[0:11] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: okay, it is

[0:11] 7:01 pm.

[0:12] This is absolutely glorious to

[0:15] see you all here.

[0:15] Amazing.

[0:16] This should be every single

[0:20] meeting, but I am grateful that

[0:20] you came out.

[0:21] Yes!

[0:32] [Applause]

[0:33] Truly beautiful.

[0:34] With that, I would like to

[0:35] officially call this meeting of

[0:36] the village board to order.

[0:37] Clerk waters, please take the

[0:38] roll.

[0:42] >> trustee buchanan is absent.

[0:43] Trustee enyia.

[0:44] >> here.

[0:44] >> trustee parakkat.

[0:45] >> here.

[0:46] >> trustee robinson.

[0:47] >> here.

[0:52] >> trustee straw.

[0:53] >> here.

[0:54] >> trustee wesley.

[0:55] >> here.

[0:55] >> PRESIDENT Scaman.

[0:57] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: here.

[0:58] Okay, I would entertain a

[1:03] motion to approve the agenda as

[1:04] presented this evening?

[1:04] >> so moved.

[1:06] >> second.

[1:06] Scaman: all I favor?

[1:07] >> aye.

[1:14] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: excellent.

[1:15] A motion to approve minutes

[1:16] from the MARCH 4, 25 regular

[1:17] meeting of the village board.

[1:18] >> so moved.

[1:19] >> second.

[1:20] >> motion by trustee wesley and

[1:21] seconded by trustee straw.

[1:21] All in favor?

[1:25] >> aye.

[1:26] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: hearing no

[1:28] nay's, the meeting minutes are

[1:29] approved.

[1:35] we have public comment this

[1:36] evening?

[1:36] >>clerk: we do.

[1:37] It is for an agenda item.

[1:39] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: are there

[1:40] any non-agenda public comment

[1:41] this evening?

[1:42] Thank you.

[1:43] So we will not read all of

[1:44] these proclamations, but the

[1:49] most important ones-they are

[1:49] all important ones.

[1:50] I would entertain a motion to

[1:51] approve a proclamation honoring

[1:54] fire chief ronald kobeleski, in

[2:00] honor of his retirement.

[2:00] >> so moved.

[2:02] >> second

[2:08] [Applause]

[2:09] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: wo was the

[2:12] motion and the second?

[2:16] Trustee robinson and trustee

[2:16] wesley.

[2:17] So we will read the

[2:19] proclamation, if you want to

[2:24] step up so we can have you-

[2:26] show our full appreciation for

[2:29] your 40 years of service.

[2:31] >>chief kobyleski: thank you,

[2:44] thank you.

[2:46] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: in oak

[2:51] park, are you sure?

[2:52] Okay.

[2:56] >> whereas, fire chief ronald

[2:57] kobyleski will retire

[2:58] officially on MAY 10, 2025,

[3:01] after more than 40 years of

[3:02] outstanding and meritorious

[3:03] service to the residents of the

[3:05] village of oak park; and

[3:06] .

[3:07] >>trustee enyia: whereas, chief

[3:09] kobyleski began his public

[3:10] service career with the village

[3:13] of oak park in 1985 as a

[3:16] firefighter/emt and through

[3:18] hard work, meritorious service

[3:19] and leadership, rose through

[3:23] the ranks to serve as a

[3:24] lieutenant, lieutenant of

[3:26] training, battalion chief and

[3:28] deputy chief before reaching

[3:32] his final and most important

[3:33] position of oak park's fire

[3:34] chief on NOVEMBER 22nd, 2021;

[3:42] and

[3:42] .

[3:43] >>trustee straw: whereas,

[3:44] during his tenure, chief

[3:46] kobyleski has demonstrated

[3:46] exceptional leadership,

[3:47] unwavering dedication and a

[3:48] profound commitment to the

[3:49] well-being of the village of

[3:53] oak park; and

[3:53] .

[3:54] >>trustee robinson: whereas,

[3:55] throughout his five decades of

[3:56] service chief kobyleski hs

[3:58] served as a certified fire

[3:59] investigator,

[4:01] hazardous-materials technician

[4:02] and technical rescue specialist

[4:03] in building collapse, high-rise

[4:06] rescue, trench rescue and

[4:09] confined-space rescue, also

[4:11] creating the mutual aid box

[4:13] alarm system technical rescue

[4:14] team, while leading them for

[4:24] nine years; and

[4:24] .

[4:25] >>trustee wesley: whereas,

[4:26] chief kobyleski is certified as

[4:27] advance fire officer and

[4:29] training program manager and he

[4:31] has been affiliated with the

[4:32] international fire chief's

[4:33] association, illinois fire

[4:35] chief's association and the

[4:36] national fire protection

[4:40] association; and

[4:41] .

[4:42] >>trustee parakkat: whereas,

[4:43] chief kobyleski has led the oak

[4:45] park fire department to make

[4:47] great strides in providing

[4:48] accommodations for all genders

[4:49] and sexual orientations by

[4:50] enclosing the sleeping quarters

[4:53] at two of its stations and

[4:54] reimaging and modernizing

[5:00] washroom and locker facilities.

[5:02] >>village manager: whereas,

[5:08] chief kobyleski's dedication to

[5:09] the safety and welfare of oak

[5:10] park's residents and visitors,

[5:11] as well as the women and men of

[5:13] the oak park fire department,

[5:14] has earned him the respect and

[5:16] admiration of his colleagues,

[5:17] community leaders and the

[5:19] entire village of oak park.

[5:20] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: now,

[5:21] therefore, be it resolved, by

[5:22] the board of trustees of the

[5:23] village of oak park, cook

[5:25] county, illinois that we take

[5:28] this opportunity to express our

[5:29] sincere and grateful

[5:31] appreciation and hereby extend

[5:33] our congratulations to fire

[5:36] chief ron kobyleski on his

[5:39] well-earned retirement and our

[5:40] best wishes to him for

[5:41] continued success and happiness

[5:48] in the years to come.

[6:06] [Applause]

[6:16] [Standing applause]

[6:24] >>chief kobyleski: thank you

[6:24] all.

[6:25] It is a very humbling.

[6:28] Especially when it is read like

[6:28] that.

[6:29] I have to say thank you to the

[6:37] village board for supporting

[6:38] the fire department mission for

[6:39] all of these years and to the

[6:40] public.

[6:41] They have always rallied on our

[6:41] side.

[6:42] Always come to our aid when we

[6:43] need their help and I

[6:44] appreciate that.

[6:46] It has been a fantastic 40

[6:47] years.

[6:48] I was not kidding when I said

[6:49] it goes by quick.

[6:52] I remember my first day like it

[6:54] was yesterday and it has been

[6:54] an experience.

[6:58] i cannot even tell you.

[6:59] I really appreciate everybody

[7:02] who came out here for me.

[7:04] My wife, former member-

[7:14] (Speaker away from mic).

[8:31] Thank you.

[9:11] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: at thank

[9:14] you, chief!

[9:16] We have a month or so to drop

[9:17] by the station and assure our

[9:18] regards.

[9:19] We very much appreciate you and

[9:20] wish you all the best in

[9:23] retirement.

[9:23] All in favor?

[9:27] >> aye.

[9:28] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: motion to

[9:32] approve a proclamation for

[9:32] arbor day, APRIL 25, 2025.

[9:33] >> so moved.

[9:35] >> second.

[9:36] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: okay.

[9:37] Many of these motions are going

[9:40] to be honored more so in the

[9:42] month of APRIL with events and

[9:43] more information.

[9:45] There is a video of this one on

[9:46] the website and as we get

[9:50] closer to the date we will be

[9:56] publicizing it more.

[9:57] Thank you.

[9:57] All in favor?

[9:58] >> aye.

[9:59] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: motion to

[10:00] approve a proclamation

[10:13] designating APRIL 21 of 2025 as

[10:15] national community development

[10:15] week.

[10:16] Motion, please?

[10:16] >> so moved.

[10:17] >> second.

[10:18] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: all in

[10:19] favor?

[10:19] >> aye.

[10:20] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: at thank

[10:21] you.

[10:21] Again the same.

[10:21] Motion to approve a

[10:23] proclamation for black maternal

[10:23] health week of APRIL 11-17,

[10:24] 2025.

[10:24] >> so moved.

[10:25] >> second.

[10:27] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: at thank

[10:28] you.

[10:28] Clerk waters has read this one

[10:29] unto the record on the website

[10:30] and so let's please I'll check

[10:38] that t and again, we will do a

[10:39] great deal more that week in

[10:39] APRIL.

[10:39] At thank you.

[10:40] All in favor?

[10:40] >> aye.

[10:54] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: yes!

[10:55] Also a special thank you to

[11:00] clerk waters for bringing us

[11:01] that proclamation.

[11:01] Yes.

[11:11] [Applause]

[11:12] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: motion to

[11:13] approve a proclamation of

[11:14] arab-american heritage month

[11:15] 2025 and I have asked trustee

[11:16] parakkat if he would please

[11:17] read this aloud.

[11:18] Motion, please.

[11:18] >> so moved.

[11:19] >> second.

[11:20] Scaman: at thank you.

[11:24] >>trustee parakkat:

[11:25] arab-american heritage month,

[11:26] APRIL 2025.

[11:27] Whereas, the village of oak

[11:28] park is committed to fostering

[11:38] a community that is welcoming,

[11:39] -- arab-americans in our

[11:41] country come from a variety of

[11:41] natures, cultures, and faith

[11:42] backgrounds, and from one of 22

[11:45] arabic-speaking countries,

[11:46] infusing resilient values,

[11:47] strong work ethic, dedication

[11:48] to education and diversity; and

[11:49] whereas, the diversity of oak

[11:51] park is a constant source of

[11:52] strength and enrichment for our

[11:55] community and this month we

[11:58] recognize and celebrate the

[11:59] vibrant arab american

[12:01] community, its history, culture

[12:03] and achievement in oak park and

[12:09] around the country; and

[12:10] whereas, proclaiming

[12:11] arab-american heritage month in

[12:13] oak park serves to promote

[12:14] understanding, appreciation and

[12:15] respect for the contributions

[12:17] and experiences of

[12:18] arab-american people, while

[12:19] also celebrating their

[12:20] heritage, culture and

[12:21] successes; and

[12:23] whereas, while arab american

[12:24] heritage month occurs during

[12:26] APRIL, we recognize the rich

[12:27] culture shared by arab

[12:29] americans makes a positive

[12:31] impact in our community

[12:35] throughout the entire year; and

[12:37] whereas, we take time to pause

[12:39] and reflect on the pain being

[12:40] felt by arab americans and

[12:42] arabs around the world as a

[12:44] result of the ongoing conflict

[12:46] in gaza. We know the gravity of

[12:47] the situation affects many

[12:50] around the globe; and

[12:52] whereas, we have heard from and

[12:53] affirm the many local voices

[12:55] that have spoken to raise our

[12:57] collective awareness of these

[13:02] heartbreaking events over the

[13:15] last several months. Now more

[13:16] than ever, it is imperative

[13:17] that we come together in

[13:17] solidarity and show compassion

[13:18] to one another in the midst of

[13:19] adversity. In doing so, we

[13:20] shall reiterate our commitment

[13:21] to empathy and open dialogue as

[13:22] we strive for peace and justice

[13:23] both locally and around the

[13:28] world. Whereas, the village of

[13:34] oak park is excited to --

[13:36] 2025, honoring the rich

[13:38] cultural traditions, history

[13:39] and contributions of

[13:40] arab-american's.

[13:46] The celebration will feature an

[13:47] array of educational and

[13:49] cultural experiences, including

[13:50] live music, traditional dance,

[13:52] food, and art, calligraphy and

[13:52] cultural displays.

[13:56] Selecting the vibrancy and

[13:57] diversity of the arab-american

[13:58] community and fostering the

[13:59] great understanding and

[14:02] inclusion throughout the

[14:02] village.

[14:04] Be it resolved that the village

[14:05] of oak park supports the

[14:06] celebration of arab-american

[14:10] heritage month, and now,

[14:11] therefore, I, ravi parakkat, on

[14:12] behalf of vicki scaman,

[14:13] PRESIDENT Of the village of oak

[14:14] park and the board of trustees,

[14:15] do hereby proclaim APRIL as the

[14:16] month of our arab-american

[14:17] heritage month celebration and

[14:19] encourage all residents to join

[14:20] us in embracing the enrichment

[14:21] that their cultures bring to

[14:22] our lives. Let us come together

[14:23] as a community to celebrate

[14:23] arab-american heritage month,

[14:24] honoring our shared values of

[14:25] inclusivity and cultural

[14:38] appreciation. Dated this 18th

[14:39] day of MARCH, 2025.

[14:40] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: at thank

[14:48] you. >>PRESIDENT Scaman:

[14:55] thank you.

