Village of Northbrook Board of Trustees met April 2

By Angelica Saylo Pilo

May 15, 2020

Village of Northbrook Board of Trustees met April 2.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

1. ROLL CALL

Attendee Name

Title

Status

Arrived

Sandra Frum

Village President

Present

Kathryn Ciesla

Trustee

Present

Bob Israel

Trustee

Present

Muriel Collison

Trustee

Present

Heather Ross

Trustee

Present

Johannah Hebl

Trustee

Present

Dan Pepoon

Trustee

Present

2. PUBLIC COMMENT TIME

3. PRESIDENT'S REPORT

A. A Consideration of the Extension of the Declaration of Disaster Executed by the Village President Village Attorney Steve Elrod noted on March 10, 2020; Village of Northbrook adopted an amendment to the Village Code that enabled the Village President to enter an Emergency Declaration of Disaster. On March 26, 2020, President Frum entered a Declaration of Disaster. The Declaration of Disaster will expire on the adjournment of this meeting and the Board has the option to extend the time frame.

Trustee Ciesla noted she had to leave the meeting at 11:36am.

President Frum introduced the Declaration of Disaster to the Board. The Village will coordinate creating signs for the schools and Parks District to post at every entrance and playground. She is requesting the Board extend the Declaration to the adjournment of the Board meeting on April 28, 2020.

Trustee Hebl made a motion to extend the Declaration to the adjournment of the April 28, 2020 regular Board of Trustee meeting. On roll call Trustee Hebl moved, second by Trustee Israel.

On voice all in favor.

RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]

MOVER: Johannah Hebl, Trustee

SECONDER: Bob Israel, Trustee

AYES: Frum, Israel, Collison, Ross, Hebl, Pepoon

ABSENT: Ciesla

Trustee Hebl discussed regulating other public areas that people congregate too, such as grocery stores and retail establishments. Mr. Elrod stated they cannot control what happens on private property. The Board can send a letter to businesses encouraging compliance with the Governors order.

Trustee Collison asked if they could require restaurants to perform curbside pickup. Mr. Elrod stated the Governor’s order allows curbside and in-store pickup for businesses.

President Frum stated she would work with the Chamber on sending information out to businesses. If the Board is receiving compliance complaints on businesses, please communicate the information to the Police Department for further investigation.

4. MANAGER'S REPORT

A. COVID-19 Update

Village Manager Rich Nahrstadt discussed how the schools are prepared if they will have students back in the classrooms or continue with E-Learning for the rest of the school year. The E- Learning is going very well for students and staff. In addition, staff is working with the Northbrook Chamber to communicate to businesses regarding the Federal Cares Act and SBA loans.

Fire Chief Carlson stated there are positive Coronavirus cases in Northbrook. You can track the data on the glenviewnorthbrookcoronavirusinfo.com website. The paramedics are well trained and wear personal protective equipment when encountering a possible Coronavirus case. To protect the public, they ask that adults do not ride in the ambulance with the person who is sick; this does not apply to children. People who are experiencing minor symptoms should stay home and contact their primary care physician. He encourages the public to continue staying home and practicing social distancing.

Police Chief Adkins discussed how they are monitoring Illinois and the Cook County Department of Health and are in direct contact with our Fire Department to provide up to date protocols for our staff. They conduct daily reviews of the County, State, and Federal directives. During the time of the Stay-at-Home order - a high priority of our Patrol Division is the check of businesses, schools, parks and houses of worship as well as the residential subdivisions. Many of the calls received are for well-being checks, domestic violence, mental health, and violations of the stay at home order. Chief Adkins reminded residents that crimes still occurs and he encouraged residents to be mindful and not to let their guard down when it comes to security or their safety.

