Rock Island Today

City of Aledo City Council met June 17.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

The City Council of the City of Aledo met in Regular Session in the Council Chambers of the City Hall building on June 17, 2019. MAYOR HAGLOCH called the meeting to order at 7:10 P.M. The roll was called, whereupon the following answered present:

Aldermen ILA BERTRAND, TERRY BEWLEY, MICHAEL CHAUSSE, BARRY COOPER, DENNIS DIXON, JIM HOLMES, CHRIS KOPP, and LINDA SARABASA. Mayor CHRISTOPHER HAGLOCH.

Also present were CHRIS SULLIVAN, Interim Administrator / Chief of Police, JUSTIN BLASER, Director of Public Works & Utilities, and JAROD DALE, City Clerk.

An attendance sheet has been marked Exhibit “A”, attached hereto and made a part of these minutes. The media was represented by Cala Smoldt, Rock Island Argus and Aledo Times Record.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

The meeting was opened in prayer by ALD. Chausse.

Appearances: Erik Reader, Todd Thompson & Michael Thompson – 353 Court, LLC. – presented the “Aledo, IL., Downtown Report – Strategies for a Revitalized Business District.” The objective of the Downtown Report was to provide the City of Aledo with an outside analysis of observations as it relates to the building conditions, business mix, and brand essence within the historic downtown business district.

It also aims to provide City staff and community stakeholders with viable recommendations for stabilization and growth in the short term by determining what is missing, preparation that is needed to take place and how to achieve the desired level of success.

SWOT Analysis:

Strengths – Healthy mix of businesses and positive attitude in Aledo. Preserved building stock. New businesses starting up and recent investments in municipal building.

Weaknesses – Lack of vibrancy during weekday and evening hours. Absence of code compliance and design standards. Traffic counts are much stronger in other parts of town.

Opportunities – Turnkey opportunities to start, build, and develop businesses. Demand for upper-story living units. Remaining TIF funding to assist with building stabilization and business programming.

Threats – Between 40 – 50% of buildings within the study area exhibit some condition of blight and are in a detrimental condition to commerce or tourism in the district.

What’s missing? During the discovery phase of the study, the team concluded that although downtown Aledo is attracting new and returning economic activity, there is still a need for more attractions and amenities to distinguish it as a competitive regional destination. A few aspects of what is currently missing and suggested additions to enhance the vibrancy and promote a greater sense of place include: Third Places (coffee shop, art lounge and food market); Entertainment (Movie Theater, pool hall, comedy club and live music venue); Interactive Spaces (makerspace, media lab, collaborative working space and a dedicated art studio); and, Placemaking (Art Installations, bike facilities, wayfinding signage, sustainable building elements).

Vacant to Vibrant – leveraging existing efforts, amenities and incentives will reduce redundant activities and shorten the time needed to get to the level of vibrancy in the district. Three (3) categories to be used to organize the recommendations for the downtown district: Buildings, Businesses, and Branding.

Building –

Demonstration Block: every revitalization project needs a place to start. Concentrated efforts in a smaller one (1) block area make a big impact quicker.

Stabilize Structures: To begin to effectively address stabilizing the building themselves, the roof and exterior envelope must be weatherproofed. Proper sealants around exposed openings and repairs to mortar must be made simultaneously to ensure future structural integrity. Installation of commercial windows and doors are also included in this aggressive initial phase.

Upper-story Living: As the demand for living downtown increases, set aside funding for interior improvements should be made to rapidly incentivize rehabilitation of upper-story living.

Flexible Retail & Office Space: By reading vacant spaces to be a “vanilla box” future tenants can open more easily than with significant remodeling. Likewise, preparing office space to be more collaborative and dynamic with a open flow floorplans makes establishing professional services more affordable than lengthy rehabilitation of buildings.

Art Inside & Out: Art has the ability to draw customers to your business and heighten the overall experience in your business. Incorporating murals and sculptures on the exterior of a building adds an element of intrigue to what may be inside. Local photography and paintings hung throughout the interior builds that local story that there are many talented and creative people living in town.

Businesses –

Strong Business Culture – Assistance, mentoring and funding is necessary to support ongoing efforts to establish entrepreneurs, artists, and a robust small business climate. 

Every town requires the early-stage pioneers that are the champions to lead a sustaining revitalization.

