City of Sycamore City Council met Nov. 1.
Here is the agenda provided by the council:
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
2. INVOCATION
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
5. AUDIENCE TO VISITORS
In accordance with previously adopted Rules, Public Comments shall be limited to a maximum of thirty minutes per meeting and the public may participate only during the “Public Comment” portion of the meeting. Comments shall not exceed three minutes per speaker unless limited to a shorter duration if numerous people wish to speak. All participants will be required to provide their name and address for the record. No speaker may speak more than once during any meeting unless specifically permitted to do so by the presiding officer. The City encourages that a spokesperson be chosen for individuals wishing to speak about the same subject matter to avoid repetitive presentations. All remarks should be addressed to the City Council as a whole and not to any individual member or employee. In the event speakers pose questions the Council or City staff, they should be aware that those individuals may decline to answer. Each speaker shall maintain civility and decorum. The Presiding Officer retains the right to stop or remove any speaker who becomes disruptive to the meeting.
6. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of the Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of October 18, 2021.
B. Payment of the Bills for November 1, 2021.
7. PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND BILLS
8. REPORTS OF OFFICERS
9. REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES
10. PUBLIC HEARINGS—None
11. ORDINANCES—None
12. RESOLUTIONS
A. Resolution No. 892— A Resolution Issuing a Notice of Intent to Award a Contract to N Trak Group of Loves Park, Illinois for the Lead Water Service Replacement Project subject to IEPA Loan Issuance.
The City of Sycamore completed a Water Master Plan that identified short- and long-term needs required to meet the consumption demands of the community and regulatory compliance. One goal was to identify and replace privately-owned lead water services connected to the City’s watermains. In January 2020, in order to assist residents with the replacement of privately-owned lead services, the City of Sycamore completed an application to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency seeking approximately $1,000,000 in financial assistance. This was later expanded to $1,700,000 while maintaining the same project scope.
The project received IEPA Planning Approval earlier this year, and the City was instructed to send the project to bid. The project was originally bid in May. Due to a bid protest, however, the City proposed rebidding, as this was deemed the most expeditious route to resolve the issue without jeopardizing project funding.
On Thursday September 23rd, the City opened bids for the project. Of the three total bids the City received, N-Trak Group was the lowest responsible bidder. One bid was opened but not read, as it did not meet all the requirements of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The total estimated project cost based on 120 service line replacements is $1,462,671.20.
Fehr Graham, the design engineer, has reviewed the bid prepared by N-Trak Group and confirmed it meets the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s requirement. Fehr Graham’s recommendation and a bid tabulation is included in the background information.
Pending approval of a Notice of Intent to Award, the next step is to forward this information to the IEPA for their review. Provided it is acceptable, the City will receive executable Loan Documents from the IEPA with the anticipated debt forgiveness. These documents will then be brought to the Council for final approval with construction starting soon after.
City Council approval is recommended.
B. Resolution No. 893—A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Lease Agreement Between the City of Sycamore and Beacon Hill Staffing Group, LLC for Office Space in Suite 302 in the Sycamore Center.
The City was approached by Beacon Hill Staffing Group, LLC, with interest in renting the vacant third floor office space located in Suite 302. Beacon Hill’s distinct specialty divisions provide industry-leading talent strategy, job-placement, workforce consulting, executive search, and staffing solutions to emerging growth companies. The attached agreement includes a month-to-month lease with a guarantee of three months occupancy, a monthly rent of $220.00 inclusive of utilities and taxes, and annual renewal options.
City Council approval is recommended.
