1 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:38,700 [clears throat] 2 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:49,480 » Good evening everybody. Welcome to the Manteno Village Board meeting for 3 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:52,520 February 17th. Can you please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance? 4 00:00:53,480 --> 00:01:01,640 I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the 5 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:06,760 republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and 6 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:11,320 justice for all. While you're still standing, I'd like to introduce our 7 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:15,720 Village Chaplain, Don Lesher, Reverend Don Lesher, to do the invocation. 8 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:19,720 Thank you, Mayor. Let's pray. Father, we come before you 9 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:24,160 tonight and just realize that you are with us and that you go before us and we 10 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:27,920 ask that you would do that here, that you would give a peace that does surpass 11 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:31,680 all understanding, that you would bring hearts together, Lord, and that you 12 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:35,600 would protect our our village and that you would work in it to to make it a 13 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:40,240 place that that you desire. We pray for those that 14 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:44,240 are first responders, Lord, and ask that your protection be upon them. 15 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:49,040 Give them wisdom and comfort, watch over their families. We ask too for 16 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,880 this meeting tonight, Lord, that you would guide the hearts and that you 17 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:55,080 would uh show us 18 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:58,680 you're you're that you're with us and that you're protecting us. 19 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:02,486 Give us what we need tonight in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. 20 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,506 Thank you. >> [snorts] 21 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:12,480 » Roll call, please. Mr. Berry. Yes. Mr. Groth. Here. Mr. 22 00:02:09,679 --> 00:02:15,320 Vaughn. Here. Mr. Crockett. Mr. Gesky. 23 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:19,240 Mr. Semmelman. Mayor Gilmore. 24 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:24,160 Here. Uh the reading of the agenda, are there 25 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:27,920 any additions or deletions? Seeing none. 26 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:31,720 Um the reading of the minutes and I think we have a couple minutes here 27 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:35,680 tonight to approve, is that right? Correct. All right. 28 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,960 Should we do the ones for January 20th first? Do we have 29 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,280 » You can do them all together if you want. Okay, we're going to do them all 30 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:43,680 together then. Unless somebody wants them separate. 31 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:47,160 Does anybody want to change that? All right. 32 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:50,440 Can I have a a motion? I motion. I'll second. 33 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:58,320 Do we have to roll call them? You can do it all in favor, but you All in favor? 34 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,320 Aye. Thank you. 35 00:02:58,816 --> 00:03:00,836 » [snorts] 36 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:09,960 » Public participation. We have just several, I think three people tonight 37 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:09,960 and the first one is Emily Herman. 38 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:18,480 I'm so happy to be back up here to raise awareness for adolescent young adult 39 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:22,160 cancers again, following my little setback in November. 40 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:25,800 And here to share some exciting news that wouldn't have been possible without 41 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:29,760 the continued support and encouragement of the Village Board and members of the 42 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:32,960 community, a few of whom are sitting with me tonight. 43 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:36,720 I didn't know when moving here almost 3 years ago how much this town had 44 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:40,960 prioritized nurturing community projects, small businesses, and 45 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:44,080 opportunities for citizens to support one another. 46 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:48,240 This is very much needed in today's world and sadly rare. 47 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:53,200 Emphasizing service and volunteerism is especially encouraging to my generation 48 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:56,960 and younger, giving us a good foundation on how to care for one another and open 49 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:59,760 our eyes to issues going on in today's world that don't get talked about 50 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:04,000 enough. Here comes my exciting news. 51 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:09,720 Ever since starting my project Cute and Acute in 2024, I've created well over 52 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:15,320 100 care packages and envelopes, walked and ran over 200 miles during chemo for 53 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:19,720 leukemia awareness, and reached over 3.5 million people online to raise awareness 54 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:22,560 for various issues that affect the adolescent and young adult cancer 55 00:04:21,239 --> 00:04:27,920 community. It is about time that I take it to the 56 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:32,240 next step and make it an official 501c3. A cancer organization called Nick's Wish 57 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:36,560 out of Rockford, Illinois, has granted my wish of making this possible. 