sirens are installed before people move in.We
could rebate the cost and beyond that save for maintenance. Alderman Anderson asked Chief Martin that
when he speaks with Oswego to ask about their kinds of funds,the breakdown and how much money do
they have down. Chief Martin said he would ask them.
This item will be brought back at the next meeting on July 25m,2002.
UPDATE ON PALMER DAM SIGNS
Chief Martin reported that he sent a letter to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources(IDNR)but he
didn't receive any response.He also said he called them 3 times and didn't receive any response. Alderman
Kot said that it was time to move this to a different level.He said that he did speak to Mayor Prochaska
about the matter and feels that it needs to be pushed up to a higher level. Chief Martin said that up until this
point,the company said they would have the signs out to us soon,but because of a lawsuit they're dealing
with,it has held them up.He stated that they said they would need to get an inter-governmental agreement
before they even think about it,and that's the same thing they said they didn't want to do a year earlier.
That was something we asked them to do at the beginning. Alderman Kot thought they might be asking for
this now that the Geneva dam is being removed. Chief Martin said Terri Burke told him that because this
was happening,it may need to take a back seat to be able to do this again,and that it would have to go back
to legal. This would include not only the signs but everything involved with it. Chief Martin said that he
would try to write a letter to Mr.Burke's director on the matter.Mr.Burke said he could try that but said it
probably wouldn't work.He also said the only other alternative would be to go ahead with the other part,
but to do that would set us back to where we were a year ago.Alderman Kot asked if there was any
documentation showing that this company said progress was being made on the signs. Chief Martin said
that he keeps a log and memo's of these types and would go back and check to see if he has any from this
company.He said there should be a few and that he could get it all together.Alderman Kot suggested
showing these items to Tom Cross to explain that what the company had committed to. The letters and
memos might support any arguments made on the matter.The committee expressed their frustration about
this situation. Alderwoman Spears said that it is frustrating that they haven't tried to get back to any one
about the matter including Mayor Prochaska. Alderman Kot said there doesn't seem to be any
accountability for it.Alderwoman Spears suggested taking this to Pat Linder for her first responsibility.
She also suggested having Chief Martin write a memo to Mayor Prochaska expressing the committees
frustration,and then have the Mayor attach this to the whole package.Alderman Kot expressed his concern
with the matter and the up and coming holiday.He said with the holiday and people going out there,he
hopes that nothing bad will happen.
This item will brought back to the next Public Safety meeting on July 25a`,2002.
UPDATE ON FOX&KENNEDY ROAD STUDY
Chief Harold Martin stated that he sent a letter to Jim Heinz to do the Kennedy Road portion of the project
and has not hear back from him.He thought that the reason Mr.Heinz did not contact him was because the
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problem would be alleviated once Menard's and the City are complete with finishing the annexation and
the T-intersection at McHugh St. and Kennedy.He also mentioned that he has not heard back from Public
Works Director Eric Dhuse in regards to the progress on Fox Road.He didn't think that they had begun yet
with anything except the striping. He said that there were plans to put in fog-lines and center-lines,in-
road reflectors,and also Chevron and Curb signs.Chief Martin then addressed a situation having to do with
resident Steve Walker and putting a protective guardrail up near his property.Mr. Walker said that he
knows of 3 major incidents where mailboxes or signs have been knocked over due to careless motorists.He
felt that the steps being taken,the road striping and signs,are working out great,but felt something else
might need to be done.He didn't know if a protective guardrail would be the solution for that,but it might
make motorists more aware or prevent property damage or maybe even save a life.Alderman Kot asked if
any one knew if there might be a guardrail that would fit aesthetically better than the common one. He
thought that there might be something out there that would serve the purpose and fit in better in a
residential area. Chief Martin said that another issue with regarding a guardrail is that Mr.Dhuse wasn't
sure if there would be enough room from the guardrail to the edge of the road to maintain the curb to miss
it. Alderman Anderson said that there have been some concerns with adding guardrail and how it is
constructed and whether it can be used to deflect traffic when it's going to strike something else.He said
that he has seen incidences when it acts like a launching pad.He felt it should have been in the study. Chief
Martin stated that in the study they only put in there the issues they thought would work there and a guard
rail was one of the things they felt would not work there,but they could check with Smith Engineering to
make sure of it. Alderman Kot expressed his concerns of the incident from last year, if whether a guardrail
would have kept a motorist from hitting Mr. Walker's residence.He also said that he noticed from taking a
look at the area that it was a smooth clear shot,and nothing to keep from avoiding it.Mr.Klein commented
that it is a clear shot to the house but there is a 3-ft.pitch where the motorist came off the roadway. Chief
Martin pointed out that it was an unusual situation where the motorist was driving 70mph.He mentioned
that if there had been a guardrail there,chances are that it might not have helped because they would have
either gone through it or bounced off from it.He thought that was the reason why the engineering company
didn't include it in the study.He said he would check with Smith Engineering to be clear on it. Alderman
Anderson asked where they were with the items listed in the memo from Joe Wywrot.Chief Martin said
that Eric Dhuse had some issues with the costs of reflective centerpieces and striping.Mr.Dhuse had
initially priced them before the study came out and there were some other things that needed to be priced as
well. Alderman Kot said that striping was done last year and the next step would be to put up the chevron
and curb signs. Alderman Kot said that he would make a note to reach Mr.Dhuse but that he might still be
on vacation.Alderman Anderson felt this issue needed to be resolved soon to have the projects done.