[14:56] Maybe we can have an all in

[14:56] favor?

[14:56] >> aye.

[14:58] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: just a

[14:59] moment of silence for the

[15:02] devastation in gaza and israel

[15:28] right now.

[15:29] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: I think you

[15:30] as this continues to weigh

[15:35] heavy on our hearts.

[15:36] I would entertain a motion to

[15:37] approve a proclamation of

[15:45] national public health week for

[15:46] APRIL 7-13th of 2025.

[15:47] >> so moved.

[15:48] >> second.

[15:49] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: all in

[15:49] favor?

[15:50] >> aye.

[15:51] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: again, we

[15:52] will have some really wonderful

[15:56] things around public health,

[15:57] particularly mental health as

[16:00] we move forward and I think our

[16:01] public health department for

[16:05] leading on the and our clerk's

[16:06] office, always.

[16:06] And the staff.

[16:07] A motion to approve a

[16:10] proclamation for doctor percy

[16:11] julian, 2025.

[16:11] >> so moved.

[16:12] >> second.

[16:21] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: I have

[16:22] asked christina, trustee enyia,

[16:23] and a trustee wesley to please

[16:25] lead on the proclamation.

[16:30] >>clerk:

[16:31] julian was born in montgomery,

[16:32] alabama on APRIL 11, 1899, and

[16:33] was encouraged by his family to

[16:34] leave the segregated south in

[16:35] pursuit of higher education,

[16:36] and graduating first in his

[16:38] class from depauw university

[16:41] with a bachelor's degree in

[16:41] chemistry in 1920, earning a

[16:44] master's degree in chemistry

[16:45] from harvard university in

[16:47] 1923, and awarded a ph.D. From

[16:49] the university of vienna,

[16:53] austria, in 1931, being one of

[16:54] the first african americans to

[17:03] achieve this distinction; and

[17:06] whereas, throughout his career

[17:07] he faced discrimination,

[17:08] relying on his brilliant

[17:09] scientific mind, remarkable

[17:10] work ethic, congenial spirit,

[17:12] and deep religious beliefs to

[17:13] become a renowned chemist who

[17:14] would earn more than 130

[17:16] patents and publish 150

[17:19] scientific articles in his

[17:20] career, receiving numerous

[17:22] honors and a national and

[17:23] international reputation, and

[17:26] reaching breakthroughs in the

[17:29] development of affordable,

[17:30] commercial synthetic steroids

[17:31] and hormones that have been

[17:34] used in a wide range of

[17:35] applications including birth

[17:37] control pills and medications

[17:38] to combat glaucoma and

[17:44] rheumatoid arthritis; and

[17:44] .

[17:46] >>trustee enyia: whereas, his

[17:47] wife anna also broke down

[17:48] academic barriers when she

[17:49] earned a ph.D. In sociology

[17:50] from the university of

[17:52] pennsylvania in 1937, one of

[17:53] the few women to earn such a

[17:59] distinction; and

[18:03] came to the chicago area in

[18:05] 1936, when he was named to a

[18:08] top research position at

[18:09] glidden paint company in

[18:13] chicago before founding his

[18:13] laboratory, julian

[18:15] laboratories, in franklin park,

[18:20] illinois in 1953; and

[18:23] julian was named chicagoan of

[18:28] the year for his scientific and

[18:29] community achievements, and

[18:29] that same year he and anna

[18:32] julian moved with their

[18:34] children from their home in

[18:35] nearby maywood, illinois, to

[18:40] oak park; and

[18:40] .

[18:41] >>trustee wesley: whereas, very

[18:43] early in their residence in oak

[18:44] park, the julian family

[18:45] experienced racism and threats

[18:46] of violence, their home being

[18:48] twice attacked by arsonists,

[18:49] and yet the julians would

[18:51] persevere against these acts of

[18:52] hostility and discrimination

[18:53] and became honored community

[18:56] leaders, and whose children

[18:57] were graduates of oak park

[19:00] river forest high school and

[19:01] whose daughter remains an oak

[19:02] park resident in their original

[19:11] family residence. Now,

[19:12] therefore, I, trustee cory

[19:13] wesley, on behalf of vicki

[19:14] scaman, PRESIDENT Of the

[19:15] village of oak park and the

[19:16] board of trustees, do hereby

[19:16] proclaim APRIL 11, 2025, DR.

[19:18] Percy l. Julian day in the

[19:20] village of oak park, and

[19:22] encourage our community to

[19:23] reflect on the many

[19:29] achievements of DR. Percy

[19:31] julian in science, medicine,

[19:32] and research, as well as one of

[19:33] oak park's pioneers in the

[19:34] quest for inclusion, human and

[19:36] civil rights, and a catalyst

[19:38] for integration and diversity

[19:39] to which the village of oak

[19:47] park has committed. Dated, this

[19:54] 18th day of MARCH 2025.

[20:00] [Pause]

[20:05] [Applause]

[20:07] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: a thank you

[20:08] so much for reading with us

[20:12] today-all in favor?

[20:14] >> aye.

[20:19] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: excellent.

[20:26] Next, we have a motion to

[20:27] approve a proclamation for

[20:28] transgender day of visibility

[20:29] MARCH 31, 2025.

[20:36] >> so moved.

[20:36] >> second.

[20:37] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: I have

[20:38] asked christina to start us

[20:40] off.

[20:42] >>clerk: whereas, the village

[20:43] of oak park is committed to

[20:44] fostering a community that is

[20:45] welcoming, inclusive, and

[20:46] affirming of all individuals,

[20:47] regardless of gender identity

[20:51] or expression; and

[20:54] whereas, transgender day of

[20:55] visibility, observed annually

[20:58] on MARCH 31, is a day to

[21:00] celebrate the resilience,

[21:01] contributions, and achievements

[21:03] of transgender, non-binary, and

[21:04] gender-diverse individuals,

[21:05] while also recognizing the

[21:07] ongoing challenges they face in

[21:09] the pursuit of equality and

[21:14] justice; and

[21:16] whereas, transgender people

[21:17] have made immeasurable

[21:18] contributions to our society,

[21:19] enriching the cultural,

[21:20] economic, and social fabric of

[21:22] oak park and beyond, and

[21:24] deserve to live with dignity,

[21:26] respect, and the freedom to be

[21:30] their authentic selves; and

[21:30] .

[21:32] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: whereas,

[21:33] while great strides have been

[21:35] made toward equity and

[21:36] acceptance, transgender

[21:38] individuals continue to

[21:39] experience discrimination,

[21:42] violence, and barriers to

[21:43] healthcare, employment, and

[21:45] housing, reinforcing the need

[21:46] for continued advocacy,

[21:47] education, and policy efforts

[21:48] to ensure full inclusion and

[21:52] equal rights; and

[21:55] whereas, the village of oak

[21:56] park recognizes both

[21:57] transgender day of visibility

[21:59] MARCH 31, and transgender day

[22:01] of remembrance NOVEMBER 20, as

[22:04] opportunities to stand in

[22:07] solidarity with transgender

[22:08] residents, allies, and

[22:09] advocates, to uplift their

[22:12] voices, and to reaffirm our

[22:14] commitment to equity,

[22:15] diversity, and inclusion for

[22:18] all.

[22:20] Now be it resolved that the

[22:21] village of oak park supports

[22:24] the recognition and celebration

[22:25] of transgender day of

[22:27] visibility, and now, therefore,

[22:28] I, vicki scaman, PRESIDENT Of

[22:30] the village of oak park and the

[22:31] board of trustees, do hereby

[22:35] proclaim MARCH 31, 2025, as

[22:38] transgender day of visibility

[22:40] in the village of oak park and

[22:43] encourage all residents to join

[22:44] us in uplifting and celebrating

[22:46] the transgender community. Let

[22:48] us come together as a community

[22:51] to honor our shared values of

[22:52] inclusivity, equity, and

[22:53] visibility for all gender

[23:00] identities.

[23:22] [Applause]

[23:51] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: you are

[23:55] beautiful.

[23:57] If aaron, sarah, jane, anybody

[24:04] wish to come up and share?

[24:14] [Applause]

[24:16] >>speaker: let me get my

[24:16] remarks out.

[24:17] First of all, I wanted to say

[24:19] thank you so much and thank you

[24:20] all so much.

[24:22] It is an honor and a privilege,

[24:23] deep deep gratitude, especially

[24:26] in these times for the

[24:27] recognition, the visibility,

[24:28] the right to be free, the right

[24:31] not to be under attack and

[24:32] those of you who know me are

[24:33] not surprised that I also want

[24:36] to ask for more.

[24:37] I would like to ask for oak

[24:38] park, not today, but for us to

[24:45] prepare to recognize and become

[24:55] a trans sanctuary.

[24:56] I also want to ask everybody or

[24:58] invite everybody to come

[24:59] celebrate with us.

[25:02] We are having a butterfly dance

[25:03] party on MARCH 30 in the

[25:06] scoville park and it is open

[25:07] everybody who is anybody and an

[25:10] ally, technically everybody,

[25:16] but if you're not, you can stay

[25:16] home.

[25:17] I want to say that trans day of

[25:18] visibility is more than a

[25:21] chance to be seen and more than

[25:22] a party, and more than just

[25:22] about dancing.

[25:23] Our fundamental human rights

[25:25] are under attack and now more

[25:25] than ever.

[25:28] Action must be taken.

[25:29] I want to make it clear that

[25:30] our rights are your rights.

[25:40] The attacks on us are a attack

[25:40] on everybody.

[25:42] Trans people are more than just

[25:42] people in this situation.

[25:44] We also represent the

[25:46] fundamental rights to

[25:47] self-expression and

[25:48] self-determination among other

[25:49] things but real freedom

[25:50] includes the choice to know

[25:51] yourself for who you are and

[25:52] the choice to live and love the

[25:54] way that you choose.

[25:56] We also represent the right to

[25:59] healthcare in these times.

[26:00] As our neighboring states make

[26:01] it harder to exist as a trans

[26:02] person, people are coming from

[26:03] all over looking for a century

[26:06] where they can be who they are

[26:10] and access the healthcare they

[26:11] need to thrive.

[26:15] I want to thank you again for

[26:16] organizing the importance of

[26:16] trans visibility with this

[26:17] resolution and I'm excited to

[26:20] work with all of you to build

[26:21] oak park into more of a

[26:22] snctuary then we even are

[26:22] today.

[26:23] It will affirm people of all

[26:25] identities and say we are all

[26:26] welcome here.

[26:27] I hope you all can make it to

[26:51] the party.

[26:55] Name is mike jackson and I

[26:56] don't have anything prepared

[27:00] for comments, but I want to say

[27:01] -as you can see from my hat,

[27:06] we recently moved back to oak

[27:11] park, right before oak

[27:12] park/river forest started.

[27:13] We previously lived here from a

[27:16] 2002-2016 and I accepted a job

[27:26] in tennessee in the SEPTEMBER

[27:27] 2016.

[27:28] Tennessee is no problem, but

[27:29] some events happened in a

[27:30] NOVEMBER 2016 that you might

[27:33] remember turned things around.

[27:34] When PRESIDENT Trump was

[27:38] elected the first time.

[27:40] We had some bumpy neighbors,

[27:43] but really tennessee was the

[27:51] seed that was planted that

[27:51] saved hatred.

[27:52] It was planted in this country

[27:58] and it spread like wildfire.

[27:58] It was awful.

[28:01] I am here with my beautiful

[28:13] transgender daughter, leah,-

[28:14] is absolutely thriving now that

[28:18] she is up in oak park again.

[28:28] From the beginning we got

[28:29] interviewed by lambda at legal,

[28:30] to be in the case in front of

[28:31] the supreme court right now.

[28:37] They said she has a compelling

[28:38] case because she-she started

[28:39] gender affirming care and it

[28:42] was being taken from her.

[28:45] Through a road that was just

[28:50] absolutely horrible for her and

[28:51] horrible for her whole family,

[28:54] especially her mother and

[28:54] myself.

[28:58] It has been absolutely,

[29:00] absolutely devastating.

[29:03] She has got friends that are

[29:04] similar to her going through

[29:08] this.

[29:09] But here's the thing, we know

[29:11] that there is a plan, a place

[29:15] we could return to.

[29:19] A lot of people do not know oak

[29:20] park and I have been spreading

[29:21] the word as much as I can.

[29:23] Come to oak park, here is the

[29:27] letter from the school

[29:28] superintendent.

[29:28] Here are statements.

[29:30] Here are proclamations of this

[29:30] place.

[29:33] this is like a fairyland, safe

[29:35] for transgender people.

[29:39] It is so welcoming and I cannot

[29:40] tell you how great it has been

[29:41] to be back here.

[29:44] Having gone through all of

[29:50] this, I could absolutely,

[29:51] unequivocally say that equity,

[29:56] diversity, justice, love,

[29:58] acceptance, and most important,

[29:59] gender affirming care.

