Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007 Veterans Memorial Park Minutes f 1 VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK COMMITTEE Wednesday, December 19, 2007 MINUTES A. Call to Order. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was called to order by Mr. Cook at 5:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Centre. B. Roll Call. Members Present: Jack Cook, Gene Banke, Art Richoz, Gordon Schnulle, Jerry Deering, Tom Sandor, Tom Schmidt, and Denise Raleigh. Ex-Officio Members Present: Mike Millikan and Cherie Murphy. Members Absent: Wally Wetzel, Rich Dunne, John Walters. Others Present: Elinor Richoz and Bill Dreher. C. Approval of Minutes. A motion to approve the October 17, 2007, minutes of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was made by Mr. Richoz and seconded by Mr. Banke. The motion was unanimously passed. After the vote, Ms. Raleigh did ask that, in Paragraph D, Library member Carole Medal's position should be changed from Board Member to Executive Director. D. Status of Veteran's Memorial Park Mr. Cook asked if there had been any progress since the last meeting and wondered if either Mr. Deering or Mr. Millikan could offer a status report to the Committee. Mr. Deering responded that there were exciting developments including an agreement with the Library to transfer the land for the park to the City. The City will meet with Library officials and develop the "next generation"plan which should be available by the next Committee meeting on January 16. Once the new concept plan is agreed upon, it will go to design build with Hitchcock Design Group. Hitchcock will also be contacting Christopher Cundiff for his input. In addition, the Public Works Department has been asked to offer its technical and management skills to facilitate completion of the park by November 11, 2008. Mr. Cook opened the floor for discussion and/or questions. Mr. Sandor asked Mr. Deering if Hitchcock is aware that the Committee would like to stay as close to its original design, not completely redesign the park, and Mr. Deering indicated that Hitchcock absolutely knows that and is exactly the direction they will be going. Mr. Cook indicated that the Committee,because it had been working on this plan for two years,was adamant about keeping the new design similar to the original design. , Mr. Cook indicated his apprehension regarding the Library's involvement and wanted to move ahead without those feelings but,rather,with feelings of confidence in one another. He also indicated that he wanted to be sure that there would be continued communication to the Committee about any changes. Mr. Deering told Mr. Cook that he would be the first to know when the new plan comes in and indicated that everyone knows that this Committee owns the design of the park and that the City will have complete control of the land. Mr. Sandor asked Mr. Deering if the City was still planning on adding an additional $250,000 to the current $500,000 already set aside for the park and Mr. Deering answered in the affirmative. Mr. Sandor asked how soon the Committee would get the numbers for the cost of the construction of the park and Mr. Deering responded that he wouldn't have an answer until after there was an agreement on the "next generation" concept plan and hoped that would be available sometime in late January. Mr. Cook indicated that, if necessary, the Committee could substitute its February meeting with a second meeting in the later part of January. Ms. Raleigh, Gail Borden Library Director of Marketing, told the Committee that the Library was pleased and excited about the Committee's plans and it was honored that the Veteran's Memorial Park would be constructed adjacent to the Library. She received a letter from JoAnn Armenta and presented it to, and read it aloud, to the Committee. The letter was a touching reminder of Ms. Armenta's father, a Veteran himself, and which included her check in the amount of$1,000 which she was donating to the Veteran's Memorial Park as a tribute to her father. Mr. Banke suggested that this letter should be printed in the Daily Herald or Courier News as an incentive to other Elginites to open their pockets and donate to the Veteran's Memorial Park Committee. Ms. Murphy indicated that she would see what she could do about that. E. Committee Reports. Large Contributions: There was no report on this matter. Plaques and Bricks: There was no report on this matter. Merchandising: There was no report on this matter. F. Other Business. Mr. Sandor indicated that he felt that fundraising should start no later than March. Mr. Cook presented and passed around photographs of large plaques which the Historical Society is planning on donating to the Committee for incorporation in the Veteran's Memorial Park. Mr. Banke indicated that one change should be made to the 2008 Committee meeting schedule, specifically adding the opening ceremonies for the park to be shown on or fik about November 11, 2008. , G. Adjournment. A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Cook and was seconded by Mr. Schnulle. The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was adjourned at 5:45 p.m.vR pectfully submitted, tOk# - f I I ' Sandra L. olba Recording Secretary Community Development Group Date Approved: / '/(c —03 r r Jo Ann Armenta 770 Pine Street, Elgin IL 60123 (847) 888-1844 • ArmentaJoAnn@juno.com November 11, 2007 Mr. Jack Cook Chairman, Elgin Veteran's Memorial Park Committee Elgin, Illinois Dear Jack: My father, Elijah Armenta,was a WWII veteran. He was a gunner in the infantry and served in the Philippines. My dad never talked much about the war, so when I was going through some of his papers after he died; I discovered that he received 2 Bronze Stars. I really didn't know what that meant, so I looked it up--I was amazed to learn that my dad was a hero. Like so many other men and women of that era,they just didn't talk about their I (144 feelings or ever feel sorry for themselves, they just did what they thought was right. I was reminded of that today at the groundbreaking ceremony and I was remembering my dad. As I looked around, I was sad to realize that like my dad, many of those old soldiers are gone now. It is so important to honor them now,while they are still alive and know how much we appreciate what they sacrificed in the service of our country. You probably know that I'm a retired police officer,which means I am not rich. But, I live comfortably on my small pension and my careful savings. Supporting this memorial is important to me, so I would like to make this donation in the sum of $1000.00 to the Elgin Veteran's Memorial Park, as a tribute to my father and to all of the veterans who have served our country. Please share my letter with your committee and tell them that I thank each and every one of them for their service. I'll be there a year from today to listen to your dedication speech. Sincerely, r . ,7p' VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK COMMITTEE Wednesday, October 17, 2007 MINUTES A. Call to Order. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was called to order by Mr. Cook at 5:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Centre. B. Roll Call. Members Present: Jack Cook, Gene Banke, Art Richoz, Gordon Schnulle, Jerry Deering, Wally Wetzel, Rich Dunne, John Walters, Carole Medal and Tom Sandor. Ex-Officio Members Present: Mike Millikan, Sue Olafson and Cherie Murphy. Members Absent: Tom Schmidt. Others Present: Elinor Richoz and Walter Porter. C. Approval of Minutes. A motion to approve the September 19, 2007, minutes of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was made by Mr. Dunne and seconded by Mr. Banke. The motion was unanimously passed. Mr. Cook welcomed Carole Medal as the new Library member and Mike Millikan, Sue Olafson and Cherie Murphy as the new ex officio members to the Committee and invited them to become acquainted with the other Committee members and to feel free to speak up at any time. D. Library Executive Director Carole Medal Presentation. Carole Medal presented a progress report on behalf of the library. The land transfer had not yet taken place. She indicated that the library was committed to the site but that it had run into a stumbling block since, originally, that land was designed as an environmental teaching garden around the library. The library has indicated its willingness to alter its plans but believes a professional would be needed to make those alterations. The library wants the gardens to fit in with the Memorial Park and, once done, the park will be a"truly wonderful place." Ms. Medal continued to say that the Memorial Park will go in before the gardens and that the gardens are funded by private funds and grants. Ms. Medal indicated that, even without the ground transfer being finalized, the library is in agreement to allow the groundbreaking to go ahead as scheduled on November 11, 2007. r. V • Ms. Medal indicated that the library was not fond of the designed entrance to the park right off of the parking lot and asked the Committee if that was exactly how they wanted it? She told the Committee that she believed that the park may actually need more land than originally planned in order to be successful and make a statement rather than just being thrown together. She also believed that the entrance to the park should be more formal. She indicated that she had not yet brought the Committee's design to the Library board meeting so they had not yet seen that plan. Ms. Medal added that the cost to revise the plan would be somewhere around $20,000. Mr. Cook responded that the Committee does not want to rush into anything and that the Committee would like to find a design which would compliment each other. He indicated that he wants to bring in our original designer of the park, Christopher Cundiff, to be involved in the redesign of the park. Mr. Sandor indicated his concern that the target date of November 11, 2008, for the completion of the park may not be met. He asked that the library expedite this matter quickly so that the City could start getting bid proposals by the first of the year so that construction on the park could begin in a timely manner. Ms. Medal believed that the library should be able to put something together in the next four to six weeks. Mr. Wetzel said that he believed that the entrance, as designed, balanced the whole scheme and layout of the park and that he believed the entrance issue could be worked out. Ms. Medal responded that she