City of Naperville Riverwalk Commission met May 10

By Philip Gonzales

Jul 18, 2023

City of Naperville Riverwalk Commission met May 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

A. CALL TO ORDER:

The Riverwalk Planning, Design and Construction Committee (PDC) Chairman Friant called the May 10, 2023 Naperville Riverwalk Commission meeting to order at 7:30 a.m. The meeting was held in the lunchroom of the Naperville Municipal Center located at 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL.

B. ROLL CALL:

Present: Valla Aguilar; Pam Bartlett; Jan Erickson; Jeff Friant; Mary Gibson; Ian Holzhauer; John Joseph; Leo Martinez; Bill Novack; Tom Stibbe; and Carl Wohlt

Absent: John Cuff; Pat Kennedy, Chairman; and Mike Sullivan

Also Present: Rebecca DeLarme, City Staff; Brian Dusak, ERA; Rick Hitchcock, former Riverwalk Commission Chairman; Carl Peterson, GRWA; and Will Payne, NCTV

C. PUBLIC FORUM:

There was no public forum.

D. OLD BUSINESS:

1. Moser Tower Rehabilitation - Bill Novack

Novack reported that the fence would be down soon and the area should be opened up within the week. Some of the restoration work with the turf will have to be redone and they are waiting on consistent warmer weather to adhere the planter bowls to the tops of the columns. Hitchcock inquired if the carillonneurs were contacted. Novack has been communicating with the Park District staff.

Novack noted the reroofing of the covered bridge by Washington Street and the Grand Pavilion was completed but there was an issue with the color shades on the black shingles on the Grand Pavilion. The manufacturer will provide the contractor with replacement shingles and will reimburse the City for labor charges. A change order will go before City Council at the June 6th meeting. Stibbe noted the importance of coordinating schedules so as not to interfere with any planned events.

2. Fredenhagen Park Fountain - Bill Novack

Novack advised they have met with the Exchange Club representative and Tom Castagnoli of the Fredenhagen family and they have expressed openness to a simpler, less maintenance intensive solution for the fountain. Some ideas that have been discussed include a small water feature, planters, or a combination of both. An art installation or rotating piece was also suggested. Ideas will continue to be discussed through the PDC and will be reported back to the Riverwalk Commission.

3. Fredenhagen Park Maintenance - Bill Novack and Tom Stibbe

Stibbe received quotes for refinishing the Ipe wood for the front part of the park that includes the clock tower and the two adjacent trellises and stonework, and also for the back part that includes the two large trellises and touching up some areas of the building. It was discussed briefly through the Asset Management Plan (AMP) Walk and Stibbe would like to proceed with getting the front part done.

4. Riverwalk Master Plan - Jeff Friant for Pat Kennedy

Friant noted that the AMP Walk was the first step to identifying if there were any modifications to the Master Plan. Discussions will be held during the next couple of PDC meetings and recommendations will be brought back to the Commission.

5. Riverwalk Bicentennial Fund - John Joseph

Joseph provided the following updates from the RBF: 1) the group has met and identified a $10M dollar raise which includes all of the Master Plan projects; 2) video footage should be completed by Deborah Newman Marketing/Communications in the next few weeks to be used on social media, website and/or presentations; and 3) they are putting together target lists of groups for their next communications wave for the summer. Erickson requested that the Commission provide any names of individuals or groups that they should include in their presentations.

6. Update on Eagle Street Gateway Design - Brian Dusak

Dusak reviewed a plan set of the DuPage County submittal with the group and provided an update on their progress. They are working toward preparation of bidding documents. The design has started to take shape and they are working on going through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process for the funding that was received. Once they review and finalize this information with City staff, they will need to advertise to the public for feedback. They are still anticipating going out to bid this spring or early summer so the project can be awarded early summer or late fall and mostly constructed this year, with landscaping possibly falling into next spring. They will provide more information at next month’s PDC meeting. Peterson reviewed the landscaping exhibits with the group. Novack noted the change to the lower area that previously consisted of boulders and open planters and now includes seat walls with drains at the bottom to assist with maintenance in the lower area. Dusak noted they are including an alternate bid for some of the landscaping west of the Oliver Hoffman Pavilion to continue the design to the stairs.

7. Update on Washington Street Bridge Construction - Bill Novack

Novack noted the changes today that would include rerouting the traffic to the west side so they can initiate demolition on the east half of the bridge. At this time, Friant recognized Leo Martinez, our student Commissioner, and thanked him for his service to the Riverwalk Commission.

E. NEW BUSINESS:

There was no new business to address.