[30:01] Yes, gender affirming care does

[30:02] save lives and do not let

[30:04] anybody ever, ever tell you

[30:13] otherwise.

[30:20] [Applause]

[30:22] >>speaker: thank you for the

[30:25] opportunity, my name is jane

[30:26] and I have found it to be a

[30:29] real privilege to be here

[30:30] tonight because, of course of

[30:31] the transgender proclamation,

[30:35] but also hearing about doctor

[30:36] julian's being honored and the

[30:40] black maternal health care that

[30:41] the village is doing.

[30:42] Thank you for all of these

[30:42] efforts.

[30:45] I find that it is important to

[30:53] center trans voices and build

[30:53] allies.

[30:54] You will see a lot of people

[30:55] that are parents of trans kids,

[30:56] but I want to honor people who

[30:57] are not parents of trans kids

[30:59] or just feel the cause.

[31:02] Like we can be intersectional

[31:03] and that and I really mean

[31:04] that.

[31:06] It is so beautiful to see.

[31:11] I wasn't schooled by my son

[31:12] when I attended a different

[31:13] thing that I did not say it the

[31:18] right way because he was saying

[31:19] that what we want to emphasize

[31:20] and teach people who are not

[31:21] allies, who do not see it this

[31:28] way is that trans people have

[31:28] done nothing wrong.

[31:29] They are totally beautiful,

[31:30] innocent, and whole human

[31:32] beings full of integrity and

[31:33] there is no backing down from

[31:34] that.

[31:37] To have you all supporting us

[31:39] as a system and being proud is

[31:39] very beautiful.

[31:55] Thank you so much.

[32:00] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: that is

[32:00] okay.

[32:01] We will get one.

[32:02] Thank you so much and thank you

[32:03] all for being here.

[32:04] You are the beautiful ones that

[32:07] organize and make this so

[32:14] special for us to support and

[32:20] just love oak park.

[32:21] Oak park is about the people

[32:22] who live here and make it

[32:22] great.

[32:24] It is about the parents that

[32:25] organize to support other

[32:28] parents and our children who

[32:32] are truly, truly beautiful.

[32:43] Thank you.

[32:43] All in favor?

[32:45] >> aye.

[32:53] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: wonderful.

[32:54] We do have a motion to proclaim

[32:55] national volunteer week of

[32:56] APRIL 20-26, 2025.

[32:56] Motion?

[32:57] >> so moved.

[32:57] >> second.

[33:01] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: this

[33:03] proclamation also is available

[33:04] on the website and, you know, I

[33:08] have to say that volunteerism

[33:14] in our community is also really

[33:15] at the core of who we are.

[33:16] I love this proclamation and I

[33:17] hope you will take a longer

[33:23] look and I look forward to what

[33:24] we can do to support the

[33:25] volunteers in our community

[33:26] during the month of APRIL.

[33:26] All in favor?

[33:26] >> aye.

[33:28] >>PRESIDENT Saman: I have a

[33:29] motion to approve a

[33:34] proclamation for earth month of

[33:35] APRIL 2025.

[33:35] >> so moved.

[33:36] >> second.

[33:37] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: okay, thank

[33:38] you.

[33:39] Again, the same and I know we

[33:40] will have wonderful activities

[33:41] around this as well.

[33:42] All in favor?

[33:42] >> aye.

[33:53] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: thank you.

[33:54] We are moving on t our village

[33:55] managers report.

[33:56] Village manager jackson?

[33:57] >>village manager: yes, thank

[33:58] you PRESIDENT Scaman and

[33:59] trustee members.

[34:00] I have one quick update and I

[34:01] will close with a

[34:02] acknowledgment that I want to

[34:02] make.

[34:03] For a special guest here

[34:04] tonight.

[34:05] First and foremost I want to

[34:06] acknowledge that we are working

[34:09] to identify an alternative date

[34:12] in APRIL for the board to hold

[34:15] a discussion on municipal

[34:16] campus police project, it was

[34:18] originally planned for tonight.

[34:20] Based upon the accelerated

[34:27] schedule that we initially

[34:27] published.

[34:28] Just want to acknowledge that

[34:32] the rescheduling process is

[34:33] underway and we anticipate

[34:35] finding a date in APRIL and we

[34:35] look forward to having the

[34:37] opportunity to finish the work

[34:45] on the design schemes that we

[34:45] previously talked about.

[34:46] We have been talking about

[34:47] since the project has been

[34:49] underway and also providing the

[34:50] updated and more refined cost

[34:51] information, in addition to

[34:52] responding to the boards

[34:53] interest that was expressed at

[34:54] the last meeting about sme

[34:55] high-level financial analysis

[35:02] of the potential schemes.

[35:02] So again, I think in

[35:03] conclusion, what we want to do

[35:04] is do what we intended to do

[35:06] from the outset and that is to

[35:07] facilitate a complete

[35:08] discussion with the board and

[35:18] provide complete information to

[35:19] the board to have the

[35:20] opportunity to make the best

[35:21] judgment on the next step in

[35:22] the process and I think

[35:23] included with that complete

[35:25] information, it was always our

[35:26] plan to provide the information

[35:27] in enough time, given the

[35:28] complexity and magnitude of the

[35:29] project or the board would have

[35:34] adequate time to review all of

[35:35] the conclusions from this stage

[35:36] of the process, as well as the

[35:36] public.

[35:42] We are happy to answer any

[35:42] questions.

[35:43] We are diligently continuing to

[35:46] work on this effort and we have

[35:47] director sproule from a public

[35:52] works to answer any questions

[35:53] if necessary.

[35:54] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: trustee

[35:55] robinson?

[35:55] >>trustee robinson: I have a

[35:56] calendar question.

[35:58] What is the first date that we

[35:59] are supposed to be back in MAY?

[36:00] Has that been calendared?

[36:02] >>village manager: I think it

[36:05] is MAY 6 is the first meeting

[36:06] and that is the meeting where

[36:06] the new board is seated.

[36:19] >>trustee robinson: the

[36:20] additional meeting would have

[36:21] us coming back a week early

[36:22] essentially?

[36:22] >>village manager: yes.

[36:24] >>trustee robinson: I think the

[36:25] original plan was to have the

[36:26] next facilities discussion,

[36:28] which is APRIL 29, possibly may

[36:29] 1 that is possibly being

[36:30] scheduled, have that be the

[36:31] final facilities discussion?

[36:32] Is that right?

[36:34] Or are we still going to-it

[36:40] is a lot to discuss in one

[36:41] meeting, even in one special

[36:41] meeting.

[36:42] I'm just curious whether it is

[36:46] your thought that we would sort

[36:47] of bridge that over two

[36:48] meetings?

[36:49] Or are you thinking that is

[36:50] just going to be that meeting

[36:54] and we have to get it all done

[36:54] then?

[36:56] >>village manager: our hope is

[37:07] that the board will have

[37:08] complete information as planned

[37:09] for tonight and an adequate

[37:10] amount of time to provide the

[37:11] staff with direction to move

[37:12] the project to the next stage,

[37:13] which is to finish this kinetic

[37:14] design process.

[37:15] In that meeting we are hoping

[37:16] to get direction on one

[37:17] variation of the one design

[37:18] option that the board has

[37:22] directed us to work on and then

[37:24] once the board provides that

[37:25] direction, then it makes sense

[37:29] for us to work with jl k to

[37:31] finish the schematic design

[37:34] with that one option.

[37:36] I think that was kind of always

[37:41] the plan to work towards one

[37:42] option before we spend any

[37:45] additional money on the project

[37:46] and move the project to the

[37:47] next stage because moving the

[37:48] project to the next stage is

[37:51] kind of the first step towards

[37:52] implementation.

[37:55] >>trustee robinson: okay.

[37:57] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: any other

[37:58] questions?

[38:01] Okay, I will just share as is

[38:07] often the role of the village

[38:08] PRESIDENT To summarize what i

[38:10] have heard is the consensus of

[38:13] the board, as this was not our

[38:14] expectation this evening.

[38:15] We did fully originally expect

[38:19] to be discussing the schematics

[38:25] before upcoming events in

[38:25] APRIL.

[38:27] It is a very big decision and

[38:34] one that we know that our staff

[38:35] and architect are working

[38:36] diligently to be responsive to

[38:37] the board direction that has

[38:39] been heard.

[38:40] That being that the police

[38:47] station has been said many

[38:49] times to be the priority of the

[38:49] project.

[38:50] That there has been great

[38:51] concern, particularly in the

[38:52] last meeting about cost.

[38:53] Want to make sure that

[38:54] everybody is in agreement so

[38:57] I'm not speaking out of turn

[39:04] and that there is potentially

[39:06] wanting to understand with

[39:08] potentially phasing in

[39:10] rehabilitation of village hall

[39:13] with the ultimate goal that we

[39:17] have a facility that meets the

[39:19] needs of our staff and is

[39:22] accessible to our community.

[39:24] That it be that long term

[39:30] solution that is not making our

[39:34] community pay more over time

[39:41] that the analysis of a

[39:42] strategic funding-financial

[39:43] analysis of how we would pay

[39:44] for whatever the decision of

[39:48] the board would be.

[39:49] Knowing that majority of the

[39:52] cost is the police department

[39:54] and numbers we have heard in

[39:57] the past being anywhere around

[39:58] $80 million, but then the

[40:01] potential rehabilitation and

[40:02] maintenance that we have

[40:10] learned is, you know, mother 20

[40:11] million-40 million.

[40:14] What we know and appreciate is

[40:17] that while tis extra time is

[40:23] not what we plan for, it is the

[40:26] best and most responsible way

[40:28] to move forward so we have all

[40:33] the information that we need to

[40:34] make the decision for the

[40:35] community and that the

[40:39] community deserves to hear from

[40:40] the seven people that have been

[40:41] working on the project over the

[40:52] last year and 1/2.

[40:53] If there are no further

[41:00] comments, then we do think you

[41:01] and we know that you are

[41:02] working hard to be responsive

[41:03] to all the concerns you have

[41:05] heard from the village board to

[41:07] help us with a very big

[41:09] decision.

[41:10] Okay?

[41:16] Thank you.

[41:21] >>village manager: I will just

[41:22] make one-you bet.

[41:24] I'm excited to do it.

[41:28] I want to say welcome and happy

[41:29] birthday to its old martinez,

[41:36] who is a senior in high school

[41:40] at the cornerstone academy here

[41:46] in oak park.

[41:47] She is the next to her teacher.

[41:48] Itzel was going to attend the

[41:49] meeting to watch us to business

[41:50] for a little while now and I'm

[41:53] excited about the fact that she

[41:54] e chose her birthday to

[41:57] exercise her civic interest.

[41:58] She is very involved in it

[42:00] civic throughout the community

[42:01] and I know she has taken a

[42:05] strong interest in oak park and

[42:06] her teacher is excited about

[42:14] the work she is doing in

[42:14] school.

[42:16] I was excited to introduce her

[42:16] tonight.

[42:17] Welcome, itzel.

[42:18] Glad you could make it and I am

[42:20] sure you probably anticipated a

[42:23] longer meeting tonight.

[42:25] Congratulations for exercising

[42:26] your civic interest and thank

[42:31] you for letting me acknowledge

[42:32] itzel tonight.

[42:33] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: welcome,

[42:34] you don't have to, but you can

[42:46] come up and say hello.

[42:47] Up to you.

[42:48] >>speaker: good evening, my

[42:49] name is itzel martinez, to

[42:50] share a little more about me,

[42:51] I'm a senior at cornerstone

[42:52] academy.

[42:53] It's a small private christian

[42:54] school that is almost like an

[42:55] alternative school.

[42:58] They focus on individual needs

[42:58] of students.

[42:59] Walking into cornerstone I

[43:00] realized the lack of mental

[43:01] health resources and where I

[43:03] came from, my previous goals,

[43:04] they lack the resources, too.

[43:06] In that way I found a need and

[43:12] they spark in a drive to do

[43:13] more.

[43:13] What I've been doing at my

[43:14] school as I have been reaching

[43:15] out to mental health resources

[43:17] and building connections with

[43:18] organizations and trying to do

[43:19] more, find more because I see

[43:20] it here and it needs to be seen

[43:22] and I did not realize how

[43:23] important it was for youth to

[43:24] be a part of that.

[43:28] I have been going to places and

[43:29] voicing the needs and the

[43:30] things we need and people see

[43:31] it and they want to hear more.

[43:35] My way I want to get the

[43:37] attention o more youth because

[43:38] I think we are out there and I

[43:46] think this is really cool.

[43:47] Thank you.

[43:48] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: clerk

[43:51] waters is glowing.

[43:52] I hope you will share your

[43:52] contact info so she can reach

[43:57] out and help coordinate these

[43:58] efforts.

[44:01] And thank you so much for being

[44:02] here.