58 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:40,800 I look forward to continuing to work within the community to raise awareness, 59 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:44,920 provide encouragement to fellow fighters, 60 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:48,320 and attempt to make this town a little more accessible for those navigating a 61 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:51,080 health crisis. There are some issues that need 62 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:55,360 addressing in the future, such as the problem we are seeing more and more 63 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:59,760 of with citizens disrespecting laws surrounding handicap parking spaces, 64 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:04,640 continuing to keep medical fundraising events easy to apply for, and raising 65 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:08,680 awareness to control harmful chemical pollution from factories in this town. 66 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:13,560 I've learned a lot from the community participation portion of these meetings 67 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:18,240 and have made note of these issues as they affect who I advocate for along 68 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:22,520 with myself going through cancer. Once again, thank you for the continued 69 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:26,640 encouragement not only for my project, but all of the others in this town, too. 70 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:29,600 Continuing these positive steps will keep allowing us to move in the right 71 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:32,000 direction on how we care for our neighbors. 72 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,418 Thank you VERY MUCH, EMILY. >> [applause] 73 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,480 » EMILY, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF ALL THE THINGS YOU'VE accomplished and all the 74 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:44,120 things you've done for Manteno, so keep it up. 75 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:48,040 Thank you. Our next speaker is Ann Gates. 76 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,320 Good evening. 77 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:56,960 Um >> [clears throat] 78 00:05:54,400 --> 00:06:00,600 » I watched the last I watched all the board meetings from multiple times 79 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:06,600 because there's so much going on you can't hear everything when you're here. 80 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:12,200 So I watched this last one several times. I found it interesting 81 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:17,360 that when when Mr. Potensky spoke a few weeks ago, he focused on Goshen being a 82 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:23,520 greenfield business. I watched the meeting several times and 83 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:27,360 I find it odd that we should be taking the word of a lawyer that's on Goshen's 84 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:33,160 payroll since he left CFIUS after Donald Trump's 85 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:38,080 first term was over. I came across a Senate Committee hearing 86 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:41,640 with Senator Smith from September of 2025 87 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:48,120 and they were questioning a gentleman President Trump wants to 88 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:52,560 appoint and restructure CFIUS. And they also were talking to Avril 89 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:58,320 Haines and he testified on the Counterintelligence Committee that China 90 00:06:55,360 --> 00:07:02,800 poses a threat to our homeland and that transactions 91 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:08,760 that should have been submitted to CFIUS were bypassed due to do not do 92 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,800 not um the the 93 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:16,440 um the NDA, non-disclosure agreements. 94 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:20,440 And that those will be the first ones that will be looked into. 95 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:26,800 They reserve the right to change their minds as Mr. Potensky pointed out. 96 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:33,280 3 months ago, at 60 minutes 60 minutes did an entire segment on Intel agencies 97 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:38,760 and military from China that are preparing to defeat the the US 98 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:44,560 through land purchase to hold the data centers, so solar fields, and pose a 99 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:50,360 range of threats to our nation. David Feith of National Security said the 100 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:55,240 CCP's preference is to be close to government, nuclear, and military 101 00:07:52,720 --> 00:08:00,840 facilities, which they are here, three nuclear and four military. 102 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:07,320 They have found that the CCP solar panels have data collection capabilities 103 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:12,240 as well as a kill switch that can be controlled remotely to sabotage our 104 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:17,800 electric grid by how much power they will be able to pull, which would result 105 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:23,200 in government, military, and nuclear power resources becoming compromised. 