THE VILLAGE OF HAWTHORN WOODS

VILLAGE BOARD MEETING MINUTES

SPECIAL TOWN HALL MEETING

MAY 5, 2004

7:30 P.M.

I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

The special Town Hall meeting was called to order by President Hunt at 7:40 p.m. in the Village Hall, 2 Lagoon Drive.

Roll Call indicated the following members were present: President Hunt; Trustees Silvers, Lynch, Gehrke, and Wright. Trustees Riess and Weick were absent.

Also present were Administrator Benford, Assistant Administrator Lobaito, Police Chief Mike Sliozis, Village Engineer Christopher Burke, Village Planner Chris Miller and Clerk Scheu.

II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

III. TOWN HALL MEETING

President Hunt welcomed audience members to the Town Hall meeting and explained that he would give a brief presentation on a variety of topics; i.e., issues that are currently before the Village Board on a regular basis. He stated that audience members can speak as many times as they would like. He noted that we would start out on a particular topic, anyone can ask as many questions as they would like and then we would move on to the next topic.

President Hunt introduced all of the department heads and explained that they should be able to answer any questions that are asked. He introduced Harry Benstein, the Village’s new Community Relations Specialist. He noted that he is out in the community to give residents information and answer any questions they might have.

1. The Hawthorn Woods Country Club Project

President Hunt reported that presently there are 75 to 80 home sites that have been sold and most of the grading on the golf course is complete. He stated that permitting issues are being addressed for the wetlands and some roads are in.

President Hunt explained the various permitting issues and the reasons behind the change in the park design.

Trustee Weick arrived at 7:45 p.m.

President Hunt explained the conceptual drawings of the park that were located on the easel in front of the room. He noted that this new plan will allow soccer fields, baseball fields, a 7-acre fish pond that can be used for ice skating in the winter, basketball court, two restrooms and pavilion, picnic areas and play equipment. He stated that the bike and walking paths would eventually tie into neighborhoods and the Hawthorn Woods County Club community and the Lake County Forest Preserve trail system. He reported that as part of the re-design of the park, Toll Brothers has made additional contributions to the community. The total cost of the new part cost $2 million with 90% contributions from Toll Brothers.

2. Potable Water And Sanitary Sewer

President Hunt explained the small stone building located at the corner of Midlothian Road and Old McHenry Road. He stated that that is the fresh water treatment facility and buried beneath that building is a 370,000 gallon storage tank that was financed by Aqua Illinois (formerly Consumers Illinois) and The Village of Hawthorn Woods. President Hunt reported that this water facility will service the south half of the community; and they plan to service the Hawthorn Woods Country Club community rather than Toll Brothers building their own plant. A charge or connection fee to tap on will provide the Village with an additional source of revenue.

3. Midlothian Road Corridor Planning Project

The Village has hired the Lakota Group who has done a variety of small, low density, low impact projects in the area. He stated that the Village feels very comfortable with the Lakota Group. President Hunt reported that the Village is looking into doing a moratorium on construction in the Midlothian Corridor. He reported that the purpose of this project is to open the planning process to the community their input for their wants, needs and desires.

4. Construction Progress Of The District 95 Elementary And Middle Schools

President Hunt reported that the Village is still having landscape issues and we are trying to finalize the water connection with them.

5. Kemper Projects

President Hunt reported that the Village was approached by the new owners of Kemper to annex into the Village to develop the land with very large homes, approximately 60 town homes and 50 duplex units. Since that time, the developer withdrew the application to annex into the Village of Hawthorn Woods and is working with the Village of Kildeer. He noted that the Village of Hawthorn Woods is still trying to keep the dialogue open to them and try to entice them to annex into our Village.

6. Special Service Area Paving Project

President Hunt described the road project that began last year and continues this year. He reported that a list of roads have been tentatively set and is available on the Village website (www.vhw.org). He explained the various reasons why the list could change.

7. 2004 Summer Concert Series

President Hunt reported that the Village will sponsor Sunday night concert series in Community Park. He noted that Toll Brothers has agreed to underwrite the entire cost of the concert series. He commented that there will be a variety of bands, including Dixieland, Polka, Johnny Star and the Meteors (50’s and 60’s), Rock and Roll, Beach Party, Caribbean and 60’s to 90’s.