[44:02] I can feel your power, you are

[44:03] truly amazing.

[44:04] Thank you.

[44:05] >>trustee wesley: happy

[44:07] birthday.

[44:08] >> happy birthday.

[44:09] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: happy

[44:13] birthday!

[44:18] Aything else from the village

[44:18] managers report?

[44:19] Of course, of course.

[44:25] Village board committees and

[44:26] the trustee liaison commission

[44:26] report.

[44:27] Any updates?

[44:27] Okay.

[44:28] Citizen commission vacancies.

[44:38] Clerk waters, thank you, again!

[44:39] Clerk waters provides the

[44:40] vacancy report and anybody

[44:41] interested in serving on one of

[44:42] the boards or commissions can

[44:44] reach out to clerk waters at

[44:45] clerk@oak-park.Us.

[44:50] We then have a few

[44:51] appointments.

[44:52] I entertain a motion to consent

[44:53] to the village presidents

[44:55] plemons of, clerk waters, do

[44:55] you mind?

[45:04] >>clerk: sorry, I have too many

[45:12] papers in front of me.

[45:14] Charyl a. Wisniewski, to the

[45:17] community relations commission.

[45:22] Rachel l. Gresk, appointed as a

[45:25] commissioner to the community

[45:31] relations cmmission.

[45:32] Steve nations, point is a

[45:33] commissioner to the environment

[45:34] and energy commission.

[45:38] >>jonathan burch:, appointed as

[45:39] a commissioner to the

[45:42] environment and energy

[45:42] commission.

[45:47] >> frank sullivan, reappoint

[45:51] for a second term to the plan

[45:51] commission.

[45:53] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: all in

[45:56] favor?

[46:01] yes, please.

[46:01] Motion, please?

[46:02] >> so moved.

[46:03] >> second.

[46:04] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: motioned by

[46:08] trustee enyia and send dead by

[46:09] trustee wesley.

[46:09] Now and all in favor?

[46:11] >> aye.

[46:12] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: a thank you

[46:13] and thank all of our

[46:16] commissioners for their service

[46:20] .

[46:22] And I would entertain a motion

[46:23] to approve the consent agenda

[46:23] as presented.

[46:26] >> so moved.

[46:26] >> second.

[46:28] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: clerk

[46:29] waters, please take the roll.

[46:46] >> I think that was trustee

[46:47] robinson-brian?

[46:48] And then trustee straw is the

[46:48] second.

[46:49] >> trustee robinson.

[46:49] >> yes.

[46:50] >> trustee straw.

[46:51] >> yes.

[46:51] >> tustee enyia.

[46:52] >> yes.

[46:53] >> trustee parakkat.

[46:53] >> yes.

[46:54] >> trustee wsley.

[46:55] >> yes.

[46:56] >> PRESIDENT Scaman.

[46:57] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: yes.

[46:58] Consent agenda has been

[46:59] approved.

[46:59] We have a motion by trustee

[47:02] parakkat and seconded rustee

[47:03] robinson to discuss current

[47:04] village regulations on mobile

[47:05] food vendors and potential

[47:06] amendments to regulations to

[47:09] the village board to consider.

[47:09] Motion, please?

[47:10] >> so moved.

[47:11] >> second.

[47:17] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: thank you.

[47:18] This is a discussion only.

[47:19] there is nothing to vote on,

[47:20] but I appreciate the motion

[47:24] from a trustee parakkat and

[47:25] trustee robinson.

[47:26] That was my fault for confusing

[47:26] the matter.

[47:30] I will turn over to trustee

[47:30] parakkat then?

[47:32] >>trustee parakkat: thank you.

[47:34] The reason we are having this

[47:40] discussion is in our village,

[47:41] we have well-established

[47:43] brick-and-mortar businesses and

[47:44] their businesses are sometimes

[47:45] affected when we have food

[47:47] trucks that come and park right

[47:54] next to them, selling similar

[47:56] types of food and undercutting

[47:57] the cost because they have

[47:58] slightly different cost

[47:58] structure.

[47:59] In fact, the cost structure is

[48:04] much lower than what we have

[48:05] for our brick-and-mortar

[48:06] businesses that pay into the

[48:07] taxes.

[48:11] They have payroll and a lot of

[48:12] other costs.

[48:12] This is just to see if we can

[48:15] create a level of fairness in

[48:16] terms of our business

[48:22] environment so nobody is

[48:23] disproportionately affected by

[48:24] having a differentiated cost

[48:25] structure or a favorable cost

[48:25] structure.

[48:26] Looking at more of a level

[48:27] playing field.

[48:31] That is the intent of this

[48:38] discussion and in examination

[48:39] what we received through the

[48:40] staff from that research is

[48:41] there are differences in

[48:50] different communities and how

[48:51] this is handled and there are

[48:51] recommendations as well.

[48:53] The discussion is about looking

[48:54] at the recommendations and

[48:55] figuring out what makes sense

[48:56] for our community and what can

[48:57] be fomented to create that

[48:58] level playing field.

[49:00] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: thank you.

[49:01] We have a public comment on

[49:04] this item this evening.

[49:11] >> (Speaker away from mic).

[49:19] >>public commenter: hi.

[49:20] My name is carla (Name?) And I

[49:22] have been a proud resident of

[49:23] oak park for over 20 years as a

[49:28] latina woman and business

[49:28] owner.

[49:30] I deeply value the cultural

[49:31] entrepreneurial spirit that

[49:35] makes our community a vibrant

[49:36] one.

[49:36] My investment in oak park

[49:37] extends beyond my business.

[49:38] I actively support schools,

[49:43] literally, the arts and the

[49:44] several non-for-profit

[49:45] organizations and additionally

[49:46] I'm committed to employing

[49:47] local residents and students

[49:48] who rely on these jobs for

[49:52] growth and financial stability.

[49:54] I appreciate and fully support

[50:05] the recommendations that I have

[50:06] been discussing with the

[50:07] business office in oak park as

[50:08] it reflects the village's

[50:09] commitment to balancing

[50:10] economic growth, while

[50:11] protecting businesses that have

[50:12] long been a part of oak park's

[50:17] economic and cultural fabric.

[50:18] While I welcome a business,

[50:19] while I welcome food trucks and

[50:20] the diversity they bring, our

[50:22] brick-and-mortar businesses are

[50:23] the backbone of our local

[50:23] economy.

[50:32] And we operate under higher

[50:32] standards.

[50:33] I believe these recommendations

[50:34] help maintain a fair playing

[50:35] field and acknowledge the

[50:36] significant and financial

[50:37] personal investments we have

[50:38] made in oak park through

[50:39] contributing, creating jobs,

[50:41] paying rent, paying property

[50:48] taxes.

[50:49] The recommendations that is

[50:51] poposed as a 250 foot distance

[50:52] requirement from existing food

[50:58] and beverage establishments.

[50:59] That ensures food trucks

[51:00] complement instead of directly

[51:01] compete with the local

[51:01] businesses.

[51:03] Fr the past few months I have

[51:04] had a food truck operating

[51:05] directly in front of me and

[51:08] then he moved 100 feet down.

[51:09] From my shop selling the same

[51:11] food daily from 10:00 A.M.-8

[51:11] pm.

[51:12] They are mobile, they are not

[51:13] moving.

[51:19] 10 hours a day.

[51:20] When I kindly asked the owner

[51:21] to move further down, he

[51:22] refused, citing that the

[51:23] village currently has no

[51:24] restrictions or ordinances.

[51:26] That lack of regulation puts

[51:30] brick-and-mortar at a this

[51:30] advantage.

[51:31] The other recommendation is

[51:32] designating specific areas for

[51:34] food trucks to operate.

[51:35] That brings structure,

[51:41] organization, fairness and

[51:42] helps prevent tradition while

[51:43] allowing food trucks to operate

[51:44] successfully without negatively

[51:45] impacting existing businesses.

[51:46] Additionally, restricting food

[51:50] trucks in key business

[51:51] districts, such as madison

[52:01] street or other corridor's

[52:02] helps preserve the vitality of

[52:04] our commercial corridors,

[52:05] ensuring that long-standing

[52:06] businesses that contribute to

[52:07] oak park's character and charm

[52:07] continue to thrive.

[52:09] So I urge the village, as other

[52:10] towns have to support the

[52:11] well-thought-out

[52:12] recommendations to foster a

[52:14] thriving, fair and sustainable

[52:21] business environment for all.

[52:23] I appreciate the board's

[52:24] efforts in promoting both

[52:25] innovation and stability in our

[52:26] community, and to thank you for

[52:27] your time and consideration.

[52:31] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: thank you.

[52:33] So then we will open it up for

[52:34] discussion unless you have more

[52:38] to share?

[52:39] Or greg does?

[52:40] >>village manager: yeah, I will

[52:49] go ahead, craig, as craig is

[52:49] coming up.

[52:50] We are trying to be responsive

[52:51] to the motion.

[52:52] As well as being responsive to

[52:53] the community input we received

[52:54] concurrent with the motion.

[52:54] What we hve done is

[53:00] preliminary work to frame the

[53:00] discussion.

[53:01] There ae some preliminary

[53:02] options outlined, but what we

[53:03] are looking for is feedback

[53:04] from the board so we can bring

[53:05] something back, that is

[53:11] responsive of the entire

[53:11] board's interest.

[53:13] Tonight we can certainly offer

[53:14] what we found so far, but we

[53:16] are looking forward to getting

[53:17] your input so we get the

[53:18] ordinance proposal back at a

[53:18] later time.

[53:22] >> thank you, manager jackson,

[53:23] craig failor, deponent services

[53:23] director.

[53:28] We have been working on a

[53:31] things to think about in

[53:39] regards to food tracks.

[53:40] Nomi diaz will walk through

[53:41] that.

[53:41] We have also been talking to

[53:42] the health the permit on this

[53:43] as well.

[53:44] We have reached out to other

[53:45] persons in our department and

[53:47] other departments o help us

[53:49] formulate these ideas and I

[53:51] think k nomi will indicate that

[54:02] she has looked at other

[54:02] communities.

[54:03] >> thank you, craig.

[54:12] Good evening, nomi diaz,

[54:13] administered of officer in a

[54:13] development services.

[54:15] We did rsearch on neighboring

[54:16] communities that is attached to

[54:17] the agenda item, estimated

[54:19] about 18 different communities

[54:24] and what their current

[54:26] regulations are for any mobile

[54:26] food truck vendors.

[54:28] Looking at an analysis of that

[54:30] and some history of what the

[54:31] village currently has.

[54:33] Currently, the requirements for

[54:34] any mobile food truck vendors

[54:39] is that they have to-they

[54:40] have to have a health

[54:42] inspection conducted by our

[54:46] department of health.

[54:47] They also have to be compliant

[54:49] with ay parking restrictions

[55:01] and not obstructing any

[55:02] right-of-way.

[55:03] Have to have an active business

[55:04] license and the cost of the

[55:05] business license is dependent

[55:06] on the number of inspections

[55:07] that the food truck has to get

[55:09] on an annual basis and that is

[55:10] determined by our health

[55:18] department based on what the

[55:19] food risks are.

[55:20] That is currently what we have

[55:20] in place.

[55:21] Looking at the communities we

[55:22] researched, we made three

[55:24] potential recommendations for

[55:27] the board to consider.

[55:28] The first one being mobile food

[55:30] vendors must operate at least

[55:35] 250 feet and any food and drink

[55:35] establishment.

[55:36] To give a little bit of a

[55:42] visual of what 250 feet looks

[55:42] like.

[55:48] The scope of how long the

[55:49] village campus is currently.

[55:50] Clearly outside a village hall

[55:54] sidewalk to sidewalk is about

[55:54] 250 feet.

[55:55] Currently our commercial blocks

[55:57] are about 400 feet.

[56:03] Just to give a little bit of

[56:04] perspective of what that looks

[56:04] like.

[56:09] That is one recommendation for

[56:10] the board to consider in the

[56:11] second is mobile food vendors

[56:12] are allowed to operate in

[56:13] designated areas in the village

[56:14] this is previously been

[56:17] explored by village staff.

[56:19] A couple about eight years ago

[56:20] in terms of setting direct

[56:22] areas where mobile food trucks

[56:24] can park their vehicle and the

[56:29] cell and it creates a different

[56:31] commercial corridor for mobile

[56:33] food vendors and 1/3 potential

[56:41] regulation is mobile food

[56:42] vendors are not able to operate

[56:43] in a business district.

[56:44] Currently the village

[56:45] recognizes 12 different

[56:46] districts throughout oak park.

[56:48] Ultimately that would limit as

[56:48] to where they would be able to

[56:51] park in the sell their goods,

[56:54] but those are the three

[56:55] different that we have come up

[56:59] with in terms of

[57:00] recommendations for the board

[57:01] to consider.

[57:03] Village staff supports any of

[57:06] the three that the board would

[57:06] like to pursue.