106 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:30,080 Senator Ricketts found that the front end of the non-disclosure agreements 107 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:36,680 made it also possible for CCP China to purchase through LLC and multiple shell 108 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:41,840 companies. A shell company is a company in name only, but they really have no 109 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:47,440 stature of any kind. They don't do anything other than front for illegal 110 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:52,160 and illicit ventures. From everything from manufacturing to 111 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:56,480 industrial facilities, I quote Mr. Huizenga from Michigan. Go ahead for 112 00:08:54,360 --> 00:09:01,160 another minute. Okay, thank you. Through the American Land Protection 113 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:05,960 Act, we'll require foreign entities to disclose purchase of land that will be 114 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:10,600 flagged immediately and cover the gaps that the former administration allowed 115 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:15,920 to take place. This information along with the other plaintiffs signing on to 116 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:20,880 our lawsuit is indeed good news. President Trump is doing what he can to 117 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:25,240 keep our companies safe from the CCP infringement, but truth like cream will 118 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:30,920 rise to the top. Which means that when we see everything 119 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:34,960 coming into Goshen, particularly the um shipping containers that are coming in 120 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:40,040 and being stored over there, it was not long ago in the Russia-Ukraine War that 121 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:44,880 a shipping container was used filled with small drones to launch a successful 122 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:49,240 strike that dismantled an entire military compound. 123 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:54,200 After the last meeting, I was followed again. Again with the high beams and the 124 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:58,920 blinding light. I'm thankful for the cloud that we can upload images to that 125 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:08,200 can't be erased or tampered with. And I also um have talked with 126 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:14,720 an other authority that has broader um range of 127 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:17,520 perview, oversight. And I spoke to them as well. 128 00:10:18,680 --> 00:10:25,520 Senator Smith quoted and said, "Silence is 129 00:10:23,680 --> 00:10:30,800 complicity." We were stripped of our voice. 130 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:35,960 But it's not going to happen again. We the people are standing up. 131 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:40,800 And we are speaking out. And we'll continue to come and we'll continue to 132 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:45,960 bring forth information that we come across to share it with you, to share it 133 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:51,160 with the watching public. It is important that we know and are aware. 134 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:56,160 It's no surprise with the heat that's coming that Goshen is looking at the 135 00:10:53,040 --> 00:11:01,520 refrigerated facility across town because their batteries do have to be 136 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:06,320 maintained at a certain level of cold to prevent them from going It doesn't 137 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:11,240 prevent, but it helps to contain if they go into nuclear runoff. So, I'm hoping 138 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:15,680 that as we continue to bring forth information 139 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:20,320 and to share the truth that the truth is going to win the day for the people of 140 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:23,600 Manteno because we love this town, we love this 141 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:28,720 county. And we really want it to see it prosper 142 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:33,960 in the right ways without doing harm and danger. Um and I do have one suggestion 143 00:11:31,839 --> 00:11:41,040 for Goshen. The next time they want to make a great big huge donation, instead 144 00:11:36,839 --> 00:11:45,520 of giving our um LEOs a car to drive in, drive around in, I think it would be a 145 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:51,880 really good idea if they would supply all of our officers as well as our 146 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:58,320 sheriffs with uh turnout gear, PPE and SCBA so that when they are the ones that 147 00:11:55,000 --> 00:12:03,280 are called upon to do traffic control, help with the evacuation, and anything 148 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:08,760 else as a result of what potentially could happen over there, they will be 149 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:14,839 safe. They'll have some protection. That would be money well spent. Thank you. 150 00:12:12,953 --> 00:12:18,760 » [applause] >> Our next speaker is David Bergdoll. 151 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:29,960 Good evening. This first time, rather than coming to 152 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:33,800 your committee meeting earlier, I actually watched the video. 153 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:37,040 That was pretty good. Very efficient for people who can't make 154 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:43,680 it to the board. But having listened to that meeting 155 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:49,360 from my perspective I think the people 156 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:54,560 in this community are missing the 800-lb gorilla. 157 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,560 And no, it's not Goshen. 