City of Naperville Riverwalk Commission met Jan. 14
City of Naperville Riverwalk Commission met Jan. 14
Here are the minutes provided by the commission:
A. CALL TO ORDER:
Chair Erickson called the January 14, 2026 Naperville Riverwalk Commission meeting to order at 7:30 a.m. The meeting was held in Meeting Room C at the Naperville Municipal Center located at 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL.
B. ROLL CALL:
Present: 12 - Hannah Brauer; Grant Cowen; Jan Erickson, Chair; Ian Holzhauer (arrived 7:35 a.m.); Andy Hynes; Jeff Martin; Tiffani Picco; Leslie Ruffing; Greg Sagen; Johnna Shields; Mike Sullivan; Carl Wohlt
Absent: 1 - Seth Michael
Also Present: Tim Ball, Gary R. Weber Associates, Inc. (GRWA); Rebecca DeLarme, City staff; Mike DiCristina, Naperville Park District; Brian Dusak, Engineering Resource Associates, Inc. (ERA); Peggy Motta, Naperville Park District; Stephanie Penick, Naperville Riverwalk Foundation; and Idhant Ranjan, Student Representative (arrived 7:35 a.m.)
Chair Erickson welcomed Jeff Martin to the Riverwalk Commission.
Commissioner Martin, who serves as Vice President of the Naperville Riverwalk Foundation, introduced himself to the group at this time.
C. PUBLIC FORUM:
D. PROJECT UPDATES:
There were no public comments.
There were no project updates.
E. OLD BUSINESS:
There was no old business to discuss.
F. NEW BUSINESS:
1. Riverwalk Commission 2025 Annual Report - Andy Hynes
Review and provide input on the 2025 annual report for the Riverwalk Commission
2025 Annual Report for the Riverwalk Commission
Commissioner Hynes discussed the 2025 annual report for the Riverwalk Commission that was included in the agenda packet. City of Naperville boards and commissions are required to submit a report annually describing accomplishments, challenges and goals for the upcoming year. There were no recommended changes. This report will be submitted to the City Manager’s office for inclusion with the other board/commission reports for City Council.
2. Mr. and Mrs. Naperville Statue Plaza - Tiffani Picco
Review and discuss proposed plaza design options and addition of a plaque for the Mr. and Mrs. Naperville Statue
Mr. and Mrs. Naperville Statue Plaza
Marilyn L Schweitzer (Naperville) - Please just put a plaque on the front base of the statue:
• Surely adding a plaque to the front would be considerably less than $$42,000.
• It's nice to have a quiet, secluded place to sit - not every place needs to be exposed on all sides.
• This is not part of the 2031 plan nor is required maintenance. If the Commission wanted to redesign the plaza, they should have included it in the just revised 2031 plan.
• $$42,000 is a lot. That is almost as much as once was going to be allocated annually to Riverwalk Ecological Restoration but was cut back to be every other year even though the commission failed to update that in the revised 2031 plans. I'd much prefer that amount be spent in 2026 on Ecological Restoration as the 2031 revised plan implies would be done.
Commissioner Picco reviewed the information on the Mr. and Mrs. Naperville statue included in the agenda packet. The informational sign is located on the back of the statue as previously discussed at the December 2nd Riverwalk Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) Committee meeting and last year’s Annual Asset Management Plan (AMP) walk. The current plaza area uses square and rectangular stones that are not used anywhere else on the Riverwalk. All other plazas are rounded. A suggested redesign of the plaza was illustrated with a planting bed and path connecting to the Carillon, with an initial cost estimate of $42,000. Commissioner Picco noted that the cost could be offset by Park District staff completing portions of the work such as landscape removals and installations and using volunteers to lay Riverwalk pavers. Motta noted that working with the City’s Department of Public Works (DPW) concrete crew, as done on past projects, may be an additional opportunity to bring down costs.
DiCristina discussed the area being underutilized, the redesign being an improvement to the Riverwalk, and former Riverwalk Commissioner John Cuff’s comments on the importance of Harold and Margaret Moser. Penick noted the Riverwalk Foundation’s original intent of adding a plaque with “Mr. and Mrs. Naperville” and Margaret and Harold Moser to the bottom front of the statue that could be paid for by the Foundation. Commissioner Cowen agreed that the addition of the plaque may encourage visitors to walk around the statue.
Commissioner Sagen provided background on the statue noting the sculptor’s intent to encourage the 360° view and the cost saving measures of integrating the plaque. He discussed the materials used in the plaza as being different from other areas of the Riverwalk and the importance of the location and view to Moser Tower as you walk westbound. He noted that the vantage point should be enhanced and that the proposed design may compromise the view.
Discussion followed on the exact placement of the plaque and revisiting the design and access to the tower at a later date.
A motion to was made by Commissioner Picco and seconded by Commissioner Cowen to move forward with adding a plaque to the front of the statue this year and keeping the design in mind in the future when funding is available. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 12 - Brauer, Cowen, Erickson, Holzhauer, Hynes, Martin, Picco, Ruffing, Sagen, Shields, Sullivan, Wohlt
Absent: 1 - Michael
3. City Meeting Room Usage - Riverwalk Commission and Planning, Design and Construction Committee Meeting Start Time Adjustments - Andy Hynes
Approve a revised start time for Riverwalk Commission and Riverwalk Planning, Design, and Construction Committee meetings
Marilyn L Schweitzer (Naperville) - Thank you for eliminating this public access challenge.
Commissioner Hynes discussed the changes to Municipal Center building access that were implemented to improve security. Historically, the Riverwalk Commission and PDC Committee meetings started at 7:30 a.m. The Municipal Center does not open until 8:00 a.m. and meeting prior to this time presents potential security concerns and creates logistical challenges for public access.
The ground level entrance is for employees only and Commissioners, members, and the public should enter the building through the main level.
A motion to approve adjusting the meeting start times for the Riverwalk Commission and Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) Committee meetings to 8:15 a.m., beginning with the February 3rd PDC Committee meeting, was made by Councilman Holzhauer and seconded by Sullivan.
Motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 12 - Brauer, Cowen, Erickson, Holzhauer, Hynes, Martin, Picco, Ruffing, Sagen, Shields, Sullivan, Wohlt
Absent: 1 - Michael
G. REPORTS:
1. Approval of Minutes - Jan Erickson
Approve minutes from the December 10, 2025 Riverwalk Commission meeting
A motion to approve the December 10, 2025 Riverwalk Commission meeting minutes was made by Commissioner Shields and seconded by Commissioner Sullivan. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 12 - Brauer, Cowen, Erickson, Holzhauer, Hynes, Martin, Picco, Ruffing, Sagen, Shields, Sullivan, Wohlt
Absent: 1 - Michael
2. Chair - Jan Erickson
Chair Erickson welcomed Idhant Ranjan, Student Representative, and provided a brief overview of the Riverwalk budget, the intergovernmental agreement between the Park District and the City, the PDC sub-committee of the Riverwalk Commission, the Naperville Riverwalk Foundation and the Riverwalk 2031 Fund, which is a now a subcommittee of the Foundation.
3. Park District - Tiffani Picco
Receive the monthly Park District report
Commissioner Picco reported on the following highlights from the Park District report included in the agenda packet.
Staff started with snow removal at the end of November.
The sled hill received a lot of use at the beginning of the month and there is an issue with the Centennial basin not holding water due to holes in the storm drain system. An attempt to flood the area again will be made after this weekend as the weather needs to be below 15 degrees for three days straight.
4. Riverwalk Foundation - Jeff Martin
There was no report.
5. Riverwalk 2031 Fund - Grant Cowen
Commissioner Cowen noted that finalization of the updates to the Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan will be helpful moving forward with fundraising for upcoming projects.
6. Donor Recognition - Rebecca DeLarme
Receive the monthly Donor Recognition report
DeLarme reported that the Spring 2026 Legacy Gift order deadline is March 15, 2026, and currently consists of eight 4” x 8” commemorative bricks, eight 8” x 8” commemorative bricks and one 18” x 12” commemorative stone.
7. Planning, Design, and Construction - Johnna Shields
There was no report as the January 6, 2026 PDC Committee meeting was canceled.
H. MEETING SCHEDULE:
Riverwalk Planning, Design & Construction, February 3, 2026, 8:15 a.m.
Municipal Center Meeting Room C, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL
Riverwalk Commission, February 11, 2026, 8:15 a.m.
Municipal Center Meeting Room C, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL
Riverwalk Planning, Design & Construction, March 3, 2026, 8:15 a.m.
Municipal Center Meeting Room C, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL
Riverwalk Commission, March 11, 2026, 8:15 a.m.
Municipal Center Meeting Room C, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL
I. ADJOURNMENT:
Prior to adjournment, Commissioner Sulliven complimented the City’s DPW staff on the leaf collection and snow removal. Commissioner Hynes will share these comments with Dan Randolph, Director of Public Works.
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Commissioner Shields and seconded by Commissioner Picco. The meeting was adjourned at 8:23 a.m.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by voice vote.
https://naperville.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=M&ID=1350578&GUID=E3FC76A6-2DD9-4462-B455-585FE48C848F