[57:11] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: thank you.

[57:12] Please go ahead.

[57:14] >>trustee parakkat: just a

[57:21] quick question on

[57:22] applicability.

[57:23] If there are events, special

[57:24] events that happen, is this

[57:25] applicable in those instances

[57:33] as well or is this non-event

[57:33] related regulation?

[57:35] >> this is not event related

[57:36] read any mobile food vendor

[57:37] that would like to participate

[57:38] at any of our special events or

[57:39] events throughout the village,

[57:40] they have to go through a

[57:42] different special event

[57:43] permitting process.

[57:44] >>trustee parakkat: that is

[57:44] separate.

[57:45] That is true for block parties

[57:50] and smaller events as well?

[57:50] Okay, thanks.

[57:52] >>trustee robinson: I want to

[57:53] clarify-let's say we adopt

[57:56] all three of the

[57:57] recommendations.

[58:04] Even if it takes place in a

[58:05] business district, as long as

[58:07] they go through whatever this

[58:08] separate permitting process is,

[58:09] they would be able to set up

[58:10] their food truck for a special

[58:14] event, even if it is in a

[58:14] business district?

[58:15] If that is regulated based on

[58:26] the staff's recommendations,

[58:26] correct?

[58:27] >>speaker: correct.

[58:28] >>trustee robinson: in

[58:29] addition, I'm in agreement with

[58:30] what trustee parakkat said and

[58:31] the public comment her as well.

[58:32] I just want to point out the

[58:33] public comment or sent us what

[58:36] I thought was just a really

[58:37] detailed email that we received

[58:38] a b a week ago, maybe a week

[58:39] and 1/2 ago, something like

[58:39] that.

[58:43] But I thought did-really

[58:44] echoed what she said tonight,

[58:46] but did a great job of

[58:50] explaining sort of the

[58:51] difficulty and that this unfair

[58:52] competition point.

[58:55] How brick-and-mortar stores-

[58:59] food trucks can sort of pop up

[59:00] without warning, out of nowhere

[59:02] and to be parked outside of

[59:03] their establishment for really

[59:06] any length of time, as long as

[59:06] they comply currently with

[59:10] parking and the health

[59:10] inspection.

[59:11] That adds a level of

[59:12] competition that does not

[59:15] really exist right now for

[59:17] other businesses.

[59:18] While I certainly am in favor

[59:21] of a free market, I think we

[59:22] regulate our business districts

[59:29] and we do so for specific

[59:30] reasons.

[59:30] Safety, health.

[59:32] But this idea of really trying

[59:33] to not compromise the integrity

[59:34] of our business districts and

[59:36] our brick-and-mortar stores is

[59:39] a way that this type of

[59:40] regulation can help further

[59:43] preserve the integrity of those

[59:43] districts.

[59:45] The only thing I wanted staff

[59:49] to opine on his I noticed in

[59:52] the oak one regulation it

[59:54] included a requirement that

[59:57] food trucks have a plan for

[59:57] waste disposal.

[1:00:00] I was curious what staff

[1:00:00] thought about that.

[1:00:04] You know, we have areas of oak

[1:00:10] park that certainly have

[1:00:11] oversized trash cans, but I

[1:00:12] assume those are based on the

[1:00:13] number of brick and mortar

[1:00:16] establishments that are already

[1:00:17] there?

[1:00:18] So what does staff think about

[1:00:21] adding a plan for waste

[1:00:22] disposal, especially as we

[1:00:25] consistently try to fight

[1:00:29] against sort of the

[1:00:30] proliferation of rats?

[1:00:34] We do not want food, other

[1:00:35] types of food, of disposal to

[1:00:36] be outside of garbage cans.

[1:00:42] do you foresee any problems or

[1:00:43] maybe what do you think about

[1:00:44] incorporating that and of

[1:00:49] folding that into whatever our

[1:00:49] regulatory structure is?

[1:00:50] >> absolutely.

[1:00:51] I will start off by saying that

[1:00:53] we have not had any issues in

[1:00:54] terms of a waste disposal of

[1:00:58] any of the current active

[1:00:59] license that we have for mobile

[1:01:02] food vendors, however, we would

[1:01:03] definitely explore

[1:01:04] incorporating that into the

[1:01:05] regulations if that is

[1:01:06] something the board desires.

[1:01:07] >>trustee robinson: based on

[1:01:09] your research, what I was

[1:01:11] reading referred to special

[1:01:12] disposal methods or certain

[1:01:13] types of food waste.

[1:01:18] Like greece for example.

[1:01:20] What are your thoughts about

[1:01:21] incorporating that specifically

[1:01:29] so we sort of award off and

[1:01:30] prevent any disposal method

[1:01:31] that could create a bigger

[1:01:32] problem or a bigger mess for

[1:01:36] public works, for surrounding

[1:01:37] businesses, etc.?

[1:01:38] Absolutely.

[1:01:39] I definitely explore that with

[1:01:40] te health department and the

[1:01:41] health inspectors and making

[1:01:42] sure we are addressing proper

[1:01:43] and safe waste disposal.

[1:01:52] >>trustee robinson: okay, okay.

[1:01:53] So we deal with it in

[1:01:54] designated areas, but not

[1:01:55] business districts, are we

[1:01:56] saying they can be set up

[1:02:03] throughout our residential

[1:02:03] districts?

[1:02:05] >> more or less.

[1:02:06] Essentially, not all of lake

[1:02:07] street is a business district.

[1:02:08] So there would be certain areas

[1:02:15] and our intent would be if that

[1:02:17] is not potential regulation of

[1:02:18] the village board as to pursue,

[1:02:19] we would come back with a map

[1:02:20] that highlighted the areas that

[1:02:27] would be appropriate for mobile

[1:02:27] food truck vendors.

[1:02:29] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: that sounds

[1:02:29] good to me.

[1:02:30] I am certainly on board with

[1:02:31] the three regulations.

[1:02:32] The only other thing I will

[1:02:35] point out is that in the

[1:02:35] board's future our summit

[1:02:36] zoning discussion, including

[1:02:39] the possibility of creating

[1:02:42] residential housing in the

[1:02:44] commercial districts, maybe in

[1:02:44] an expanded capacity.

[1:02:47] So I would just want any-

[1:02:48] anything that staff comes back

[1:02:52] with to have that in the back

[1:02:57] of your mind as we sort of have

[1:02:58] these conversations

[1:02:59] sequentially to make sure we

[1:02:59] are not stepping over ourselves

[1:03:04] as we figure this stuff out.

[1:03:05] I thought the recommendations

[1:03:07] were great and I would like to

[1:03:15] include a plan for waste

[1:03:15] disposal.

[1:03:16] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: please,

[1:03:17] brian.

[1:03:18] I'm sorry.

[1:03:27] >>trustee straw: I think first,

[1:03:32] starting with the third

[1:03:33] recommendation.

[1:03:39] I'm not entirely sure I

[1:03:40] understand the idea behind a

[1:03:41] recommendation that mobile food

[1:03:43] vendors are not able to operate

[1:03:47] in any business district

[1:03:49] because that would-that would

[1:03:50] mean that we would only be

[1:03:53] allowing mobile food vendors to

[1:03:57] operate in our residential

[1:03:59] neighborhoods, which when I was

[1:04:06] looking through the comparable

[1:04:07] -the other communities, most

[1:04:10] of those had regulations

[1:04:16] limiting mobile food vendors,

[1:04:17] food trucks from parking in

[1:04:19] residential areas and selling

[1:04:26] in residential areas.

[1:04:27] I understand businesses wanting

[1:04:28] to limit the risks of

[1:04:33] competition, but why would such

[1:04:34] a broad-based approach of

[1:04:35] preventing all sales and

[1:04:36] business districts be the

[1:04:38] direction we want to go.

[1:04:40] >> our intent was to kind of

[1:04:41] encourage mobile food vendors

[1:04:44] to go to chools, parks and

[1:04:50] really go into untouched

[1:04:51] territories, where

[1:04:52] brick-and-mortar businesses are

[1:04:56] unable to capture those.

[1:05:01] >>trustee straw: okay.

[1:05:07] I guess I-that is something I

[1:05:09] would need to give a little

[1:05:09] more thought to.

[1:05:14] I guess I have some concern

[1:05:17] about setting up secondary

[1:05:18] business districts if we had a

[1:05:26] situation where now we have a

[1:05:27] food truck row on a residential

[1:05:28] street and we are diverting

[1:05:30] traffic to a food truck row.

[1:05:33] Typically there is a reason we

[1:05:35] concentrate business activity

[1:05:35] in business districts.

[1:05:40] I think it makes sense to have

[1:05:41] food truck vendors are going to

[1:05:46] want to go where there is foot

[1:05:51] traffic as well.

[1:05:52] I think that-I do not think

[1:05:53] that right now I would be in

[1:05:55] favor of the third

[1:05:55] recommendation.

[1:05:59] I don't necessarily want to be

[1:06:03] pushing food truck vendors to

[1:06:07] be in residential neighborhoods

[1:06:13] as opposed to in our business

[1:06:13] districts.

[1:06:19] I think it would be helpful

[1:06:23] when we get any specific

[1:06:24] ordinance back around number

[1:06:30] one to see what a map would

[1:06:40] look like with, you know, if we

[1:06:41] did a 250 foot bubble around

[1:06:42] any drink establishment, are we

[1:06:47] saying that food truck vendors

[1:06:50] cannot be in these swaths of

[1:06:55] the village because a 250 foot

[1:07:00] bubble-I imagine that blocks

[1:07:01] off most of downtown oak park,

[1:07:07] most of the hemingway business

[1:07:07] district.

[1:07:11] So I'm curious whether there's

[1:07:15] any way to have it be a

[1:07:17] limitation where you have

[1:07:17] direct competition.

[1:07:21] I know the situation that

[1:07:25] brought us here tonight on this

[1:07:28] discussion was a food truck

[1:07:34] selling tacos immediately

[1:07:35] adjacent to a brick-and-mortar

[1:07:36] store that sells tacos and I

[1:07:42] understand how that is unfair,

[1:07:43] but I think if there was a food

[1:07:45] truck that sold ice cream that

[1:07:49] parked right next to a store

[1:07:52] selling tacos, that might not

[1:07:53] be a problem.

[1:07:55] In fact, it might be a bonus to

[1:07:55] business.

[1:07:59] And drive more foot traffic.

[1:08:04] I think if there is a way for

[1:08:05] us to be creative so we can

[1:08:08] prevent some of the direct

[1:08:13] competition, but not prevent

[1:08:15] entrepreneurs who are just

[1:08:19] trying to start a business from

[1:08:23] chasing those dreams in our

[1:08:24] community, I think there is a

[1:08:27] balance to be found because I

[1:08:30] know there are a lot of those

[1:08:34] brick-and-mortar restaurants,

[1:08:35] where people were able to make

[1:08:37] those brick-and-mortar

[1:08:39] restaurant dreams come true

[1:08:42] because they started with a

[1:08:43] food truck with the lower

[1:08:44] overhead.

[1:08:48] I want to find-I want to make

[1:08:50] sure we are finding a balance

[1:08:54] with the lightest touch

[1:08:59] possible on regulation that

[1:09:01] protects the vital small

[1:09:04] business community that we have

[1:09:09] that has made these

[1:09:10] brick-and-mortar investments

[1:09:11] who is employing our next

[1:09:18] generation of entrepreneurs in

[1:09:18] our community.

[1:09:19] I think that is vital, but I do

[1:09:21] not want to drive investment in

[1:09:22] food trucks out of our

[1:09:23] community and I think if we

[1:09:26] take too heavy a hand that we

[1:09:39] might go too far.

[1:09:39] Thank you.

[1:09:41] >>trustee enyia: this is a

[1:09:42] random question, but our ice

[1:09:43] cream trucks considered food

[1:09:44] tricks, too?

[1:09:49] >> yes they are.

[1:09:49] Very conflicting.

[1:09:56] >> they are.

[1:09:57] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: if nobody

[1:10:01] is jumping forward, somewhat

[1:10:05] similar to brian's concern, I

[1:10:06] definitely agree that-to have

[1:10:09] a food truck in front of a

[1:10:10] brick-and-mortar with the

[1:10:11] expense and commitment that is

[1:10:14] also serving the same food, it

[1:10:20] should certainly not be okay

[1:10:21] and permitted grade what im

[1:10:22] curious about is the beer shop.

[1:10:26] It is in a business district

[1:10:30] and we have encouraged them to

[1:10:31] seek out relationships because

[1:10:32] they do not serve food and we

[1:10:37] do not otherwise have bars in

[1:10:41] our community that do not serve

[1:10:42] food.

[1:10:43] I remember when we give them

[1:10:44] their liquor license initially

[1:10:45] we encouraged them to build

[1:10:46] relationships with neighboring

[1:10:51] restaurants and food trucks.