President Hunt gave an update on the Hawthorn Woods Women’s Club Fourth of July parade that will start at 3:00 p.m. and end at Community Park. He noted that there will be vendors, including Culvers and bands.

8. Northern Planning Area

President Hunt gave an update on the Ivanhoe annexation area. He explained that two years ago developers and the people who owned the approximately 700 to 800 acres came to the Village and expressed an interest in developing that land. Those plans included 1 to 1.2 homes/acre and significant retail development. He stated that we listened to them in order to provide a revenue stream to help finance services in the Village. President Hunt reported that in February, the Village learned that they had been talking to Mundelein. He stated that the Village’s big concern is one of the developers wants to build 1,200 to 1,400 units on 120 acres. In order to protect the Village’s borders, we decided to get involved and legal documents have been filed and are in the court system now.

9. Long Range Land Use And Infrastructure Planning

A. Taubman

President Hunt reported that Taubman gave up their option on the parcel and the owner, DiMucci, tried to go to Lake County for rezoning. The County has told DiMucci that in order to rezone the property, he must go through a formal zoning process.

B. Brickman

President Hunt stated that the property located at the corner of Midlothian and Krueger Road is zoned R-3 and is available to be developed with town homes. He reported that the project came to the Village ten years ago and we are now working with the new develop to decrease the density and ensure that he complies with our architecture overlay district.

IV. DISCUSSION

President Hunt opened up the Town Hall meeting and requested that each person who is speaking stated their name and address. He noted that whatever the first question is, we will stick to that topic.

Bob Leslie, 27 Acorn Drive, reported that a wonderful woman donated the property that the pump house is now sitting on and he was under the impression that that land was to be used for a park. He also asked if the Village would be doing anything to honor her name.

President Hunt explained that that is the reason the storage tank was buried. He stated that there will be more trees, landscaping and park benches placed in that area. He reported that the park has not been named yet, but the Village is giving serious consideration.

Mr. Leslie questioned what the status was on the new school being hooked up to the water supply.

President Hunt replied that the school has not yet hooked up to the Village’s water supply and is currently in violation with the annexation agreement. He stated that the boundary agreement states that they cannot serve anyone with water in our corporate borders. He commented that recently, the school was served with a letter telling them to get off Lake Zurich water and hook up to ours.

Mr. Leslie thanked President Hunt and the Village Board for holding this meeting.

Bob Kunath, 92 Mark Drive, expressed his concerns with the traffic on Gilmer Road once the new development is complete. He stated that the back-up is now over two hours. He questioned how the Village plans to handle the traffic and protect the current homeowners whose yards back up to Gilmer from pollution, diesel traffic and sound levels. He commented that the country club is currently building large berms and he would like to be able to put up berms and sound fences also. He questioned whether he would be able to get some relief also.

President Hunt responded that Lake County is requiring Toll Brothers to make road improvements. Currently, Gilmer Road and Midlothian Road improvements will relieve traffic congestion. Regarding the sound fences, President Hunt stated that no one has proposed that concept to the Village. With regard to berms, he stated that the current zoning ordinance states that they cannot be higher than three feet. He suggest that residents can apply for a variance – it is perfectly okay to put up a larger berm if you back up to a busy road.

Elizabeth Conrad, 32 Squire Road, questioned why villages are prone to build every square foot of land space. She stated that people want to get away from strip malls and cement.

President Hunt responded that villages don’t necessarily want to build up every parcel, but when someone owns the property and comes forth with a plan that complies with that zoning, we have to let them do it. He reported that Hawthorn Woods Country Club has an overall density of .88 and the property has a golf course and significant open space. He stated that this land could have been developed with a 1-acre lot subdivision with no open space. He noted that the other option could have been Mundelein developing that property with 525 to 550 homes on 6,000 to 10,000 square lots.

Ms. Conrad commented that she is tired of more and more developers coming into the village and she questioned if we could require them to contribute more to the roads.

President Hunt responded that the Village did require Toll Brothers to donate $6 million to help fix the roads. He reported that had Toll Brothers not donated that money, the line item on the tax bills would have been twice as large. He stated that road projects are very expensive.