believed that the "glory of the park"needed to stand alone but, as designed with the entrance off of the parking lot, it would be nothing but a sea of cars in front of the "glory" of the memorial. Mr. Deering agreed that a designer was needed to integrate the Veterans Memorial Park plans with the Library plans. Mr. Cook asked Mr. Deering if Mr. Millikan was still considered the liason and Mr. Deering indicated that Mr. Millikan will lead the project to the finish line although Mr. Millikan indicated that no RFP has gone out yet. Mr Deering indicated that a RFP would not be done until the details were worked out with the library. Mr. Cook asked if there would be any volunteers to form a new sub-committee to expedite the plans of the Memorial Park. Mr. Cook volunteered to be on this sub- committee and asked Mr. Dunne, Mr. Sandor, Mr. Wetzel and Mr. Millikan to join him. They all agreed to be on the sub-committee. Mr. Cook indicated that the Committee will receive day-by-day, week-by-week updates and that all information gathered by this sub- committee will be disseminated at the next full Committee meeting. Mr. Cook indicated that the groundbreaking was only the beginning and that, in December, the Committee will move to accomplish the necessary items to finalize the plan. Mr. Cook reiterated that the success of the park is dependent upon the City and that the City is dependent upon the Committee. Mr. Wetzel told the Committee that he had an"empty feeling" since the Committee lost its first site. He wanted to be sure that this new site was "cast in stone"or whether it was in"limbo." Ms. Medal assured Mr. Wetzel and the Committee that the Library Board has great support of the park and that the only thing in limbo was the size and configuration of the park. Mr. Schnulle asked Ms. Medal if anything would be cast in stone by the groundbreaking date of November 11, 2007 but Ms. Medal indicated that the next Library Board meeting would not even be until after that date but that she would do her best to see that everything gets finalized. E. Information on Groundbreaking Ceremony on November 11, 2007: Sue Olafson indicated that the draft of the invitation to the groundbreaking was complete and showed a sample of it to the Committee. She asked the Committee for a list of people to invite to the ceremony and asked if the Committee had a distribution list of the name of all veterans. Mr. Schmidt indicated that he had such a list and would get it to Ms. Olafson. E. Committee Reports. Large Contributions: There was no report on this matter. Plaques and Bricks: There was no report on this matter. Merchandising: There was no report on this matter. F. Other Business. Mr. Dunne introduced Walt Porter as the Navy Club Member who would be dropping off his application to the City Clerk for his replacement of Bob Shirley on the Committee. Mr. Cook asked Ms. Kolba to be sure that Mr. Porter's name and address be added to the membership mailing list for future mailings. G. Adjournment. A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Richoz and was seconded by Mr. Banke. The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was adjourned at 6:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Oh^04 d' a1/6 Sandra L. Kolba Recording Secretary Community Development Group Date Approved: 47q 49-07 9-07 r VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK COMMITTEE September 19, 2007 MINUTES A. Call to Order. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was called to order by Mr. Cook at 5:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Centre. B. Roll Call. Members Present: Jack Cook, Gene Banke, Art Richoz, Tom Schmidt, Gordon Schnulle, Jerry Deering and Tom Sandor. Members Absent: Rich Dunne, Wally Wetzel, and John Walters. Others Present: Elinor Richoz, Corporation Counsel William Cogley, City Public Information Officer Sue Olafson and Marketing Officer Cherie Murphy. C. Approval of Minutes. A motion to approve the July 17, 2007, minutes of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was made by Mr. Banke and seconded by Mr. Schnulle. The motion was unanimously passed. D. Presentation by William Cogley, Corporation Counsel. Mr. Cook welcomed the guests and indicated that there would be a question and answer period after Mr. Cogley's presentation. At the outset of his presentation, Mr. Cogley reminded the Committee that, at the last meeting,he indicated the City would pursue the library property in an attempt to get the Veteran's Memorial Park back on track. Since that time, city staff had gone out to the site to take measurements of the property, extending from the edge of the parking lot on the east side to the bike path on the west side, and the measurements came in at 75' x 200', whereas the original park had an area of 100' x 100'. Mr. Cogley indicated that he believed the new site was a substantial area for the Veteran's Memorial Park. Mr. Cogley presented a drawing of a tentative design for the park at the new location. The park would have a flat landscape because the library preferred a flatter design of that site. He indicated that the same components of the original design would fit into the new area. Based on the drawing, the water element of the park would be on the west side of the bike path. The northern element of the park, where the monolith stood,would be for Veterans' services, including a spot for flags and walls encrypted with the various conflicts. The fountain would be situated in the center of the park. The southern end of , the park would be flat to allow for the use of events and would include electricity for elk speaker system and microphones. The library looked at the old design and tweaked it to include the area on the southern end to use for presentations, speakers, concert ensembles, etc., and which also could be used by the Veterans for similar functions. The park would be handicap accessible and only six parking spaces in the parking lot would be affected by the new location. Ann Street would be extended so that visitors could drive right into the parking lot and into a drop-off area. Parking would be available immediately at the entrance to the Veterans Memorial Park. Mr. Cogley met with library official Carol Medal and asked her to take this plan to the library Board. He felt that, if this site and plan is accepted,he could put together the necessary plans quickly. Following Mr. Cogley's presentation, the floor was opened for a question and answer period. Mr. Schnulle was concerned about, and didn't like the idea of, the bike path going right down the middle of the park. He wondered if it could, instead,be moved into the parking lot at the park location. Mr. Cogley responded that there were a couple of things that could be done about the bike path, including closing off the bike path or rerouting it through North Grove and Kimball during ceremonies. Mr. Richoz indicated that the bike path currently goes along North Grove Avenue and believed it should stay where it is. Mr. Cogley indicated that there have been several different plans regarding the location of the bike path along that area of the river, including a path under Kimball Street,but those plans fell through. Mr. Cook added that that plan was not feasible because of the cost involved in moving the utilities. The bike path issue will be addressed at a later date once the final plan is determined. Mr. Sandor indicated that he had looked at the plan and felt it was an excellent plan but had a couple of concerns with the layout. He was concerned about whether the plan should also include a meeting area on the south side of the park and if there could be electricity on both north and south sides? He felt that the plan should be flipped around with the monolith and the fountain possibly switched. Mr. Cook reminded the Committee that this was just a tentative plan and that the original architect of the plan, Mr. Cundiff,would make necessary changes to compliment the new park location. Mr. Cogley indicated that he would bring the Veteran's ideas to the library Board, including the idea of flipping the park around. Mr. Cook asked Mr. Cogley who would be making the presentation to the library Board and Mr. Cogley indicated that Ms. Medal would make that presentation, however he may be invited to the presentation. He would be sure to communicate all the Committee's concerns and information to Ms. Medal. He also indicated that it was his plan to give Ms. Medal a concept plan, not a final design plan. Mr. Banke also was concerned about the new semi-circular design of the water ramp. The original design was round and provided seating all around, and wondered if there would be enough seating with the semi-circular design? Mr. Sandor said that he preferred the semi-circular seating as it seemed that, in his opinion, it would seat more people. Mr. Cogley told the Committee that the square footage of the new water ramp area was much larger than the original plan. Mr. Schmidt reminded the Committee that the first meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was held at the location at issue and it was determined at that time that that location was too narrow. Mr. Cogley believed that what he had heard, for the most part,was that the design concept as laid out was good but that the actual design possibly should be altered. He reminded the Committee that his main purpose for coming to the meeting was to determine location and orientation. He also indicated that the City would contact Mr. Cundiff to redesign the park. A discussion continued among the members about the layout of the plan and whether the fountain and the monolith should be switched around. Mr. Cogley reminded the Committee that the monolith, as originally designed,had a background wall with the memorials and, if the monolith was put into the middle of the park, the park would become divided. As it was shown on the tentative plan, it would be in the background and everyone, including the people in the area on the far south of the park, would see the background of the monolith and it would be a great view throughout the park. Mr. Sandor agreed that Mr. Cogley's description of the position of the monolith made an excellent point and withdrew his comments about perhaps flipping the park around. Once this point was clarified among the Committee, all of the members, as well as the guests, were very pleased with the new design, commenting that it was an excellent plan. It was suggested by a guest that the members of the Committee vote on the