[1:10:52] How does it work in that lot?

[1:11:02] How would tat lot be affected

[1:11:02] by this ordinance?

[1:11:05] We built that lot out recently

[1:11:12] to be kind of an event space or

[1:11:13] turn into an event space.

[1:11:16] I like the idea of the beer

[1:11:20] shop being able to invite food

[1:11:21] trucks, particularly in the

[1:11:22] summertime.

[1:11:24] is there something we can do to

[1:11:25] carve out that law or other

[1:11:28] areas in the community where

[1:11:30] the addition of a food trucks

[1:11:31] is actually contributing to

[1:11:40] vitality in a not as

[1:11:41] competitive way to local

[1:11:42] businesses?

[1:11:43] Could it be something about the

[1:11:44] type of food or could they get

[1:11:45] a certain number of times a

[1:11:46] month that they could?

[1:11:46] I don't know.

[1:11:50] Can we try to consider some

[1:11:57] options for us I don't know,

[1:11:58] what you think?

[1:11:58] >> absolutely.

[1:12:00] That is something we can

[1:12:00] explore in this next month

[1:12:02] while we prepare something to

[1:12:03] come back to the board.

[1:12:04] We explore the potential of

[1:12:12] either excluding certain lots

[1:12:13] that are (Word?) During periods

[1:12:14] of time like summertime,

[1:12:15] assuming the food truck vendor

[1:12:18] does not sell the same or

[1:12:19] similar type of menu as the

[1:12:21] neighboring restaurants in the

[1:12:21] area.

[1:12:25] And we can also export

[1:12:26] different event types, permits

[1:12:27] and what that would look like.

[1:12:31] We need to do more research.

[1:12:32] >> some of our food trucks are

[1:12:36] also brick-and-mortar

[1:12:37] restaurants.

[1:12:37] So they are making the same

[1:12:39] level of commitment in another

[1:12:43] way, the same way, but the

[1:12:47] mobile truck is an extension of

[1:12:49] the brick-and-mortar business.

[1:12:52] That is the thought-the only

[1:13:00] thought that I have concern

[1:13:00] with here.

[1:13:02] >>trustee wesley: I agree with

[1:13:04] you on that.

[1:13:05] I think on the lot tenant

[1:13:06] thing, couldn't we sell food

[1:13:11] truck spots in that lot and

[1:13:12] that extra cost would make it a

[1:13:13] bit more commiserate with the

[1:13:14] investment of the surrounding

[1:13:15] businesses and therefore seems

[1:13:16] like it might put at least in

[1:13:21] that one space, things on a bit

[1:13:22] more even competition?

[1:13:23] But in general, I agree with

[1:13:27] some sort of space around

[1:13:28] brick-and-mortar restaurants

[1:13:32] that should be food truck free.

[1:13:35] Chicago went through this a few

[1:13:36] years ago.

[1:13:37] Might be 10 years or 11 or

[1:13:38] something like that.

[1:13:40] It was a whole big thing and I

[1:13:42] knew a few restaurant owners at

[1:13:44] the time that were being

[1:13:49] impacted by this in the river

[1:13:51] north area and it would like-

[1:13:51] I don't remember the figures.

[1:13:56] I remember that the difference

[1:13:57] between their lunch take on a

[1:13:59] day when the food truck was

[1:14:01] there versus in a food truck

[1:14:01] wasn't was significant.

[1:14:06] So I do think that this is a

[1:14:07] worthwhile ordinance to

[1:14:10] consider, at least with some

[1:14:14] level of fee, away from the

[1:14:15] brick-and-mortar businesses.

[1:14:20] Two trustee straw's point about

[1:14:21] concentrating business activity

[1:14:22] and business districts I'm

[1:14:23] never going to MISS The chance

[1:14:24] to talk about zoning and I will

[1:14:27] point out that before exclusive

[1:14:31] single-family home zoning,

[1:14:32] residents intermingled and

[1:14:34] economic activity was part of

[1:14:35] life and not a part that was

[1:14:42] separate.

[1:14:43] Exclusion-exclusionary

[1:14:44] zoning, we have places where we

[1:14:45] put businesses in places where

[1:14:47] we put people MAY think what we

[1:14:49] have noticed is when we put

[1:14:50] people where the businesses

[1:14:51] are, like in dtop we get a lot

[1:14:51] of vibrancy.

[1:14:54] a psalm in support of

[1:14:55] intermingling people in

[1:14:56] businesses and any chance we

[1:14:57] can get, including with food

[1:15:01] trucks.

[1:15:05] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: trustee

[1:15:06] enyia?

[1:15:07] >>trustee enyia: I agree with

[1:15:14] what PRESIDENT Scaman was

[1:15:15] saying, they have chips, the

[1:15:16] beer shop has a chips.

[1:15:17] Part of the stipulation.

[1:15:24] I do agree that knowing,

[1:15:25] working downtown for a long

[1:15:26] time, understanding that there

[1:15:27] are some opportunities that are

[1:15:30] missed from brick-and-mortar

[1:15:31] because-mainly it is

[1:15:32] distance, but there is also the

[1:15:43] level of convenience that

[1:15:44] sometimes the food truck gives

[1:15:45] you for special events.

[1:15:46] I think that makes perfect

[1:15:47] sense and in the summertime it

[1:15:48] is one of those opportunities

[1:15:49] for a place like the beer shop

[1:15:51] and other places that do not

[1:15:52] serve technically full-service

[1:15:54] food and they did try other

[1:15:55] options, but I know their most

[1:15:56] profitable option was the food

[1:15:57] truck.

[1:15:59] They did try having a delivery

[1:16:00] service with japanese

[1:16:06] restaurant that is very nearby

[1:16:07] and they tried to do a delivery

[1:16:08] to the beer shop, but it did

[1:16:14] not hit off as far as as well

[1:16:15] as having a food truck there.

[1:16:16] I think there should be

[1:16:16] consideration to that, but I

[1:16:18] completely understand parking

[1:16:20] in front of a location-it is

[1:16:21] not fair to the business owner

[1:16:23] of the brick-and-mortar

[1:16:24] location, but I think there

[1:16:28] should be some type of

[1:16:28] designated spot if that is

[1:16:36] something that the board has an

[1:16:37] appetite for going further down

[1:16:38] research, but also I think as

[1:16:39] you said before, it does lend

[1:16:53] some new opportunity to talk

[1:16:54] about where in the village

[1:16:55] would it make sense for a food

[1:16:56] truck to operate that is nt as

[1:16:57] close everything?

[1:16:58] I know there are parts of oak

[1:16:59] park that are pretty much

[1:17:00] untapped and we talked about

[1:17:01] north oak park where I grew up,

[1:17:02] there are not many options.

[1:17:03] Is there something that can be

[1:17:04] set up so they can re-envision

[1:17:07] what that could be in other

[1:17:08] areas of oak park that would

[1:17:11] never otherwise see an

[1:17:14] opportunity to seize food.

[1:17:15] Bring up the ice cream truck

[1:17:19] thing because I know in so many

[1:17:20] situations, as a kid, after

[1:17:21] table games and all of those

[1:17:25] things, you think about, what

[1:17:26] is the first thing that is

[1:17:27] going to show up here?

[1:17:28] I would hate to think that

[1:17:31] because of certain distance

[1:17:32] rule, that you would ice out

[1:17:33] the ice cream truck.

[1:17:36] Those are just things, but I

[1:17:41] definitely agree with the owner

[1:17:43] of-I believe it is taco 76

[1:17:46] that had to deal with that.

[1:17:47] That is undercutting her

[1:17:51] business and that is not what

[1:17:52] we would want to see happening

[1:17:56] for businesses like that.

[1:17:57] I promise you.

[1:18:00] >>trustee straw: responding to

[1:18:01] trustee wesley, I want to be

[1:18:04] clear, did not propose

[1:18:05] preventing food trucks from

[1:18:11] operating in residential areas.

[1:18:12] Although, I will note that

[1:18:13] right now it is pretty much

[1:18:16] just the ice cream trucks that

[1:18:18] show up in those residential

[1:18:23] areas because there is not as

[1:18:28] much foot traffic with the

[1:18:29] exception of when there is a

[1:18:31] block party or something like

[1:18:34] that, where they are specially

[1:18:37] invited.

[1:18:39] I certainly have no issue with

[1:18:42] food trucks operating in

[1:18:42] residential areas.

[1:18:49] I think that we just need to be

[1:18:54] thoughtful as we move forward

[1:18:59] with regulation and that is

[1:19:00] why, you know, sort of seeing

[1:19:02] mapped out, what would 250 feet

[1:19:06] mean the versus 150 feet?

[1:19:08] What is the right distance that

[1:19:13] would provide opportunities or

[1:19:16] -I don't know if this is a

[1:19:17] question that staff is ready to

[1:19:18] answer today or if a village

[1:19:19] attorney.

[1:19:21] Is there a way to regulate by

[1:19:25] the type of cuisine so we

[1:19:32] prevent that kind of

[1:19:33] competition, where you have a

[1:19:34] food truck selling the same

[1:19:34] food right in front of a

[1:19:35] brick-and-mortar?

[1:19:38] I think that is really the type

[1:19:41] of competition that it sounds

[1:19:46] like is problematic here.

[1:19:48] Rather than if I'm in the mood

[1:19:54] for chicken and waffles and

[1:19:56] that is why I'm going there, a

[1:19:57] taco truck being parked out

[1:19:58] front of them is not

[1:20:00] necessarily going to change my

[1:20:00] mind.

[1:20:03] I was going for chicken and

[1:20:03] waffles.

[1:20:06] I do not want to prevent

[1:20:09] business activity where we are

[1:20:12] not actually seeing a problem.

[1:20:16] I want to just make sure that

[1:20:17] we are identifying and

[1:20:21] targeting what they problematic

[1:20:22] behavior is.

[1:20:23] That is the only thing that I

[1:20:26] was trying to highlight and

[1:20:29] sort of the being thoughtful of

[1:20:30] having as narrow of a scope as

[1:20:30] possible.

[1:20:40] >>trustee robinson: I think

[1:20:41] trustee straw, your point is

[1:20:41] well taken.

[1:20:42] I don't want to regulate it by

[1:20:43] food type.

[1:20:46] I think we get too much in the

[1:20:46] weeds.

[1:20:47] Does that have to be the type

[1:20:48] of food that that truck

[1:20:49] exclusively cells, mostly

[1:20:49] cells?

[1:20:50] Can they sell ice cream and

[1:20:54] tacos and park outside of taco

[1:20:54] 76?

[1:20:56] Idon't want people to be slick

[1:20:58] with it and then we are like

[1:21:03] cutting hairs on what type of

[1:21:03] food is sold.

[1:21:04] That's a type of regulation

[1:21:08] that gets more granular than I

[1:21:17] would thank staff would want to

[1:21:17] be.

[1:21:18] I think you are right, that is

[1:21:20] the competition point, that is

[1:21:21] exactly the competition point.

[1:21:25] That is just my thought on

[1:21:26] edge.

[1:21:26] It seems to invite a level of

[1:21:29] specificity and granularity,

[1:21:30] and regulation that I'm not

[1:21:33] quite sure we want to really

[1:21:34] get into.

[1:21:42] I will point out that-did you

[1:21:43] mention hot chocolate coffee?

[1:21:51] Has been a long time since my

[1:21:52] kids played baseball, but there

[1:21:53] used to be a hot chocolate

[1:21:55] coffee food truck at baseball

[1:22:00] games who was a lifesaver on

[1:22:00] cold game days.

[1:22:01] I think it might be a little

[1:22:02] more variety than we might be

[1:22:11] naturally thinking of in our

[1:22:12] residential areas.

[1:22:13] You would park near a baseball

[1:22:14] park, which those parts are in

[1:22:15] residential areas.

[1:22:15] There might be more variety

[1:22:16] than we might be assuming.

[1:22:17] So anyway, those are the two

[1:22:22] things I wanted to add.

[1:22:23] >> I think she has a bike now.

[1:22:25] I think is a bike and said of a

[1:22:35] truck.

[1:22:36] -instead of a truck.

[1:22:37] >>trustee parakkat: I agree

[1:22:38] with trustee robinson that I

[1:22:39] think the specificity can

[1:22:40] become an enforcement challenge

[1:22:41] quickly and that is

[1:22:42] counterproductive to what we

[1:22:43] are trying to do in the second

[1:22:44] thing is also in terms of our

[1:22:45] ability to attract future

[1:22:48] businesses into a business

[1:22:48] district as certain

[1:22:51] ramifications in terms of our

[1:22:52] attitude towards food trucks in

[1:22:55] general, while it might be

[1:22:56] complementary to begin with,

[1:22:59] but let's say we d not have a

[1:23:00] korean barbecue in our

[1:23:06] community or we do not have a

[1:23:07] specific kind of business,

[1:23:08] their ability to come into it

[1:23:09] and someone looking at oak park

[1:23:11] as an investment opportunity

[1:23:13] might be the fact that there

[1:23:14] are food trucks that might

[1:23:15] violate that or that becomes an

[1:23:19] impediment.

