Kane County Forest Preserve District Commission met Feb. 8.
Here are the minutes provided by the commission:
I. Call to Order
The Forest Preserve District Commission meeting was held at 9:00 AM at Kane County Government Center, 719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. A, Geneva, IL 60134. The meeting was opened by President Chris Kious at 9:00 AM. Remote=*
II. Pledge of Allegiance
President Kious asked Police Chief Burger to lead the pledge.
III. Roll Call Status
Commissioner Dale Berman Present
Commissioner David Brown Present
Commissioner Drew Frasz Present
Commissioner Mo Iqbal Present
Commissioner Michael Kenyon Present
President Chris Kious Present
Commissioner John Martin Present
Commissioner Clifford Surges Present
Commissioner Vern Tepe Present
Commissioner Barbara Wojnicki Present
Commissioner Deborah Allan Present*(via remote @ 9:03 a.m.)
Commissioner Mavis Bates Present*
Commissioner Mark Davoust Present*
Commissioner Michelle Gumz Present*
Commissioner Tom Koppie Present*
Commissioner Bill Lenert Present*
Commissioner Anita Lewis Present*
Commissioner Myrna Molina Present*
Commissioner Jarett Sanchez Present*
Commissioner Monica Silva Present*
Commissioner Ron Ford Present* (via remote @ 9:04 a.m.)
Commissioner Kenneth Shepro Absent
Commissioner Cherryl Strathmann Absent
Board Member Todd Wallace Absent
Others Present:
Also Present: Exec. Dir. Meyers; CFO Stanish; Chief of Planning Anderson Jr.; Ops. Dir. Goreth; NRM Dir. Haberthur; Community Affairs Dir. Metanchuk & staff Kovach; Public Safety Dir. and Chief of Police Burger; Attorney Hodge; KC Auditor Wegman; KC IT Peters, Thompson; Recording Secretary Figliozzi and members from the press and public. (Commissioner Allan arrived via remote @ 9:03 a.m.)
IV. Public Comment (Each Speaker is limited to 3 minutes)
Gary Swick, Elgin resident and President of the Friends of the Fox River Organization, expressed his appreciation for the District's staff in removing the old structure at the Fox River Fen Forest Preserve by EMSA. Swick spoke highly of the District's operational staff and police department, noting staff was very careful and considerate with the safety of the school children nearby during the demo. (Commissioner Ford arrived in person @ 9:04 a.m.)
V. Presentation and Approval of the Minutes of January 11, 2022
President Kious presented the minutes as amended to reflect a correction in item V., the ayes and nays were reversed.
| RESULT: APPROVED AS AMENDED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: John Martin, Commissioner SECONDER: Barbara Wojnicki, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
| RESULT: ADOPTED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Deborah Allan, Commissioner SECONDER: Drew Frasz, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
Dir. of Community Affairs Metanchuk shared the Accreditation Award plaque that was presented to the Forest Preserve District at the Soaring New Heights Annual Conference in Chicago on January 27-29, 2022. Exec. Dir. Meyers thanked the District staff for collaborating together and proving all the necessary documents required for the application. Meyers thanked Rita Fletcher, Executive Director of the Bartlett Park District who was our DA Mentor for all of her guidance throughout the process. Meyers noted that being the first Forest Preserve to have been awarded, has opened doors for other conservation agencies.
VIII. Administration
A. FP-R-22-02-2929 Resolution Approving the Settler's Hill Golf Course Start Up Project and Fund Transfer
Chief of Planning Anderson Jr. presented the Settler's Hill start-up project, noting the goal is to get the course open July 2022. Referencing a map included in the agenda packet, Anderson provided detail information of the proposed layout.
DISCUSSION: None.
| RESULT: ADOPTED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Michelle Gumz, Commissioner SECONDER: Mark Davoust, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
A. FP-R-22-02-2930 Resolution Approving a Vehicle Leasing Contract with Enterprise Entity and Enterprise Fleet Management, Inc. for the Public Safety Department
Chief of Police Burger presented the vehicle lease program with Enterprise Fleet Management. He noted that the Operations department entered into the same agreement in 2021, following Kane County. He discussed the net effect to the budget due to the fiscal year calendar and timeline of the purchase. Staff is seeking to replace seven Public Safety squad vehicles (two Ford Explorers and five Chevy Tahoe’s) by leasing seven Ford F-150 Police Responder pickup trucks. Recently, Enterprise Entities and EFM inquired whether the District would be interested in leasing certain vehicles that were scheduled for replacement, and others that would be coming due for replacement in the near future. In 2019, the Kane County Division of Transportation (KDOT) entered into a lease agreement with Enterprise Entities and EFM for the same purpose. Presently, it appears this would be a fiscally beneficial program. Since the County of Kane entered into the lease agreement on behalf of KDOT, it was stipulated in the lease agreement that this program would be for the use of any taxing body in Kane County who should choose to be part of this program, wherever their location. All pricing and catalog discounts will be extended to other government entities that wish to participate. DISCUSSION: None.
| RESULT: ADOPTED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Drew Frasz, Commissioner SECONDER: Dale Berman, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
Dir. of Operations Goreth presented the bid for purchase of replacement vehicles for the North Operations Division. He indicated how the delay in manufacturing would impact the net effect in the budget due to the fiscal year calendar and delivery of the vehicle.