location and tentative plan and get to work on finalizing the park. Ms. Murphy added that the library was excited about the plan because the theme of the park would help in teaching history to children. The Committee members agreed that it would be good for the younger generations to learn about what the Committee is trying to promote. Mr. Sandor made a motion to request city staff to move forward to acquire the property. Mr. Richoz seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion was passed unanimously. After the unanimous vote, Mr. Deering added that, in his opinion, this location and plan was better than the original as it related to the parking lot and to the river. Mr. Cook congratulated the Committee for taking the big step toward finalizing the development of the Veterans Memorial Park. Mr. Sandor thanked Mr. Cogley for all his efforts to bring the matter to this point and is looking forward to finalizing the project and Mr. Cogley responded by saying that it was his pleasure and that he was looking forward to the first event. C r E. Committee Reports. Large Contributions: There was no report on this matter. Plaques and Bricks: There was no report on this matter. Merchandising: Mr. Sandor asked when the polo shirts would be available and where they were currently being stored? Ms. Kolba reported that the polo shirts had arrived and that they were currently being stored in the city's Community Development Department. The sale of shirts will be discussed at future meetings. F. Other Business. • Mr. Cook told the Committee members that the next meeting on October 17, 2007, is essential. He suggested that the sub-committee chairs prepare any update information for the next meeting. • Mr. Deering indicated that he had processed the request to amend the composition of the membership to include the addition of one more at-large and three ex officio members and that the City Council will consider that request at the next eglik City Council meeting. • Mr. Cook indicated that the Committee's next meeting would be Wednesday, October 14, 2007. Groundbreaking ceremonies, strictly ceremonial, scheduled for Sunday,November 11, 2007, would serve in place of the November meeting, so the regularly scheduled meeting of November 21, 2007,would be cancelled. The next scheduled meeting would be held on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, and would be the Committee's kick-off for merchandising and other events. • Mr. Sandor wanted to say that the city staff did a great job in putting this together and wanted to add a special thanks to City Councilman Bob Gilliam for taking this project under his wings and acting as the Committee's"guardian angel." • Mr. Cook said that he would contact Mr. Dunne to see if there is any further information regarding the substitution of a Navy Club member to the Committee to replace Mr. Shirley. Mr. Schnulle indicated that he would also contact Wally Porter to see if he has a suggestion for a replacement. • Mr. Cook indicated that he would be having knee surgery and suggested that a chairperson pro temp be appointed as a back-up. Mr. Schnulle nominated Mr. Sandor. Mr. Schmidt seconded the motion. Mr. Sandor accepted the nomination and a vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously. G. Adjournment. A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Banke and was seconded by Mr. Schnulle. The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was adjourned at 6:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ) 7falli iandra L. Kol a Recording Secretary Community Development Group Date Approved: /0"- / 7-07 r r e"' VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK COMMITTEE July 17, 2007 MINUTES A. Call to Order. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was called to order by Mr. Cook at 5:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Centre. B. Roll Call. Members Present: Jack Cook, Gene Banke, Jerry Deering, Rich Dunne, Art Richoz, Gordon Schnuelle, Wally Wetzel, Tom Sandors and John Walters. Members Absent: Tom Schmidt and Bob Shirley. Others Present: Elinor Richoz, Assistant City Manager Sean Stegall, Corporation Counsel William Cogley, Nicole Brooks, Dennise Wynne Truelsen, Rose Martinez, Rich Moen, Don Sleenoph, Bob Balsamo, Ed Fedor, Wm. R. Dreher and Verla Lock. C. Approval of Minutes. A motion to approve the June 20, 2007, minutes of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was made by Mr. Banke and was seconded by Mr. Wetzel. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote. r D. Presentation by William Cogley, Corporation Counsel. Mr. Cook introduced and welcomed guest speaker Mr. Cogley. Mr. Cogley began by handing out a summary put together by the City for the Committee. After a few minutes to review the handout, Mr. Cogley indicated that there were two current issues—the site and the schedule. He indicated that a consulting company determined that the original chosen site of the Veteran's Memorial Park was contaminated by an oil facility once situated at that location and determined that the decontamination and cleanup of the site could be completed by late 2008, affecting the current timeline established by the Committee for completion of the park by Veteran's Day of 2008. Mr. Cogley said that the affected area was part of a planned development, including a park as a fixed component of the plan, with more details to eventually follow. The plan was to have the Veteran's Memorial Park at the end of either Cherry or Ann Street. The Veteran's Memorial Park was originally designed to have dimensions of 100' x 100', but it may be necessary to change the dimensions. He reassured the Committee and its guests that the City Council is and will continue to be committed to the original site for the park, but there would be a delay in the completion '"'' of the park. The Council, however, is open to the possibility of selecting a new site, but that would be up to the Committee. r Mr. Cogley indicated that the City has approached the Library regarding a piece of property, already environmentally safe to be built upon, located just south of the original site of the Veteran's Memorial Park, and indicated that this location could be an alternative site, although the dimensions of the site are different. He indicated that the Library Board may be agreeable to allowing the Committee to relocate the park to that site. He indicated that it might be a better site since parking would be immediately adjacent to the park. Mr. Cogley indicated that there have been some preliminary discussions about the site, perhaps leasing or purchasing the property from the Library. E. Question and Answer Session Following Mr. Cogley's Presentation. At the conclusion of Mr. Cogley's presentation the floor was open for questions. Mr. Wetzel commented that the Committee had spent years locating a site near the river and choosing the design and, since the City has said that the Committee is entitled to that property, it should consider waiting another year since it had waited this long already. Mr. Schnulle voiced his concern about what the Committee was supposed to do for another year while waiting for the site to be cleaned up and reiterated that some of the Committee members are not getting any younger and that they would like to see the Veteran's Memorial Park finished during their lifetimes but, with the need to wait for the site to be cleaned up, there could be no guarantee. Mr. Richoz agreed. Mr. Sandor was concerned that there was talk of moving the original site of the park from Ann Street to Cherry Street. He was also concerned about the need to change the size and modify of the design of the park. Mr. Cogley indicated that, due to the configurations of that area, the size of the park may have to change. Mr. Sandor also reiterated the Committee's desire that the park to have access to the river as designed since many of the Veterans' military ceremonies use water. Mr. Cook indicated that the Veteran's Memorial Park would not be limited to one or two functions per year but, rather,would have many functions at the park, on a year-round basis, and that the City Council needs to take that into consideration. He also indicated that, in his opinion, the important issues are parking, the timeline, and usage of the park. Mr. Deering said that there are alternative locations which should be discussed and that the Committee would have to decide whether they want to keep the original location and wait until the cleanup is done or, alternatively, choose a different location which may end up, in the long run, being a better location. Mr. Cook asked what the dimensions were of the proposed area by the library and Mr. Cogley indicated that he wasn't certain but thought that it looked to be about 70' x 150'. A comment was made about the bike path coming in between the park and the river but it was indicated that, no matter where the park would be situated along the river, the bike path would pass through it. r Mr. Walters added that the Library location would be a good alternative because of the amount of nearby parking. He also suggested that the Shedd site at the corner of State Street and Highland Avenue could be another alternative as it would be well seen and was environmentally clean. However, that location would have train tracks between the park and the river and parking across State Street which would not be easily accessible. Mr. Banke agreed that, due to those factors, the Shedd site would not a good alternative to the Library site, as long as the Library would give the Committee enough room to accommodate the Veteran's Memorial Park. Mr. Sandor agreed. Mr. Cogley said that, if the Committee was interested, he would discuss the matter further with the library as far as when and how they could make that location available. Mr. Cook indicated that the Committee would take a poll regarding whether to keep its original location or select a new location at the end of the meeting after further discussions. Mr. Walters indicated that the Veteran's Memorial Park, if located near the library,may possibly be allowed to encroach upon the parking lot area and Mr. Deering added that, if that was the case, the park could actually end up being bigger than what was planned at the original location. Mr. Sandor asked Mr. Cogley what the best case/worse case scenario timeline would be if the Committee decided to wait for the original location and what guarantee the City could make? Mr. Sandor was concerned that something else may come up to delay construction of the park. Mr. Cogley indicated that the most realistic scenario would be that the clean up would be finished by summer of 2008. Mr. Sandor also asked Mr. Cogley if the larger residential project planned for that area would have an impact on the Veteran's Memorial Park and Mr. Cogley answered that it probably would. A question was posed by a guest as to whether the Veteran's Memorial Park may be part of the larger riverfront development. Mr. Cogley indicated that park improvements were part of the plan, including an approximately 2000 sq. ft. building with restrooms, snacks, etc., at that park, but no location had been finalized. Another guest posed the question, if the park was to be erected at the library, would the construction stay on the current schedule? Mr. Deering indicated that it should be able to stay on the same schedule. Another guest asked if the park would be smaller and Mr. Deering indicated that that would still need to be worked out. Following the question and answer period, Mr. Cook thanked the guests for coming to the meeting and asked that they leave their names and addresses for the record. F. Committee's Discussion Regarding Site Location. The Committee members discussed the options set forth by Mr. Cogley. Mr. Sandor believed that the Committee had no choice but to pick an alternate location or expect a delay and was concerned about how long that delay might be. Mr. Walters believed that Mr. Cogley gave the Committee an adequate timeline but Mr. Sandor said that 18 months may be reasonable,but there was no guarantee. Mr. Walters reiterated that the City Council wants the Veteran's Memorial Park to be built by the river, sooner than later, with nearby parking for easy access for visitors to the park. Mr. Deering recommended that the Committee ask City staff to meet with the Library Board to see what they would be willing to offer and, once that information is known, the Committee could decide what to do. He also reminded the Committee that Mr. Cundiff indicated that he could change the design to adjust a new site if necessary. Mr. Deering then made a motion that the City continue to pursue information regarding the library site. Mr. Banke (and Mr. Richoz) seconded the motion. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote. G. Committee Reports. Large Contributions: There was no report on this matter. Mr. Schnulle, however, did comment that the Committee has already been working on the park for two years, has had several fundraisers, has made promises to the various Veterans' organizations that the park would be done by Veteran's Day, 2008, and, still, nothing has been finalized. He was concerned that people are going to second-guess the Committee and the project will be seen as going "down the drain." He worried that people may stop donating. Mr. Richoz added that people have asked him why should there be a Committee if the City is rag.' going to do all the work? Plaques and Bricks: There was no report on this matter. Merchandising: Mr. Dunne indicated that an order had been placed for the polo shirts and that they should be arriving shortly. H. Other Business. • Mr. Wetzel reminded the Committee that budget information should periodically be provided to the Committee and Mr. Deering responded that Ms. Kolba was working on getting the information together and that, by next meeting, it will be available. Due to concerns from the Committee that funding may drop off, Mr. Stegall was asked if the City could provide more funding and Mr. Stegall responded that he didn't have the final amount that the City has set aside for the Park, but believed the City had committed to $750,000. • Mr. Dunne indicated that Wally Porter, a member of the Navy Club, had indicated that that organization was in the process of appointing someone to become a member of our Committee in place of the departing Mr. Shirley. • Mr. Cook asked Mr. Walters if the City Council had looked into the request to have three ex officio members added to the Committee and what the status of that [ matter was. Mr. Walters said that he would look into that matter. • Mr. Cook indicated to the Committee that the next meeting would be held on Wednesday, August 15, 2008. Mr. Banke indicated that he hoped that the library issue will be finalized by next month's meeting. A question was asked if the meeting would be open to the public and Mr. Cook indicated that it would be. I. Adjournment. A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Banke and was seconded by Mr. Wetzel. The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was adjourned at 6:25 p.m. Respe fully submitted, ra . Koh a Recording Secretary Community Development Group Date Approved: 9- (9-O7 r -5-e-g4 /---76( Z 7'3/ - 1-71,0 • '77 C7/7 ,/ o 7' 7/7(A:./ ?.g/ 57 EfocKfi CouYL' r 1 cy Ce)y,v.vg Triretti' Lg 69'3 0 5//e_4:;1' H-15- fflphe-r73-- ,45 /7 606 3V5 • 1CW 4100V S9-57 g 421 7, I. >734L.imqz, (\ - /7 /' fLz : u-N3 L.c), ,q-/J 41,Z Vi 1-1 6 Ji Vli LC- --(2j2t764/ L (6. tist., �Kl { r e �-%" . -, Y t`?` roW w_ E: " ; ♦Y ' by a. i �,ty+F.iii ... . ... Ls......,_ ? . I. ri •.v+ 1 taloa i 1 iiii,oi.. .0 . i I 4l[I tet; F y I i.. .j:.� . i.,�, w v 1 1M WI r •--MMI p4.AwsMil.. i' • ; A i d 11111 p of 41 a 1., MEV i ` . a ; k. • . .. —«f" r y . t :er� . G.MTifJ �r ,0. r $ « a�X^T.. K '.i(...k,I. 'J'At C•,4-,M14.0.t...A-Y hrS"ub 0W-.r. _ r r 4 II, ,. .. .. , • .,..„,., i . ....... ...,....... • , .. ,.... ... . 1 ...Yf_ .. 5 SCS . ,,,..,4.1 1! . i i . �— p VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK COMMITTEE June 20, 2007 MINUTES A. Call to Order. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was called to order by Mr. Cook at 5:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Centre. B. Roll Call. Members Present: Jack Cook, Gene Banke, Jerry Deering, Rich Dunne, Art Richoz, Gordon Schnuelle, Wally Wetzel and John Walters. Members Absent: Tom Schmidt, Bob Shirley and Tom Sandor. Others Present: Elinor Richoz and Christopher Cundif£ C. Approval of Minutes. A motion to approve the May 16, 2007, minutes of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was made by Mr. Schnulle and was seconded by Mr. Dunne, with one exception-- the name Jack Micelli to be changed to Frank Micelli on page 3. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote. D. a. Welcoming of John Walters to Committee. Mr. Cook extended a welcome to the newest Committee member, Mr. Walters, and familiarized him with the Committee's goals. Mr. Cook indicated that the Committee needed all the help it could get from the professionals from the City. He indicated that the Committee was realistic in knowing that the City is busy, but that the construction of the park is very important to the members. Mr. Cook reiterated his thoughts on making Sue Olafson, Cherie Murphy and Mike Millikan ex officio, non-voting, members of the Committee so that they would have a feeling of being involved, of"ownership," and would be able to expedite matters. Mr. Walters responded that he would talk to the City Council about the Committee's budget. Mr. Walters believed that the current make-up the Committee was good, with a good City presence, but suggested that perhaps someone from the finance department should also be present at the meetings. Mr. Walters reiterated that the City Council definitely supports the Veterans Memorial Park. b. Appointments to the Committee. Mr. Deering asked Mr. Cook about the status of other appointments to the Committee and Mr. Cook indicated that applications were ti submitted and accepted from Tom Sandor as an at-large member and John Walters as the City Council member. Mr. Cook indicated that Mr. Shirley would be leaving the Committee due to his move to Florida and indicated that Jerry Turnquist expressed an interest in becoming a member the Committee although he is not a member of any military branch. Mr. Deering believed that, since Mr. Shirley was a member of the Navy Club, the first offer for his replacement should be made to the Navy Club and Mr. Dunne indicated that he would approach the Navy Club to see if anyone would like to take Mr. Shirley's place as a member of the Committee. Mr. Cook and Mr. Wetzel reiterated that Mr. Turnquist, with his expertise as a writer and a historian and a member of the Sons of the American Legion, would contribute a great deal to the Committee. Mr. Walters indicated that there were already two at-large members and suggested that the Committee should be careful adding a third at-large member because too many at-large members could dominate or create a voting block. Mr. Cook indicated that a voting block has never been a problem in the past. No further discussion was had on this matter. c. Update on RFP. Mr. Deering indicated that the RFP was 99.9% done and that a professional design company was looking at it and would be offering some input. Mr. Schnulle asked Mr. Deering if the location of the park is going to change. Mr. Deering acknowledged that the City is planning on redeveloping North Grove Avenue and that there may be alterations as far as the size and shape of the park is concerned but that the location should remain the same or within 100 feet of the current location. Mr. Wetzel was concerned that the park would lose its riverfront position or part of the architecture but Mr. Deering indicated that he had not heard anything as far as that is concerned. Mr. Cundiff asked if a design change may be needed and Mr. Deering indicated that that may become a possibility. Mr. Cundiff indicated that he could adjust the design accordingly. Mr. Cook reiterated his and the Committee's desire to keep the target dates in tact— Veterans Day, 2007, for the ground-breaking and Veterans Day, 2008, for the opening ceremony. Mr. Deering indicated that he hoped to have more information regarding the RFP by the next meeting. E. Committee Reports. Large Contributions: There was no report on this matter. Plaques and Bricks: A brief discussion was had regarding the plaques at the park. The idea of the plaques was originally meant the for large contributors' names to g acknowledged at the park, but it was agreed those plaques should not be a main element of the park and, perhaps, rather than even having plaques with their names at the park, the contributors' names could instead be shown on programs, event literature, etc., where the their names could be listed on the back as, "Sponsored by ....,"with their marketing logos. After a brief pros-and-cons debate on this matter, Mr. Cook