[1:23:20] It can be, I'm not saying it

[1:23:21] will, but it could be.

[1:23:22] Something to examine is our

[1:23:23] ability to attract future

[1:23:24] businesses and be a better

[1:23:25] business environment for the

[1:23:32] community in the long run.

[1:23:34] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: anything

[1:23:34] further?

[1:23:35] >>trustee wesley: I want to

[1:23:37] note, trustee enyia, you were

[1:23:38] mentioning about-the beer

[1:23:44] shop and food trucks.

[1:23:45] I thought about ken's locker

[1:23:46] and how there is always a food

[1:23:47] truck outside of ken's locker

[1:23:50] because there's no rstaurants

[1:23:50] around there.

[1:23:54] I don't want to prevent the

[1:23:56] food truck from sitting outside

[1:23:58] of ken's locker, where they

[1:24:02] have service there.

[1:24:03] Yeah, yeah exactly.

[1:24:09] It is the depot.

[1:24:14] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: what the

[1:24:15] ordinance have that?

[1:24:19] Want to make sure we are not

[1:24:20] shutting out hot cocoa trucks

[1:24:21] and coffee drugs and I want to

[1:24:23] think about this from the

[1:24:32] perspective of incentivizing

[1:24:33] folks into areas.

[1:24:34] To the point of-I know you

[1:24:35] were not saying combine the

[1:24:36] two, trustee straw, I saw

[1:24:37] opportunity to talk about

[1:24:38] zoning, so I took it.

[1:24:39] I think getting food trucks

[1:24:40] into places like around our

[1:24:43] parks where people are

[1:24:44] congregating and figuring out

[1:24:48] how we can encourage that or in

[1:24:49] northeast oak park they are

[1:24:50] always in, we do not have a

[1:24:50] coffee shop.

[1:24:51] We cannot put a food truck that

[1:24:53] allows you to have coffee, but

[1:24:54] you can have a food truck with

[1:24:58] coffee in the area MAY be

[1:24:59] consistently and at a certain

[1:25:01] spot and maybe that is

[1:25:02] something that can bootstrap a

[1:25:04] little bit of economic activity

[1:25:05] in the area.

[1:25:11] I'm open to not just how we

[1:25:13] need to limit this around our

[1:25:14] brick-and-mortar businesses,

[1:25:15] but how we can encourage it in

[1:25:15] other places where that level

[1:25:17] that needs to protect against

[1:25:20] competition is not there.

[1:25:21] >> I was going to say one thing

[1:25:22] great outside of special

[1:25:24] events, we could look at MAY be

[1:25:26] limiting the duration that they

[1:25:29] are in one spot so they are not

[1:25:36] there all day, lunch and dinner

[1:25:37] or whatever or potentially look

[1:25:38] at hours of operation when they

[1:25:39] cannot be there or something,

[1:25:40] but we can sort of mix that

[1:25:47] into the evaluation of this.

[1:25:49] >> I think all the comments

[1:25:51] tonight have been good.

[1:25:54] The consensus truly being that

[1:26:00] we do value the investment of

[1:26:01] brick-and-mortar businesses.

[1:26:02] We want to be honoring that.

[1:26:07] We also do not want to

[1:26:08] completely cycle vibrancy and

[1:26:09] parts of our community where it

[1:26:10] is not necessarily in conflict.

[1:26:15] How do we do that?

[1:26:15] Good luck.

[1:26:23] >> thank you.

[1:26:24] >>trustee wesley: better you

[1:26:35] than us.

[1:26:37] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: this is the

[1:26:38] village manager form of

[1:26:38] government.

[1:26:39] We say what we hope to

[1:26:40] accomplish and they help us

[1:26:40] find it.

[1:26:46] Figure out how to get there,

[1:26:46] right?

[1:26:52] Then it is called to board and

[1:26:52] clerk.

[1:26:52] Clerk waters?

[1:26:54] >>clerk: we have another

[1:26:55] non-agenda public comment.

[1:26:58] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: great.

[1:27:04] >clerk: aiden?

[1:27:12] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: well,.

[1:27:12] -welcome.

[1:27:14] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: they are

[1:27:15] not comfortable cues, but thank

[1:27:16] you for being here.

[1:27:20] >>public commenter: sorry,

[1:27:21] hello, my name is aiden

[1:27:22] sullivan and I was born in my

[1:27:27] suburban 25 years ago and I

[1:27:28] have known oak park ever since.

[1:27:28] There we go.

[1:27:29] My question today is for

[1:27:31] village PRESIDENT Scaman.

[1:27:37] Village hall since inception

[1:27:38] has been (Word?) Of finland

[1:27:39] greatest similarities both the

[1:27:44] static, both the static and

[1:27:44] programmatic.

[1:27:46] most productively, village

[1:27:47] halls of mass timber, disparate

[1:27:48] and gathered together.

[1:27:55] As we do today, and more

[1:27:56] generally as villagers.

[1:27:57] I understand your opponents

[1:27:58] position in regards to this

[1:27:59] issue, however yours, with all

[1:28:00] due respect gives me pause.

[1:28:01] Would you alleviate my concerns

[1:28:02] today by articulate and want

[1:28:07] to, thankfully, flopped your

[1:28:08] original stands as to the fate

[1:28:09] of this building and what

[1:28:10] impetus you have personally

[1:28:11] found towards its preservation

[1:28:14] that will prevent your stance

[1:28:15] from flipping again once the

[1:28:16] scrutiny of an upcoming

[1:28:17] election is no longer a fctor

[1:28:18] in the decision.

[1:28:19] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: I'm happy

[1:28:19] to answer it.

[1:28:20] I'm not sure this is a forum so

[1:28:21] I would offer anyone the

[1:28:31] opportunity to counter also

[1:28:32] respond.

[1:28:32] In all fairness.

[1:28:33] The process of the facilities

[1:28:34] committee did have me

[1:28:38] appreciating the beauty of this

[1:28:39] building and I feel as a

[1:28:40] community if we can demonstrate

[1:28:50] how to renovate it so it can be

[1:28:51] -respond to our communities

[1:28:52] needs for the next 50 years

[1:28:53] that we are setting an example

[1:28:55] of how to do it.

[1:28:57] Recognizing that it is

[1:28:58] challenging and expensive.

[1:28:59] >>public commenter: I

[1:29:02] appreciate the drive for

[1:29:03] sustainable architecture and

[1:29:06] that sort of thing.

[1:29:16] I don't know, the cause of this

[1:29:17] comes from just an

[1:29:18] understanding of historic

[1:29:19] preservation and that notion

[1:29:20] that the greenest building is

[1:29:21] the one that is already here

[1:29:22] and if this one is such a nice

[1:29:23] one to begin with, we should do

[1:29:24] everything we can to make sure

[1:29:25] it is still around.

[1:29:27] I don't know, you see -- that

[1:29:29] got tore down across from tasty

[1:29:30] dog and all of that.

[1:29:31] It would be a shame to see the

[1:29:33] same fate of all of this.

[1:29:34] I keep driving by for many

[1:29:35] years to come.

[1:29:37] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: at thank

[1:29:37] you.

[1:29:38] In all fairness, if anybody has

[1:29:39] any comment they would like to

[1:29:39] make?

[1:29:41] In response to the question I

[1:29:42] have received?

[1:29:48] Then I would welcome.

[1:29:48] Okay.

[1:29:49] Very good.

[1:29:50] Thank you for engaging with

[1:29:55] your local government.

[1:29:55] Mhm.

[1:29:57] Then back to clerk waters.

[1:30:05] >>clerk: just wanted to remind

[1:30:08] our community that we are in

[1:30:13] our second day of early voting

[1:30:14] and the so it is really

[1:30:20] important that you stop by

[1:30:21] village hall within the next

[1:30:22] week and 1/2, at this point

[1:30:23] now.

[1:30:24] We will be open from 9:00

[1:30:28] A.M.-at 5:00 P.M.

[1:30:29] Monday-saturday.

[1:30:31] On sundays from 10:00 A.M.-4

[1:30:31] pm.

[1:30:39] We are not a polling place on

[1:30:40] election day, however, you will

[1:30:41] have 18 polling locations to

[1:30:43] choose from that are inclusive

[1:30:44] of 32 different precincts.

[1:30:46] We are very lucky in that

[1:30:46] sense.

[1:30:53] Just for member to vote, local

[1:30:54] elections are important and you

[1:30:55] want to vote for your village

[1:31:01] PRESIDENT, your trustees, your

[1:31:03] clerk, who shape and create

[1:31:04] policy, your school boards for

[1:31:04] district 97, which cover

[1:31:05] kindergarten through eighth

[1:31:07] grade, district 200, which

[1:31:09] covers high school grades 9-12

[1:31:10] and even district 504, which

[1:31:12] covers triton community

[1:31:13] college.

[1:31:14] There is also the township, the

[1:31:15] park district as well a the

[1:31:15] library.

[1:31:16] That is on the ballot.

[1:31:19] I also want to make mention in

[1:31:20] celebration of a volunteer we,

[1:31:21] the village of oak park will

[1:31:26] host its second annual

[1:31:27] neighborhood cleanup on a

[1:31:29] saturday, APRIL 12 from 9:00

[1:31:32] A.M.-noon and I also wanted to

[1:31:33] make mention and think the

[1:31:35] village of oak park for

[1:31:38] allowing the clerk's office to

[1:31:39] bring forward the proclamation

[1:31:43] for black maternal health week.

[1:31:50] As a mother of four, this is a

[1:31:51] very important proclamation.

[1:31:52] It is the first.

[1:31:53] So again, I want to thank

[1:32:00] everyone and I just want to

[1:32:01] provide this quick synopsis

[1:32:02] that black maternal health week

[1:32:03] is a crucial initiative focused

[1:32:13] on raising awareness and

[1:32:14] maternal health disparities

[1:32:15] faced by black women.

[1:32:16] Advocating for equitable

[1:32:17] healthcare access and

[1:32:18] addressing the root causes of

[1:32:18] these inequities.

[1:32:20] Including systemic racism,

[1:32:21] socioeconomic factors and

[1:32:22] inadequate healthcare

[1:32:22] infrastructure.

[1:32:23] Thank you.

[1:32:25] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: at thank

[1:32:25] you.

[1:32:26] >>trustee enyia: thank you for

[1:32:27] all of these amazing

[1:32:29] proclamations.

[1:32:33] Thank you so much for joining

[1:32:33] us today.

[1:32:35] I think that is amazing, mental

[1:32:36] health is huge and to have an

[1:32:37] advocate like you will

[1:32:37] definitely help drive this in

[1:32:40] our village and there is a lot

[1:32:41] of good partners that I know

[1:32:46] are willing to help in that

[1:32:51] push for you.

[1:32:52] Really want to be think of for

[1:32:53] this population for doctor

[1:32:54] percy julian and his wife.

[1:32:55] Their contributions to this

[1:33:01] village are so, so much.

[1:33:02] I can never repay someone who

[1:33:06] has done so much for all of us

[1:33:07] and we do not even know it.

[1:33:11] Some people have no idea of the

[1:33:12] great works that he and his

[1:33:13] wife have gone through and

[1:33:14] their son who was a civil

[1:33:14] rights attorney.

[1:33:19] They are a model of what you

[1:33:25] hope for in the human spirit

[1:33:26] and condition and what they

[1:33:27] push for and strive for and the

[1:33:28] perseverance they had through

[1:33:30] all the challenges that they

[1:33:31] met here in oak park and still

[1:33:32] pushed through and wanted to

[1:33:37] make this place their home.

[1:33:38] I tried to reach out to faith

[1:33:39] and was unsuccessful, but I

[1:33:40] know she will want to see this

[1:33:41] and probably ask for the

[1:33:47] recording of this meeting.

[1:33:48] Lastly, not lastly, but I will

[1:33:49] bring up-since you brought up

[1:33:50] a volunteering.

[1:33:51] If you have a chance you can go

[1:34:03] to the (Word?) Website and they

[1:34:04] have -- they have multiple

[1:34:05] days through the month of APRIL

[1:34:06] that you can donate two hours

[1:34:07] of your time.

[1:34:08] It makes a huge difference in

[1:34:09] people's lives.

[1:34:10] Lost a friend last weekend it

[1:34:11] has been a really, really

[1:34:12] difficult week for my group of

[1:34:13] friends here in oak park.

[1:34:14] His name was colin thorpe and

[1:34:16] his family has lived here for a

[1:34:18] long, long time and still do.

[1:34:21] He was very special to this

[1:34:22] community.