Strategic Cluster – Pairing similar business types in a coordinated matter allows for a clustering effect to obtain a critical mass of certain categories: shopping, dining, entertainment, and services. Orchestrating such an undertaking to locate boutiques near boutiques or restaurants in a row allows a consumer to process what is in a downtown district making it simplified to where they wish to go.

Maker-First Mentality – An attraction strategy to obtain and cultivate new business within a district is one thing, a maker-first mentality to approaching business attraction takes things to the next level. That is to say, not just a place to buy bread, but a bakery that bakes fresh bread daily and sells, delivers, and wholesales. Insert other destination – based business: brewery, coffee roaster, creamery, etc.

Café Seating & Outdoor Merchandising – Draw from the sidewalk in with outdoor café seating and storefront merchandising. Great streets across the country have allowed their businesses to create intimate setting eating al fresco and promoting sidewalk sales. These elements increase curb appeal and soften transitions from building façade to sidewalks and parking spaces.

Coordinated Business Hours – Typical hours of operation are inconsistent with activating space during weeknights and weekends when visitors to the area are more likely to be present. Creating a unified schedule between retail and restaurants sets an established period when businesses are more likely to be prepared and consumers can participate.

Branding –

Consistent Theme – Developing a consistent look and feel is important in delivering an exceptional experience. For the highest concentration of businesses and pedestrian activity in the community, the downtown deserves a well-disciplined design aesthetic to make it a special place.

Storefront Beautification – Curb appeal is one of the best ways to increase potential visits and sales. Improving signage to include blade signs, cleaning or updating awnings, adding exterior lighting, and creating tasteful window displays are easy ways to polish a business’s storefront appearance. A well branded and memorable business has the ability to stay with a consumer for many years.

Wayfinding & Directional Signage – Branded wayfinding and directions signage can play more of a role to attract the behavior you desire in your downtown. Establishing an identity of place with elements such as street signs, kiosks, and gateway point people in the right direction leading to a positive economic impact.

Fun & Inviting Public Spaces – Making downtown a place where people want to stay and linger can be challenging in climates where outdoor environments are unpredictable. Developing fun and inviting public spaces with multiple ways to engage and interact with them in spite of the weather makes them more endearing to residents and visitors alike.

Market the Experience – A brand is a certain essence based off of perception. In most cases it is earned. Downtowns invoke certain feelings that are created in many experiences – dining at a restaurant, enjoying an event, shopping at a great boutique. Market what makes it unique and how it is the only place to find the specific experiences they are seeking.

Recommendations:

Buildings (75%) Funding Level = $450,000. Downtown Building Stabilization Program, Storefront Improvement Program, Upper Story Living Grant.

Businesses (17%) Funding Level = $100,000. Technical Assistance Grants, Downtown Technology Grant, Business Improvement Grant.

Branding (8%) Funding Level = $50,000. Downtown Aledo Wayfinding & Signage, Civic Placemaking Grants, Downtown Event Series.

Communication & Correspondence: No Report. Requests & Petitions: No Report.

Public Works Activity Report:

 Streets: Rhubarb Festival preparation and cleanup; mowing; install new batteries in all four (4) storm sirens.

 Water: JULIE’s; communication failures; mowing and weed-eating; and clean/organize buildings.

 Gas: Assisting the W/S Division with multiple tasks, read meters; assist with Rhubarb Festival preparation; working on valves for the high school paving project.

 Cemetery: Two (2) funerals occurred. Rhubarb Festival preparation.

 DPW: performed a radio study with Britton Electronics with the test confirming we are able to install a VHF Ethernet radio system to replace the unreliable Frontier internet connection between the well sites, WTP, and the telemetry building. Phase VI downtown project going well. DPW reported the contractor did strike one of the concrete Ameren light poles. Ameren was contacted immediately, and had the power supply removed. The bank roof has been repaired, and a new wooden pole has been re-installed. The City Hall Interior project is back into full swing. The interior walls are being insulated and sheet rocked.

Aledo Police Department Activity Report: CHIEF Sullivan reported that due to the Downtown Phase VI Street & Sidewalk Construction project, along with limited parking in Central Park, the National Night Out event to be held in August will be postponed until August, 2020.