suggested that this topic be held for further conversation and discussion at a later date. Merchandising: Mr. Dunne asked the Committee whether he should hold off on ordering any more polo shirts or if he should place an order and, if so, for how many and in which colors and sizes? Mr. Schnulle indicated that the shirt orders come by the gross and that colors and sizes have to be placed in quantities of 12. Mr. Deering believed that, if we need to purchase the pocketed polo shirts in a quantity of 12 dozen, the Committee should order four dozen each of red, white and blue, and suggested that Cherie Murphy, with her marketing expertise, would know what sizes to order. Mr. Dunne indicated that he would put in an order as soon as possible. The Committee discussed whether the order should be for one or two gross and perhaps sell one gross to organizations and the other gross to the public. Mr. Walters suggested that the Committee should order one gross now and order more as needed at a later date. Mr. Cook believed that the order should be two gross. Mr. Dunne believed that there needs to be accountability as far as who takes the shirts to sell and who will do the selling. A discussion was had as to how to sell the shirts. Mr. Dunne thought that the Committee should ask each Veteran's organization to purchase the shirts to sell and, if some cannot be sold,buy the shirts back. Mr. Deering suggested that the Committee give each organization samples of the shirts and then take orders. After a discussion, the consensus of the Committee was to do the latter. Following the discussion about the shirts, Mr. Dunne made a motion to purchase two gross of the polo shirts with the front pockets at $18 apiece. Mr. Schnulle seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously. Mr. Dunne asked if the Committee wanted to also sell hats. Mr. Banke believed that the hats were "too loud." Mr. Dunne indicated that he still had about 8 to 10 hats left from his original order to sell. F. Other Business. Mr. Cooke thanked Mr. Cundiff for coming to the meeting and asked him for any new imput. Mr. Cundiff said that he appreciated being part of the Committee. Mr. Cundiff had some questions about the Conflict Wall. He said that he had done some research and some of the dates were conflicting and he didn't want any errors on the wall and wondered if the Committee could verify the years of the wars. Mr. Deering indicated that Mr. Cundiff should contact Mike Alft, a local historian, who has indicated interest in the Veteran's Memorial Park and probably would love to speak to Mr. Cundiff about the history and help verify the dates. Mr. Cundiff appreciated the input and was definitely open for suggestions. As a final note, Mr. Cook added that it also would be nice if the Committee could get a budget report periodically, perhaps quarterly. Mr. Deering suggested that Ms. Kolba obtain a budget accounting and publish it monthly with the minutes. I. Adjournment. A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Banke and was seconded by Mr. Wetzel. The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was adjourned at 6:20 p.m. Resp tfully submitted, ):44e4 andra L. Kolba Recording Secretary Community Development Group Date Approved: 7-17-07 VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK COMMITTEE May 16, 2007 MINUTES • A. Call to Order. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was called to order by Mr. Cook at 5:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Centre. B. Roll Call. Members Present: Jack Cook, Gene Banke, Art Richoz, Gordon Schnuelle and Wally Wetzel. Members Absent: Jerry Deering, Rich Dunne, Tom Schmidt, and Bob Shirley. Others Present: Tom Sandor, Mike Millikan, and Elinor Richoz. C. Approval of Minutes. A motion to approve the April 18, 2007, minutes of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was made by Mr. Schnulle and was seconded by Mr. Banke. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote. . D. Update on RFP by Mike Millikan Mr. Millikan informed the Committee that, since the last meeting, he had basically finished the RFP and an outside agency was doing some final tweaking. He indicated that it should be ready by middle of the next week and that the groundbreaking target date would be on Veterans' Day. Mr. Millikan indicated that the Design and Bid Proposal would be sent out in early June and that the responses should be received back by the end of June, and that during the months of July and August, he would be sifting through the bids. He believed that the information should ready to be brought before the City Council by the second meeting in September and, based on this time-frame, the target groundbreaking date of Veterans Day, 2007, should be met. Mr. Millikan mentioned that the groundbreaking ceremony would basically be ceremonial because the major construction will actually start in the spring of 2008. He added that the bids for the other requirements will probably go out at the beginning of 2008. The consulting agency believed that the park should be completed and be ready for dedication by Veterans' Day of 2008. Mr. Cook thanked Mr. Millikan for his update and asked the Committee members if anyone had any questions. Mr. Wetzel asked Mr. Millikan if the contracting jobs would be awarded to local contractors and Mr. Millikan responded that he would not have the • answer to that question until the bids come in but that the job would be awarded to the lowest qualified bidder. Mr. Wetzel added that he believed that we should stay local even if the local bidder might come in 5%higher. Mr. Millikan finished by saying that Mr. Deering was unable to attend tonight's meeting because he had another commitment to attend to and that, on behalf of Mr. Deering, Mr. Millikan apologized for his absence. E. Committee Reports: Large Contributions: There was no report on this matter. Plaques and Bricks: Mr Cook passed out to the Committee members copies of a communiqué that he had received from John Niss, a Veteran himself, indicating his and some fellow Veterans' opposition to bricks being placed on the ground and, rather, their preference of wall plaques, to memorialize Veterans. Merchandising: Mr. Schnulle indicated that he was still looking into the book idea which would contain letters written by Randy Henk and would report on results as he obtains more information. • F. Other Business. Mr. Cook reiterated that the Committee, as it currently stands, needs the expertise of professionals to continue to move ahead on the construction of the park. He also indicated that the current composition of the Committee membership,based on the current ordinance, needs to be changed. Mr. Cook suggested that the following changes be made to the ordinance: • The addition of one at-large member to accommodate the retention of Tom Sandor as an at-large member since he could no longer represent the City Council; and • The addition of Mike Millikan, Sue Olafson and Cherie Murphy as ex officio members. It was Mr. Cook's opinion that the above mentioned changes were important for the following reasons: 1) since Mr. Sandor could no longer represent the City Council on the Committee and because he played a major role in getting this project started in the first place, it would be important to keep him on the Committee as an at-large member; and 2) that, by the addition of the three above-mentioned individuals as ex officio members, those members would enjoy the feeling of belonging and would have more incentive to do the job with more conviction to the Committee. ri �/► Mr. Wetzel agreed with the suggestion to keep Mr. Sandor on the Committee and made a motion to that effect. The motion was seconded by Mr. Banke and, after a vote of the Committee, the motion was passed unanimously. Mr. Wetzel inquired about the status of the Committee's sale of polo shirts. He stated that he was a member of several organizations with many members who have expressed interest in purchasing one of our shirts and he wondered if could get a commitment regarding how many shirts and the sizes would eventually be available to sell. Mr. Cook indicated that, as far as he knew, the shirt sale was moving along. Mr. Schnulle added that he had talked to Frank Micelli, the shirt embroiderer, and he was still waiting for an order from Mr. Dunne. Mr. Cook suggested that, since Mr. Wetzel is a member of the Merchandising sub-committee, he should contact Mr. Dunne to see if this issue could be finalized. Mr. Wetzel agreed that he would talk with Mr. Dunne and the other sub- committee members and, if necessary, would set up a special meeting to discuss the matter in the near future. A discussion ensued regarding how many shirts should be ordered at one time and the consensus was that no more than a gross, or 144 shirts, should be ordered at a time. As far as sizes were concerned, it was recommended by Mr. Sandor that the Committee should let the experts, i.e., Cherie Murphy, pick out the breakdown of sizes. Mr. Schnulle suggested that the Committee consider selling the shirts on July 4th near the parade and that, if the Committee agreed to that suggestion, he has a canopy tent that can be used for that purpose. Adjournment. A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Wetzel and was seconded by Mr. Richoz. The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was adjourned at 5:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, dritou, andra L. Kolba Recording Secretary Community Development Group Date Approved: 1p-aO - 07 O Ik R • Thank you Veteran Committee for all the time and effort you have put in to make Elgin Veterans finally have a memorial for their service for their country. One thing, I have a lot of fellow Veterans I have talked to who do not like the idea of our names on bricks. To have people, ducks, and other animals walk on and do their bowel habits on our names is a slap in the face. To see their name a lot of seniors would have to bend over or get down on their knees. Having all veteran's names on a wall under the branch of service, then everyone even with poor eye sight could see their name. Winter, with snow and ice, people from out of town could not see their loved ones' names on the bricks. Having served four years in the Navy during Korean War aboard a destroyer seeing a lot of action, I was proud to serve my country as were most of the Veterans who served. I and other veterans hope you use your good judgment and have a wall so everybody can see their loved one's names. Thank you again for all your work and time to make this possible. r Mr. John C. Niss 41 Lovell St. ! Of Elgin, IL 60120-2814 1 If 1 VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK COMMITTEE 111. April 18, 2007 MINUTES A. Call to Order. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was called to order by Mr. Cook at 5:33 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Centre. B. Roll Call. Members Present: Jack Cook, Gene Banke, Rich Dunne, Art Richoz, Gordon Schnuelle and Wally Wetzel. Members Absent: Jerry Deering, Tom Sandor, Tom Schmidt, Bob Shirley and Kim Toth. Others Present: Mike Millikan, Sue Olafson, Cherie Murphy, Elinor Richoz and Jerry Turnquist. C. Approval of Minutes. A motion was made by Mr. Banke to approve the February 21, 2007, minutes of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee and the motion was seconded /~" by Mr. Schnulle. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote. F. Veterans Calendar Update. There was no discussion regarding the status of the Veterans Memorial Calendar. D. Discussion of Public Information Campaign by Sue Olafson, AND E. Discussion of Market Campaign by Cherie Murphy. Ms. Olafson told the Committee that she and Ms. Murphy had come to the meeting to learn from the members exactly what the Committee's goal was and what the Committee expected from them. Mr. Cook suggested that each member indicate their individual expectations and goals. The consensus of the Committee members was that they wanted to construct a park which would: • memorialize Veterans from all branches of service, • represent the city architecturally, and • be used for various gatherings and celebrations, such as Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, etc. The Committee agreed that it needed construction management from the City. It was also agreed by the Committee members that the tentative target date to break ground this year should be either on Memorial Day or Veterans Day, and that 2008 should be the target finish date. A common concern among the members was that the age group of the i Veterans is getting older and they want to see the park constructed in an expeditious manner so they will see the fruits of their hard work as soon as possible. Ms. Olafson appreciated all of the members' input and indicated that she would like to start communicating the message to the community. Ms. Olafson asked the following questions of the Committee: • How does the Committee want the public involved? • Is the Committee selling something to raise funds? • Exactly what is the Committee's goal? Ms. Murphy also wondered if the Committee had a general idea, or even a ballpark figure, of the amount needed to complete the park, but indicated that the most important thing at this point would be to build desire and support. Mr. Dunne responded by saying that the Committee had chosen the design but needed a bid for the costs to build the park and indicated that the Committee had some money from the City but did not know what the gap was between what we have and what we need. He also indicated that he believed that the most important thing was to get a specific date for the RFP since it seemed to have stalled. Mr. Cook added that he would like the public to feel part of the process. Ms. Murphy said that she believed that the Committee needed to get people to talk about the park and that, at events such as during the celebration of Memorial Day, there should be a presence of the Committee to promote the park. Ms. Olafson indicated that there are a couple of components to integrated marketing communications: • The need for awareness and support. • The need to determine what else the Committee is trying to generate, such as financial support or emotional support. She suggested that Veterans Day be the target date for the groundbreaking and that, in the meantime, she would construct a timeline backwards from November 11 and indicated that her office would develop a plan which would be a component of the awareness and support. She indicated that she would need specific information, such as how often the Committee met, and Mr. Cook indicated that the Committee currently meets on a monthly basis but would be willing to meet on a daily, weekly or monthly basis as needed. The subject of advertising was mentioned and Ms. Olafson agreed that there would be some advertising but that it takes money to advertise. She indicated she would work on various communications tools such as newsletters, publications, the website, and would go before special groups. Mr. Turnquist indicated that he worked part-time at the Daily Herald and that, to help make the public aware of the Veterans Memorial Park, he would • write stories regarding the Veterans. ► Ms. Murphy indicated that, in order to create a buzz, it would be beneficial and logical to build partnerships with organizations such as the Historical Society which could possibly get stories from people who served in the military and,perhaps, as a fundraiser,put together a book with those stories. Mr. Cook indicated that the Committee was already making an attempt to build a partnership with the Library and that he would get more information to the Committee as he gets it. Mr. Millikan offered the Committee an update on the RFP and indicated that it was drafted but did not include a cost element. The revised version of the RFP would include the hiring of someone to shepherd the project from start to finish. Mr. Millikan said that he should have the RFP ready by mid-May. He indicated that Mr. Deering would decide the appropriate time frame regarding the RFP. Mr. Dunne asked Mr. Millikan if he thought that the ground could be broken by Memorial Day but Mr. Millikan responded that that, with the need for City Council approval, that would be too soon and that he thought a more realistic goal would be the Fourth of July. Ms. Olafson asked if a membership list of the Committee could be provided and Ms. Kolba indicated that she would get one to her. G. Committee Reports: Large Contributions: Mr. Schnulle presented to the Committee four draft versions of Certificates of Appreciation which he designed to be used to thank those individuals and/or organizations that have or will donate large contributions to the Veterans Memorial Park Committee. Ms. Kolba also had a sample of a Certificate of Appreciation which she had designed for the same purpose. The samples were passed around for the members to take a look at. No action was taken as to which design should be used in the future. Plaques and Bricks: There was no report on this matter. Merchandising: Mr. Wetzel indicated to Ms. Olafson and Ms. Murphy that the Committee had designed several different logos to use on various items to sell, such as shirts, hats,jackets, etc. He thought it would be a good idea to sell some of these items at a booth during Fourth of July events. Mr. Dunne mentioned that the Committee is not necessarily trying to raise funds but, rather, to get the image out as a form of advertising. Ms. Murphy suggested that the Committee should pick one logo and stick exclusively to that logo. Ms. Olafson added that one logo was the best practice for the identity factor. The Committee members entered into a discussion as to whether they could pick one logo and it was determined that the most commonly chosen logo was the eagle with spread wings. Mr. Wetzel made a motion to pick one logo, the eagle with spread wings, Mr. Banke seconded the motion, and a vote was taken and the motion was passed unanimously. I 1 P` It was agreed upon by the members that the logo with all of the military branches could still be used on the back of the special order jacket if anyone wanted to purchase one. H. Other Business. Mr. Schnulle indicated that he recently met with Randy Henk, known for writing letters, while on duty in Iraq, to the Courier News, in a column called"Letters to the Homefront." He asked Mr. Henk if he could have permission to use his letters and put them in book-form to sell, with a portion of the profits donated to the Veterans Memorial Park Committee. Although the Courier News has actual ownership of the letters, Mr. Schnulle has talked with Mike Bailey of the Courier News who indicated that it was okay with him to share the letters if it is okay with Mr. Henk. Mr. Schnulle thought that he could get the Courier News and Elgin State Bank to help with the publishing. Mr. Cook indicated that this would be a project-in-waiting and would eventually be turned over to the pros. However, he asked Mr. Schnulle to go ahead and proceed on looking into the idea. Mr. Cook asked the Committee members if there was any other new business to discuss and, since there was none mentioned, he thanked Ms. Oalfson, Ms. Murphy and Mr. Millikan for their presence at the meeting and invited them to come to the future meetings. He stated that the next meeting would be on Wednesday, May 16, 2007. I. Adjournment. The motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Wetzel and was seconded by Mr. Banke. The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting of the Veterans e. Memorial Park Committee was adjourned at 6:30 p.m. Re pectfully submitted, C Sandra L. Kolba Recording Secretary Community Development Group Date Approved: 'J—/to--" / VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK COMMITTEE February 21, 2007 MINUTES A. Call to Order. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was called to order by Mr. Cook at 5:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Centre. B. Roll Call. Members Present: Jack Cook, Gene Banke, Jerry Deering, Rich Dunne, Art Richoz, Tom Sandor, Tom Schmidt, and Gordon Schnuelle. Members Absent: Bob Shirley, Kim Toth and Wally Wetzel. Others Present: Elinor Richoz. C. Approval of Minutes. A motion was made by Mr. Banke to approve the January 17, 2007 minutes of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee and the motion was seconded by Mr. Sandor. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote. A small discussion ensued regarding comments in the minutes relating to whether only the citizens of Elgin could purchase bricks. The unanimous response of the Committee was no, that anyone could purchase the bricks. Mr. Deering reminded the Committee members that there would be a special section for Veterans only. Mr. Sandor agreed and added that contributions of any amount can be made by non-Veterans. Prior to the beginning of the regular scheduled agenda, Mr. Schnuelle made a motion that, as far as engraving on the bricks are concerned, the Veterans Memorial Park would strictly be for memorializing Veterans only. He suggested that civilians can make a donation or contribution and can be named on a plaque. The Committee entered into a discussion and it was agreed by the majority of the members that a"Veteran"is defined as being a person who has served in the armed forces in war and/or peace time. Mr. Richoz disagreed and said that he believed that other people who served in other capacities, such as nurses or civilians who signed contracts to serve during all years of war, regardless of their"citizen" status, should be allowed to be memorialized on the bricks. At the conclusion of the discussion, Mr. Banke seconded Mr. Schnuelle's motion that only Veterans should be memorialized on the bricks. A vote was taken and all, except for Mr. Richoz who voted against the motion, voted in favor and the motion was passed. /` t'' D. Veterans Calendar Update. Mr. Schnulle indicated that, to date, he has sold 158 calendars and has 41 calendars left to sell. Mr. Schnulle believed that it was now too late to continue to sell the calendars for$14.00 and that the calendars should, perhaps,be discounted to $8.00. Mr. Schnulle indicated that, if the Committee could sell the rest of the calendars at the price of$8.00, the eventual proceeds would cover the initial investment plus an additional $1,200 or$1,300 profit. Mr. Schnulle also indicated that he has $68.00 in donations which he has been using to make change when he sells the calendars but will eventually deposit those donations with the rest of the funds he has collected. Mr. Deering made a motion to reduce the price of the calendar from $14.00 to $8.00; the motion was seconded by Mr. Schnulle. A vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously. E. Discussion of Request for Proposal(RF), submitted for review to the Committee by Jerry Deering. Mr. Deering started the discussion by stating that, rather than discussing the RFP, he wanted to talk about a meeting he had with Mr. Cook and Mr. Sandor in which they discussed their concerns regarding the Committee's ability to smoothly bring the project to the"finish line." Mr. Deering stated that,when the City works on a project, there is generally an architect, a general project manager, and a builder included in the decision making process. However, our Committee does not include any of those professionals but, rather, it includes Veterans and lay persons who are trying to make the elk big decisions without the expertise or time necessary to finish this project in a timely manner. Mr. Deering suggested that the Committee could use City staff, those of whom have the time and expertise to work on the project. Mr. Deering suggested that he will ask one of his staff members, Community Development Program Manager Mike Milliken, to lead the project. He also suggested he would ask the City's Marketing Officer, Cherie Murphy, to be the promotional specialist and ask her to bring an outline of ideas to the next meeting, and he would also ask Sue Olafson, the City's Public Information Officer, if she could be responsible for public relations. Mr. Deering indicated that he would see if those individuals would be available to be present at the Committee's next meeting on March 21, 2007. Mr. Deering indicated that he felt that the Committee had done a good job but needs to be in an oversight mode and allow the professionals do the work. Mr. Cook indicated that the Committee would stay intact and that the professionals would bring information back to the Committee and this process would make the project move along in a more efficient manner. Mr. Banke asked Mr. Deering who would oversee the project and Mr. Deering indicated that the City would hire a design/building company which would shorten the process. Mr. Cook indicated that the original designer of the park would be part of the team. ' Mr. Deering indicated that the RFP would be changed to a Design Bid and the plans will be reviewed as they come in. A motion was made by Tom Sandor to direct Mr. Deering to work with the City regarding the plan. Mr. Banke seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion was passed unanimously. F. Discussion of Future Military Badges. Mr. Cook indicated that the gentleman who was going to speak about the Future Military Badges did not show up and he would invite him to come to a future meeting. G. Committee Reports: Large Contributions: Mr. Sandor indicated that, once the Committee receives the Design Bid, the Committee can start knocking on doors. In the meantime, the first of the large donations will hit shortly. There is a$15,000 anonymous donation from someone from the American Legion. Mr. Deering indicated that all donations are tax deductible. A letter of receipt of the donation should be drafted to be sent out to all donors. Mr. Deering asked Ms. Kolba to check with the Finance Department regarding an idea for that receipt. �.• Mr. Schnulle indicated that Paul Wiedner, President of the Retired Fireman's Association, wants to make a$200 donation. Mr. Schnulle indicated that he would like the Committee to figure out what Mr. Wiedner should get for the donation of that amount -- a brick? or a plaque? Mr. Schmidt also wondered what should be given for a donation. Mr. Deering suggested that the Committee let Cherie Murphy figure that out and make a proposal. Mr. Schmidt indicated that it was his belief that plaques given to donors should be placed only at the entryway of the park and not in the area of the park which should be dedicated only to Veterans. He believed that something should be given to donors who give $200 or more. Mr. Cook asked Mr. Deering if he had any idea how soon things can get moving and Mr. Deering indicated that, by next meeting, the Committee will have something to talk about. Mr. Richoz asked what would be given specific to each branch? Mr. Schmidt indicated that it would be specific to the amount of the donation. Mr. Schmidt also indicated that it was his belief that the cost of bricks should be $50 to Veterans to make it more affordable for them to purchase and it would get more Veterans to buy a brick. Plaques and Bricks: Mr. Deering indicated that Cherie Murphy will get information regarding the bricks and plaques. Mr. Dunne presented to the Committee a miniature brick, given to him from another community's Veterans committee, with that committee's logo engraved on it. The miniature brick had a cost of about $5.00 apiece, and was a given as a gift by that committee to the people who purchased the larger engraved bricks. All our members agreed that the miniature brick was a good idea and something to think about doing when the time comes to sell our bricks. Merchandising: Mr. Dunne brought in a box of polo shirts he had ordered from Frank Miceli, as well as wearing one. There were three colors available—navy, royal blue, and white—and the Veterans Committee's logo was embroidered on the front pocket. Mr. Dunne indicated that the initial cost of the shirts were just under$18.00 so, if the shirts were sold for$20.00, the Committee would see a profit of$2.00 per shirt or, if sold for $25.00, the profit would be $7.00 per shirt. Mr. Dunne offered the shirts for sale to the members at the meeting, for the agreed price of$20.00, and a shirt was purchased by Mr. Richoz, Mr. Schnulle, Mr. Cook, Mr. Schmidt, and Mr. Banke, who will show off the shirts to their respective organizations. It was the consensus of the Committee that the actual cost of the shirts would be determined at a later date. Mr. Deering suggested that the Committee should let Cherie Murphy do the fundraising work involving these shirts. Mr. Dunne indicated that custom jackets with emblems could be purchased on an"as- ordered"basis and the cost would be anywhere from $75.00 to $150.00 depending on the amount and type of embroidery involved on each jacket. V' H. Other Business. There was no other business to discuss. I. Adjournment. The motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Cook and was seconded by Mr. Sandor. The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was adjourned at 6:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ard/V6,- Sandra L. Kolba Recording Secretary Community Development Group Date Approved: 'V' 02-67 VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK COMMITTEE January 17, 2007 MINUTES A. Call to Order. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was called to order by Mr. Cook at 5:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Centre. B. Roll Call. Members Present: Jack Cook, Gene Banke, Rich Dunne, Art Richoz, Tom Sandor, Tom Schmidt, Gordon Schnuelle and Kim Toth. Members Absent: Jerry Deering, Bob Shirley and Wally Wetzel. Others Present: Elinor Richoz and Ray Moller. C. Approval of Minutes. A motion was made by Mr. Schnulle to approve the December 19, 2006 minutes of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee and the motion was seconded by Mr. Richoz. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote. D. Veterans Calendar Update. Mr. Schnulle presented to the Committee a copy of an ern** advertisement designed by Sue Moylan and, with the Committee's approval, would like to distribute it to the Courier News and Daily Herald for publication and to cable channel 17 for airing. Ms. Toth suggested that we also look into getting the advertisement aired on WRMN. A motion was made by Mr. Schnulle to approve the aforementioned and the motion was seconded by Mr. Banke. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote. Mr. Schnulle continued by saying that he had taken 149 calendars to sell and that he had only 6 left, with sales totaling $2,086.00. Mr. Schmidt indicated that he had taken 10 calendars to sell and that, to date, he has sold 3. Ms. Kolba, the Committee Recording Secretary, indicated that, based on the aforementioned information as well as the 1 calendar that had been sold at City Hall, the total amount of calendars sold to date was 147. Ms. Toth suggested that the calendars need more exposure and suggested that they possibly could be placed at the Elks Club or the Moose. Mr. Moller suggested that they might also be placed at the Elgin Police Department. Mr. Sandor thought that someone should go business-to-business with the calendars. Mr. Schnulle believed that the calendars should be sold first before the Logo merchandise is available and that the calendars were considered to be a kick-off to any other elt6. fundraising events. Mr. Cook believed that the Committee needed to first concentrate on ways to expose and distribute the calendars. Mr. Cook suggested that the Committee continue to think positive about the sales of the calendars. Mr. Schnulle agreed. E. Question and Answer Session with Ray Moller, Economic Development/Business Service Director. Mr. Moller handed out a sample flier used by the Riverfront Action Committee to sell brick pavers, trees, benches and lights to the citizens of Elgin. Mr. Moller indicated that it was important to reach out and engage the community and that all contributions are valuable and should be appreciated. Mr. Moller indicated that the Riverfront Action Committee distributed its fliers along with the City of Elgin water bills and, over a period of three to six months, everyone paying a water bill in Elgin received the flier and this method of delivery received a good response. Other than the cost of printing, there were no other costs involved because the company that did the water bills stuffed the brochures into the envelopes. Mr. Moller suggested that someone should either volunteer or be appointed to receive and process all of the orders once the flier has been sent out. The bricks sold by the Riverfront Action Committee have three lines with 13 characters per line and are sold in various sizes and the Committee's cost, per brick, with engraving, is $100. Mr. Moller indicated that another Veterans' organization may want to sponsor a major feature of the park such as the amphitheater or gateway and that this could bring the "big td." money." Mr. Moller indicated that there are three major factors in making this fundraiser work: 1) what will be sponsored; 2) working on the design; and 3) getting the information out to the community(i.e., knocking on doors). A question and answer period and an open discussion was had regarding Mr. Moller's presentation. Mr. Sandor thought that 13 characters per line would be too short and that it could take up to two lines for one name. He suggested that the Committee look into the number of characters per line. Ms. Toth suggested that the Committee look into larger bricks with a bigger area to accommodate longer names. Ms. Toth also suggested that the Committee use the same company out of Ohio that did the Riverfront theme so that our bricks would blend with the Riverfront bricks. Mr. Sandor posed the following question: If the Committee sold bricks for$50 but the cost of the brick to the Committee was $100, who took the $50 loss? Ms. Toth agreed that it doesn't make sense to take a$50 loss on each brick. She wondered if our cost of $100 to purchase the bricks was too high? Mr. Cook wondered how the cost related to the purchase of the bricks would be financed? Mr. Moller said that the costs were paid by a check to the brick company. Mr. Cook suggested that the Committee first come up with a budget and then come up /11` with ideas. He said that there are two factors that the Committee must consider: 1) the ultimate financial goal that the Committee wants to spend; and 2) what the means are to finance the cost. He wondered what, if anything, could be subsidized and can we, or will we be willing to subsidize the cost? He suggested the budget Committee needs to discuss this matter. Mr. Sandor indicated that, until the Committee has a sense of the cost involved, we can't ask for funds. He indicated that the Committee was given a budget of$750,000 and, if the bid for the construction of the park came in lower than that, there could be some funds left to subsidize the loss of the cost of the bricks. Mr. Moller said that it was interesting to see the number of people who look at the bricks and commemorate or memorialize a loved one. He indicated that he agreed with Mr. Sandor's view on the situation but, regardless of cost it would still be beneficial because the name on the brick will live on forever. Mr. Banke commented that he believed that the cost of$100 per brick is initially expensive, but the memorial itself will last for hundreds of years. Mr. Richoz wondered if the engraved bricks were going to be limited to veterans only or if the engraving was open to anyone? Ms. Toth indicated that it should be for veterans only. Mr. Dunne indicated that, occasionally, larger corporations, such as Seigles Corporation, offer support and purchase larger items. Ms. Toth agreed that that was a good idea but to put those donations in a different location at the park separate from the actual Veterans' memorials. Mr. Moller asked if someone could buy a brick, for example, their father who was in the armed services? The answer was a unanimous yes. Ms. Toth did say that only individuals in the armed forces should be engraved and not family names. Mr. Richoz mentioned that he felt that not just vets, but others, such as nurses, "soldiers on the home front,"or anyone who has served in some way or another should have the opportunity to purchase an engraved brick. Ms. Toth said that she agreed, but that the Veterans should have a special place reserved just for them at the Veterans Memorial Park. After much discussion and debate about this issue, Mr. Cook suggested that a meeting should first be scheduled to determine policy and, afterwards, a second meeting scheduled to determine whether the Committee should agree to that policy. He suggested that all of the members give this subject thought between now and the next meeting. Mr. Sandor continued the discussion by asking Mr. Moller how many bricks were sold on the Riverfront and Mr. Moller responded that they have sold "hundreds." He suggested that plain bricks be initially laid and replaced, as sold, with engraved bricks and suggested that the old un-engraved brick be saved for later if needed. Ms. Toth said that she would start calling brick companies to get prices of bricks. Mr.Dunne said that he would call other committees regarding their costs. Mr. Dunne suggested that any benches or light poles should match all others which are • already along the riverfront. Mr. Cook reiterated that we need to take one step at a time. His biggest concern at this time was publicity and how to get the sales in the first place. Mr. Cook invited Mr. Moller to be an ad hoc member of the Committee. Mr. Moller appreciated the offer and said that we could call him at any time with questions in any capacity. F. Committee Reports: Large Contributions: Mr. Sandor indicated that, other than what was already mentioned previously during the meeting, he has no further information. Plaques and Bricks: Per Ms. Toth, there is no new information to report. Merchandising: Mr. Dunne presented to the Committee information provided to him by Frank Miceli of Elite Custom Embroidery out of Carpentersville regarding products that his company will custom embroider. He gave estimates of$8 to $25 for an embroidered shirt, depending on the style, and $25 or more for chest logo jackets. In order to give us a more specific bid, however, Mr. Miceli would need more details of what items we are looking at. Mr. Dunne presented to the Committee Mr. Miceli's catalog to get ideas. A discussion was held related to types of logos which might be available on clothing items. Mr. Dunne indicated that, from his personal experience with clothing merchandise, Polo and golf-type shirts were the best sellers because they were a higher quality product. Mr. Schnulle asked Mr. Dunne if there was a minimum order or dollar amount we would have to place with Mr. Miceli's company and Mr. Dunne indicated that there was no minimum amounts but that the larger the order, the lower the cost of the merchandise. Mr. Schnulle indicated that he believed the best option for a shirt would be a short sleeved t-shirt with a pocket. Mr. Dunne believed the Committee should first start with Polo-style shirts but that he would get suggestions from other clubs about what style they preferred most. Mr. Dunne indicated that Mr. Miceli would sell individually designed jackets on a special order basis with payment up front. There are numerous options such as emblems on the back, emblems on the front pocket, etc. Mr. Miceli lives closeby in Carpentersville and it was suggested that anyone interested in special ordering a jacket should come and try on jackets at his place of business, which happens to be out of his house. Mr. Dunne indicated that Mr. Miceli's company has done all of the VFW jackets if anyone has seen one. r Mr. Schnulle also suggested that the Committee may be interested in selling posters with emblems. Mr. Dunne indicated that he also knows of a beer mug distributer that can print emblems onto mugs at a cost of 4 gross at $4.08 per mug. Mr. Dunne indicated that the mugs were very nice glass with a printed-on emblem which looks identical to an acid etching. He indicated that the VFW purchased these mugs and has had a great response to them. Mr. Dunne also indicated that the mugs are available in multi-colors. Mr. Dunne said that he would check around for other options and other companies with good service and quality product. In conclusion, Mr. Dunne presented to the Committee a program from the Bartlett Veteran's Memorial Foundation for a dance which it was sponsoring called"Military Ball"which they were holding as a fundraiser for that committee. He just wanted to show the Committee what another organization similar to ours is doing for fundraising and thought it was something our Committee might want to think about doing in the future. G. Other Business. Mr. Deering was unable to attend the meeting but asked Ms. Kolba to reiterate information regarding the RFP (Request for Proposal) on the construction of the Veteran's Memorial Park. Mr. Deering indicated that the proposal is in draft form and could be ready in 2 weeks if the Committee would like to call a special meeting at that time. In the alternative, Mr. Deering indicated that the plan would be ready for discussion at the next scheduled meeting. After a brief discussion, the Committee agreed that it could wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting but suggested that Mr. Deering send a copy of the plan out to all of the Committee members in advance so that they can have a chance to look it over prior to the next meeting. H. Adjournment. The motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Sandor and was seconded by Mr. Schnulle. The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee was adjourned at 6:20 p.m. espectfully submitted, 41-11 S n dra(Kolba Recording Secretary Community Development Group Date Approved: Q`' )1 I -07