158 00:12:55,400 --> 00:13:03,400 25 years ago was the first time I saw plans 159 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:07,920 for County Highway 9 to be expanded. The interchange plans have been on the 160 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:12,240 books for 20 years. Updated several times. You discussed it 161 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:17,760 in the committee meeting. And people are wondering why there's no 162 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:24,360 new businesses coming to town. Because County Highway 9, from my 163 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:30,240 perspective, is the 800-lb gorilla. If I want to build a new 164 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:35,000 restaurant on Route 50 knowing that 2 years from now 165 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:39,400 given their difficulty in following the existing 166 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:42,800 comprehensive plan that 167 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:46,600 40 new restaurants could go up between the interchange 168 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:51,320 and 45 why would I invest $2 million in a new 169 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:54,360 building and business knowing that I'm going to get killed 2 170 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:58,720 years from now when all of this new development occurs? 171 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:03,960 Your discussion 172 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:14,200 missed something that I think some of the residents raised which is it's been 173 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:20,480 5 years since they updated the plans for the overpass itself. 174 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:25,200 And I've come to most of the meetings. I've never heard one update on what's 175 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:29,360 going on with County Highway 9. Where is that? What's the schedule? 176 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:33,000 Nothing. If you're looking for new businesses to 177 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:39,320 come to town you need to look at 178 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:45,400 what are new businesses scared of? What they're scared of is spending a 179 00:14:42,839 --> 00:14:51,360 bunch of money in a business and suddenly 50 new businesses going up 180 00:14:48,959 --> 00:14:55,320 and killing them as soon as County Highway 9's finished. 181 00:14:53,839 --> 00:15:01,839 Heaven knows nobody's going to build their restaurant or their gas station or 182 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:06,520 their store on County Highway right now because why would you want to deal with 183 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,520 all the construction? 184 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:10,920 It's ruining them. Why would you spend $2 million $3 185 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:14,320 million on a new building for it to be shut down 186 00:15:12,959 --> 00:15:17,760 during construction? That would be dumb. 187 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:22,280 But I see 188 00:15:19,839 --> 00:15:26,959 that's the 800-lb gorilla. I've read numerous things from people 189 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:33,640 who think that our comprehensive plan is 20 years old. It's outdated. Needs to be 190 00:15:30,959 --> 00:15:37,880 updated. I've suggested before, I'll suggest 191 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:37,880 again. 192 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:43,959 Maybe it's time to spend a little money on updating the 193 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:48,480 comprehensive plan. If not the whole comprehensive plan, 194 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:53,480 looking at what was planned 20 years ago for County Highway 9. 195 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:58,880 Because like I said nobody's going to spend big bucks on a 196 00:15:56,200 --> 00:16:03,360 new business in the old part of town knowing all of that is going to come 197 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:06,880 in the next 2 or 3 years. Thank you. Thank you, Dave. 198 00:16:07,446 --> 00:16:13,720 » [applause] >> All right. 199 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:17,839 Reports from village officials. Um my report is just going to tell you 200 00:16:15,839 --> 00:16:21,600 what's been happening as your mayor, what I've done recently. And I was 201 00:16:19,839 --> 00:16:26,560 invited to go to Heritage Woods. I did that with um Jacob Knox and Peggy 202 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:30,760 Vaughn. We had a great time out there. We entertained, I think, 31 of the 203 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:35,440 residents. And there are 90 residents at Heritage Woods. But I asked. I think 204 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:39,520 they're at capacity right now. But it was a very pleasant visit. We left them 205 00:16:38,079 --> 00:16:43,320 all with each of them with a box of cookies. And I think that probably 206 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:47,079 sealed the deal. Like they want to see us again. 207 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:51,440 But it was nice. A lot of those people that live out there are from Manteno. 208 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:56,240 And I did know six of them out of 31. So, it was very pleasant. I also 209 00:16:54,120 --> 00:17:01,400 attended a breakfast meeting recently with Don Lesher, who did the invocation 210 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:06,040 tonight. Don is our village chaplain. And um Harbor House had a special 211 00:17:04,079 --> 00:17:09,720 breakfast. They wanted all the ministers in Kankakee County to come. And they had 212 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:14,640 a roomful. I think there were probably 80 people there. 213 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:20,280 And that project is really a go because they've reached the $4,500,000 214 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:23,720 level they needed to reach to start the project. They're building a brand new 215 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:28,560 building. So, it's going to be very helpful to Kankakee County because um 216 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:32,440 domestic abuse is one of the largest problems we have in our county. And I'm 217 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:37,360 sure that travels everywhere across the country. It's a serious issue and people 218 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:41,720 need a place to go. So, now that's going to happen. There's going to be 12 more 219 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:46,840 apartments built in this new model that they designed. And it will be very put 220 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:50,480 to very good use. I also want to announce that a young man 221 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:54,600 named Jacob Smith, who happens to be here tonight, contacted me. 222 00:17:52,679 --> 00:18:00,280 And he has done a lot for the community to bring up awareness of suicide 223 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:04,280 prevention. And he is an outstanding young man. He's been walking 30 miles. 