MINUTES
Moraine Township Board of Trustees
Thursday, April 26, 2007 7:30 PM
Highwood City Hall, Council Chambers
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
April 26, 2007
The meeting was called to order at 7:40 PM by Supervisor Mari Barnes, and upon roll call the following members were present: Trustees Bryna Gamson, Margoth Moreno; Supervisor Mari Barnes. Trustees Cynthia Plouché and Jeff Zaluda were absent. Also Present: Clerk Ellen Gussin, Director General Assistance Tracy Coleman, community members Harry Crane of the Citizen Grant Advisory Committee, Barbara Borden, and Janet Freed. Assessor Peter Koukos and Chief Deputy Assessor Trish Lenzini were absent.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 22, 2007 stand approved as written.
Approval of Bills
Trustee Gamson moved, seconded by Trustee Moreno, approval of the bills. Upon roll call, motion carried.
Public Comment
None
Agency Presentations
The Art Center, Ann Rosen, Executive Director
Ann thanked the Board for its invitation and support. Funding by Moraine Township has supported the Make Art Count program, in existence for three years. The program encourages citizens to get involved in the arts as a career and/or establishment of a new cottage industry. The Art Center has worked with Family Network for referrals of participants, but the program is open to anyone in the community who is interested. Babysitting is available for young mothers, and the program provides an opportunity for those participants for whom English is a second language to practice communication skills. There are two components to the program – jewelry making and fiber art in which quilts and stitching skills are emphasized and much of the work is completed offsite. Eight students participate in the jewelry program and six others in the fiber program. A few students have been hired by the teacher and are thereby learning the business aspect, including sales, pricing, and marketing. They also seek appropriate outlets within the community where the products of their efforts can be displayed and sold. Ann reports that they would like to be able to expand the program, but it is costly both in materials and the teacher; $15,000 is spent annually, and they receive additional support from the Highland Park Community Foundation and the Art Center’s Affiliate Membership program. The program is far from fully funded. Residual benefits of the program include opportunities for socialization among the participants and the community members they encounter. Their children are often involved in the Nuestro Center’s Summer Camp program. Make Art Count is advertised through the schools, as well as scholarship availability. The Art Center is a visual arts organization in located in Highland Park with programs for adults and children; over 100 classes and programs are offered, with scholarships available. Their new building has many needs and the community is invited to participate in the upcoming fundraiser on May 10; call 847-432-1888 or visit http://www.theartcenterhp.org for more information.
Center For Enriched Living (CEL), Harriet Levy, Executive Director
Harriet graciously thanked the Board for the opportunity to speak. The CEL has been in existence for 40 years and is located at 280 Saunders in Riverwoods. It serves children and adults with mild to moderate development disabilities, who are often lonely, isolated, and encounter difficulty in accessing community resources. The Center conducted a $5 million capital campaign, and paid off the mortgage on its beautiful facility last June. The building includes a gymnasium to facilitate sports and recreation for clients with an active lifestyle, a lounge for social activities, fitness and technology rooms. Six hundred people come through the Center annually from communities throughout the Chicago-land area, many that reside in group homes or other facilities as well as those that live with their families or independently. People make friends at CEL and come because they feel they can belong and have a connection with other people. Some graduate from school and go on to jobs but still frequent the Center as a place to come and belong. CEL receives no public funding for its $1.2 million budget; fees from those that utilize the facility only cover 18% of the costs and therefore CEL conducts many fundraising projects. Transportation is provided throughout the various areas they serve with accessible vans. There are several partner programs, including collaboration with NSSRA and Northern Suburban Special Education. An innovative adult program focuses on development of communication skills to assist with self sufficiency. Looking Glass Theatre and JCYS are partners in a theater program where all clients participate as equals. In response to a question concerning overlap with services provided by other agencies, Harriet responded that there are so many underserved people with development disabilities that any overlap does well to provide additional choice. A comparison of the volume of choices offered to non-challenged individuals versus the choices available to those with developmental disabilities further underscores the need for expanded opportunities for social interaction, community awareness, and communication skills, as well as aerobics, art, music, and drama programs. Three percent of the population has developmental disabilities, and there are so many that are not served at all; the State of Illinois is #48 in providing funding for these types of services. Harriet further commented that it is very short-sighted to not provide adequate funding, as it allows people to live independently. With further funding cuts, we could/would have a much larger crisis. CEL provides service to its clients as a lifetime proposition and therefore operates under a different continuum than other agencies. Trustee Gamson conveyed the Citizen Grant Advisory Committee (CGAC)’s question of whether the Township’s $1,000 grant makes an impact. Harriet responded that it is like receiving a seal of approval beyond the dollars and they are most grateful for the Township’s support.
Assessor's Report
no report
Grant Approvals
Supervisor Barnes explained that this is a continuation of the discussion on the CGAC’s recommendation from last month. Trustee Gamson moved, seconded by Supervisor Barnes, that the recommendation of the committee be accepted. An amendment was accepted to vote on the Tri-Con funding separately to accommodate Trustee Moreno’s wish to vote “present” on that agency’s funding because she is a member of its Board. Supervisor Barnes read the recommended funding amounts for the 20 agencies. Trustee Gamson further explained the reasoning behind the committee's wide-ranging recommendations allocating the entire $100,000 budgeted. Grant award amounts were based upon what the agencies requested, their impact in the community, and the number of Moraine Township residents served. Motion carried. Supervisor Barnes moved, seconded by Trustee Gamson, that $14,000 be approved for Tri-Con. Trustee Gamson and Supervisor Barnes voted aye and Trustee Moreno voted “present.” A copy of the grants to be awarded is attached and will be posted on the Township website.
Supervisor’s Report
City of Highland Park and the Township are collaborating on an environmental effort to purchase hybrid vehicles. Supervisor Barnes read a resolution calling for Senators Durbin and Obama and Congressman Kirk to seek federal funding for replacement of the Highland Park Bus Fleet with environmentally friendly hybrid electric buses. The approximate cost is $800,000. Supervisor Barnes asked for Board for support, and Trustee Gamson moved, seconded by Trustee Moreno, that the resolution be passed. Motion passed. Letters will be sent to Durbin, Obama and Kirk.
Saturday, May 12 from 12 noon to 5 PM is the Postal Service Food Drive; Township is seeking community volunteers, and interested parties should contact the office via email or phone.
Saturday morning, June 2, weather permitting, will be the planting event for the Pantry Plants Program beginning at 8:30 AM at Woodridge Park.
Sunday, July 1 is the Ravinia Festival date for collecting food for the Township.
Trustees are needed to participate in the 4th of July parade.
Annual Dinner for Townships will be hosted by Moraine Township on Friday, November 2 at the Highland Park Community House; the Board is asked to think about appropriate entertainment; political parody is one option. Expected attendance is 100-150 people. Board members are asked to mark the date on their calendars now.
Community Family Center is looking for a Township Board member to attend its meetings since Trustee Zaluda has been unable to attend; Clerk Gussin expressed interest.
Township will be employing three students this summer through the Lake County Summer Youth Program; one will work at the Pantry Plants garden and two at the cemetery. The county program supervisor was very pleased to hear from us because there is a waiting list of students that want work and have never had requests from the south end of the County before. Supervisor Barnes will be setting up the program and will work out the scheduling.
Trustee Moreno and Supervisor Barnes hosted a meeting at the Township concerning what she coined, “Small Emergency, Large Response.” The mission is to develop an emergency plan for the various participants in the community who respond when disaster strikes, including the Police and Fire Departments as well as school representatives. A matrix will be developed to follow for any emergency in the future, using the model that the Fire Department and District 112 have utilized in the past.
On Sunday, May 20, a car wash will be sponsored at Northwood Junior High to raise money for the Township; times to be announced.
Lake County Senior Day is June 13 at Independence Grove. Township provides the transportation for residents that wish to attend.
Committee Reports
Transportation – Supervisor Barnes read from a written report submitted by Trustee Plouche who attended a TOI meeting on April 5 concerning the Lake County coordinated transportation efforts; preliminary results of the transportation study should be available by 9/1/07. Continuing efforts toward developing Para-transit and community dial-a-ride service within Lake County are progressing. The Township’s second van is on the roads with two new drivers and so busy with appointments that the name has not yet been added to the side of the silver vehicle.
Public Relations – Trustee Gamson has been clipping the press releases placed in local papers and Trustee Moreno brought in an article from a local church bulletin, all publicizing the Township’s improved transportation program. Website is up-to-date at http://www.morainetownship.org where each meeting agenda and minutes are posted, as well as voter registration and election information with links to election results, assessor information, real estate property comparisons, etc.
Food Pantry – Trustee Moreno commented that shelves are a little depleted but we are expecting ample replenishments from the Postal Service Food Drive on May 12.
Old Business
None
New Business
None
Adjournment
With no further business to conduct, Trustee Moreno moved, seconded by Trustee Gamson, that the meeting be adjourned at 8:50 PM. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Ellen S. Gussin
Moraine Township Clerk
Return to Monthly Agenda & Minutes of the Township
Return to Home Page
Go to Minutes Archive (prior to 2007)
