Kendall Co. Plan Consortium Minutes 2009 07-30-09 APPROVED
Kendall County Planning Consortium
July 30, 2009
Glen Schieberl, Minooka Dan Marrone, Oswego
Nancy Martin, Kendall Co. Board Dan Wittenkeller, Minooka
Suzanne Petrella, Kendall Co. Board June McCord, Plattville Mayor
Jim Eckert, Sugar Grove Judy Heim, Millbrook Mayor
Budd Wormley, Millbrook Richard Scheffrahn, Yorkville
Jonathan Hall, Joliet Sandy Bell, Big Rock
Edith McDonald, Oswego Jim Toni, Joliet
Andy Kaczmarek, Montgomery Betty Langeland, Plattville
Scott Gryder, Oswego Anne Lucietto, Yorkville
Travis Miller, Yorkville
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm by Anne Lucietto. She welcomed the guests and
thanked them for attending the consortium meeting. She introduced the speaker, Hubert Morgan,
principal planner and outreach coordinator for CMAP.
Mr. Morgan told the group he had been employed in planning for over 30 years, and of great
interest to him was the now 3-year old merger of CATS (Chicago Area Transportation Study)
and the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) to form CMAP. At one time the
agencies included 6 counties, which, initially, did not include Kendall County. CMAP stands for
Chicago Metropolitan Area of Planning.
This year marks the 100 year anniversary of architect's Daniel Burnham's bold planning
vision of Chicago.
The agencies' planners, who now are studying at the lack of planning in the region, are
attempting to account for the growth of only 8.5 million residents in this region. They had
expected 10 million residents. Mr. Morgan and the CMAP members have attributed this to
the Midwestern weather, housing and transportation choices, and the mobility of those in the
job markets who moved south and/or for employment and retirement reasons.
Mr. Morgan stated that some of the agency's highest priority issues would be diversifying
traffic, particularly for job access, and bringing new industry and jobs into the region.
The members in attendance introduced themselves and spoke of one topic that was important
to their city or plan commission. Below is a list of the towns and topics mentioned:
1) Big Rock "preserving the past"
2) Montgomery Metra improvements
3) Oswego transportation
4) Joliet intermodal transportation - bus, trains, cabs
5) Plattville increasing the square mileage
6) Minooka finding industry and jobs
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Towns, topics— continued
7) Oswego maintaining green
8) Kendall Co. solid waste plan, land resource management plan
This exercise showed the diversity of the region's resources, interests, and magnitude of issues
of importance to the agency and those within the region. It gave the visitors a first hand look at
the importance of communication and giving input to those on their commissions.
Within the region there are 284 municipalities all striving to work and asking the question:
"Why should I want (and do) live in my community". It is apparent that each community
attempt to sell itself to others.
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Mr. viorgan said that ii the communities are not strategic about inking charge of their own
community's strength and weaknesses, and future planning, that no vision is in place and
controlled and smart growth will not take place. A comprehensive plan is a tool that helps
to define the vision of each community.
Commissioners can shape communities. Commissioners can move communities to where the
vision is leading it.
Planning and envisioning preservation of each character's community is possible with the 50
strategies that have been written by CMAP. These are available as models for all communities,
large and small, to use. Planning for today and tomorrow involves these, and many other,
resources: water, transportation, economic development, land use, capital projects, and
infrastructure.
The meeting was followed by a question and answer period. Anne Lucietto adjourned the
meeting at 8:20 pm.
Meeting summary submitted by Annette Williams
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