224 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:08,280 And I think Emily walked with him this last year. In spite of whatever 225 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:12,560 treatments you're getting, you are an amazing girl. But they did walk 30 226 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:16,640 miles. And we welcomed them when they made it back to to Main Street with a 227 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:21,560 police escort. And it was quite exciting. 228 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:25,480 Jacob Jake Smith would like to um put some of his money that he's going to 229 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:30,640 make this year towards a monument. And Jake, I don't know if you want to talk 230 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:30,640 about it. Can you say a few words? 231 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:34,560 Just come to the microphone, please. 232 00:18:37,442 --> 00:18:41,240 » [cough] [clears throat] 233 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:46,760 » Uh so, yeah. Um I was wanting to put together a suicide 234 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:52,360 memorial um like fountain with a plaque at 235 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:58,400 Memorial Park just to remember those who have fallen um who 236 00:18:55,760 --> 00:19:01,800 we've lost. And just kind of why we do the mission. 237 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:09,600 Uh we do the mission to bring awareness, but also to remember our whys uh because 238 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:12,840 I've I've been there and I've tried before. And 239 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:21,240 obviously my purpose wasn't fulfilled. And so, my purpose is to honor those who 240 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:25,200 we have lost. Uh And not just those struggling, but who 241 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:27,880 we've lost. Well, we'd like you to come to a 242 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:31,400 committee meeting in the future and talk more about this. And help Maybe we can 243 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:34,360 help you with some of your ideas. So, thank you very much. 244 00:19:35,083 --> 00:19:37,103 » [applause] 245 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:45,640 » Village administrator's report. Thank you. I have nothing this evening. 246 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:48,919 Okay. Committee reports. Finance with Trustee Berry. 247 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:52,440 Thank [clears throat] you, Mayor. Um old business on the agenda, none. New 248 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:56,320 business on the agenda, payment of the bills in a total of $471,245.48. 249 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:05,280 Includes TIF number three, $0. Bills authorized and paid between board 250 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:10,600 cycle, uh $0. The next finance committee meeting 251 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:13,840 will be uh Monday, March 16th 252 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:16,720 uh at 5:00 p.m. in the village board room. That's all I have. 253 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:20,880 Thank you. Planning and zoning, Trustee Boudreau. 254 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:25,040 Thank you, Mayor. Uh I have no old or new business on the agenda. 255 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:29,400 Um our next planning commission meeting is going to be Tuesday, March 10th at 256 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:32,440 6:00 p.m. in the village board room. And our next planning and zoning committee 257 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:35,960 meeting is tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. in the village board room. Uh again, the 258 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:40,920 big thing is we've been talking about for the last couple of meetings here is 259 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:45,040 again talking about ideas of growth. Um how do we do that proactively 260 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:48,720 uh with moderate growth to continue to keep our town 261 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:52,920 how we like it, but kind of again moving forward um in that direction. So, if you 262 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:55,920 have any ideas or want to attend, um it's tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. or 263 00:20:54,240 --> 00:21:00,360 you can obviously watch it online uh too. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. 264 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:06,360 Public safety and health with Trustee Vaughn. Old business on agenda, none. 265 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:12,680 New business, none. Uh the public safety committee report is going to be given by 266 00:21:09,360 --> 00:21:16,200 Officer Jeremy Jeremy Marzic. >> Marozek. All right. [laughter] Could you 267 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:23,160 spell it, please? Could you spell your last name, please? 268 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:27,400 M as in Mary, R A, Z as in zebra, E K. Sorry about that. It's all good. No one 269 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:30,120 ever gets it right. All right, good evening. I'm Officer 270 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:32,880 Marozek. I've been with Manteno PD for the past year and a half, and I'm just 271 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:35,800 going to give you uh an update on what's been going on. 272 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:39,080 So, uh one of the most common complaints Manteno Police Department receives from 273 00:21:37,360 --> 00:21:42,200 residents is speeding and stop sign violations in neighborhoods. 