September roads committee meeting

Wednesday September 13, 2023 at 6:00pm there will be a Roads Committee Meeting at the Shields Township Offices located at 906 Muir Avenue in Lake Bluff. 

09.13.23_roads_committee_agenda.pdf
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​Shields Township
906 W. Muir Avenue, Lake Bluff, IL 60044
Special Meeting of the Roads Commission Committee  
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 6:00p.m.
 
AGENDA

1. Call to Order & Roll Call
2. Approval of June 22, 2023, Roads Meeting Minutes
3. Public Comment – Three (3) minutes per speaker
4. Comments from Supervisor Urso

1. North Ave (west of Waukegan Road) Discussion and Recommendation of speed humps, traffic calming devices and/or possible road closures

1. Discussion of Shields Township Road District

1. New Business

1. Discussion of purchasing a new truck
2. Discussion of Camera system for Road District Building
3. Discussion of possible improvements to the park at the end of Washington Ave

1. Old Business

1. Update on Green Avenue SMC project  
2. Update on Birch Avenue & Adelphia paving project
3. Starbucks update
4. Bike Path Grant

1. General Road Issues and Recommendations
2. Non-Agenda Items
3. Adjournment 

 
 
Serving our communities since 1850

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MINUTES

09.13.23_roads_committee_meeting_minutes_.pdf
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Minutes – Shields Township Road Commission Meeting
Special Meeting of September 13, 2023
______________________________________________________________________________
​STATE OF ILLINOIS,     )
Lake County,                 )    SS.
Town of Shields            )
 
THE SHIELDS TOWNSHIP ROADS COMMISSION COMMITTEE held its monthly meeting in person on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 6:00pm
 
PRESENT:     
Lisette Rothing               Deputy Clerk
Jeff Urso                           Supervisor
Dan Rogers                     Committee Chair
Mark Wussow                 Committee Person
Mike Carlson                   Committee Person
ABSENT:       
Scott Volpe                   Committee Person
                         

