Village President Ben Detloff advised the board and the public that they would streamline rental fees to make the rental process more equitable for those renting village parks or facilities.
“We’re trying to make this more acceptable for everybody and fair for everybody. Up to this point, it hasn’t been — it’s just whoever calls in at a certain time would get it for a certain price, and it was too confusing,” Detloff explained.
Three organizations, the Grant Park Foundation, Grant Park Co-Op, and the American Legion Lions Club, can rent the parks for free because of their past contributions.
Village residents will be charged a slightly discounted fee compared to non-residents. To ensure rental fees are fairly assessed, renters will need to produce proof of address when renting at the village resident rate.
Community Recreation News
Trustee Morgan Whorrall reported baby swings were raised at Hilgert Park, and pickleball nets are up. Detloff inquired about the status of the pickleball equipment, which had been stolen. Police Chief Carl Frey said they had located and cited the thief, and some items were recovered. Members of the community had donated other items.
For the Community Outreach committee, Steve Brower requested and received approval for Fall Fest expenses, which were not to exceed $6,225. He anticipates there will be sponsorships. Morgan advised it would be good to approve a budget for the fest; Brower added that the money was coming out of a Fest budget, not village funds.
Wiedl advised that the PTO president was interested in possibly holding a color run at Fall Fest. Detloff said it would be great if she could be invited to the committee meeting so everyone could work together. Dillman advised it would be June 4, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Detloff reminded everyone about the Party in the Park fundraiser for the Grant Park Foundation, which will be held on June 13, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Committee Reports
Trustee Susie Wiedl advised the board she will hold a committee meeting on June 2, at 1 p.m., to review insurance and ordinances.
Trustee Morgan Whorrall reported on the the public works schedule, which will be as follows: Mondays for branch and brush pickup, Tuesdays and Wednesdays – gravel maintenance and to pull alleys, Thursdays – grass mowing, and Fridays – any leftover mowing and asphalt cold-patching to repair potholes now that the weather has improved.
Scott Dillman informed the board the village will need someone to take over weekend plant watering to maintain the plants donated from Woldhuis Sunrise Greenhouse. Detloff requested that those interested contact Whorrall or the maintenance department.
Trustee Gerry Morgan reviewed the bills with the board, which were subsequently approved.
Morgan advised that the village received the PTELL report, which he explained to the board. Of note, the village’s tax rate will decrease from 1.08 to 1.075.
Morgan also wanted to confirm the $5,000 deposit for a village zoning change with the board was correct. Trustee Wiedl advised it was accurate. Scott Dillman added that about half of that amount goes to the attorney.
Village Engineer News
Detloff advised the board he had met with Village Engineer Neil Piggush on a few items. The newest drawings of the streetscape project are available for review at village hall.
Detloff and Piggush also reviewed park renovations and grant funding to help pay for them.
Also up for discussion was the location of the Hilgert Park sign, which was met with some resistance. Some suggestions were made for secondary signs. Detloff also brought up that some larger trees were in the way of some of the park’s proposed playground equipment, and would need to be removed. He advised he could bring a representative of the Grant Park Foundation so it wouldn’t be just him. The board did not take issue with that.
Legal News
Village President Ben Detloff informed the board that he spoke with Village Attorney Mike Santschi regarding a lien on a Butler Street property, an appraisal on the Pepin property, and a TIFF application.
“Once we get an appraisal, we can get a fair market value of the property and then put it up for sale. The village’s intent is to sell this property; we’re not going to hang on to it, but we need an appraisal, because we don’t know what the property is worth,” Detloff explained, as to why an appraisal was needed on the Pepin property.
Some discussion occurred regarding the cleanup of the property, and Detloff reported enough cleanup had been done so an appraiser could access it. The board unanimously approved the appraisal.
Finally, Detloff mentioned a resident’s concern about the noise of air brakes, and Frey suggested the village could pass an ordinance prohibiting them, to lessen the noise.
Handicapped Bar for Bathroom
Dillman suggested installing a safety bar in the bathroom at the Grant Park Community Building to help those who need it. This suggestion came up after a family event, and he wanted to bring it to the board’s attention again. He advised he found one on Amazon for $35 when he first looked in January, and if the board approved it, he would install it.
The board discussed ADA compliance and the bathroom and, ultimately, it decided that, because it was such a minimal cost, it could be approved without needing to be added to the agenda.
Law Enforcement Updates
Frey requested Sergeant Alberto Castillo be allowed to take his police vehicle home since he now lives close to town. This request was approved unanimously.
Additionally, Frey made two pay-related requests: one to increase the pay for part-time officers to $26 per hour to maintain the industry standard pay rate, and that Frey could be compensated at straight comp time when covering uncovered shifts more than 80 hours per week.
Some uncovered shifts are related to maternity leave and unstaffed part-time coverage, which Frey works to ensure they are covered. After some discussion, the board unanimously approved these requests.
The village has been testing a Verkada camera system, which Frey was impressed with and plans to bring before the board next month. He also briefly reviewed the adjudication court for the new trustees, which the village holds to process local ordinance violations.
Finally, some discussion occurred regarding UTVs, safety, speeding, and reckless driving, to which Frey explained that if someone is driving recklessly or above the speed limit, they will get ticketed and may lose the ability to legally operate a UTV in the village.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.