WEBVTT

00:00:02.610 --> 00:00:07.330
Okay, 6.30, we'll call our meeting to order.

00:00:08.710 --> 00:00:09.930
Certainly, certainly.

00:00:10.930 --> 00:00:21.270
Lower Heads, Heavenly Father, we come today to thank you for bringing us all together and thank you for blessing our lives.

00:00:21.950 --> 00:00:30.850
Help us do what's right for the county and we have a friendly and productive conversations.

00:00:30.850 --> 00:00:34.010
and this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

00:00:36.490 --> 00:00:39.790
All right. 3.0, approval of the agenda.

00:00:40.190 --> 00:00:45.010
So moved? Second. Is there any additions or anything to it?

00:00:45.550 --> 00:00:50.610
Well, I'm going to add something to the, I think it's a new business. I want to talk about the

00:00:50.610 --> 00:00:57.270
trail agreement, intergovernment agreement. I think that would be under new business.

00:00:57.270 --> 00:00:57.870
Okay.

00:01:03.860 --> 00:01:36.260
Anything else? All those in favor of the agenda as added? Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:42.260
We have claims this evening totaling $860.33.

00:01:44.260 --> 00:01:45.260
Road to approve.

00:01:45.260 --> 00:01:47.260
I have a motion and a second.

00:01:47.260 --> 00:01:52.260
Motion by Brandt, seconded by Baker. All those in favor, seconded by saying aye.

00:01:52.260 --> 00:01:53.260
Aye.

00:01:53.260 --> 00:01:56.260
Any opposed?

00:01:56.260 --> 00:01:59.260
Thank you for the signature.

00:01:59.260 --> 00:02:02.260
At this time, we have public comment.

00:02:02.260 --> 00:02:07.100
Yes

00:02:07.100 --> 00:02:19.420
Excuse my shakey voice, I'm a little bit of this because there's more of you than there is of me

00:02:19.420 --> 00:02:20.980
State your name

00:02:20.980 --> 00:02:23.720
My name is Mark Curtis

00:02:23.720 --> 00:02:28.360
I live in 1990 Candlewick Lane in Freeport, Illinois

00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:29.720
Mark and Cindy Curtis

00:02:29.720 --> 00:02:34.240
And so I get you to add this to the sentence

00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:36.100
Okay

00:02:36.100 --> 00:03:03.920
I'm involved in the area with the quarry, and I just wanted to mention everybody was bringing this up, but my concerns and thoughts about that, and some of what it boils down to is I'm concerned about the groundwater contamination of when he gets into doing other things in quarry and getting into the concrete and the asphalt and things like that.

00:03:03.920 --> 00:03:10.200
with crushing and recycling that pose a risk to the groundwater.

00:03:11.380 --> 00:03:24.240
My issues are also traffic and safety of the increased truck volume for residents, school buses, and other users and conditions of the road and just wear and tear.

00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:32.720
The noise and the hours of operation, I think it's six in the morning until six in the evening or something like that.

00:03:32.720 --> 00:04:00.560
So, and just the air quality, and I moved out there 2015, it's close enough to be a city, but far enough to be peaceful and tranquil, and I believe that this is going to inhibit that, and so this is, I mean, there is businesses, but I just wanted to state my concerns, and I think I'm the only one that's probably going to be three minutes, so

00:04:02.720 --> 00:04:19.720
please give me, thank you for your time and consideration, and if you don't mind, I wanted to be first because I have a sick wife, so I'm going to go home and tell her, and hopefully that won't be in the minutes. Thank you. Thank you.

00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:42.220
Chairman Rivers, all except one county board member voted a new fence ordinance in that last month's board meeting.

00:04:42.820 --> 00:04:49.780
Are you aware of the fencing project that has started since that meeting at the 40 located at 466 West Fairview Road?

00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:57.040
I'll speak of the activities the owner, Zach Jeffrey, has been doing for the past three weeks along the property line between us.

00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:04.400
is graded up and cut out trees and shrubbery on his side. In doing so, he has knocked portions of his

00:05:04.400 --> 00:05:11.220
existing steel coast and barbed wire fencing and still rutted shrubbery onto my property. He has

00:05:11.220 --> 00:05:17.500
shoved piles of dirt under the fence line and onto my property. Last summer, he and I spoke of working

00:05:17.500 --> 00:05:24.380
together to clean up the property line. This no longer appears to be his intent. Last week, a family

00:05:24.380 --> 00:05:49.320
member called me at approximately 7 p.m. and said he wasn't able to drive up my lane as landscaping waste, shrubs, and brush had been thrown over the fence onto my lane. My family member had to throw the mess back over the fence as Zach had already left the quarry for the day. I don't believe when you folks approved the ordinance you expected these issues for neighbors to have to deal with.

00:05:49.320 --> 00:06:02.720
I ask that you consider amending and revising the ordinance to correct and alleviate these and other issues for people who live next door and aren't just zoned residential but also zoned ag

00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:14.560
This morning zoning director Williams told me Mr. Jeffrey will be allowed to use any old rusty thrown away nasty looking or scrap materials he chooses for his fencing

00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:19.060
This is also an issue that shouldn't be inflicted upon neighbors

00:06:19.060 --> 00:06:25.540
Mr. Jeffrey's actions for over a year now have been in constant county and state violation.

00:06:26.420 --> 00:06:34.380
Why has this been and continues to be allowed? Georgia, are you running the camera? Would you

00:06:34.380 --> 00:06:41.320
please zoom in on this video? It's voice activated. I can't control it. Is it looking at my phone? Yep.

00:06:41.320 --> 00:07:11.140
Thank you. This video was taken since your last P&D development meeting. This is a small dump trailer, but you can clearly see in part what our neighborhood has been exposed to and expected to endure for over the past year. Multiply the intensity of the health issues with the semi-trailer dumpings. As always, I invite all of you to come out and personally see what I speak of. Please call and I'll let you up my lane. You don't see much from the road.

00:07:11.320 --> 00:07:16.140
For the official record, I request my remarks tonight, and this video will be placed into

00:07:16.140 --> 00:07:21.740
the meeting minutes. Mrs. Williams told me this morning that this type of request is only honored

00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:27.680
at ZBA and county board meetings, not county subcommittee meetings. Is that correct? Please

00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:35.500
let me know. Thank you for your attention. I don't know if you guys, is it? Can you? And

00:07:35.500 --> 00:07:37.500
and that's all.

00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:41.660
All right.

00:07:41.660 --> 00:07:42.660
Okay.

00:07:42.660 --> 00:07:48.660
Can I please leave this with you then for those?

00:07:48.660 --> 00:07:51.660
Thank you.

00:07:51.660 --> 00:07:56.900
Anyone else?

00:07:56.900 --> 00:08:06.730
We will move on with reports to the committee.

00:08:06.730 --> 00:08:07.730
Thank you.

00:08:07.730 --> 00:08:09.730
Good evening.

00:08:09.730 --> 00:08:11.730
How are you all?

00:08:11.730 --> 00:08:12.730
Good.

00:08:12.730 --> 00:08:13.730
Great.

00:08:13.730 --> 00:08:43.710
the round are an extrapolation of I know on 7.8 within the agenda is the Illinois Department IDPS's monthly digest of unemployment numbers. The chart there is references the labor force employment and participation rate in relationship to the job posting data. So as you can see, we continue to have more jobs posted than we do people unemployed.

00:08:43.730 --> 00:08:50.450
and looking for work. Consistently, same companies seem to be at the top of the list.

00:08:51.550 --> 00:09:02.910
They just rotate kind of which position they're at. GPAC as well as K&A recruiting and AMN healthcare are all healthcare recruiters.

00:09:03.750 --> 00:09:11.130
The one I would say kind of more significant thing that stuck out to me, unemployment rate has dropped

00:09:11.130 --> 00:09:20.490
from 5.2 to 4.0, which is pretty substantial in one month. And the median salary has decreased

00:09:20.490 --> 00:09:30.370
significantly for the last several months. It had been a little over $30 an hour. It's at $26.54 per hour

00:09:30.370 --> 00:09:37.330
at the median salary. So just some things to make you aware of. At the bottom of the page, I won't go

00:09:37.330 --> 00:09:42.250
through the list, but our upcoming events, you're all welcome to participate in those.

00:09:43.230 --> 00:09:47.730
Moving on to some other economic development activities in the past month, we continue to

00:09:47.730 --> 00:09:53.550
work with the site selector for another healthcare organization entering into our market. There will

00:09:53.550 --> 00:09:59.850
be exciting news and an announcement in the coming weeks for a new retailer who will be locating at the

00:09:59.850 --> 00:10:00.010
platform.

00:10:00.010 --> 00:10:04.260
Taylor, who will be locating at the former Joann's location. We continue our work with Jeff Modica in

00:10:04.260 --> 00:10:13.300
Alberta's Airport in helping him craft five-year economic development. Enterprise zone applications

00:10:13.300 --> 00:10:20.520
are in earnest, hard at work here. We have submitted an application for the Department of Ag Review for

00:10:20.520 --> 00:10:28.880
both AutoSmart and LENA. Again, we're expanding those Enterprise Zone to encompass development and

00:10:28.880 --> 00:10:34.180
expansion at AutoSmart. That's a former visitor center. And we're encompassing some areas of LENA

00:10:34.180 --> 00:10:41.220
within the village proper for residential development. Per the process for Enterprise Zone

00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:47.460
boundary expansion, we need to get an ad review for each application. A public hearing will also be

00:10:47.460 --> 00:10:55.020
held on June 17th at 9 and 9.30, back-to-back public hearings that will be at the Greater Freeport

00:10:55.020 --> 00:11:00.080
Partnership Office. Public hearing notices have been published and were in the Village Voices and

00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:05.400
Journal Standard last week. I am busy drafting ordinance and resolution for our six units of

00:11:05.400 --> 00:11:13.020
government. In the last month, we met with Stevencia's team and representatives from the DCEO

00:11:13.020 --> 00:11:19.300
talking about their next stage of investment. As you know, about a year ago, they put an addition onto

00:11:19.300 --> 00:11:27.540
their facility to facilitate a new line of cheese product. That is going well and orders have

00:11:27.540 --> 00:11:34.840
increased. So now their next problem is how to deal with their waste strength. So there will be an

00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:41.700
investment of some sort in helping to expand capacity in their wastewater treatment. They are

00:11:41.700 --> 00:11:48.380
are also investigating a feasibility study partnering with Purpose Energy to look at a biodigester.

00:11:49.180 --> 00:11:59.360
So part of that process would be taking their waste strain, seeing how they could capture methane gas in the process of that waste being broken down.

00:12:00.380 --> 00:12:05.200
Purpose Energy is a separate company that they're partnering with to do this feasibility study.

00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:17.640
Sevencia has a corporate location in Pennsylvania where they're already sort of building a biodigester adjacent to a plant.

00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:29.940
So part of the understanding is what other assets or what other waste streams are in the area from other manufacturers and would they be also willing to partner in this?

00:12:29.940 --> 00:12:43.480
So we've conducted kind of introductory conversations and contacts with all the players that you can think of, Berner, Poor Valley Farms, Chortles and Cheese, et cetera, et cetera.

00:12:44.400 --> 00:12:58.380
So more to come. Leslie is hard at work with putting together an incubator, a business incubator program, and in the process of writing for the USDA Rural Business Development Grant

00:12:58.380 --> 00:13:28.040
to help fund a revolving loan program. Oh, I skipped over. We are also in process with the City of Freeport to do another boundary expansion of the Enterprise Zone, again, also to help expand residential development. Had a beginning conversation with the Village of Stockton and a value-add manufacturer that's located there looking to expand the Enterprise Zone into the Village of Stockton to help facilitate some development that they believe will be

00:13:28.040 --> 00:13:36.160
to come, as well as talking to our friends in Kent. They are also interested. An investment is planned.

00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:42.160
Timeline is a little bit to be determined, but I want to have conversations earlier rather than later

00:13:42.160 --> 00:13:46.760
because it really is about a six-month lead time in terms of expanding the enterprise out to help that

00:13:46.760 --> 00:13:54.000
they're developed. Workforce development continues to be a strong priority. Our Midland CEO program,

00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:01.600
we were able to hire and just a facilitator for the fall semester to start that program.

00:14:03.400 --> 00:14:09.120
The offer of employment was just accepted today. Again, the partnership is not the employer of record.

00:14:09.260 --> 00:14:17.880
That will be for the Freeport School District helping facilitate that CEO board. We held a manufacturing roundtable last Friday morning.

00:14:17.880 --> 00:14:27.420
We had representatives from CoreFX, Berner, Star Forge, Danfoss, TriStar, Highland, CareerTech, Freeport High School, DCEO, and Workforce Connections

00:14:27.420 --> 00:14:38.560
Two main topics were apprenticeship programs, internship programs, developing both of those, as well as DCEO has a new program called AIM

00:14:38.560 --> 00:14:45.360
It's geared towards manufacturers and it's to help them with investment that isn't necessarily going to create a lot of jobs

00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:52.160
but there's significant investment maybe in automation or other equipment so there's some

00:14:52.160 --> 00:14:57.560
thresholds that the manufacturers need to meet. Again the state has announced this program they have

00:14:57.560 --> 00:15:04.480
some guidelines if you will and guardrails but there is no application ready for a business to

00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:10.640
apply quite yet they're expecting that to be later this summer or early fall. We continue to partner

00:15:10.640 --> 00:15:16.280
with Mercy Health to provide community tours to their physicians that they're looking to recruit to

00:15:16.280 --> 00:15:21.680
this area. And we are holding our next workforce alignment meeting this Thursday morning at 730.

00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:29.540
From the initial meetings we had a couple months ago, we have sent out a workforce survey asking for

00:15:29.540 --> 00:15:37.300
data from HR departments. We have had a fairly significant response from companies. We are

00:15:37.300 --> 00:16:01.240
We're looking to aggregate that data and create a dashboard to get more real-time data. The information from IDES is great, but we're also looking to understand recruitment, how successful are local recruiters, local companies able to recruit talent and hire here, and how else can we get more strategic, major surgical strategic, if you will, in our recruitment efforts.

00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:30.960
we continue to work on housing and in two facets again expanding the enterprise zone as well as the team continues to work with building owners in downtown Freeport who are looking to renovate upper floors for residential units and last but not least we held our first music on Chicago Friday we were lucky enough for the weather to hold off it was a wonderful evening and Saturday morning was a free bike ride the free Aquana cycle

00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:44.180
So that was the first time that we have ever kind of helped co-host this business partnership also with the Department of Natural Resources and Lake Lee Aquana.

00:16:44.460 --> 00:16:59.840
They had about 35 bike riders registered. They started off here in Teddy's Crossing and continued all the way out to Lake Lee Aquana and then turned around and some of them stopped at Lena Bruhman Company for a little refreshment.

00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:04.240
So, happy to answer any questions you might have on anything I've mentioned

00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:05.520
What was the name of that lake?

00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:08.240
It's the one by Lena

00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:12.540
Maybe you've been there before?

00:17:13.840 --> 00:17:15.140
Yeah, it's that one

00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:17.320
Sure, I have a couple of questions

00:17:17.320 --> 00:17:17.700
Sure

00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:22.020
You didn't really touch on the hotel motel situation

00:17:22.020 --> 00:17:25.420
But are all rooms at the, what is it?

00:17:25.560 --> 00:17:25.740
Anyone?

00:17:26.220 --> 00:17:28.380
Yeah, the big hotel downtown

00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:29.560
Oh, the Hampton

00:17:29.560 --> 00:17:36.580
Hampton. Yes. Is that all, you know, all those rooms available, you know, are they? To my understanding, yes.

00:17:36.800 --> 00:17:46.580
It has been the Femont, which will later on in June will be rebranded and it will become, I'm going to blank on the name,

00:17:46.660 --> 00:17:53.540
but it's going to change from a Wyndham chain to a Marriott chain and there have been a number of rooms

00:17:53.540 --> 00:17:57.160
each week that have been pulled off the inventory because they've been remodeled.

00:17:58.080 --> 00:18:04.740
So I think Nicole has accounted for that when she gets her occupancy data every week from the hotels.

00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:09.080
But to my understanding, all the rooms at the Hampton are available.

00:18:09.580 --> 00:18:16.120
You know what? Being the fact that I live here, I have had many family members stay there,

00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:18.620
but I myself have never been in there either. Yes.

00:18:18.620 --> 00:18:48.500
and just I'm sure you can't you're sure you don't have any concrete answer for this one but is there any has there been any interest in the old holiday and plot of land. I've heard lots of stories of what we have suggested that site to many different players. Okay, to my knowledge, there has been no one who is moving forward at this time with purchase.

00:18:48.620 --> 00:19:20.860
okay all right yeah it's a pretty good chunk of land right it's about five and a half acres or so yeah that's it thanks sure anyone else okay moving on thank you yes thank you all right deposit for the month of May totaled $11,369.36 total deposits to date for the general fund are 162.715.10

00:19:20.860 --> 00:19:28.520
that's over our projected, as I always say every month now. Building permits have been going good.

00:19:29.780 --> 00:19:49.020
We issued 11 enforcement violations for the month of May. Four violations were sent to our new inspector, three for overgrown grass, weeds, and other vegetation, two for inoperable vehicle violations, one, no permit special use, and one for excessive vehicles on the property.

00:19:49.020 --> 00:19:57.960
That's a special use that was only allowed 40. We closed two cases. One is pending and stator eight are still open. We met with

00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:25.680
Eight are still open. We met with Doug Rominski, our new building inspector, to discuss the process of his inspections. I emailed him last week with the information on four homes that are considered to be dangerous buildings, nuisances that needed inspections. He stated he will get on these right away. Nicole performed 16 inspections and I performed 14 for the month. We had our monthly meeting with the representative from IBEW. Nicole and I attended a team's meeting with Andy Shaw,

00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:53.500
Dan Payette and Abigail Ebelher, I'm so sorry if I butchered that name, with Blackhawk Hills to discuss the potential of the BRIC grant building resilient infrastructure communities application. We'll discuss that in a little while. This grant would let us update the zoning code in its entirety. Nine single family dwellings have been permitted this year so far, and in 2025, we permitted 11. So things are looking good for single family dwellings.

00:20:53.500 --> 00:21:08.490
and that's all I have. Questions? I would just make one comment and I'm sure you're aware of this. That house on 26th North, I drove by there a couple of times a week. That is just a shame.

00:21:08.490 --> 00:21:20.630
The only thing we can do is send her back to the hearing officer after I do the letters and then if we wanted it taken care of, we could have someone in the county take care of it, hire it out and then be paid off that way.

00:21:20.630 --> 00:21:46.810
But I need to reach out to our attorney, Borneman. He is on paternity leave right now. So it's kind of hard getting answers back out of him, which I don't expect right away. So that is one question what we can do now next, because he did state at one point in time, we could don't 100% take my word, that we could possibly foreclose on the home. So I want to see what that process entails, too.

00:21:46.810 --> 00:21:51.510
Yeah, that one looks, it's worse than Spencer, it's bad

00:21:51.510 --> 00:21:52.490
Okay

00:21:52.490 --> 00:21:54.130
It's a relative of yours as well

00:21:54.130 --> 00:21:57.750
Not that I can, not that I can determine

00:21:57.750 --> 00:22:02.090
She's got three homes, kind of where she was a relative, you could just give them to me

00:22:02.090 --> 00:22:04.330
Last name's Diddens, right?

00:22:04.330 --> 00:22:05.770
It is, it is

00:22:05.770 --> 00:22:12.210
I've asked several of my relatives, they claim that it's part of a different clan

00:22:12.210 --> 00:22:18.930
and at least you're willing to admit it.

00:22:21.930 --> 00:22:23.310
I have a question.

00:22:23.390 --> 00:22:24.090
Yes, if I may.

00:22:25.630 --> 00:22:30.450
Beth, can you tell me what the goal of meeting with the IBEW is?

00:22:31.430 --> 00:22:31.910
Sure.

00:22:32.070 --> 00:22:38.830
They like to see if we have any potential big builds coming up so they can get their name in for bids and such.

00:22:38.830 --> 00:23:05.190
A lot of the solar, they like to get local, so they go out and bid, you know, if it's one that I think that's going to have a project coming up to be permitted, I'll let them know, and they try to get their name out there, so they hire in our area, Rockford, Freeport area, because some of them, they're from out in California, being from installation companies, so that's great.

00:23:05.190 --> 00:23:08.210
Mr. Chairman, I thought of one more question.

00:23:08.430 --> 00:23:25.290
Chairman, somebody asked me if it would be possible to rent the old landfill, the grass, grassy hill, out to like a beef farmer or a milk farmer, have a cow's graze on it.

00:23:25.470 --> 00:23:28.710
I said, I thought it was the city of free.

00:23:28.930 --> 00:23:30.530
No, I wouldn't know anything about that.

00:23:30.530 --> 00:23:47.230
Yeah, I didn't know anything about it either. I'm not sure if you're in the wrong person, but I'll ask. Stay away from the solar panels. I'm out there right now. Yeah, but are they going all the way up on the hill too? I don't know. Okay. I think it's just the south side. Yeah. Okay. That'd be a good idea though.

00:23:47.230 --> 00:24:05.790
Well, the only problem I would have is that right now with the price of beef, people might mistake them for other animals and they'd hang them in their garage and turn them into steak. That's been happening out in the country, a couple of different places.

00:24:05.790 --> 00:24:06.410
Is that right?

00:24:06.590 --> 00:24:06.770
Yeah.

00:24:08.490 --> 00:24:16.210
I guess I don't buy enough beefy tea to even know what the prices are. I've heard that's getting a bit ridiculous.

00:24:17.230 --> 00:24:18.970
Yes, and no.

00:24:21.050 --> 00:24:21.650
Exactly.

00:24:22.170 --> 00:24:22.730
That's right.

00:24:22.730 --> 00:24:23.410
By ourselves.

00:24:24.470 --> 00:24:24.950
Always.

00:24:25.430 --> 00:24:25.590
Yeah.

00:24:26.150 --> 00:24:26.550
Right.

00:24:28.210 --> 00:24:29.030
Anyone else?

00:24:30.990 --> 00:24:33.190
I do not have anything to report from Soylent Runner.

00:24:33.350 --> 00:24:34.830
I don't go every month.

00:24:34.910 --> 00:24:42.410
I did not go there other than to say that Mr. Helms asked about trees last month, and I got a whole bunch of those trees, and they're doing really good.

00:24:42.410 --> 00:25:10.330
Other than that, I don't have anything, Dale, Recreation and Trails, Recreation and Trails, there's a pretty good sized bridge repair coming up that will close part of the trail up towards, well, further up towards Orangeville, they'll put some signs up recommending different alternative routes, and there's a grant that's going to pay most of that, and

00:25:10.330 --> 00:25:14.930
And Mr. Zimmer has the bike rentals started.

00:25:15.710 --> 00:25:29.930
If you go to the search of one out on Facebook, he's going to be in different locations, Teddy Crossing and then the one in Orangeville, I think, and the one I always go to.

00:25:29.990 --> 00:25:30.570
What's that called?

00:25:30.990 --> 00:25:32.610
The one just north of the hotel.

00:25:33.530 --> 00:25:33.990
West Block.

00:25:33.990 --> 00:25:34.950
West Block.

00:25:35.090 --> 00:25:36.130
I don't know why I can't remember that.

00:25:36.130 --> 00:25:49.970
and sometimes he's going to be there too with his van and bikes. None of the bikes go over 20 miles an hour, which is, I don't know if it's a law or we decided that it's a trail, but we don't want anybody getting killed on a bicycle, you know.

00:25:50.610 --> 00:25:59.730
But I think it's about $25 an hour, depending on which model you, I haven't tried it yet, but I'm planning on doing that soon. It'll be interesting. Other than that, that's all I got.

00:25:59.730 --> 00:26:02.150
Questions for Dan?

00:26:03.570 --> 00:26:04.210
All right.

00:26:04.970 --> 00:26:07.710
Blackhawk Hills, I have not heard anything from Blackhawk Hills.

00:26:08.490 --> 00:26:10.750
No, Georgia, if you could reach out to Dan tomorrow.

00:26:10.910 --> 00:26:12.730
We haven't heard from them in quite a while.

00:26:13.270 --> 00:26:14.810
We used to have a monthly meeting with them.

00:26:14.990 --> 00:26:16.090
We haven't.

00:26:16.250 --> 00:26:18.610
It might have been six or seven months.

00:26:18.930 --> 00:26:23.570
It's been a number of months because I think there might be one coming up in July.

00:26:24.090 --> 00:26:25.090
Is there an annual meeting?

00:26:25.650 --> 00:26:27.330
You did meet with him, little Beth.

00:26:28.030 --> 00:26:29.530
Yes, I would, yeah.

00:26:29.730 --> 00:26:34.410
Yeah, it'd be nice to get an update. We're contributing about $11,000 a year at Blackhawk Hills.

00:26:34.610 --> 00:26:35.050
I'm not sure.

00:26:35.370 --> 00:26:36.610
We don't have anybody on there?

00:26:37.490 --> 00:26:37.930
Sam, no.

00:26:39.470 --> 00:26:39.910
Okay.

00:26:41.470 --> 00:26:48.750
I'm not sure what we're getting for our investment at this point, so it'd be nice to have it. Reach out. Go, Sam.

00:26:53.670 --> 00:27:00.450
Okay. I don't have a report, but I do have some questions, and I'm not trying to pick on anybody.

00:27:01.050 --> 00:27:02.050
What are you looking at, man?

00:27:02.050 --> 00:27:04.050
And sometimes I like to do that.

00:27:06.750 --> 00:27:14.830
Well, what, as we look at all these issues that we keep getting here, and now we're going to get it, it's getting larger and larger.

00:27:16.130 --> 00:27:18.630
Is there anything that the county can do?

00:27:19.710 --> 00:27:20.750
Okay, the quarry?

00:27:21.170 --> 00:27:25.970
As far as, I mean, I know, like, okay, the fence was supposed to be built.

00:27:26.470 --> 00:27:27.710
It's starting to get built.

00:27:27.710 --> 00:27:28.950
We're glad to see that.

00:27:29.090 --> 00:27:29.930
I've been out there.

00:27:32.050 --> 00:27:54.130
He has a right to do those things that he wants to do. And I'm behind that 100%. And I also know that he's, we have questions about fence rules. There's a law about fences. And part of that fence, whether you built it or not, is still half of that fence is yours along the property line.

00:27:54.130 --> 00:28:02.670
If it's not holding up, you could be held responsible if you were keeping cattle out or something like that.

00:28:02.670 --> 00:28:08.690
A landowner can be, at least we can in the country, in real world things.

00:28:11.070 --> 00:28:18.970
I just would like to know if there's nothing we can do, then we need to say, this is how it is, this is what it is, and we're going to move on.

00:28:18.970 --> 00:28:45.530
I have over and over until I'm blue in the face. There's nothing we can do. I had to give him ample time to get the fence installed. I had to give him ample time for the trees. He has until August 2nd to get the trees and the fence done. Like I told Ms. Rivers this morning, on August 2nd at 4 p.m. when I'm off of work, I'll go out there and look. If it's not done, I'll go back out in the morning because technically he has until midnight. I'll go back out there in the morning.

00:28:45.530 --> 00:29:15.510
if August 3rd rolls around and they are not finished then we start the proceedings for the revocation of the special use the land issues of him pushing over a fence or putting dirt on her property or the brush that's not zoning that's that's a civil matter it's not I my neighbor dropped a tree on my lawn and left it lay there I couldn't call the zoning department and say hey my neighbor dropped a tree you need

00:29:15.510 --> 00:29:21.630
to do something about it. It's not a zoning issue. It's civil. So the issues that they're having with

00:29:21.630 --> 00:29:25.970
the brush here, the fence there, he's doing what he's supposed to.

00:29:27.590 --> 00:29:31.890
I hate saying my hands are tight, but my hands are tight. There's only so much we can do.

00:29:32.290 --> 00:29:38.270
And they think that I can do something about it. And if I say I can't do anything about it,

00:29:38.290 --> 00:29:42.870
oh, you're just giving him the red carpet. I don't know Zach anything. I don't know anybody,

00:29:42.870 --> 00:29:48.090
anything in this county. I'm impartial. I don't care who you are. The rules pertain to everyone.

00:29:48.590 --> 00:29:56.010
He's getting a fence permit. He's got a fence permit. He is planting the trees. And if he gets that done,

00:29:56.010 --> 00:29:58.320
and the trees. And if he gets that done by the second, then he's allowed to do what he's doing.

00:29:59.620 --> 00:30:07.360
He told me he has the EPA permits. I asked him if I can see him sometime when I go out there and he'll show

00:30:07.360 --> 00:30:13.840
them to me. I don't need to keep them in office because that's not something we have a requirement

00:30:13.840 --> 00:30:21.660
for. But. Well, I know that a lot of what goes on with this whole issue is if he said, she said,

00:30:21.660 --> 00:30:48.360
And personally, I'm getting tired of it, too. And I'm not saying that there's something that you need to do differently. I just, I want to know if there's nothing that we can do to stop the issue, and he's doing everything within his rights, they're actually probably doing more against him than he's doing them at this point when it comes to that quarry.

00:30:48.360 --> 00:31:06.320
Right. And whatever people want to complain about, he still has the right to do that. Right. Same thing comes with the solar facility that they complain about. That's that company's solar facility. If they don't want it to generate electricity, that's their problem.

00:31:06.320 --> 00:31:12.920
right and they cannot understand that you know I it's it's frustrating to me I was in the office by myself

00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:19.640
today Nicole was off Ms. Rivers came in I'm gracious to talk to anyone it was 45 minutes almost and the

00:31:19.640 --> 00:31:23.900
phone's ringing and ringing and ringing and I just reiterate the same thing every time we talk

00:31:23.900 --> 00:31:31.340
and it's it's inhibiting me to do my job with other things I don't know what else I can say

00:31:31.340 --> 00:31:47.520
without, you know, just saying, I'm done. I can't talk to you. Our door is closed. We're not, you know, I don't know what else. I honestly don't. If somebody has a good suggestion, but it just doesn't seem to get through anyone's heads that there's nothing we can do.

00:31:48.520 --> 00:32:00.420
You know, I talked to Zach. I said, I've been told you're hauling in landscape waste. He goes, I have not hauled in any landscape waste. I said, I'll take your word for it. I take her word for it. I said, but I just, I don't know.

00:32:00.420 --> 00:32:27.840
there's other people two miles down the road that are hauling in landscape waste and burning it as well I said that's not here nor there we're focused on the quarry and that's it but there's nothing I can do I think one of the things we need to do is change our language oh definitely you know it's it's we need to there's nothing we can do is it's to the point now where we've done what we were supposed to do and we're going to go from there so right I've told them it's civil

00:32:27.840 --> 00:32:38.560
They have contracted with an attorney, a homeowner's out there, so they are contemplating legal action against, what's his name?

00:32:39.060 --> 00:32:41.640
Jack Jogerst, I was told this morning they didn't.

00:32:41.740 --> 00:32:42.960
But that's not us.

00:32:43.600 --> 00:32:49.620
Well, regardless, if they did name us in the suit, the only thing we have control over is the special use permit.

00:32:50.080 --> 00:32:52.940
They want it shut down. That's not us.

00:32:52.940 --> 00:33:17.940
Right. I just want to make sure that as a group here, we're all on that page. And Beth put up with a lot and been accused of a lot of things that that's not what should be happening. Somehow we're going to have to somehow, then it needs to go there. And we just say, you guys have hired an attorney. You talk to the attorney.

00:33:17.940 --> 00:33:24.080
That's right. And let it go and we're not going to talk about it.

00:33:24.080 --> 00:33:31.060
That's honestly what I'm hopeful. I told Ms. Rivers this morning, I said this, you know, contact an attorney. I don't have that kind of money. I can't afford an attorney.

00:33:34.380 --> 00:33:43.900
So I just want you to know, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything. I don't want you to think that I just would like to see this over with.

00:33:43.900 --> 00:33:47.240
We all would. Definitely. Yes. And Georgia.

00:33:47.240 --> 00:33:52.240
Okay. Do we have a facilities maintenance report? I didn't see anything.

00:33:52.880 --> 00:34:13.380
I did talk to Wally. He has wiped this bill the end of last week, but I know the trees have been the one that was getting taken out. They've been removed down to the stump. The stumps he does not plan to have removed until after the event because of the amount of mulch that will have to get hauled out.

00:34:13.380 --> 00:34:18.000
Okay. And have we communicated that to Pearl City?

00:34:18.180 --> 00:34:23.680
I will follow up on that. I know he was going, he had been talking with them, so, but I'll follow up.

00:34:23.680 --> 00:34:29.620
Well, they had talked to, I know we don't really want to see that, but they would have helped, too, if they could get some of it going, right?

00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:32.300
If they're just obsessive.

00:34:33.020 --> 00:34:42.560
I think he was worried that the amount of dirt that would have to be hauled, there's the mulch hauled out, and the amount of dirt hauled in, and then it would get packed down, and I think he thought it was safer to leave the...

00:34:42.560 --> 00:34:45.340
and better looking at this point.

00:34:46.340 --> 00:34:46.920
Okay.

00:34:49.620 --> 00:34:56.980
We've had a little conversation already on 7.8, the Illinois Department of Appliance Security report for April 26th.

00:34:57.220 --> 00:34:58.540
Anything additional?

00:35:00.060 --> 00:35:01.100
Oh, that's good information.

00:35:01.100 --> 00:35:03.300
All right.

00:35:04.100 --> 00:35:12.160
With that, we'll move on to new business with the approval of the zoning department's application for the

00:35:12.160 --> 00:35:21.820
Resilience Grant. Yes, you received in your packet a brief synopsis of what it would be about. I know it

00:35:21.820 --> 00:35:30.700
states to fund and develop and fund to develop and adopt building code. We can't right now adopt a

00:35:30.700 --> 00:35:37.840
building code. We do not have the funds nor the employees to do that. So I spoke with Dan Payette

00:35:37.840 --> 00:36:07.680
and Abby and he stated it would we could approve it as it would be a phased approach, stronger enforcement effort in higher risk areas and gradually expanding the enforcement over the years. Since we have in our code flood development in a flood hazard area, this is why we would be allowed to apply for this grant. Since it's through FEMA, they want to see more enforcement through your code with the flooding issues.

00:36:07.680 --> 00:36:15.400
in the county and area wide. So that's that. And the match would come out of the trust fund and not any

00:36:15.400 --> 00:36:22.660
county funds. $100,000? It would dwindle me down, but that's the only way I can get my code written.

00:36:23.340 --> 00:36:30.840
We reached out like three years ago. We signed with Hinshaw and Culbertson for $20,000 and I've not seen

00:36:30.840 --> 00:36:35.060
anything. Anytime I talk to them, it's like, well, we need to sit down and we need to have a conversation

00:36:35.060 --> 00:36:37.320
on which sections you want changed.

00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:38.780
We need the whole thing.

00:36:39.380 --> 00:36:42.180
Just the whole rehab to the whole zoning code.

00:36:42.720 --> 00:36:46.860
So this would do the entire zoning code for us.

00:36:48.240 --> 00:36:54.630
But if I be, I don't know, do we need a motion in the second first before we discuss this?

00:36:56.270 --> 00:36:57.710
No, I don't have the agenda.

00:36:57.870 --> 00:36:59.750
Oh, and it's an action item anyway.

00:37:01.690 --> 00:37:02.210
Yeah, it is.

00:37:02.210 --> 00:37:02.990
It's approval.

00:37:03.730 --> 00:37:04.530
Yeah, approval.

00:37:04.530 --> 00:37:09.270
So it has to be turned into FEMA by the 26th of this month.

00:37:09.390 --> 00:37:13.010
Technically, you should have a motion to second put on the floor and discuss.

00:37:15.300 --> 00:37:16.200
We have a motion to approve.

00:37:16.540 --> 00:37:19.640
We have a motion to approve the application process.

00:37:19.760 --> 00:37:20.240
Is there a second?

00:37:24.550 --> 00:37:26.470
I'll second it just for the discussion.

00:37:27.690 --> 00:37:30.190
That's what I will send to for discussion.

00:37:30.190 --> 00:37:57.650
So I'll start with the first thing that stood out to me that concerns me is that this seems to me like all of a sudden now we're going to hire another consultant and when does that consultant go away in order to make this happen because in the application it says right in there that we have to hire an approved consultant

00:37:57.650 --> 00:38:26.290
Correct. Right. Is that just for this grant process or is that once we're done they're consulting us on what's completed? On the code they will be the consultation people for individuals for the revising of the code and then that's that once the code's revised that is it. I just want to make sure that because we we do these things and then we hire somebody and now we're responsible for another person.

00:38:26.290 --> 00:38:53.830
Right. No, no, no. It's just to rewrite the code. Okay. Yeah. And we can do all of that stuff by July 26th? No, this would be for the grant, to write the grant. Black Hawk Hills would be writing the grant for us. But that all has to be done by the 26th? Yes, the grant application has to be done by the 26th. But there's a whole lot of things that have to be gathered by that. They'll work on it. They're working on it now.

00:38:53.830 --> 00:39:08.580
I told them I had to present to this committee before and finance the county board for final approval before we could even, and they understood that if we didn't get approval, then their work was for nothing, but they understand it.

00:39:10.060 --> 00:39:11.580
Anybody else want to make a comment?

00:39:11.580 --> 00:39:28.660
Thank you, Chair. My concern is how much control do we lose over our own ordinances by hiring somebody to start writing code for us? I mean, do we have to follow there?

00:39:30.040 --> 00:39:39.360
There can be revisions throughout the process. So once the code is in its entirety, it has to sit for a number of days and it has to go to public hearing as well.

00:39:39.360 --> 00:39:53.960
So it has to be visible to anybody in the county. They can look at it. They can come to the public hearing and suggest, well, this is this, this is that. The county board can make suggestions as well. That's how it would be if Henshaw were ready.

00:39:53.960 --> 00:40:00.480
would be if Hinshaw were writing it for us. To me, code revision has gotten a lot harder throughout the

00:40:00.480 --> 00:40:08.200
years that I've been here because when I started, it was less is better. And you can see that in some of

00:40:08.200 --> 00:40:16.240
our codes. It doesn't define things and things like that. And so with the newer codes, as you see that we

00:40:16.240 --> 00:40:22.600
present every now and then. They're more lengthy. Before, they were half a page, quarter of a page.

00:40:23.060 --> 00:40:29.380
So now we need to get into the nitty-gritty so we have definitions. We can, you know, there's no gray area.

00:40:31.480 --> 00:40:46.420
You know, just a small rural, you know, county, and you start getting a whole bunch of rules and regulations that don't necessarily, you know, relate with the farmers or, you know, small businesses.

00:40:46.420 --> 00:40:54.100
is that that's my concern is how much control do we actually lose over what we want to control and not control.

00:40:56.620 --> 00:41:02.380
If I may, this is through FEMA.

00:41:02.720 --> 00:41:03.040
Correct.

00:41:03.320 --> 00:41:10.300
So am I wrong in assuming that it's primarily geared towards flood prone areas?

00:41:11.120 --> 00:41:13.240
Is that what you're saying about the phone revision?

00:41:13.240 --> 00:41:27.080
No, they're allowing us to apply because we have the hazard mitigation plan for the county. And I have flood development, hazard development in our code. If we didn't have any of that in the county, we wouldn't even be allowed to apply for this grant.

00:41:29.560 --> 00:41:38.500
You've said repeatedly, actually, that you want to revise the code and update to come. Can you give me a couple examples where the code has failed?

00:41:38.500 --> 00:41:53.540
Fences for one. That's one that we just did. Inoperable vehicles that we just did. That's why we revised that. We didn't have campgrounds in there. I think our campground code needs to be more strict.

00:41:55.700 --> 00:42:02.780
So if I may, what's wrong with updating them as we get to them? How is a consultant going to see all this?

00:42:02.780 --> 00:42:19.300
They read our entire code and then they reach out to us in the zoning office and discuss it with Nicole and I. I mean, there's words in there like haberdashery. There are so many definitions of things that we don't even use anymore today.

00:42:19.300 --> 00:42:25.460
I just think it's harder and harder, like I said, to revise the code.

00:42:25.460 --> 00:42:33.540
I reach out to Henshaw and they revise the codes for me more or less now if I can't get them done myself.

00:42:34.760 --> 00:42:37.580
Have we tried to reach out to UCCI about this?

00:42:39.980 --> 00:42:42.800
No, I had no idea that they would be able to.

00:42:42.800 --> 00:42:45.680
I had no idea you were doing this with Henshaw.

00:42:46.420 --> 00:42:47.860
Oh, yeah, that's been.

00:42:47.860 --> 00:42:54.820
I guess my point is I think there's other options if we're doing it piecemeal and I'm sorry to cut you off

00:42:54.820 --> 00:43:05.100
is this can I finish or not since I've already kicked the door open yes is this something Dan

00:43:05.100 --> 00:43:11.460
reached out to you about or did you reach out to him about this and he started telling you what he was

00:43:11.460 --> 00:43:39.320
for you. Similar, somewhat the same. We have a quarterly meeting down in Ogle County with Black Hawk Hills, with Ogle County, Whiteside County, Lee County, Boone County, Carroll County, Joe Davies County, sometimes Winnebago. And Lee County had used this grant a few years ago to revise their code. So we were discussing and I said, that'd be something great. You know, we could use something like that.

00:43:39.320 --> 00:43:44.440
So he reached out to me about this not too long ago

00:43:44.440 --> 00:43:54.060
So I guess, and this goes back to the fact that there hasn't been a county board chairman meeting with Blackhawk Hills in a number of months

00:43:54.060 --> 00:43:55.940
This is something he should have brought to me

00:43:55.940 --> 00:43:59.540
This could be something he's budgeted for

00:43:59.540 --> 00:44:02.260
That said, you do have funds available

00:44:02.260 --> 00:44:09.040
You're probably the only department in the county that collects excess revenue in that regard

00:44:09.040 --> 00:44:20.240
But I agree, I think there's other avenues that we could possibly look at before we would go down this road, that's my opinion.

00:44:23.040 --> 00:44:32.560
Frankly, I'm not very happy that Dan didn't reach out to me and talk to me about this, not that he can't talk to you about it, but it's not the correct way to handle it.

00:44:32.560 --> 00:44:41.220
but I think UCCI could be a resource. There's lots of counties that have been updating codes.

00:44:42.140 --> 00:44:48.000
I'm not going to sit here and tell you that they're the answer necessarily. Maybe they're using consultants too

00:44:48.000 --> 00:44:55.960
but this is an 18-month project if I looked at it correctly and I'm not sure what the finished

00:44:55.960 --> 00:45:01.920
product is. They're a new reference. I'm not sure what we're going to do with it once we have it

00:45:01.920 --> 00:45:07.380
enforcement's an issue, just like you had said, I believe, as far as we have the manpower to...

00:45:07.380 --> 00:45:12.320
That's if we adopt building code. And there's no way we can adopt building code.

00:45:13.760 --> 00:45:30.560
I agree with you 100%. It needs to be done in some way, shape, or form. But this is something he should have been talking to us about once ago. If this is something that we're under a deadline already for them to get... When is the deadline to apply?

00:45:30.560 --> 00:45:31.560
26.

00:45:31.560 --> 00:45:39.160
Yeah, I'm sure they've known about this for at least a month or two, haven't they? Probably longer.

00:45:39.160 --> 00:45:41.160
That I do not know.

00:45:41.160 --> 00:45:46.160
At least how we started to utilize it, so I'll be quiet now.

00:45:46.160 --> 00:45:57.160
See if we had, kind of follow what you, you know, could we have another source and we could do it one at a time instead of redoing them?

00:45:57.160 --> 00:46:03.120
That's, you know, that would alleviate my concerns about losing control over the whole situation.

00:46:03.120 --> 00:46:08.560
So I think I would vote to not do this.

00:46:09.240 --> 00:46:09.860
I would vote yes.

00:46:14.660 --> 00:46:17.470
Anybody else?

00:46:17.890 --> 00:46:27.830
With that, I guess we have a motion and a second.

00:46:27.830 --> 00:46:54.960
and it asks then that all those that are in favor of the county zoning office applying for this building resilience grant signified by saying aye. All those opposed, please, same sign. Aye. That motion fails. So at this point, we will not do that.

00:46:54.960 --> 00:47:02.740
Gail had another item that he asked to have on the agenda or just to talk about her tonight.

00:47:02.960 --> 00:47:11.040
Yeah, well, yeah, just to get it on the agenda for next time, the funding of the Jane Adams Trail, the continued funding.

00:47:11.040 --> 00:47:14.540
We don't have a contract or an intergovernmental agreement anymore.

00:47:15.500 --> 00:47:24.200
And they're on the impression that we're just going to continue on as it has been.

00:47:24.200 --> 00:47:53.920
and when they raised it for $16,500 to $20,000 the other governmental agencies agreed to that we didn't because we didn't have an extra $5,000 they didn't think so so we need to revisit the intergovernmental agreement and we need to decide if we're going to continue to support the trail it's a very nice trail you know it's well maintained in my personal

00:47:53.920 --> 00:48:00.920
opinion. It's way underutilized. I don't believe any of the numbers that they get from the usage.

00:48:01.560 --> 00:48:06.520
There's trail cameras out there. You've probably seen the numbers. A thousand people a month on that trail.

00:48:07.340 --> 00:48:14.340
I think it's something like a 12,000, 13,000 annual. Yeah, I mean, you can look that information up.

00:48:14.340 --> 00:48:20.260
They have better cameras now. They're more sophisticated. These things would read anything

00:48:20.260 --> 00:48:25.100
in my thigh, you know, whether you went like this, you know, count 100 or whatever people should

00:48:25.100 --> 00:48:26.180
go on the Saturdays.

00:48:26.600 --> 00:48:28.060
No, I'm actually not.

00:48:29.060 --> 00:48:35.300
So anyway, you know, that's a big concern of mine is that you, Scott, do you walk on the

00:48:35.300 --> 00:48:35.460
trail?

00:48:35.660 --> 00:48:35.900
I do.

00:48:36.440 --> 00:48:37.200
Do you run into?

00:48:38.860 --> 00:48:39.260
Occasionally.

00:48:39.860 --> 00:48:40.880
100 or just two?

00:48:42.920 --> 00:48:44.660
It depends on the day during the week.

00:48:44.740 --> 00:48:46.640
I'll be lucky if I see two or three people.

00:48:46.800 --> 00:48:49.840
If it's on the weekend, I might see five, six.

00:48:50.260 --> 00:48:52.180
They say more in the wintertime than I do in the summer.

00:48:53.320 --> 00:49:07.760
I mean, that's how, when I was running out there a lot, a lot of times I'd run, you know, 10 miles and seven miles and not see anybody, maybe two people, usually a biker more than a bar or a bar.

00:49:08.660 --> 00:49:14.400
I believe that in your governmental agreement, if I saw that correctly, you get hired at 23, something like that, yeah.

00:49:14.400 --> 00:49:34.920
Yeah, but, you know, it is a great trail, but years ago when I was on the county board, I took a poll at one of the county board meetings and asked how many members had ever been on the trail. I don't remember anybody raising their hand. Must have been before you started walking. I don't know.

00:49:34.920 --> 00:49:36.620
Well, I've been on that trail for a long time.

00:49:36.840 --> 00:49:37.820
I'm getting on your service.

00:49:38.020 --> 00:49:38.260
I don't know.

00:49:38.260 --> 00:49:40.200
But maybe you were the only one that raised your hand.

00:49:40.420 --> 00:49:44.940
But anyway, that's but those are the things we need to discuss.

00:49:45.160 --> 00:49:47.300
Do we want to continue to fund?

00:49:47.380 --> 00:49:51.520
How much funding do we want to just because the city wants to give them $20,000?

00:49:51.520 --> 00:49:58.260
the city wants to give them $20,000. I don't know why that makes us $120,000. And we can put

00:49:58.260 --> 00:50:03.980
it on that, and I appreciate that, so that it gets on the agenda. And Steve Elbeck can't

00:50:03.980 --> 00:50:09.480
make it next month, but he will be here the following month if we put that on. I guess

00:50:09.480 --> 00:50:15.320
now we don't really need words on the agenda, but he'll come out and try and promote the

00:50:15.320 --> 00:50:17.060
trail and talk about the finances.

00:50:19.140 --> 00:50:24.460
Is he sending you any financial information that you should be getting some?

00:50:24.540 --> 00:50:30.020
I asked that at the last meeting that they would send it to you and then you pass it on to us.

00:50:30.380 --> 00:50:32.060
I'll watch it, bud.

00:50:32.320 --> 00:50:32.600
Okay.

00:50:34.740 --> 00:50:35.220
Okay.

00:50:37.280 --> 00:50:38.700
Anything else for the cause?

00:50:41.180 --> 00:50:47.040
Mr. Chairman, if I guess real quick, I became aware of the condition of the,

00:50:47.040 --> 00:51:16.300
I'm just going to call it what it says on the plaque the poor farm cemetery out by Menards it's in really poor shape so I've asked Wally to look into I don't even know what the word would be rehabbing it I guess for lack of fun storing it yeah it's it's in bad shape there are tombstones that are missing there's tombstones broken several of them are leaning falling over I found one

00:51:16.300 --> 00:51:22.420
perched up against a tree that is probably 50 feet away from the cemetery itself.

00:51:23.160 --> 00:51:27.380
I didn't even, I didn't know we maintained that.

00:51:27.820 --> 00:51:28.340
How many of us?

00:51:29.260 --> 00:51:29.540
Yeah.

00:51:30.200 --> 00:51:37.260
The disturbing part to me is there's a nice monument out there and the last sentence of it says,

00:51:37.260 --> 00:51:38.720
you will not be forgotten.

00:51:40.060 --> 00:51:42.240
And we have not done a good job remembering.

00:51:43.040 --> 00:51:45.700
So I've asked Wally to look into it.

00:51:45.700 --> 00:52:15.420
we do have to have a permit to do anything out there and I think it's through the DNR. Does that sound right, ladies? Public health. Not public health. I think it was DNR. Was it DNR? Do you think so? Can we mow it? Yes, Wally mow it. Or you can because headstones are laying down and leaning. I could pull them out of the ground if I wanted to. The problem with a lot of those headstones though is that they're very, very old.

00:52:15.700 --> 00:52:20.500
and I don't think you can just replace them. You have to replace them with light material.

00:52:21.020 --> 00:52:26.580
I don't know if we know who's buried in all of those plots. Some of the headstones are still legible.

00:52:27.080 --> 00:52:29.920
Some are just completely smooth. They're just worn off.

00:52:31.380 --> 00:52:36.620
But we have a responsibility, I feel, to do better than what we've done with that.

00:52:36.620 --> 00:53:04.500
So, hopefully looking into some grants, trying to get the headstones restored, repaired, straightened, while they did all the straightening of the headstones out of the Kent Monument, did a great job, but this is four or five times the number of sites that were out of the Kent Monument, so I don't know that we can expect him to do something like that, plus keep up with his other duties, but

00:53:04.500 --> 00:53:16.500
But it's possible I may be coming back and asking for dollars in the 2027 budget for getting it back to where it needs to be and making sure we maintain it.

00:53:17.360 --> 00:53:18.980
I've never walked that cemetery.

00:53:19.660 --> 00:53:27.140
I don't know if you'll have the same reaction I did, but it made me almost physically sick to look at it.

00:53:27.140 --> 00:53:28.180
Yeah, that's not good.

00:53:28.180 --> 00:53:36.160
It's, we have definitely derelict in our duties when it comes to that cemetery.

00:53:36.540 --> 00:53:47.780
And you're up to the city cemetery a lot, and it's, it's kind of, some of the areas are, you know, kind of the same, like, what they have for money, there's, can't be cheap to get that stuff we have.

00:53:48.020 --> 00:53:49.440
Is that the only cemetery we have?

00:53:50.180 --> 00:53:51.300
It's the only one I'm aware of.

00:53:51.720 --> 00:53:52.860
That was a tough question.

00:53:53.080 --> 00:53:54.780
Yeah, it's the only one I'm aware of.

00:53:54.780 --> 00:54:09.940
The last person that was buried out there, I think, was in the 50s, but it goes back to the late 1800s, so I've determined that we're going to make it right.

00:54:10.460 --> 00:54:12.960
Good, good, thank you.

00:54:13.480 --> 00:54:13.940
Thank you.

00:54:14.840 --> 00:54:23.060
Question, is there a way we can schedule a board work day to straighten and do what Lawley did?

00:54:23.060 --> 00:54:43.460
You have to have a permit. We have to have a permit. There's requirements of how you manage a cemetery. So it's possible. I don't know what a permit looks like. I don't know what the requirements are. I don't think I want to try and move a 150-year-old by an artist.

00:54:43.460 --> 00:54:49.240
The straightening will probably be the easiest of all of them.

00:54:49.320 --> 00:54:52.840
I mean, you can literally pull them out of the ground now, the ones that are bleeding.

00:54:54.560 --> 00:54:59.320
It's a matter of getting dirt, shovel, and filling a hole in and creating a new one.

00:55:01.060 --> 00:55:04.280
I don't know how to do it. I guess I could Google it and find out.

00:55:05.100 --> 00:55:07.820
Sounds like an awesome Eagle Scout project, right?

00:55:07.820 --> 00:55:08.460
It really does.

00:55:09.540 --> 00:55:11.240
I guess Wallach can show us a piece.

00:55:11.240 --> 00:55:13.660
I just want to make sure we're doing it the right way

00:55:13.660 --> 00:55:15.100
and that's a small site

00:55:15.100 --> 00:55:17.020
but there's missing headstones

00:55:17.020 --> 00:55:20.720
I don't know what we do about that

00:55:20.720 --> 00:55:21.820
and there's one

00:55:21.820 --> 00:55:24.760
yeah, there's one that's broken off

00:55:24.760 --> 00:55:26.580
maybe three inches above the ground

00:55:26.580 --> 00:55:28.880
and that other piece is not there

00:55:28.880 --> 00:55:30.960
there's one headstone

00:55:30.960 --> 00:55:32.840
that they literally have to lift up

00:55:32.840 --> 00:55:33.780
mull over

00:55:33.780 --> 00:55:35.380
and then they just lay it back down

00:55:35.380 --> 00:55:38.000
I mean, we can't do that

00:55:38.000 --> 00:55:40.940
you know, it's

00:55:40.940 --> 00:56:10.020
that's disturbing so but we're going to make it right good okay motion to adjourn second okay we're going to do the second thank you Clayton for coming on board here that's it you're welcome don't be afraid it is or ask questions

00:56:10.020 --> 00:56:14.780
for getting a lot of legal issues, writer, Michael, yeah, I know, I know that, yeah, that's

00:56:14.780 --> 00:56:15.780
That's the one right on the corner.

00:56:15.780 --> 00:56:16.780
All right.

00:56:16.780 --> 00:56:17.780
Bye.

00:56:17.780 --> 00:56:18.780
Bye.

00:56:18.780 --> 00:56:19.780
Bye.

00:56:19.780 --> 00:56:20.780
Bye.

00:56:20.780 --> 00:56:21.780
Bye.

00:56:21.780 --> 00:56:22.780
Bye.

00:56:22.780 --> 00:56:23.780
Bye.

00:56:23.780 --> 00:56:24.780
Bye.

00:56:24.780 --> 00:56:25.780
Bye.

00:56:25.780 --> 00:56:26.780
Bye.

00:56:26.780 --> 00:56:27.780
Bye.

00:56:27.780 --> 00:56:29.780
Bye.