[1:34:26] He was always a happy face to

[1:34:27] see on difficult days and he

[1:34:28] always had a bright smile and

[1:34:33] always, always made you feel

[1:34:33] better.

[1:34:35] We are all hurting that he is

[1:34:36] not here anymore.

[1:34:39] I just want to make sure his

[1:34:40] family knows that we are all

[1:34:48] here for them, no matter what

[1:34:49] they need.

[1:34:50] They are such a light for our

[1:34:51] community and it is so sad to

[1:34:52] see that he is not here

[1:34:52] anymore.

[1:34:53] I wanted to make sure that they

[1:34:54] know we are here for them.

[1:34:56] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: thank you.

[1:35:02] >>trustee straw: first I want

[1:35:03] to, you know, thank the whole

[1:35:05] board for all of these lovely

[1:35:09] proclamations that we did here

[1:35:12] tonight and I want to speak

[1:35:16] particularly to the

[1:35:17] proclamation around trans day

[1:35:18] of a visibility and just the

[1:35:23] incredible group of people who

[1:35:26] came out tonight and supported

[1:35:26] it.

[1:35:28] I have had it so many

[1:35:30] conversations over the course

[1:35:36] of the last year or two in

[1:35:40] particular with families of

[1:35:41] trans youth that have moved to

[1:35:47] oak park recently as a result

[1:35:53] of just really terrible

[1:35:54] situations in the states they

[1:35:55] were moving from and that oak

[1:35:58] park is seen as a community

[1:36:02] where they can feel safe and

[1:36:04] included, and that is an

[1:36:07] example of how the values that

[1:36:11] we are talking about at this

[1:36:14] table and our efforts around

[1:36:18] truly being an inclusive

[1:36:23] cmmunity, how meaningful they

[1:36:25] can be.

[1:36:29] That children who were

[1:36:30] suffering are able to come into

[1:36:33] our community and begin to

[1:36:34] thrive because they are ending

[1:36:38] up in a place where they feel

[1:36:42] loved and supported, and

[1:36:43] included.

[1:36:44] It is incredibly important and

[1:36:46] I is a success story for oak

[1:36:51] park and this proclamation

[1:36:56] tonight is an important part of

[1:36:57] that, making sure that

[1:36:58] community feels seen and

[1:37:01] valued, and included.

[1:37:03] You know, I want to thank the

[1:37:07] community and that the board

[1:37:09] for making that proclamation

[1:37:13] happen.

[1:37:14] And I did-I do want to

[1:37:18] respond to-a little bit to

[1:37:19] the public comment that we had

[1:37:21] here at the end.

[1:37:22] It just briefly because I feel

[1:37:25] like there has been a good

[1:37:30] amount of confusion recently

[1:37:34] around the village hall process

[1:37:40] because there is a great deal

[1:37:41] of-a great deal of space

[1:37:43] where everyone on this board

[1:37:44] agrees.

[1:37:46] We have to move forward with a

[1:37:50] new police station and that is

[1:37:53] the highest priority and it is

[1:37:57] also in every budget estimate

[1:37:59] we have seen, it is the largest

[1:38:03] portion of any facilities plan

[1:38:06] goes towards the police

[1:38:06] station.

[1:38:08] We have to take care of

[1:38:12] deferred maintenance and upkeep

[1:38:16] in the village hall.

[1:38:17] That is something that from

[1:38:18] what I've heard, there is a

[1:38:20] broad concern here on the board

[1:38:23] and from the numbers we have

[1:38:27] seen, that is in the range of

[1:38:27] $20 million.

[1:38:32] that is a place where everybody

[1:38:33] here is in agreement, I believe

[1:38:38] folks will correct me if I'm

[1:38:39] wrong, I'm sure.

[1:38:39] The disputes then just come

[1:38:41] down to end the discussion that

[1:38:44] will be ongoing comes down to

[1:38:51] how much a well renovations go

[1:38:52] beyond just deferred

[1:38:53] maintenance and upkeep and what

[1:38:55] will the timeframe be?

[1:38:59] So like, we have heard a lot of

[1:39:10] confusion and back and forth

[1:39:10] and big numbers.

[1:39:11] It is the police station, there

[1:39:17] is consensus that is going to

[1:39:17] happen.

[1:39:18] Have to figure out how much

[1:39:19] that is going to cost.

[1:39:20] It is always the largest part

[1:39:22] of every estimate we see.

[1:39:23] We have to take care of

[1:39:24] deferred maintenance and upkeep

[1:39:25] and it is just a question of,

[1:39:29] are we doing bare minimum on

[1:39:34] renovation or how big would

[1:39:35] renovation be?

[1:39:35] That is the conversation and

[1:39:36] that is the conversation we

[1:39:40] will keep having at the board

[1:39:41] table, and it is going to be a

[1:39:44] while before we are doing a yes

[1:39:46] or no vote on a particular plan

[1:39:50] with a particular budget.

[1:39:55] So we have a wild to go on that

[1:39:55] discussion.

[1:39:56] It is not going to be this

[1:40:00] exact board who is making the

[1:40:05] final decision.

[1:40:06] >>trustee wesley: I just want

[1:40:12] to say how amazing it is to be

[1:40:17] part of something that supports

[1:40:25] a year so full of awful bigotry

[1:40:26] and to see us fill these

[1:40:27] chambers up and supporting the

[1:40:28] folks that are here, supporting

[1:40:30] the friends and family of the

[1:40:34] folks that are here really does

[1:40:39] -it is a welcome beacon of

[1:40:50] hope and support in this year.

[1:40:50] that's all.

[1:40:52] >trustee parakkat: two things.

[1:40:58] One is a response to village

[1:40:59] hall situation, the fact that

[1:41:01] we were not able to discuss

[1:41:04] this, I think it deserves

[1:41:04] comment.

[1:41:11] I think the issue is that JULY

[1:41:16] 2023, we as a board made a

[1:41:17] decision that that is the only

[1:41:18] time we made a cost estimate

[1:41:23] based decision where the cost

[1:41:24] of demolition rebuild, which is

[1:41:30] option four I got selected up

[1:41:31] to $138 million.

[1:41:36] The cost of a police station is

[1:41:37] $65 million at that point in

[1:41:37] time.

[1:41:40] That is option one.

[1:41:43] The fact that we decided to go

[1:41:45] with option four is the time we

[1:41:46] indicated to everyone that we

[1:41:49] are willing to spend that kind

[1:41:51] of money on this village hall.

[1:41:56] Hundred and $14 million.

[1:41:58] They put a target on our back.

[1:41:59] Architect started seeing dollar

[1:42:04] signs on oak park and we have

[1:42:05] been having discussions over

[1:42:06] the last two years.

[1:42:11] So much so that our much-needed

[1:42:12] established need for a police

[1:42:13] facility has now been delayed

[1:42:17] by two years and we have been

[1:42:21] bogged down by the and not made

[1:42:21] any decisions yet.

[1:42:22] I think the cost, even if it is

[1:42:26] just the police facility, we

[1:42:27] should have actually had a

[1:42:28] limit or constraint placed on

[1:42:30] top of that to make sure that

[1:42:33] we are setting the stage for

[1:42:34] setting the right constraints

[1:42:37] for what is affordable to this

[1:42:37] community.

[1:42:41] I think at this point, in the

[1:42:43] last two years we have had

[1:42:48] facilities commission and other

[1:42:49] discussions interpreted through

[1:42:50] the process is pointless

[1:42:51] because we have already made

[1:42:59] the poor decision to set the

[1:43:00] stage for $114 million

[1:43:01] expenditure and that is not

[1:43:02] fair on the community.

[1:43:03] That is definitely against our

[1:43:04] values of affordability and

[1:43:04] inclusivity.

[1:43:06] That is the point in making and

[1:43:12] let's see what comes in APRIL

[1:43:13] and figure out where we go from

[1:43:16] here, but the last two years we

[1:43:20] spent $2 million on many

[1:43:21] architects and haven't gotten

[1:43:21] anywhere.

[1:43:22] The second thing, this is the

[1:43:25] last board meeting before we

[1:43:26] have the election and this is

[1:43:28] the last board meeting that I

[1:43:32] will be a trustee.

[1:43:33] I'm very glad that I was able

[1:43:36] to discuss a topic or bring to

[1:43:42] the board a topic and discuss

[1:43:42] it around food, small

[1:43:43] businesses, which is near and

[1:43:44] dear to my heart.

[1:43:46] I appreciate the opportunity

[1:43:51] and see everybody in the next

[1:43:51] session.

[1:43:54] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: thank you.

[1:43:56] It is unfortunate that we are

[1:43:58] not able to talk about the

[1:44:02] village board hall this

[1:44:03] evening.

[1:44:03] There was an appropriate time

[1:44:07] during the board agenda to have

[1:44:08] a discussion of-which wasn't

[1:44:09] just a statement and you could

[1:44:12] dialogue with your colleagues,

[1:44:18] which were all your colleagues,

[1:44:19] trustee parakkat.

[1:44:22] Colleagues have said for a year

[1:44:23] and 1/2 that they are not

[1:44:26] comfortable with $138 million.

[1:44:27] So I'm not sure that you do not

[1:44:28] trust your colleagues when they

[1:44:34] say that or what the case is,

[1:44:35] but when we voted on that, you

[1:44:36] are right, that is the estimate

[1:44:38] that was brought forward, but

[1:44:40] at the same time, the board

[1:44:41] said, when is our opportunity

[1:44:49] to challenge that amount

[1:44:50] because all we were voting on

[1:44:51] was building up a new police

[1:44:52] station, which as brian has

[1:44:53] said many times is the lion

[1:44:59] share of any cost and that we

[1:45:00] will have renovation that will

[1:45:05] be necessary and we will have

[1:45:06] maintenances in the building

[1:45:07] that will be necessary and then

[1:45:09] we have values of which we all

[1:45:10] weighed in on values in a

[1:45:14] session and our entire process

[1:45:15] has been to bring us as much

[1:45:20] information as possible so we,

[1:45:22] as responsible elected

[1:45:23] individuals can make our

[1:45:30] decision based on as much

[1:45:31] information as possible.

[1:45:32] This board has been very

[1:45:33] careful on all of or decisions

[1:45:36] to center affordability and to

[1:45:37] -we challenge regularly making

[1:45:41] sure that we have a high level

[1:45:46] of information in making our

[1:45:46] decisions.

[1:45:47] So it has been a joint process

[1:45:49] of which we have all been able

[1:45:52] to weigh in on.

[1:45:58] So we decided, as a board, the

[1:45:59] consensus of the board was new

[1:46:02] police station is the priority.

[1:46:07] We addressed maintenance and

[1:46:08] rehab and as brian said, how

[1:46:16] much we have or the ability to

[1:46:17] phase in has been said many

[1:46:17] times.

[1:46:18] We all said, when will we be

[1:46:19] able to challenge what the cost

[1:46:20] was when we made that vote?

[1:46:22] It was just deciding the

[1:46:23] direction and working with an

[1:46:26] architect, with our staff to

[1:46:27] challenge and then find where

[1:46:31] our comfort zone was.

[1:46:32] I will say, since we have our

[1:46:34] wednesday journal in the room,

[1:46:43] I did not say under $100,000.

[1:46:44] that would also be me

[1:46:45] perpetrating a false narrative

[1:46:46] and I am not about that.

[1:46:47] There is no way it will be

[1:46:49] under $100,000.

[1:46:49] $100 million.

[1:46:51] I don't know why it is such a

[1:46:57] challenge to be quoted

[1:47:00] properly, but the police

[1:47:04] station itself will most

[1:47:05] definitely need to be under

[1:47:07] that in order for us to have

[1:47:11] any reasonable budget.

[1:47:25] Maybe-I literally just read.

[1:47:25] Otherwise, yes.

[1:47:26] Your colleagues have been

[1:47:27] together in the saying they are

[1:47:28] not comfortable with $130

[1:47:29] million yet.

[1:47:31] That number keeps going out

[1:47:32] there, disrespecting her

[1:47:34] colleagues and the staff.

[1:47:35] I would rather concentrate on

[1:47:41] the beautiful night we had with

[1:47:42] all of the-those in the

[1:47:44] transgender community who came

[1:47:49] out and their allies in such a

[1:47:52] beautiful way and I think,

[1:47:53] again, my colleagues and staff

[1:47:59] in our village clerk for

[1:48:00] supporting this proclamation

[1:48:03] and the idea of really, truly

[1:48:09] embracing and being a safe

[1:48:10] place for all.

[1:48:11] Have a good evening.

[1:48:15] I entertain a motion to

[1:48:15] adjourn.

[1:48:16] >> so moved.

[1:48:16] >> second.

[1:48:18] >>PRESIDENT Scaman: all in

[1:48:18] favor,

President and Board of Trustees on 2025-03-18 7:00 PM

Agenda

Transcript