Alderman Kot said that it is more an issue with scheduling but if it's something we have the money to do,it
will be done.Mr. Walker asked to let him know when they hear back from the engineers and whether or
not the guardrail could be used.He said he would return next month to the July 25a'meeting. Alderman Kot
said that it was on the last Public Safety agenda and would need to be worked through the Public Works
Committee.
This item will be brought back at the next Public Safety meeting on July 25a',2002.
DISCUSSION ON LIQUOR ORDINANCE
Chief Martin reported that there are 3 or 4 amendments to the Liquor Ordinance.He said that he spoke with
Liz to see about getting the amendments condensed other wise it could be difficult to read.He said there is
one amendment that is missing and that Liz is trying to locate. Once the amendments are condensed then
they will be easier to read.
This item will be brought back to the next Public Safety meeting on July 25m,2002,
DISCUSSION ON DOG ORDINANCE
Chief Martin stated that this item has to do with invisible fencing.He said they checked with Naperville
and they do not have one. They also checked with other places but did not find anything on the matter.
Alderman Anderson suggested seeing if this would apply to the invisible fence as well as any other fence
and bringing the information back next month.
This item will be brought back to the next Public Safety meeting on July 25h,2002.
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UPDATE ON RT.47&HYDRAULIC AVENUE RAIL,ROAD CROSSIN G
Chief Martin stated that there was a meeting with Steve Klein(engineer for IDOT)about them changing
the signals down town. He said they would change them back to the way they were before. That worked
better for us.He said that Mr.Klein had no problem with it as long as everyone signed off on it.Mr.Klein
mentioned that he did speak with the construction-company about when they would begin construction on
the road.He said he is hoping for completion,the week before school starts. The delay in the process had
something to do with state paperwork being mishandled.The only other delays could be with the asphalt if
it were to rain
Nothing more was said on this subject.
PARKING ORDINAN E
Alderman Kot read from a memo that Public Works had reviewed this and agreed Eric Dhuse's
recommendation to prohibit over night parking year round from 1:00 a.m.to 6:00a.m. One issue that was of
concern was situations where there was not a driveway for the house,or if a resident has family visiting and
they have no choice but to park in the street.Alderman Kot said that the committee thought there might be
a way to work out an exception to where the resident would call into the police department and let them
know they would be having family parked out in the street.Other wise unless there is a legitimate reason
for people to be parked on the street,it will be illegal. They agreed it would be a good idea,not only for the
snowplows in the winter,but also public safety.Another issue is how would they go to post it.They
thought of checking out other towns to see how they posted theirs. One way was to put a sign at the
entrance of the town that say's no parking on public streets during the night hours. That way they wouldn't
have to post it on every street. Alderman Anderson brought up the situation with Colonial Pkwy.