Counseling Services Director Nancy Vaccaro discussed the increase in referrals the department has received. However, many of the referrals received are from the Police Department and Fire Department. She expressed concern for seniors not being able to access services they need due to the virus outbreak. The unit has three full-time staff members who are providing proactive outreach to open cases. Domestic violence victims are receiving counseling services and the courts are providing electronic orders of protection. They have established strong communication with the school social workers and provide 24-hour services to families. The workload of the unit is significant. Director Vaccaro is reaching out to retired counselors for contractual help. The goal is to meet the needs of the community and protect families.

Chief Information Officer Lori Baker provided an update on technology enhancements. IT has set up laptops for staff to securely work remotely. Therefore, new audio and video conference services are available for remote staff. The Village has upgraded the Internet service to support the large number of employees working remotely. One of the challenges the Village is facing, is procuring computer equipment during this crisis. IT support tickets have increased now that employees are working remotely. The IT projects have been prioritized to complete the most critical projects first. The Department of Homeland Security and MS-ISAC have reported a dramatic increase in phishing emails and bogus websites. She encouraged everyone to validate the source of emails received and unknown websites. The department is practicing social distancing by having half of the employees work remotely.

Kelly Hamill, Director of Public Works, discussed the success of their alternate shift schedules. There were multiple water main breaks that was resolved quickly by the team. He is proud of the hard work staff is performing to maintain services within the Village.

Tom Poupard, Director of Development & Planning Services noted building inspections are continuing in the community. He discussed several projects in the works around the Village. They have received many calls from the public reporting code enforcement violations. The new online permit process will be rolling out soon for applicants. The permit application for the Green House Dispensary was received and plans are under review. The team is waiting to receive the building elevation plans for the Northbrook Court. The Architectural Control Commission (ACC) will be reviewing the landscape design for a property that has removed the gas station. The first virtual ACC meeting will be scheduled; the Economic Development Committee meeting was postponed. The Plan Commission meeting on April 21, 2020, will be the first remote public hearing.

Assistant to the Village Manager, Madeline Farrell, discussed the launch of the Community Outreach program. A dozen volunteers have signed up and if you are interested in volunteering please visit www.northbrook.il.us/communityoutreach. The communications team has developed a COVID-19 website, which has information on the virus and many resources for the public. The social media platform has been used to create community engagement and share resources with the public. They are exploring ways to celebrate events virtually with the community. She encourages the public to complete the 2020 Census and the deadline was extended to mid-August.

Trustee Israel thanked staff for their hard work fixing the water main.

Trustee Collison expressed the need for the Park District to be doing a lot more to protect the public. She called upon the Park District to remove attractive nuisances.

Trustee Collison asked when the creative ideas and video would be available. Ms. Farrell responded the creative ideas have been shared on Facebook and the video will be ready by the end of the week.

Trustee Collison asked if the fire truck could be used for drive-by celebrations for kids in the community and incorporate donations. Mr. Nahrstadt responded staff would develop the program.

Trustee Ross asked if a child is sick could the parents accompany them in the ambulance. Fire Chief Carlson responded parents could accompany their child in the ambulance.

Trustee Ross asked if they could require local businesses to have hand sanitizer. President Frum responded they could include that request in the letter to businesses.

Trustee Ross stated the Police Department is available to help victims of Domestic Violence.

Trustee Ross requested an update on Crestwood. Mr. Nahrstadt responded that signage was posted to limit the number of visitors and encourage residents to shelter in place. They are performing heavy sanitation of the common areas to protect the public.

Trustee Hebl expressed her concerns for a cyber-attack. She supports employees working remotely and social distancing efforts in the workplace.

Trustee Pepoon liked the idea of the Fire Department and Police Department providing drive-by birthday celebrations for kids in the community.

President Frum discussed the importance of practicing social distancing in the workplace.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

5. FINANCE

6. PUBLIC WORKS

7. PLANNING/ZONING

A. PRELIMINARY REVIEW - ZONING & DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS

8. COMMUNITY

9. PUBLIC SAFETY

10. LEGISLATION AND COMMUNICATIONS

11. REMARKS FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER