DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Forest Preserve Operations Committee met April 27.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

The Forest Preserve Operations Committee of the DeKalb County Board met in Sycamore, Illinois on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Chair Roy Plote called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. Those Members present were Mary Cozad, Meryl Domina, Benjamin Haier, Maureen Little, Terri Mann-Lamb, and Stewart Ogilvie. A quorum was established with seven Members present, none absent.

Others present included Forest Preserve Superintendent Terry Hannan, Liam Sullivan, and Lisa Reser.

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Ogilvie moved to approve the agenda as presented. Mann-Lamb seconded the motion and it was carried unanimously.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

It was moved by Cozad, seconded by Domina and it was carried unanimously to approve the minutes of the March 23, 2023 Forest Preserve Committee Meetings.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no public comments.

RESOLUTION FP-R2023-004—Award Resolution for the 2023 Afton Maintenance and Natural Resource Management Building Project to Zenz Buildings, Inc of DeKalb, Illinois, in an amount not to exceed $128,800.

Resolution FP-R2023-004 awards the project for construction of a 30’ x 40’ x 10’ Steel Commercial Building at the Afton Forest Preserve. The building is to be used for additional office space, storage, and indoor bathrooms. Once the project has been awarded, the project is expected to be completed by the end of FY2023. The bids opening was held by the Forest Preserve District on Thursday April 27th, at 10:00am in the Legislative Center’s Freedom Room. Four Bids were submitted for the project. The lowest bid meeting specifications was from Zenz Buildings, Inc of DeKalb Illinois with a Bid of $128,800.

It was moved by Mann-Lamb, seconded by Ogilvie and approved unanimously to forward FP-R2023- 004 to the Forest Preserve District Board. Those voting yea in a roll call vote were Cozad, Domina, Haier, Little, Mann-Lamb, Ogilvie, and Chair Plote. None were Opposed. Motion carried unanimously.

RESOLUTION FP-R2023-005—A Resolution Approving Year-End Amendments to the FY2022 Budget.

Resolution FP-R2023-005 brings forward a number of Year-End Budget Amendments. The DeKalb County Forest Preserve Superintendent and the County Comptroller have reviewed the Year-End FY2022 account balances and have identified accounts with deficits and surpluses and have brought forth the requested amendments as a means to balance the FY2022 Budget. While they are not a requirement, staff believes that the requested amendments are necessary to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and transparency by aligning with the “best practices” of public finance.

It was moved by Mann-Lamb, seconded by Cozad and approved unanimously to forward FP-R2023- 005 to the Forest Preserve District Board. Those voting yea in a roll call vote were Cozad, Domina, Haier, Little, Mann-Lamb, Ogilvie, and Chair Plote. None were Opposed. Motion carried unanimously.

REPORTS OF FOREST PRESERVE OFFICIALS

Mr. Hannan presented an overview of the Forest Preserve District’s Activities for Earth Day in 2023. He explained that local scout and volunteer groups planted trees at Riverwood Forest Preserve and cleaned up the Great Western Trail. He thanked the scouts and volunteers who completed the improvements in the forest preserves. He also noted that staff has finished the controlled burns in the forest preserves and that the season has come to a close.

Mr. Hannan provided an overview of the First Quarter 2023 Natural Resource Management Report prepared by Josh Clark. The Report outlines the work completed in January, February and March of 2023 at the DeKalb County Forest Preserves. To view the report, please visit the link below:

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/fp-rpt23apr-nrma.pdf

Mr. Hannan additionally mentioned the report received by PDRMA (Park District Risk Management Agency). He reported that the Forest Preserve District earned a high ranking in safety of visitors and staff.

OLD BUSINESS

None

NEW BUSINESS

None

ADJOURNMENT

Haier moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:21pm. Little seconded the motion and it was carried unanimously.

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/minutes-fp-04272023.pdf