Administration Report: CITY CLERK Dale reported Rachel Bruce, Bi-State Regional Commission to meet with Aledo Park District in July, 2019 to begin discussions on assistance from Bi-State regarding grant writing for a potential Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant with IDNR for the Aledo Park District project.

Aledo Park District held a special meeting on June 17th approving Ordinance No. 02, Series of 2019; An Ordinance of the Aledo Park District requesting transfer of certain property in the City and approving an agreement for purchase of property from the City of Aledo, Illinois. The ordinance was passed by the Aledo Park District on 6/17 and the property in reference is the Judith Lower and Lorraine Hutchins property adjacent to the Northside ball diamonds.

CITY CLERK reported City Administrator applications will be due by June 28th at 4:30 p.m. Also, the Water/Wastewater Superintendent and Water/Wastewater Worker positions are open for applications until July 12th at 4:30 p.m.

City Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s Report has been marked exhibit “B”, attached hereto and made a part of these minutes.

Mayor’s Report: MAYOR Hagloch reported the 28th Annual Rhubarb Festival held June 7 – 8, 2019 was a success with the weather holding off and making for a great event weekend.

Committee Report: ALD. Sarabasa reported the Tax Increment Financing Committee met on June 10, 2019 in the City Council Chambers. The Committee reviewed a Building Façade and Safety grant application submitted by Dave Relander for property located at 105 S. College Avenue. The application was for replacement of windows and door with the Committee recommending approval of a 50/50 reimbursement façade grant up to $7,500. The item was forwarded to the Aledo City Council for final approval.

REGULAR COUNCIL SESSION

Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,

ACTION ITEMS

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN HOLMES and seconded by ALDERMAN SARABASA to approve the meeting minutes of June 03, 2019 as presented. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Bertrand, Bewley, Cooper, Dixon, Holmes, Kopp, and Sarabasa. NO: None. ABSTAIN: Chausse. Motion carried. 7 yeas, 0 nays, 1 abstention.

FINANCE: INVOICE LIST:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN BERTRAND and seconded by ALDERMAN BEWLEY that the Invoice Listing, which has been marked Exhibit “C”, attached hereto and made a part of these minutes, be authorized and checks issued. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Bewley, Chausse, Cooper, Dixon, Holmes, Sarabasa, and Bertrand. NO: None. ABSTAIN: Kopp. Motion carried. 7 yeas, 0 nays, 1 abstention.

ORDINANCE NO. 36, SERIES OF 2019; RESCINDING APPROVAL OF A REDEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH TWIN STATE, INC. AND THE SALE OF PROPERTY TO TWIN STATE, INC.: (SECOND READING)

Motion was made by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE and seconded by ALDERMAN COOPER to adopt Ordinance No. 36, Series of 2019; Rescinding Approval of a Redevelopment Agreement with Twin State Inc. and the Sale of Property to Twin State Inc. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Chausse, Cooper, Dixon, Holmes, Kopp, Sarabasa, Bertrand, and Bewley. NO: None. Motion carried. 8 yeas, 0 nays.

ORDINANCE NO. 37, SERIES OF 2019; APPROVING THE SALE OF PROPERTY TO TWIN STATE, INC.: (SECOND READING)

Motion was made by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE and seconded by ALDERMAN COOPER to adopt Ordinance No. 37, Series of 2019; Approving the Sale of Property to Twin State Inc.; Lots 9 (Property ID# 10-10-21-204-019) and 10 (Property ID # 10-10-21- 204-022) in Progress Park, 2nd Addition, City of Aledo, Mercer County, Illinois; in the amount of $100. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Cooper, Dixon, Holmes, Kopp, Sarabasa, Bertrand, Bewley, and Chausse. NO: None. Motion carried. 8 yeas, 0 nays.

ORDINANCE NO. 38, SERIES OF 2019; ESTABLISHING AN EMPLOYEE REIMBURSEMENT POLICY FOR ALL NECESSARY EXPENDITURES: (SECOND READING)

Motion was made by ALDERMAN HOLMES and seconded by ALDERMAN BEWLEY to adopt Ordinance No. 38, Series of 2019; Establishing an Employee Reimbursement Policy for all necessary expenditures. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Dixon, Holmes, Kopp, Sarabasa, Bertrand, Bewley, Chausse, and Cooper. NO: None. Motion carried. 8 yeas, 0 nays.