DISCUSSION: None.
| RESULT: ADOPTED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Dale Berman, Commissioner SECONDER: Barbara Wojnicki, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
Dir. of NRM Haberthur presented the bid for purchase of a replacement vehicle for the Natural Resources Department. The Natural Resource Management department currently utilizes vehicle #61, a 2007 Ford F-350 Extended Cab 4x4 diesel, as the primary vehicle for heavy equipment transport. It has served the Natural Resource Management department well over the last 14 years, and now has over 90,500 miles under its belt. Maintenance costs and downtime have begun to increase as this truck has aged, leading the department to seek a replacement. Funds totaling $103,000 were budgeted in the NRM Automotive Equipment Account in FY2021/22 for the purchase of two vehicles. Sufficient funds totaling $103,000 are available for this first purchase totaling $65,500.
DISCUSSION: None.
| RESULT: ADOPTED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: John Martin, Commissioner SECONDER: Drew Frasz, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
NRM Dir. Haberthur presented the construction bid for a water control structure in the Nelson Lake Marsh within the Dick Young Forest Preserve. While there are many ecological functions occurring in just the manner we would like to see at the site, there are also a number of threats to this system that persist. Chief among the threats is a lack of control of the water levels at the marsh. An unaltered system would have negated this concern, as the marsh would be functioning under the hydrologic parameters that perpetuated its existence. However, the alteration of the outlet at Lake Run created an unnatural system that requires an engineered solution to restore hydrologic balance, without subjecting adjacent landowners to flooding. Historic suppression of fire and a modern introduction of invasive weeds also constitute threats to the native ecosystem, and have already begun to be addressed. District staff worked jointly with WBK to create a set of bid specifications for the construction of the designed water-control structure. It was publicly advertised and sent to 52 vendors, with four responding. The qualified, lowest bidder was V3 Construction Group, LTD of Woodridge, Illinois, for a bid of $99,500. Funds totaling $134,433 were budgeted in FY 2021/22 for the Dick Young/Nelson Lake Marsh Revitalization Project. Sufficient funds totaling $126,775 are available in the Construction & Development Fund, for this professional service expense totaling $99,500.
DISCUSSION: None.
| RESULT: ADOPTED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: David Brown, Commissioner SECONDER: Mavis Bates, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace PRESENT: Tom Koppie |
NRM Dir. Haberthur presented the following item, he noted the vendors and the low bid, the results from last year, staff is happy with this project.
DISCUSSION: Allan asked that is this project available to do in house, Haberthur responded that yes having limited staff does play an effect and role in the deadline of projects, so having this turned to contractors it gets done quicker and they are going to get further along in the project. Allan stated that it makes a lot of sense to contract out. Iqbal - asked about the inclusion of trees, Haberthur stated that all vascular plants are included. He stated that we get a presence of all species.
| RESULT: ADOPTED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Michael Kenyon, Commissioner SECONDER: Barbara Wojnicki, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
A. FP-R-22-02-2935 Resolution Approving the 2022 Update to the 2015 Comprehensive Master Plan
Exec. Dir. Meyers - presented the updated Comprehensive Master Plan for 2022. She discussed the current capital projects, categorized by potential grants, short and long term projects and the fluidity of the priorities that follow grant availability. The changes in the mission statement was noted, the greater focus is on the conservation, preservation, environmental and wellbeing components. DISCUSSION: Commissioner Surges discussed the Carpentersville Dam project, noting that kayaking is popular in that area. Commissioner Bates talked about the Fabulous Fox River Water Trail and all the improvements made. Commissioner Surges commented on Facebook posts of Eagles along the Fox River stating that it is a testament to the ecosystem, the District has worked hard and continue to do a great job. Exec Dir. Meyers answered questions from the Commission, explaining that the Carpentersville Dam project is in an engineering phase, the removal of the dam will help the river to flow freely. NRM Dir. Haberthur reported the District’s wildlife technician, has been documenting and creating surveys of the birds in that area.
| RESULT: ADOPTED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Michael Kenyon, Commissioner SECONDER: Ron Ford, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
XII. Communications
Comm. Affairs Dir. Metanchuk promoted the Adopt a Turtle Program for Valentine’s Day; information can be located through the Kane Forest Foundation website.
XIII. President's Comments
President Kious reported on the monthly Senior Strolls, the last event was held indoors due to the severe weather, the District’s Environmental Education Manager Barb McKittrick provided a presentation. Commissioner Davoust promoted the Kane Forest Foundation, more information on the annual plant sale will be provided at a future meeting.
XIV. Department Reports for January 2022
| RESULT: APPROVED BY ROLL CALL VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Ron Ford, Commissioner SECONDER: Dale Berman, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
The meeting adjourned at 9:49 a.m.
| RESULT: ADJOURNED BY VOICE VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Drew Frasz, Commissioner SECONDER: John Martin, Commissioner AYES: Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Dale Berman, David Brown, Mark Davoust, Ron Ford, Drew Frasz, Michelle Gumz, Mo Iqbal, Michael Kenyon, Chris Kious, Tom Koppie, Bill Lenert, Anita Lewis, John Martin, Myrna Molina, Jarett Sanchez, Monica Silva, Clifford Surges, Vern Tepe, Barbara Wojnicki ABSENT: Kenneth C. Shepro, Cherryl Strathmann, Todd Wallace |
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