Alderwoman Spears asked how they would handle it since there is no where to park.Alderman Kot
suggested taking a look at how this parking ordinance would affect some residents. Some residents park
some office
there not because they have to,but for convenience. Alderwoman Spear suggested to have rs do
a survey and write down what they see and what affect it might have.Alderman Anderson mentioned that
they should also take a look at where there might be some parking problems and if there are areas where
there are a lot of cars parked in the street.It might present problems if we try to enforce this. Alderman Kot
stated that Mr.Dhuse said that even if there is not a curb,and the vehicle is parked off from the asphalt and
even though it may be parallel to the street,it is still considered off from the street. Chief Martin stated that
it has been a problem on Somonauk St.and Rt.47. There always seems to be cars parked on both sides of
the street. Some may be parked there for convenience when they have a driveway in the backside of the
house. Alderman Kot asked if there was any sign to show that there are more crimes when there are cars
parked out into the street.Chief Martin said he didn't think there was anything tangible to support it and it
might make it more difficult for crime to happen there.Alderman Anderson agreed with Chief Martin.
Alderman Kot then asked if there was a way to show the residents that it would be a benefit to them to have
this. Alderwoman Spears suggested to do a street parking study for a week,and then getting that
information together to bring back to the next meeting.
This item will be brought back to the next Public Safety meeting on July 25x',2002.
ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
Issue with sidewalks from Senior Complex to
Walgreens
Alderman Larry Kot brought up an issue that was discussed at Public Works. He asked if the police
department has noticed that at Rt.34 where Walgreens,and other new businesses are,if people from the
senior housing or other pedestrians have a problem walking safely through the area. The issue being is that
they never required the businesses to put in sidewalks.If there was a requirement it must have been waived
at one point because the sidewalks are not in there. It was brought to his attention that someone saw a
senior walking from the senior homes trying to get over there.He said they were wondering from a Public
Safety view-point if anyone had complained about it. Chief Martin said that they have seen children and
other people walking in the area,but hadn't noticed anything else.He said he would have the officers speak
with the senior citizen complex and ask if it is an issue.Alderman Kot thought that if a sidewalk would be
put in there that it would be used.Alderman Anderson mentioned that there is housing going up behind
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Jewel and there could be a sidewalk issue over there.Alderman Kot said that these are issues we need to
take a look at and with the Sidewalk Replacement Plan there seems to be extra money left over that the city
might take a look at spending on that.He thought they might need to start putting these items on the punch
list and taking care of them,as money is available.
Issue with Walgreens Handicap Markings
Alderwoman Rose Spears brought to attention that at in front of Walgreens there is a handicap sign on a
pillar but the actual parking spot is not actually marked. She said that it is confusing to tell whether or not it
is actually handicap parking. She thought that they probably put it there because the pillar is closer. Chief
Martin said that he would check into it.
Issue with Alderwoman Spears also mentioned an issue with the door to door permit. Chief MartD�comme a Permit
it
basically had to do with Jehovah's Witness and needing a permit to go door to door.He said that Tim
McCann was supposed to get the Attorney Generals opinion on it.He said that their prosecutor is supposed
to have a meeting within the next week or two.We should hear back from Tim after that.
Alderman Anderson brought up an issue from the meeting with the Fox Hill residents.He said that theree
were safety concerns with the bike paths and Johnston St.The residents talked of putting in stop signs for
the bike paths.He suggested taking a look at putting stop signs at the bike trail. Chief Martin said that
technically it is suppose to be the developer that would pay for that.Alderman Anderson suggested talking
to City Engineer Joe Wywrot if it can be added to a punch list.He didn't think it was something that could
be done.He felt that it would benefit the residents to have white line and stop signs.It would also be an
issue to look at with future developments that are putting in bike trails.His concerns were there could be
someone that is not familiar with the area and they might ride into the street without stopping. Alderwoman
Spears thought it maybe it should go to the park Board.It might be a something for them to look at when
they are reviewing the bike paths. She said she could also bring it up with the Board.
Check Chief Martin mentioned that they had received a$145 check from the MooReceived
e Teen Club.homey had Teen a c Club
wash June 2'd to raise money for canine unit.He said that though the police department wasn't aware they
were to bring over Officer Dan Pleckham and Jumbo the dog at the fund-raiser. They did bring in Jumbo
when they presented the check.He said that all the teens did a great job.
There was no more additional business.
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Minutes by Theresa Brady
Revised by Jackie Milschewski,City Clerk