ORDINANCE NO. 39, SERIES OF 2019; AUTHORIZING THE ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY BY THE CITY OF ALEDO, ILLINOIS FROM JUDITH A. LOWER: (SECOND READING)

Motion was made by ALDERMAN COOPER and seconded by ALDERMAN BEWLEY to adopt Ordinance No. 39, Series of 2019; Authorizing the Acquisition of Real Property by the City of Aledo, Illinois from Judith A. Lower (“Seller”); who owns property located in the City of Aledo, Mercer County, Illinois identified as follows: The South 330 feet of the West 232.3 feet of Lot 2 and the South 330 feet of Lot 3 in McCoy Addition, in the City of Aledo, PIN: 10-10-17-100-020, and Lot 8 excluding the West 25.04 Feet in McCoy Addition, in the City of Aledo, PIN: 10-10-17-100-017 (the “Property”); in the amount of $72,840. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Kopp, Sarabasa, Bertrand, Bewley, Cooper, and Dixon. NO: Holmes. ABSTAIN: Chausse. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 1 nay, 1 abstention.

RESOLUTION NO. 21R, SERIES OF 2019; AUTHORIZING SALE OF REAL PROPERTY TO THE ALEDO PARK DISTRICT:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN COOPER and seconded by ALDERMAN BEWLEY to approve Resolution No. 21R, Series of 2019; Authorizing Sale of Real Property to the Aledo Park District; property located in the City of Aledo, Mercer County, Illinois identified as follows: The South 330 feet of the West 232.3 feet of Lot 2 and the South 330 feet of Lot 3 in McCoy Addition, in the City of Aledo, PIN: 10-10-17-100-020, and Lot 8 excluding the West 25.04 Feet in McCoy Addition, in the City of Aledo, PIN: 10-10-17-100-017 (the “Property”); in the amount of $72,840, as adjusted by proration’s and credits allowed the parties by this agreement, as follows: $11,581.38 annually commencing on January 1, 2020, and continuing thereafter on the same day of each succeeding year until January 1, 2026; annual payments shall include principal and interest at the rate of 2.75%. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Kopp, Sarabasa, Bertrand, Bewley, Cooper, Dixon, and Holmes. NO: None. ABSTAIN: Chausse. Motion carried. 7 yeas, 0 nays, 1 abstention.

RESOLUTION NO. 22R, SERIES OF 2019; APPROVING A REDEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF ALEDO, ILLINOIS AND STUTS DRUG STORE, INC.:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN KOPP and seconded by ALDERMAN BERTRAND to approve Resolution No. 22R, Series of 2019; Approving a Redevelopment Agreement between the City of Aledo, Illinois and Stuts Drug Store Inc., for property located at 105 S. College Avenue, Aledo, Illinois, ; City shall reimburse the Property Owner one-half of the actual costs incurred (excluding sales taxes) by the Property Owner for such façade and/or building repairs, up to a maximum reimbursement of $7,194.30. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Sarabasa, Bertrand, Bewley, Chausse, Cooper, Dixon, Holmes, and Kopp. NO: None. Motion carried. 8 yeas, 0 nays.

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS: A Joint Ordinance & Police and Personnel Committee meeting to be held on Monday, June 24, 2019 at 6:15 o’clock p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

OLD BUSINESS: ALD. Bertrand inquired on the current progress of the garbage service contract with Jackson Disposal Inc. CHIEF Sullivan and MAYOR Hagloch noted minor issues in the beginning phases of the agreement but overall any issues have been resolved.

CHIEF Sullivan reported the City currently has around fifty (50) neighborhood vehicle stickers that were issued by the Aledo Police Department. Minor issues have been addressed such as driving on the multi-use pathway heading towards Wal-Mart but notification to stay off the path has been addressed. CHIEF reported a larger number of county residents are applying for NV permits to travel into Aledo.

NEW BUSINESS: CHIEF Sullivan reported the Mercer County Health Department can be contacted by residents to obtain Natural RDT packet/tablets to place in standing water.

ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, motion was made by ALDERMAN BEWLEY and seconded by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE that the meeting be adjourned. A Unanimous voice vote followed in agreement. Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 P.M.

https://aledoil.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_06172019-184