1. Call to Order & Roll Call – Deputy Clerk Rothing called the meeting to order at 6:00pm
2. Approval of September 13, 2023, Roads Meeting Minutes – Committee Chair Rogers Motions to approve the Roads Meeting Minutes of September 13, 2023. Committee Person Wussow Seconds the motion. All Committee Members present are in favor.
3. Public Comment – Three (3) Minutes per Speaker
   1. Heather Meyers – Reads an email on behalf of Ben Miller. He is pleased that Shields Township upheld their promise to have to have a Roads Meeting at a reasonable time for people to discuss the potential of implementing traffic calming devices in Knollwood. Both feel though this meeting has been moved to address the patrons of Shields Township also feel there needs to be more notice than the minimum 48 hours prior to posting a meeting schedule. The meetings are a time to provide an opportunity for the residents to voice their opinions so it would be beneficial to give more notice to the residents as a genuine effort to inform the community.  
   2. Erik Kositzki – I am writing this email in support of placing a speed hump in front of my residence at 1012 W. Washington. With the continued use of the park near my home and the new families moving into the area I feel this is a viable option to slow traffic down. I would not dictate the location to you or the Road Supervisor Mr. Roger's but would be completely fine with it located east of my driveway so I could pass over what I support. As a 30-year career and volunteer Firefighter/Paramedic I support any attempt at public safety.
4. Comments from Supervisor Urso – We are a responsive Community which means because we don’t have our own police department, we do not generally have anyone patrolling the roads unless called here. Because of this, it is our job to have safety measures in place for our kids and our community to be safe. We are focused on the roads near parks and schools first and foremost. Supervisor Urso’s number one concern is children’s safety.
   1. Discussion and Recommendation of Speed Humps, traffic calming devices and/or possible road closures - We will most definitely address all schools and parks with the recommendation of Speed Humps additionally west of Waukegan Road on Washington, North, and Woodland Ave. We are also looking at further Ideas to make our community safe with the future implementation of the Knollwood bike path so our children can have a safe passage to school as well. Committee Chair Rogers reiterates that we are simply an advisory committee that makes suggestions to the Board of Trustees. We are definitely here to address people’s concerns like Penny Graw however we are not open to closing any roads. We are open to looking into implementing more speed humps and/or possible traffic calming devices to gain some more metrics. Panny Graw chimes in from the audience and lets the committee know that she has lived here for so long that she has plenty of video and witnesses to back up the fact that the west side of Knollwood is completely in favor of the speed humps to help mitigate traffic. Committee person Wussow suggests possibly looking into temporary humps on the west side of Knollwood for the winter however, after looking at the cost it tends to be about double for a removable speed hump. $1,500 vs. $3,500.
5. Discussion of Shields Township Road District
   1. New Business
      1. Discussion of Purchasing a New Truck – The Township is looking to purchase a new Road District truck. The former Highway Commissioner feels the current vehicle is extremely old, unsafe and unreliable. Now what is the timeline of this and what are going to do with the current old truck? Committee Chair Rogers suggests that a trade-in would make more sense than putting the truck up for auction in the condition it’s in. He is looking at a couple different bids for the Truck.
      2. Discussion of a Camera System for Road District Building – There are some minor problems at the Road District building with vandalism and such. There are also several patrons in our community who think they can just drop off brush, debris and junk and the roads department will take care of it and that is not the case. Because of this activity Shields Township is going to look into getting some sort of Security Camera System at the Roads Department and the main offices. All members of the committee are in favor of camera systems at both Shields Locations on Muir and Jenkisson.
      3. Discussion of Improvements to the Park at the end of Washington Avenue – Committee Chair Rogers states we are currently working Lake Bluff and Knollwood to bring truckloads of crushed asphalt to the parking lot at Knollwood Park at the end of Washington Ave.
   2. Old business
      1. Update on Green Avenue SMC Project – Storm Water Management had a grant to do a large water mitigation project on Green Ave in Knollwood. The project is in Phase 2 of 3. There were many concerns from residents, however all the concerns are being addressed. SMC is looking to grade or pitch the area, so the water drains at a normal rate.
      2. Update on Birch Adelphia Paving Project – The paving project is officially done, and they did a fantastic job completing the project.
      3. Update on Starbucks – The second meeting with Starbucks is next Wednesday. They are looking at pushing the drive thru to go out on North Ave. This should also mitigate the water issue with the neighbors next to Starbucks. A neighbor chimes in concerned of pushing more traffic on to his street. Our Township is just trying to make a rough situation a little better. Shields is also looking at putting a speed hump on North Ave between Green and Bayonne.
      4. Bike Path Grant – With a bike path grant there should be millions of dollars available to help fund this project. It would most likely have to be done in phases, but this is definitely something that Shields Township wants to be a part of.
6. General Road Issues – Patrons discuss their concerns with the committee. The committee is looking at the overgrown hedges on Bayonne and North Ave. They have become a big problem because they are causing major blind spots in the rights-of-way. The committee will cut back or take down if it is deemed necessary. Committee Person Wussow suggests looking at possible curb and gutter for the roads that have commercial use. We will start seriously looking at the cost and timeline for such a project. It could be extremely beneficial in the long run. There are even some possible grants that the Township can look into obtaining to help complete this type of project.
7. Non-Agenda Items – Supervisor Urso states we love our community. We are just trying bring awareness to our neighborhoods, You guys are the best traffic study. We are also going to look into more nightly meetings to keep it convenient for our patrons in Shields. Trees are going to be cut back near Arden Shores North and South. The committee is also looking to pave some streets in that area as well. Looking at Forest View Drive and Cole Avenue.

Someone immediately stands up from the audience and accuses Committee Chair Rogers for being unhelpful many years back. Supervisor Urso asserts that we are always available to talk to if anyone feels they need to chat about something.

1. Adjournment – Supervisor Urso Motions to Adjourn the meeting, Committee Chair Rogers seconds. Meeting adjourns at 6:58pm.