274 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:46,080 Last year, we responded to those concerns by conducting several targeted 275 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,880 traffic enforcement details in problem areas. 276 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:52,760 While enforcement is sometimes necessary, our goal is always compliance 277 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:56,440 over citations. That's why we recently purchased and 278 00:21:54,280 --> 00:22:00,360 deployed a speed trailer, a speed radar trailer. 279 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:04,160 It serves as a visible reminder to drivers of their speed and has proven to 280 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:08,920 be an effective tool in slowing traffic without relay relying solely on tickets. 281 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:12,160 If a resident would like the radar trailer deployed on their block or in 282 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:15,200 their neighborhood, they can contact the police department and work to schedule 283 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:18,840 it when available. And as always, we encourage residents to 284 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:22,920 reach out to the police department with any concerns or issues. We're here to 285 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:26,720 help and to keep our community safe. So, if anyone has any concerns, stop by the 286 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:30,200 PD, tell us what street you're on and what intersection, and we'll try and get 287 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:33,200 it out there. So, thank you. That's all. Thank you. Thank you. 288 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,560 Okay. Um 289 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:46,960 The next public safety and health committee meeting will be March 16th at 290 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:50,080 5:00 p.m. in the village board room. Thank you. Yep. 291 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:54,040 All right. Next is public works and utilities, and since Trustee Kracke is 292 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:59,679 not here, which one of you, Peggy? >> um Mr. Kracke. Okay. Um old business on 293 00:22:56,640 --> 00:23:03,320 agenda, none. New business, he has nothing. Public work committee meeting 294 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:05,840 report, um 295 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:13,400 I don't have a report on that this evening. Uh his next meeting is uh 296 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:15,600 February 24th at 7:00 a.m. Oh. Sorry to interrupt you. Oh, yeah. Go 297 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:18,120 ahead. >> Jim, you want to give an update on 298 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:21,720 what's going on with the square so people see what's going on with the turf 299 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:25,520 and Yeah, the uh 300 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:29,040 turf contractor started today rolling back the uh the section where the 301 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:31,880 pavilion's going to be going. Uh so, they're going to get that 302 00:23:30,120 --> 00:23:36,760 removed, and uh we met up with the contractor last week uh about the center 303 00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:41,520 area there for a little bit of the redesign and the uh 304 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:44,760 uh the uh change order over there. So, uh getting that hashed out. 305 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,800 Okay. Thank you. 306 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:55,160 Was that it, Peggy? Yep. Okay. Thank you. Uh properties and recreation, 307 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:59,120 Trustee Gesky had to leave, so CJ, you want to take that? 308 00:23:55,840 --> 00:24:02,080 » Yep. Uh old and new business, none. Uh his next properties and recreation 309 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:08,800 committee meeting is also tomorrow morning um at 7:00 a.m. I think he has 310 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:13,080 on the agenda talking about the turf um and I think talking about again 311 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:17,320 Heritage Park equipment and some other things too uh with that. So, that'll 312 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:21,360 also be tied in. That's all he had. >> Okay. Okay. Thank you. And general 313 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:25,240 government, Trustee Zimbelman is not with us. Mike. Uh 314 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:28,960 she doesn't have any new or old business. 315 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:34,120 Uh and her next meeting will be uh Tuesday, 316 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:36,280 February 24th, 2026 7:00 in the village board room. 317 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:40,280 Okay. Thank you. Thank you. 318 00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:43,240 Uh there's no old no more old business. Under new business, we have a 319 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:47,679 consideration, uh which is a motion to approve a lease 320 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:52,600 agreement between the Village of Manteno and the Manteno Youth Soccer League. 321 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:55,400 Could I have a motion to approve? I'll make the motion. I'll second. Mike, you 322 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:57,800 make the motion to approve, second by Vaughn. 