Dupage Policy Journal

City of Elmhurst Public Affairs and Safety Committee met June 24

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by Chair Brennan

2. Roll Call

Committee Members Present: Chair Brennan, Alderman Hill, Alderman Nardini

City Staff Present: City Manager James Grabowski, Assistant City Manager Kent Johnson, Deputy Police Chief James Gandy, Fire Chief Dick Dufort, History Museum Executive Director Dave Oberg

Guests: Michael Werthman, representative from KLOA Adam Ross, Jackson School PTA representative

3.  Public Comments

Brenda Garcia spoke to the committee about an incident which occurred on June 12th, 2024, in which she observed a vehicle driving recklessly on the Prairie Path. There was discussion on vehicles that can enter the Prairie Path from the area of Randolph/West.

Julie and Russell McConnell spoke to the committee regarding occasional occurrences of vehicles entering the Prairie Path from West Ave. 

4. Receipt of Written Communication

None

5. Business Before the Committee

A. Public Affairs & Safety Committee Meeting, June 10th, 2024

Alderman Hill commented he was absent for the June 10th meeting. Alderman Nardini motioned to approve the minutes; Chair Brennan seconded. Roll call vote: Brennan Aye, Nardini Aye. Motion carried.

B. Jackson School Fundraiser Request- Report

Adam Russ, a representative for the Jackson School Elementary School PTA, spoke to the committee regarding a fundraising tournament to be held on September 28th, 2024, at the Knights of Columbus Hall/City Parking Lot at York/Vallette. Alderman Nardini had questions concerning the lighting, music, alcohol sales, construction fencing around the site, security, and the way attendees would enter/exit. Alderman Hill asked Russ if he anticipated this event as one year only, or if there was thought if this being an annual event. Chair Brennan questioned if the fencing would extend to the existing building and if a vehicle would be able to fit between the space. Chair Brennan suggested amending the report, changing the word public to participants. Alderman Nardini motioned to approve the amended report, Alderman Hill seconded. Roll Call vote: Brennan Aye, Hill Aye, Nardini Aye. Motioned carried. 

C. Neighborhood Traffic Study 3-Report

Chair Brennan related this report was pulled back to the committee for further discussion. Assistant City Manager Kent Johnson provided a summary of the traffic study, and Michael Werthman from KLOA was present to answer any questions. There was extensive discussion regarding the recommendation of the study to change some speed limits from the current posted limit of 20 MPH to 25 MPH. Assistant City Manager Johnson provided the committee with a map of current streets that were zoned as a 20 MPH speed limit. Chair Brennan related after hearing comments from residents in the area, he did not see any harm in grandfathering in the streets that already were posted as 20 MPH limits.  Alderman Hill commented the purpose of the traffic study was for it to be data driven, and he expressed concern by not following what the data indicated. Alderman Nardini agreed with the study being data driven, however he related in this case, they would not be ignoring the study, and he would feel better agreeing to maintaining the lower speed on the specific streets. Chair Brennan asked what the downside was to maintaining the lower speed limit on the streets.  Michael Werthman spoke to the committee regarding the recommendations and said there was no right or wrong answer. Alderman Nardini questioned how quickly suggested changes were implemented. Alderman Hill related the streets being discussed on maintaining a 20 MPH speed limit were more than he originally thought. Chair Brennan related he would like to see the whole picture before forwarding the report. 

D. Elmhurst Police Department Annual Report

Deputy Chief Gandy answered questions from the committee regarding the annual report. There was discussion regarding crime statistics and trends, the community engagement efforts from the police department, and recruiting/staffing efforts.  

E. New Sidewalk Policy Review and Creation of a New Sidewalk Master Plan Referral- Discussion

Assistant City Manager Kent Johnson provided an overview regarding the creation of a master plan for new sidewalks. He introduced the concept of creating a point system to give prioritization to establish which areas should get sidewalks first and stated the City of Wheaton has used a point system in the past to determine prioritization of new sidewalks. Chair Brennan commented it was a great framework, however he did not feel the proximity to schools were given enough value. Alderman Nardini inquired about what was different between several streets which were being considered for sidewalk replacement. Alderman Hill commented it would be helpful to see what the designated bike route and safe route to school plans would be when considering prioritization of sidewalks. There was continued discussion, with Chair Brennan commenting that this was a good starting point, and this was an exercise in prioritization. Alderman Hill asked what a successful outcome for the PSA committee would be. Chair Brennan advised members of the committee to spend time outside the committee to familiarize themselves and get more comfortable with the model. 

6. Other Business

There was additional conversation regarding the concerns of vehicle traffic on the Prairie Path, with City Manager Grabowski commenting both DuPage County and the Elmhurst Park District had shared responsibility for the maintenance of the Prairie Path in Elmhurst. 

Alderman Nardini requested an update in the prioritization of the installation of RRFB’s at several intersections.  In addition, Alderman Nardini commented he had the opportunity to attend an active shooter training day with the Elmhurst Police and Fire Departments.  Alderman Nardini related it was nice to see so many representatives from Elmhurst School District 205 and other schools within the city attend the training, and he stated he found the training to be very informative.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Alderman Hill and seconded by Chair Nardini. Roll call vote: Brennan Aye, Hill Aye, Nardini Aye, motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/coe/Board.nsf/Public