C. Resolution No. 894—A Resolution to Approve a Plat of Vacation of Roadway Easement for Hy Vee.
Hy-Vee, located at 2700 DeKalb Avenue, plans to construct a new drive-up canopy on the south side of their existing building. As proposed, the canopy would encroach approximately 4’ into an existing 50’ roadway easement previously approved in 2009 as part of the Pappas-Cassett Re subdivision. Upon review by the owner of the property and City Staff, it was agreed that the 50’ roadway easement can be reduced to 33’. This reduction will facilitate access to the east side of the building as originally intended, as well as eliminate any encroachment concerns. The reduction would be accomplished by vacating the westerly 17’ of the existing 50’ roadway easement, resulting in a 33’ roadway easement. The new 33’ easement is adequate for two-way traffic and aligns more appropriately with easterly approach into the parking lot. City Staff has confirmed that there are no City utilities within the subject easement.
In order to memorialize the vacation, a Plat of Vacation of Roadway Easement was created and, as part of the recording process, the Mayor is required to sign the proposed plat. The proposed plat has been reviewed and is recommended by City staff.
City Council approval is recommended.
D. Resolution No. 895—A Resolution for Approval of the Sale of Surplus Property Known as Lot 201 of the South Avenue Resubdivision in the City of Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois as filed in Plat Cabinet 11 at Slide 15-D as Document No. 2021003542 in the Recorder's Office of DeKalb County to Dan Hamingson, owner of Blackhawk Moving and Storage in the Amount of $13,097.98.
In 2004, the City began the process of cleaning up the former Harvester Square plant on South Avenue. The facility was previously used as a manufacturing facility for Diamond Wire, Essex Wire, and Marsh Manufacturing. Manufacturing operations ended in the early 1980s.
During the late 1980s and 1990s, hundreds of drums of potentially hazardous materials were brought to the Harvester Square facility for storage. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency cited the facility for unsafe and unethical practices that produced conditions that, if not addressed, may have posed a threat to the community.
The City took possession of the property through forfeiture after former owner Jim DiNicola failed to repay a $75,000 loan the City made to demolish a portion of the building to keep it from collapsing into the street.
The City’s goal was to end the threat of any hazardous material contamination, revitalize the property, promote economic growth, and increase neighboring property values. The property was situated in the City’s Tax Increment Financing District 1 (TIF1).
The initial goal of ending the threat of hazardous material contamination has been addressed via the removal of materials and affected soils and the installation of an engineered barrier. The Illinois EPA issued a No Further Remediation (NFR) Letter in 2012 that allows the property to be used for residential, commercial, or industrial uses as long as the engineered barrier remains in place.
In 2020, the City completed the demolition and soil management of the raised platform on the property with the assistance of GeoThink LLC. This work included the removal of over 560 cubic yards of contaminated soil as well as the installation of a new engineered barrier. The barrier was constructed beneath the final platform demolition and excavation limits to isolate and protect from human exposure and complies with IEPA NFR conditions and requirements.
On April 19, 2021, Council passed Resolution 864 declaring this property as surplus, authorizing the sale of the property and directing the Acting City Manager to work with the business owners to determine if a joint agreement could be reached to convey the property for full consideration of the appraised value. At this time, Daniel Hamingson, owner of Blackhawk Moving and Storage Inc, has expressed interest in purchasing the portion to the north of this property listed as Lot 201 of the South Avenue Resubdivision. The City has obtained an appraisal for the property from Jacobson and Associates, an MAI-certified appraiser. Mr. Hamingson is willing to pay the fair market value of the property in the amount of $13,097.98.
City Council approval is recommended.
13. CONSIDERATIONS
A. Consideration of an Annual Update from the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation.
DCEDC offers a county-wide network of economic development officials and is a respected clearinghouse for development information. City seats on the organization’s executive committee and Board assure timely and thorough access to such information. Paul Borek, Executive Director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, will present a brief review of the corporation’s activities from the past year and be available to answer questions.
B. Consideration of an Administration Request for Closed Session to Review Closed Session Meeting Minutes and to Discuss Personnel Matters.
14. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
15. APPOINTMENTS
16. ADJOURNMENT
https://cityofsycamore.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/20211101-Final.pdf
Alerts Sign-up