323 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:06,760 Berry. Yes. Vaughn. Yes. 324 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:11,560 And Boudreau. Yes. Mayor. Yes, I vote yes. 325 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:16,840 Uh consideration regarding a motion to approve the payment of the bills in the 326 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:19,840 amount of $471,245.48, including 327 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:28,480 TIF number three at $0. I'll make Can I get a motion? Mike. I'll second. 328 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:34,720 Seconded by CJ Boudreau. Berry. Yes. Boudreau. Yes. Vaughn. Yes. 329 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:38,280 Mayor. Yes. Both motions carried. 330 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:41,240 All right. Comments. Mike, do you want to begin? 331 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:44,320 Uh No, let Peggy do it. 332 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,960 Peggy, you want to begin? You know what? I can. 333 00:25:45,162 --> 00:25:52,160 » [laughter and clears throat] >> Um Sergeant Scully, we talked about um 334 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:57,840 on the square with the um with our um 335 00:25:55,040 --> 00:26:02,240 Park rangers. Park rangers. And uh I'm going to read what we had 336 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:06,679 at our meeting, and then you can reiterate a little bit for me, please. 337 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:11,080 Several years ago, as the square on Second and Park became increasingly 338 00:26:08,679 --> 00:26:16,720 popular with children and families, the Manteno Police Department implemented a 339 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:22,920 park ranger program to help maintain safety and order in the park. The 340 00:26:19,679 --> 00:26:29,120 program uses part-time park rangers who monitor park activities, encourage rule 341 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:34,400 compliance, and address minor issues before they become larger problems. 342 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:38,600 Rangers primarily work during times when school is not in session, 343 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:44,920 which is when park use is at its highest. Over the years, this program 344 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:50,000 has significantly reduced issues at the park and has limited the need for our 345 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:55,040 officers to respond, allowing them to remain available for higher priority 346 00:26:52,840 --> 00:27:01,880 calls for service. It has been an effective and proactive way to keep the 347 00:26:58,360 --> 00:27:07,080 park safe and enjoyable for everyone. At this time, I'll turn it over to 348 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:07,080 Sergeant Scully. 349 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:14,440 Uh yeah, like you said, the main function came in after we were handling 350 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:17,560 this call after call over there for routinely minor things, some bigger 351 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:21,120 things. So, we employed park rangers to handle 352 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:24,760 the minor things. They do not do any kind of enforcement. They don't write 353 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:28,880 ordinances or obviously make arrests, but they just keep people from running 354 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:33,800 too fast or throwing balls or or dispatching small arguments, and then 355 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:37,040 they are encouraged to or they're told to call us immediately if there's any 356 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:40,160 kind of issue. So, they really just take the light work off of us, which was 357 00:27:38,679 --> 00:27:44,000 probably 90% of what we were doing over there. We were getting called over there 358 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:48,720 all the time. Uh they do work during a 12-hour stint in two 6-hour shifts. So, 359 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:54,360 so 10:00 to 10:00 during summer hours. Um last year, we had four park rangers 360 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:57,040 uh that rotated through the schedules. Um good group of people. We're hoping to 361 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:59,760 get them back this year. We don't know if we can get them back or not, but uh 362 00:27:58,679 --> 00:28:02,440 that's what we had last year. They they've done a fantastic job. And 363 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:05,760 they're just out there also just being good ambassadors for the village. 364 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:09,760 They're just very nice people, friendly. They talk with people and just get 365 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:13,200 compliance, but also just friendly faces over there, give directions, and just 366 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:16,160 people to talk to. Yeah, we appreciate them. I go over there and talk to them 367 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:22,560 every once in a while. And I just want to say with the spring time warm weather 368 00:28:18,679 --> 00:28:27,200 coming up, um please, everybody just be um conscious of your surroundings and 369 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:32,480 that. And if you see the children out and about, please be careful and that. 370 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:35,919 And um if you see something, say something. 371 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:39,040 If there's any problems that, you know, we can curb 372 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:42,960 and that, I'd like to see that taken care of. So, thank you. 373 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:48,600 Thank you, Peggy. CJ. Yep. Um again, uh obviously, this 374 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:52,640 lease agreement uh is a yearly thing. Obviously, MYSA is a great organization. 375 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:55,919 Uh they've done great. I know we're even building a soccer shed for them out 376 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:58,440 there. Uh we're so excited to do that. Uh for the bills, it's a little bit 377 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:01,440 more. Just kind of break that down for you. 378 00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:04,760 Uh 158,000 was for that pavilion we're putting in. 379 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:08,800 Uh 61,000 was for the garbage fees that we pay. We bought a new mower. 380 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:12,080 Uh 45,000 was for the storm sewer project, one of them that we're doing. 381 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:17,040 And then 71,000 was a sales tax rebate we had to pay with that. Uh just some 382 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:20,520 updates around town. Uh our girls uh basketball team won yesterday, so 383 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:23,919 they're playing Thursday at Seneca at 6:00 for the regional championship 384 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:27,159 against uh Wilmington. Uh so, hopefully you can go out to that. 385 00:29:25,679 --> 00:29:31,120 And then we had a sophomore, Lucas Hutman, make it to state for Manteno for 386 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:35,159 wrestling, so he's competing uh Thursday down in Champagne um in some rounds 387 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:38,480 there. So, that's again great. And boys regional starts um next week, and then 388 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:42,720 we'll be into uh spring sports with that. Uh and then 389 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:46,240 really quick, that I always hear a lot about it, and I didn't hear anything uh 390 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:51,960 with it. I know their case came up, I think, last week. Any updates on the 391 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:55,000 case um for our case on Goshen matter, is there any updates to share 392 00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:59,560 now? Uh no, we're just we're kind of in a 393 00:29:56,600 --> 00:30:03,120 holding pattern due to at the request of the plaintiff's attorney and we talked 394 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:07,240 last week after the the court session. So, we're just kind of 395 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:10,000 keep the status quo for the time being. Okay, just wanted to get clarification. 396 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:12,440 Thank you. That's all I have, mayor. >> Thank you. Mike. 397 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:16,320 Um a couple of things. I know that there's 398 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:20,280 a lot of concern about Goshen and I just want everyone to know that 399 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:23,560 Chris and myself have been attending monthly meetings 400 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:28,760 with Goshen. So, the questions that I see or the 401 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:31,960 questions that people are concerned about, we do ask those questions and 402 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:35,440 it's pretty stern meetings. I mean, Chris will tell you. 403 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:39,360 I mean, I'm pretty blunt in there. Um so, I just think that 404 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:44,000 we're doing the best we can. We are aware of what's going on in the 405 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:48,160 situations and and and I have your back and and and how you guys feel. 406 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:51,520 So, I just want that to be clarified. Uh the second thing is is earlier 407 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:54,640 tonight we discussed our budget for this year. 408 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:59,400 So, we're going to try and work some stuff out there. 409 00:30:55,960 --> 00:31:03,200 Um but we are kind of in a pattern where we need to generate 410 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:06,440 more revenue. So, it's 411 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:08,640 there might be some cuts. I I don't know. 412 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:12,040 But, we're going to work on it the best we can. If anybody has any suggestions 413 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:14,720 or ideas, you know, please we're we're open ears. 414 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:17,720 Um you know, reach out to us and we'll go from there. Thank you. 415 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:21,960 Thank you, Mike. The only comment I have is I don't know 416 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:26,320 how many of you have uh youngsters or grandchildren who are playing soccer, 417 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:30,520 but I've been told there are 900 children in that league. 418 00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:34,160 So, that's pretty amazing. Manteno offers some wonderful sports programs 419 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:39,560 for the kids, whether it's soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, golf. 420 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:43,360 And I I want to thank all the people who are involved that make that happen cuz 421 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:47,760 it doesn't happen by itself. You've got some really strong leaders in this town, 422 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:51,880 people who take charge and people who volunteer to coach and to work with your 423 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:55,400 children and maybe your neighbors' children. So, we have a lot to be 424 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,960 grateful for. And I want to say thank you to all the 425 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:01,160 people that continue to come to our meetings or are watching us on 426 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:04,400 television right now because you care about Manteno and we all appreciate 427 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:08,000 that. We do, too. That's why we're here. 428 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:13,320 So, thank you very much and I will accept an a motion to 429 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:16,760 adjourn. Motion. I'll second. Motion by Bon and seconded by Boudreau. 430 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:22,960 All in favor? Aye. Aye. Thank you, everybody.