12/12/2006 Council Meeting

[OakParkSpartan]

Mayor opened the meeting with a prayer to kick the Shiite out of the Iraqi's.

He didn't want to get blamed for raising  taxes  (yes, he said "You can't blame me").  Not traits of a leader I was hoping for.

Lots of bickering tonight.

Broken garage door?   Garage  too full?  Hole in garage roof?  Apply for a handicapped parking  space.  Seems to work for your neighbors.

What else  did I miss.   

Bull from Night Court was there representing Waste Management.

Berwyn can't have merit increases, everyone has to get a 4% pay raise (if you aren't in a union).  No one in this fucking  town has ever heard of merit pay? 

Lot's  of other stupid bickering.

Oh, we want  to screw over small businesses.  Not allow them to put sandwich signs on the side  walk.  Why?  Liability.  Or was it because Blue Collar people don't use sandwich signs?  Liability or blue collar, standard reasons  one  and two.

The building  director  is tired of having to put paper towels in the john.  We're hiring a  part-time maint  guy.

Another crappy display by council.

Oh, just an FYI.  They  get paid 10k per year.   That is $416 per meeting.    Don't you feel like  you are getting a good value for your tax dollars?

Cheers,
Brian

[Bear]

Ah, but the intrepid entrepreneur will find
a way to get around the sandwich board issue

[Berwyn Patsy]

So, just another night of bickering not a lot accomplished again!!
The sad part is the major dissenters are people from within his own IVB party.

[Bear]

What was the Jessie mural item about in COW?

[OakParkSpartan]

Some group of  comic book people  want to paint murals and pay for it by distributing  comic books.  Oh,  minor detail...our tax dollars would fund this.

Personally,  for the  12k mentioned last night, I'd rather have a part time blight inspector.  We've got enough problems  that need to be addressed in this town without diverting  money.

Cheers,
Brian

[Rizzo]

12K for what??  Get more blight inspectors

[scoon]

Lame recap here:

http://www.berwyncommunitynews.com/

[Terri]

Thanks Scoon and OPS for your recap.  Was the end result of the sandwich boards no?  Could the size of the boards be limited, never mind that would be too logical. 

Almost afraid to ask about the mural/comic.  Do we know if these proposed murals will be displayed on sides of buildings?  If murals are not done right, it looks like graffiti to me.  I try to keep an open mind, must be getting old.

Go ahead, raise my taxes.  I want more police!!!!!  We'll take the blight inspectors too. 

Brian, were the 4% pay raises for cost of living due to a cap on hourly salaries, assuming non-union employees are hourly?   

Terri

[OakParkSpartan]

The  4% was proposed as MERIT increases.   All  kinds of objections  that  we  can't  do  that (do  we actually need an ordinance saying people can  get  merit increases??).   Reportedly, the  HR director has policy's in  place  for this,  but there was disagreement over this proposition as well.

The murals  can  be anywhere.    As  I said, spend  my  tax dollars on fixing  some of  the damn  problems  around here.

I'm still  ticked that we have a mayor who won't step up and do what  is right.  Instead,  we are going  to borrow more money so politicians can  say they didn't raise taxes.

Java, you should attend  council meetings on a regular basis, and  you might  understand why Mark  feels  as  he does.

And yes, 10 minutes of preparation/homework probably would  have allowed the sandwich board ordinance to pass (it was only for 90 days).   Size was one of the questions  raised.

Cheers,
Brian

[Bear]

If the aldermen did their homework they would have realized that there is only
one size used in the industry for sidewalk boards

[Count DMC]

Reportedly, the  HR director has policy's in  place  for this,  but there was disagreement over this proposition as well.

The infamous Hr Director has reared her ugly head again. It would seem to me she has a lot of policies in place, but most are counter to any sort of common sense.

[delbowz]

which 3 superblock proposals were put forward for consideration?

Denise

[OakParkSpartan]

One by Gunny Harboe, who restored the Rookery and is an internationally recognized Preservation Architect,  one by Joe  Artunovich (http://www.antunovich.com/), and one  by another developer who claims  there is a giant mold problem.  Just and FYI, the two  previous architects/groups have a large amount of experience renovating historic properties. During their presentations, the did  not mention mold other  than to say it is something you deal with in older properties and  can be addressed.

Harboe  is my  first choice, then  Artunovich.   The problem with the Artunovich proposal was that they were suggesting senior housing  (age 55+).  That was the downside.  I  was very impressed with their commercial real estate people.  A sharp bunch of guys.

I posted more info about  Harboe on a different thread about the Berwyn Bank Building.

Cheers,
Brian

[Bear]

Mold problem? I am typing this while laying on the floor in laughter. Of course there is mold
given condition but it is easily abated.

[OakParkSpartan]

Mold problem? I am typing this while laying on the floor in laughter. Of course there is mold
given condition but it is easily abated.

Precisely  Bear.   

As the gentleman who presented for Gunny Harboe said, "close your bathroom door for 13 years and lets see what grows in there".   Water and bleach will clean things  up.   And  if it is interior space  (and it is primarily the bathroom), you can demo the walls and  have a nice clean loo.

Cheers,
Brian

[Bonster]

I am typing this while laying on the floor in laughter.

There's a visual for you...

[scoon]

Mold problem? I am typing this while laying on the floor in laughter. Of course there is mold
given condition but it is easily abated.

Mrs. Scoon will attest to this.  Her allergies kicked up a minute after we got into the place.

(Still picturing Alderman Weiner cleaning up the dead mice.)

[OakParkSpartan]

Scoon,

You guys  walked into a building which the city has neglected to maintain   for years.  That is not what the completed project  will  look like.

Cheers,
Brian

[scoon]

Scoon,

You guys  walked into a building which the city has neglected to maintain   for years.  That is not what the completed project  will  look like.

Cheers,
Brian

Oh...  thanks for pointing that out.  I actually thought they would leave the dead mice and mold.  Silly me.

(Read with sarcasm, and lot's of it.  I realize that the building had been neglected, but that's no excuse for the city to not send someone thru to clean it up a bit before the special COW meeting that opened it up for public viewing.  And I'm not talking about mold.  I'm talking about pigeon feces and dead rodent carcasses. 

Especially if their intent was to garner support for saving it.  I was all for saving it until I saw first hand and realized that it's a HUGE undertaking and to do so that might prevent any development at all.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I want something, nay ANYTHING to happen at that corner.  If we save it great.  If we tear it down great.  I could care less either way.  I'm simply tired of that eyesore sitting there untouched.

It's an embarASSment to BerWIN.

I'm not some asshat talking sh*t.  I'm a resident who lives approx. 7 blocks down the street from that thing who has to answer questions about it from out-of-towners coming to visit who pass by it on the way to my house.  Don't lump me in with them because I share what I saw there.

I'm on your side... but the truth needs to be put out there.)

(That might be the longest parenthetical statement ever on this board.)

[OakParkSpartan]

I think it was disgraceful  as well.  I couldn't see opening a building  up like that for tours, and not  cleaning  up the pigeon shit and  dead rodents.    Some folks around  here are just a  little too  comfortable with conditions  like that.  But I don't want to blame  anyone...

One thing which the Harboe  group  said is that they were ready  to take immediate  steps to  stabilize the building  ie.  stop water infiltration  etc. 

I wonder why the people we trusted with OUR property didn't see  fit do some maintenance?    Thirteen years is a long  time  to ignore  a property.

Cheers,
Brian