F. REPORTS:

1. Approval of Minutes - Jeff Friant for Pat Kennedy

Approve minutes from the April 12, 2023 Riverwalk Commission meeting

A motion to approve the April 12, 2023 Riverwalk Commission meeting minutes was made by Joseph and seconded by Bartlett. MOTION

CARRIED with Aquilar and Erickson abstaining

2. Chairman - Jeff Friant for Pat Kennedy

There was no Chairman’s report.

3. Finance - Bill Novack

Receive the April Riverwalk financial report

Novack reviewed the financial report through April 30, 2023 that was included in the agenda packet.

4. Park District - Tom Stibbe

Receive the monthly Park District report

Stibbe reviewed highlights from the Park District report that was included in the agenda packet. Early spring flowers have been planted and they are doing a lot of weeding and mulching. There was a recent spate of vandalism that resulted in an estimated $9,000 in damage for the Park District, with $7,000 of that being on the Riverwalk. The perpetrators have been apprehended. The beach is filled and the paddleboats are in and the Dandelion and Horse Trough fountains were painted and are up and running.

The AMP Walk occurred last Thursday and some of the highlights from the walk included the train pavilions that were repainted last year, the Grand Pavilion reroofing and painting, the work that needs to be done at Fredenhagen Park, and the new roof on the covered bridge near Washington Street. The weather was good the walk ended on the south extension at Martin Avenue, which gave the group an opportunity to review some of the preliminary design. The Hillside Gateway was also discussed and Novack noted they will be reaching out to residents on both sides of the street across the river for their input on the south extension.

5. Riverwalk Foundation - John Cuff

There was no report for the Riverwalk Foundation.

6. Donor Recognition - Rebecca DeLarme

DeLarme reported that the Spring ’23 Legacy Gift order bricks were ready for pick up and they will be scheduling the installation with the donors and the Park District in the next couple of weeks. The order consisted of twenty-seven 4” x 8” and nine 8” x 8” commemorative bricks. One granite stone was also purchased and the engraving is being scheduled. The Fall ’23 Legacy Gift order deadline is September 1st and includes one 4” x 8” purchase. There have been several bench inquiries recently.

7. Public Relations - Valla Aguilar

Receive the monthly Public Relations report

Aguilar reported that the Naperville Riverwalk was mentioned in 76 articles, social media posts and broadcasts during the month of April, a decrease in 4% coverage from the last month. Highlights included: Fredenhagen Park fountain repairs; Naperville Best Places to Live in the Midwest (Livability.com); and Feedback sought on new signage plan directing people to Downtown Naperville.

8. Planning, Design, and Construction - Jeff Friant

Receive the May 2, 2023 Riverwalk Planning, Design and Construction Committee draft meeting minutes

Friant reported that the South Extension preliminary design was reviewed at last week’s PDC meeting and they are working to set up another meeting with Edward Hospital. They are looking at a Riverwalk accessibility audit and City staff have identified improvements that can be made to access points. This information will be shared with the Park District. Stibbe noted that Mike DiCristina also identified areas for improvement and they will cross reference with this information. Novack noted that Mary Hamill, ACTF, provided a list of volunteers that will be working with City staff to provide a better perspective on different accessibility issues. Novack will include Stibbe and DiCristina in these meetings.

Hitchcock reported that he and Councilman Holzhauer presented to Monarch Landing and he received a question about parking east of Main Street to access the Riverwalk. He would like to engage City leaders and owners of properties along the east extension to see if we could allocate parking to the Riverwalk to help make it more accessible. Novack suggested engaging some of the adjacent property owners and requesting signage on a portion of their property for Riverwalk parking (e.g., Riverwalk Parking Welcome Here) and possibly allowing a walkway connection between the business and the Riverwalk. Wohlt inquired if there would be value in discussing this with Edward Hospital. Holzhauer noted the possibility of receiving donations at these presentations and discussion followed with Aguilar noting the use of giving vehicles that are mailed out with a letter and also provided on tables at donor events. Friant inquired if there was a mailing address or PO box for the RBF.

G. MEETING SCHEDULE:

Riverwalk Planning, Design & Construction, June 6, 2023, 7:30 a.m.

Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL

Riverwalk Commission, June 14, 2023, 7:30 a.m.

Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL

**Riverwalk Planning, Design & Construction, July 11, 2023, 7:30 a.m.

Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL

Riverwalk Commission, July 12, 2023, 7:30 a.m.

City of Naperville Page 5 Printed on 6/26/2023

Riverwalk Commission Meeting Minutes May 10, 2023

Municipal Center Lunchroom, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL

H. ADJOURNMENT: