The September 14, 2004 Board meeting was called to order by Supervisor Anderson at 7:39 p.m. at the Community Center. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Clerk Johansen called the roll with Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser, Gillen, Judy, and Kupar present.
Reports:
Sheriff – Deputy Johnson: Deputy Johnson stated regarding the Geneva and Batavia attempted sex assaults, keep your doors and windows locked. Don’t let people in. There has been a rash of driveway seal coating scams going on. They claim they have leftover seal coating on their truck and will seal coat your driveway for $500, but later demand $7000. There was an elderly couple in Campton Township robbed this way. Keep an eye on your neighbors. Don’t let strangers take you out of your house because another person may come inside and take things while you are outside. Several cows were killed by someone shooting arrows at them at the Corron Farm on Township Open Space. The farmer is offering a $1000.00 reward for information leading to apprehension of the perpetrator. Regarding Poynor Park, there are threats being made against Township officials: arson, damage to property, shooting of persons. These threats have been made in front of witnesses. We know who they are. This stops now. We take this very seriously. The Sheriff will prosecute. Regarding crime in parks, there was not one call at Brown Road Park in all of 2002. In 2003 there were five calls at Brown Road Park. So far in 2004 there have been no calls at Brown Road Park. The Windings residential subdivision averaged two calls per day, or over 600 calls per year. Regarding the article in the Sun about speeding on Swanberg Road, all the deputies know about this problem and are patrolling. The Sheriff has a two inch stack of reports, and is very concerned. Rosie Norman stated it took two hours to respond to a report of vandalism at her house. There was no letter about follow up. What is being done? Answer was we go to accidents, domestics first. R. Norman stated the problem was no response after. Answer was call me. He gave her his card. D. Gillen stated the seal coating scam happened to her neighbor where they started at $500 and later demanded $2000.
Highway Commissioner – Sam Gallucci: Commissioner Gallucci stated crosswalks in Fox Mill subdivision and intersections on Campton Hills, Town Hall, Old LaFox, Bolcum, and Old Burlington Roads were repainted with white paint. Crosswalks at Wasco School and Bell Graham School were repainted for the beginning of the school year. A new culvert was installed on Osage Drive and a double culvert on Briarwood Drive which was then patched with rip/rap rock, soil and the edges were seeded. The driveways on Old LaFox have been blacktopped – this is the Burning Tree project. All stop signs in the Township were checked, and damaged or missing ones were replaced on a weekly basis. Stop Ahead signs were installed on Swanberg Road, Town Hall Road, and Beith Road. Storm damage was picked up on Campton Hills Road and Jens Jenson Lane. The second brush pick up was completed. The last pick up will begin October 18th. Wood chips were dropped off to residents who requested them. All small intersections in the Township were swept on a weekly basis. Red reflecting strip tape was installed on stop sign poles throughout the Township. The road crew continued repairing potholes with cold patch throughout the Township, continued maintenance of township vehicles and equipment, picked up garbage in ditches along Township roads, and mowed all ditches along Township roads. Six more parking spaces were added to the Road District parking lot. On August 17th. the road crew attended a Methamphetamine Laboratory Emergence Response seminar class. There are new snow routes added because of new subdivisions since last year. The new snow melt material that was used in some areas on a trial basis last year will be used throughout the Township this year because it is less caustic to cars, trees and bushes. It won’t damage grass. There is no residue. It is a molasses based material with salt and chloride that comes out light brown and smells like cookies. The Township’s jurisdiction is 33 feet from the center of the road to one shoulder, and 33 feet from the center to the other shoulder, for a total of 66 feet. The Township will fix rusted out culverts for you within this area. Linda Stritzel asked did you get the results back of the speed survey on Swanberg Road and Nancy Lane? Answer was he just got it this morning and the report is quite thick. He will have the results next time. Muria Anton stated try Empire Road for a survey. Answer was KDOT controls Empire Road. There are three jurisdictions for roads in Campton Township: Kane County Department of Transportation (KDOT), the State of Illinois, and Campton Township. Commissioner Gallucci stated he will place signs on Campton Township roads marking where Campton Township begins. Bruce Safphon said thank you to Sam because he is there when problems come up. Kathy Nermoyle asked how can Swanberg Road handle traffic? Answer was Brown Road goes by a park and it handles traffic well, although he is lowering the speed limit there. Linda Stritzel stated Swanberg Road will have to be redone because it doesn’t have enough thickness. Answer was Swanberg Road was given to the Township by the County, and it is a poorly built road.
Assessor – Alan D. Rottmann: Assessor Rottmann stated he will have someone look at the heating and air conditioning in the Community Center tomorrow. The assessment rolls have been turned in. Anyone that was reassessed will get a notice only if there is an increase. Commercial and industrial were reassessed this year. Residential was not reassessed this year. Seventy million in EAV was added to the rolls this year. Bruce Adderman asked are you looking at the tax rate now? Answer was the Assessor has no control over the tax rate. His job is to value the property.
Open Space Committee – Judy Hines: Open Space Committee Chairperson Hines stated we are looking for land for active recreation. We have enough money for one more parcel. Walt Stritzel asked how much Open Space money is left? N. Anderson answered approximately one million. The Open Space plan called for 10% active recreation. Fritz Bartlet asked what is active recreation? Answer was you are moving: baseball, softball, biking, etc. Sandy Jensen asked where is the Headwaters? Answer was between Beith and Route 38. S. Jensen asked how many fields are there now. Answer was Brown Road Park has 11 fields, New LaFox Road south of Wasco has two fields, the Community Center has one field, soon to be two fields.
Park and Recreation Committee – Jim Giase: Chairman Giase stated the Park and Recreation Committee met. We are a sports organization, and are not a part of the Open Space Committee. The leagues spent $13,000.00 on the ball fields. This was money the Township didn’t have to spend because of the commitment of the ball leagues. We cross use the fields for different sports. We include Elburn, Central, Burlington, Wasco Girls, Diamonds, Girls Fast Pitch, Campton United, Strikers, a tennis organization, Rugby, La Cross, Tri City Football, Tri City Soccer. There are 12 organized leagues. The leagues maintain the fields, not the taxpayers. Campton Township mows it. The leagues pay everything else. There are 2500 kids registered this year. Our recommendation on Poynor Park is based on projections of future needs. We need parking because we don’t want people parking on the grass. The Park and Recreation Committee recommends Plan # One. Kathy Nermoyle asked what % of the children are Campton children? Answer was we don’t have that data yet but we will have it soon because we are putting it on computer. Lorenzo Estrada stated it is a misperception that taxpayers pay for these fields. The ball leagues helped fund capital improvements at Brown Road Park. We are looking for fields that support the growth of these programs. Ryan Blanco stated you let organizations use these fields. There are 35 other fields you could negotiate to use. J. Giase’s answer was we have negotiated all over, and it can’t be done. Supervisor Anderson introduced Jim Breen, Director of the St. Charles Park District. Mr. Breen stated the St. Charles Park District has a concern with children coming out of Campton Township using St. Charles Park District facilities. Tri Cities Soccer is 13% Campton children, Campton United Soccer is 20% Campton children, and Campton Township provides no soccer fields. Tri Cities Football is 26% Campton Township children and Campton Township provides only one practice field. There were 897 children from Campton Township in 2003 using St. Charles Park District fields. Also Geneva, Batavia, and South Elgin allow Tri City Soccer participants, regardless of residency to use publicly funded athletic fields. In addition, Campton Township residents also participate in adult and youth rugby teams and the boys and girls lacrosse teams play on St. Charles Park District fields. No fields are provided by Campton Township. Mr. Breen asked Campton Township to consider football and softball fields because the St. Charles Park District is running out of space and money.
Supervisor – Neal Anderson: The fiscal year 2003 – 2004 annual audit has been completed. Our website has been updated including Poynor Park and the proposed Elgin annexation. We held a public Open House on the proposed development plan for Poynor Park last Thursday. There were a lot of people there and we collected residents opinions. We have been collecting petitions against the proposed Elgin annexation into Campton Township. We passed a resolution opposing this annexation. The St. Charles School District and Kane County Board passed similar resolutions opposing the proposed annexation. Campton Township’s Kane County Board Representative, Barb Wojnicki, stated Terrestrus Development out of Oakbrook bought the land and they have an option on more by Corron Farm. They petitioned to annex into Elgin. They would benefit from Campton Open Space and St. Charles schools. If it is annexed, Kane County and Campton Township have no say on how the land is developed. It is 708 acres on the east and west sides of Corron Road surrounding our jewel, the Corron Farm. They can keep on annexing. Half of Campton Township could become Elgin. We want them to stop at McDonald Road. There can only be a boundary agreement between municipalities. Campton Township is unincorporated which means it is not a municipality. In the past there has been a boundary agreement between Kane County and a municipality. That can only be done if Elgin is agreeable. Supervisor Anderson stated if you are worried about Poynor Park, you should be more worried about Elgin annexing us. There will be Open Houses at the Community Center about the proposed Elgin annexation on Sunday September 26th. from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., on Monday September 27th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Tuesday September 28th. from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Approval of Minutes:
Board Meeting August 10, 2004: J. Kupar moved the Board approve the minutes of the Board meeting of August 10, 2004. D. Gillen seconded the motion. On a voice vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser, Gillen, Judy, and Kupar voted aye. The motion passed.
Citizens Comments:
Clerk Johansen stated Elgin’s problem is water. That part of the aquifer in Elgin has the same problem as the northeast quadrant of Campton. They will have to bring in water from the Fox River, but they can’t bring in so much that it will lower the Chain of Lakes to the north, or the Fox River to the south. They will have to apply to the Illinois Environmental Pollution Agency (IEPA) for lower standards of drinking water they bring in from the river because of the lower river water levels. The IEPA is our pressure point. Dave Dorgan is the Elgin City Administrator. The product he has to sell to developers is water and sewer. The citizens of Elgin have two issues to look at. First, the money Elgin makes on these developments takes time. In the meanwhile the cost falls on the city residents. Two, many residents do not want Elgin to turn into three Elgins. Finally the Kane County Board is behind boundary agreements, if Elgin is agreeable.
Planning Commission:
Bella Vista Concept Plan – Mr. Hubbe: K. Judy moved the Board approve the Plan Commission’s recommendation to encourage the Bella Vista Concept Plan. D. Gillen seconded the motion. On a voice vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser, Gillen, Judy, and Kupar voted aye. The motion passed.
New Business – Presentation and Discussion for Action:
a. Review and Act Upon Draft Library Survey for Residents: Christian Boissonnas of the Library Survey Committee spoke on behalf of the committee. He stated the purpose was to draft a survey to assess whether there is interest in Campton Township for library service. The survey would go to the part of Campton Township that is in School District 303. He offered drafts one and two. K. Judy stated lets ask for an optional name and e-mail. R. Manser stated lets give them an example of what the tax on a $300,000 house is instead of the formula. D. Gillen stated the residents need to know they have access to a library at ECC now. R. Manser moved the Board approve Survey Two to be in the newsletter as amended by limiting it to questions 1, 2, 8, and 9, a tax example, and optional name and e-mail. The motion was seconded by J. Kupar. On a voice vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser Gillen, Judy, and Kupar voted aye. The motion passed.
b. Review and Act Upon Resolution Approving Poynor Park Development Plan: N. Anderson stated the Board needs a motion on the table to begin discussion. D. Gillen moved the Board approve the Resolution Approving Poynor Park Development Plan 3a. The motion was seconded by R. Manser. N. Anderson stated the majority of people at the open house (97) were for Plan 3. He then read a letter from Scott Kling of City Suburban Appraisals that stated proximity to parks has no negative impact on neighboring property values of single family homes. N. Anderson then stated there is much misinformation out there about this park. There will not be 4000 car trips a day for the park. That’s how many car trips you have on Empire Road. Poynor Park would generate .05% to .07% increase in traffic on Swanberg Road. On non-sports days there would be no increase in traffic due to the park. Each house generates 10 car trips per day on average. K. Judy asked what’s the difference between plan 3 and plan 3a? N. Anderson stated plan 3a has football and soccer added. I think we need them. Are you supporting football and soccer? K. Judy stated yes. R. Manser stated football and soccer here is low impact. He is in favor of it. Devin Moose of the ad hoc committee spoke. He stated most of us are in favor of plan 3a. It is the result of a lot of iterations. The area around Stritzel can be used for practice football, or soccer, or kite flying. The committee didn’t want to delineate because the intended use around Stritzel is not just for practice football, but for many other things. Prairie Creek and the Windings were represented on the committee. Citizens were appointed to represent these groups. The goal was to get a plan that was respectful of all these groups. The issue of the number of fields is not going to get resolved today. Fields ought to be spread around the Township. The Board and citizens should respect this process. As a community we need to come together and resolve these problems. The compromise plan is a good plan. It’s a consensus plan. It has the same number of softball and baseball fields as the original plan. It has football and soccer. And it has better features: no lights, hiking trails, less paved area, half the parking as the original plan, security concerns are addressed, at a fraction of the cost of the original. The Clerk read the motion: the motion is the Board approves the Resolution Approving Poynor Park Development Plan 3a. K. Judy stated she would like to table. Would R. Manser withdraw his second of the motion? R. Manser stated no. N. Anderson stated then the Clerk will call the roll. On a roll call vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser and Kupar voted aye. Trustee Gillen abstained. Trustee Judy voted no. The Resolution passed.
c. Review and Act Upon Proposal for Additional Services for Poynor Park Concept Plan dated August 20, 2004 – Conservation Design Forum: R. Manser moved the Board approve the Additional Services Contract of the Conservation Design Forum in an amount not to exceed $4000.00. The motion was seconded by J. Kupar. On a roll call vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser, Gillen and Kupar voted aye. Trustee Judy was absent. The motion passed.
Old Business – Presentation and Discussion for Action:
Review and Act Upon Agreement with Kane County for Corron Farmstead Hired Man’s House Stabilization Project: N. Anderson stated the proposed agreement is approved by Township Attorney Noble. Scott Berger with the Kane County Development Department spoke. He stated this is actually three documents. These are an Agreement, a mortgage, and a promissory note. There is a fourth document that is an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness regarding a historic landmark. This requires that any changes must have the approval of the Kane County Historic Preservation Commission. Township Administrator Glas stated because this is more than $10,000.00 it requires legal notice and three bids. We hope to begin work in December or January. D. Gillen moved the Board approve the Agreement with Kane County for the Corron Farmstead hired man’s house stabilization project. The motion was seconded by R. Manser. On a roll call vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser, Gillen, and Kupar voted aye. Trustee Judy was absent. The motion passed.
Claims and Demands for Payment:
Town Fund: D. Gillen moved the Board approve the claims and demands on the Town Fund. J. Kupar seconded the motion. On a roll call vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser, Gillen, and Kupar voted aye. Trustee Judy was absent. The motion passed.
Open Space Fund: D. Gillen moved the Board approve the claims and demands on the Open Space Fund. J. Kupar seconded the motion. On a roll call vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser, Gillen, and Kupar voted aye. Trustee Judy was absent. The motion passed.
Park and Recreational Fund: None
Executive Session – Land Acquisition: R. Manser moved the Board go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing land acquisition and include Judy Hines and Mike Tyrrell of the Open Space Committee, and Township Administrator Glas. D. Gillen seconded the motion. On a roll call vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser, Gillen, and Kupar voted aye. Trustee Judy was absent. The motion passed and Executive Session began at 11:05 p.m.
Adjournment: Supervisor Anderson reconvened the regular session at 11:30 p.m. R. Manser moved the Board adjourn. J. Kupar seconded the motion. On a voice vote Supervisor Anderson and Trustees Manser, Gillen and Kupar voted aye. Trustee Judy was absent. The motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 11:31 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Richard Johansen
Clerk