Claire Weber, 21789 Kruckenberg Road, expressed her concern regarding Kruckenberg Road being annexed into Hawthorn Woods. She stated that when The Summit (Pheasant Ridge) was being developed, she complained about the dirt and construction traffic. She stated that she now sees the same thing happening with the Toll Brothers development. She also requested that since the street sweeper is used on the north side of the road, that it also be used on the south side as well.

President Hunt responded that when she notices a problem with trucks dropping dirt on the road, she should call Administrator Benford or Chief Sliozis and they will send a squad car out to take care of the situation. President Hunt requested Mike LeMont (Toll Brothers representative in the audience) to have the street sweeper sweep the road every Friday.

Mike LeMont responded that they will make a diligent effort.

John Heintz, 21935 Kruckenberg Road directed his comments to Mike LeMont. He stated that because of the damage to Kruckenberg Road because of the trucks, he has accumulated approximately 200 pounds of debris on his driveway and it is destroying his storm drains that are full. He stated that he contacted the Village right before Christmas and they sent out a sweeper. He noted that the trucks are going 45 to 50 mph and there are children in the area. He stated that this, too, is causing quite a bit of concern.

President Hunt requested that Chief Sliozis keep an eye on the traffic. He commented that the street will need to be kept clean of debris and if Mr. Heintz continues to have problems, Toll Brothers might have to fix the storm drain.

Bob Leslie, 27 Acorn Drive, commented that when the Village authorized the special taxing districts last year, the amounts were determined by the total equalized assessed value of the Village. He questioned if the residents would see a large rise in valuation with the Toll Brothers development.

President Hunt responded that the tax rate should go down because the total equalized assessed value for the community is rising faster than each individual piece of property. He also noted that the average tax dollars per capita should also go down for the line item on roads.

Mr. Leslie questioned if there was any possibility of the school district buying that property?

President Hunt responded that he doesn’t know if they have the money. He stated that three years ago discussions were held, but they fell apart.

Jeff Gruninger, 11 Whitman Terrace, questioned whether the wastewater retention run-off used for irrigation would have a smell. He also questioned whether the homeowners would be allowed to hook into the city water system.

President Hunt responded that during the planning process, the Trustees and Plan Commission members took a field trip to a similar facility and there was no odor at all. He explained that each resident that is located within 250 feet of the project will be officially notified of their right to connect to the city water system.

Mr. Gruninger expressed his disappointment with the original park plan not going through. He is concerned that there will be as much as a 4 foot to 7 foot drop in the back. He also requested that the Village do a better job of communicating with his subdivision.

President Hunt stated that the reason it was changed is because there was a problem with securing dam safety permits. He stated that it takes a long time to get a dam safety permit and a long time to go through the Army Corps of Engineers storm management process and your back yard would have been a construction zone for an additional two years. He explained that the Village would like to have the entire project wrapped up as quickly as possible. He stated that in certain areas there will be a retaining wall and an opportunity for planting and buffering. The Village is also looking at options for connecting the bike path off Kruckenberg Road. President Hunt requested that Trustee Lynch to add a standing agenda item to the Park and Recreation Committee meetings. He noted that the meetings are held the first Monday of each month and residents are welcome to attend and get an update each month.

Trustee Lynch responded that they would be put on the agenda each month.

Bob Kunath, 92 Mark Drive, complained that he received his tax bill today and his taxes went up 18% and he questioned how the assessment on his house compared with others in the County.

President Hunt responded that he received his tax bill also, and his bill was over $1,000 just for District #95 alone. He explained that the township assessor does the assessments. He stated that the same type of house on either side of the community should remain at the same assessed value and rate. He further stated that the rates for the Village of Hawthorn Woods have consistently gone down each year.

Administrator Benford stated that his assistant, Donna Lobaito, can actually compare Hawthorn Woods with any other community. He suggested that Mr. Kunath give her a call and she will give him her contact person’s name.

President Hunt also suggested that Mr. Kunath call Pam Hoffman at the Ela Assessor’s office who has a wealth of information.

Trustee Silvers stated that he always encourages everyone to appeal their tax assessment.

David Bober, 34 Darlington Drive stated that the ribboned concrete on Falkirk Drive and Stonehaven Drive is chipping badly. He also commented that he has noticed that not all of the roads are being given the same amount of attention.

President Hunt responded that the Village is not re-building all of the roads. He stated that most roads are getting a grind and overlay which is being done where there has been deterioration of the sub-surface of the road. He explained the testing service and core samples that are being done to make sure areas were paved correctly.

Engineer Burke stated that he would check it out.

President Hunt noted that the sod will be laid after the Hawthorn Woods Women’s Club garage sale on May 15^th.

Rob Ugaste, 6 Whitman Terrace, questioned whether there would be lights on the fields and what the access to the fields would be.

President Hunt responded that there would not be any lights for the fields and they would be accessed by Kruckenberg Road and Fairfield Road. He stated that people would park nose in towards Toll Brothers’ homes.

Ruth Monico, 27 Robin Crest, asked what the status of the property is behind the new school.

President Hunt responded that the property has gone through a series of different people. He stated that there was a proposal for another community center, but they have not come back to us. He also noted that Kenneth James Builders have called and inquired about what kind of homes could be built there. He stated that the Village intends on keeping the zoning as R-1, one-acre single family.

Becky Kennedy, 44 Deerfield Drive, questioned what the current zoning is for the Midlothian Corridor and if there are any plans to put a light at Kruckenberg Road.

President Hunt responded that the current zoning is R-1 with some retail and office. He stated the traffic on Kruckenberg Road is construction traffic only and there are no plans to put a traffic light in.

John Heintz, 21935 Kruckenberg Road, stated that originally when the approval was given for Toll Brothers, we were told that Kruckenberg Road would not be connected to the development.

President Hunt stated that they were not going to connect to Kruckenberg Road. He noted that the park seems to require an access point at that end.

Mr. Heintz questioned whether there would be parking on Kruckenberg Road.

President Hunt stated that approximately 250 parking spaces would be available for parking on site.

Patty Katzfey, 55 Deer Point Drive, stated that her tax bill increased 18% to 20%. She questioned how much longer she could stay in the community unless we supplement our tax base.

President Hunt stated that the assessor’s office values the homes. The Village tries to keep the tax increases away from referendum years. He stated that if the Village keeps putting off the roads, the roads would never get paved.

Ms. Katzfey stated that she lives in White Birch Lakes. She noted that when the subdivision was developed, there was only a sub layer put down on the road. She stated that the road was not properly done from the beginning.

President Hunt responded that the street standards have improved a great deal in order to strengthen the roads and make them more durable.

Ms. Katzfey commented that she is looking forward to the reassessment.

Paul Steuer, 19 Squire Road, questioned what would happen with the west side of Kemper Lakes and would the Village be able to control what happens.

President Hunt responded that the Village would like to control the office sites as they are developed.

Rita Foley, 50 Lynn Drive, thanked President Hunt and Board of Trustees for their time and for this meeting.

Carol Menick, 3 Byron Court, questioned whether there would be more information coming on the development north of Krueger Road.

President Hunt stated that that would absolutely be the case. He noted that the developer got tired of dealing with the Village and sent out their own public notice. The Village is still talking with them. He stated that residents would receive another public notice informing them of when that project is coming up.

V. EXECUTIVE SESSION

Motion by Gehrke, seconded by Lynch to close the Town Hall meeting and enter into Executive Session to discuss probable and imminent litigation at 9:15 p.m.

Roll Call Vote:

AYES: Silvers, Lynch, Gehrke, Wright, Weick

NAYS: 0

Absent: Riess

Present (Or Abstain): 0

Motion Carried.

Motion by Gehrke, seconded by Lynch to close the Executive Session at 10:10 p.m.

VI. ADJOURNMENT

Motion by Gehrke, seconded by Lynch to adjourn at 10:10 p.m.

Voice Vote:

AYES: 5

NAYS: 0

Present (or Abstain) 0

Absent: 1

Motion Carried.

Reported By: __________________________________

Phyllis Scheu, Village Clerk

Approved at the Regular Meeting on: _____________________________

Town Hall 050504