CITY OF PALOS HEIGHTS
Municipal Grounds and Property Committee
Meeting Minutes
October 25, 2011
Call to Order
Chairman Basso called the meeting of the Municipal Grounds and Property Committee to
order at 7:02 p.m. In attendance were Aldermen Kramarski, Prestinario, and Phillips, Public
Works Director Scott Smith, MVM Supervisor Bob Draves, City Administrator Dan Nisavic,
and Recording Secretary Pat Sheppard.
Approval of Minutes
Chairman Basso moved to approve the minutes of September 27, 2011, seconded by
Alderman Kramarski. All in favor. Motion Carried.
Building and Grounds Report: Scott Smith
 Lighting Grant. Scott said he had submitted an energy grant application for lighting
improvements at the Recreation Center and Lake Katherine. The initial cost of the project
was $45,000. Scott received word from the grant administrator that the City received
$19,000 from one source and should expect to receive another $23,000 from another
source. The City’s match is 5% of the total project cost. When completed, this will be an
energy cost savings to the City.
 Mural Project in Municipal Parking Lot. Public Works constructed the framework for the
mural on the Mary Del Corsetiere building and installed the mural.
 City Hall Front Door. The new door was replaced and neither the supplier nor Scott were
happy with the millworkers installation. It was not a tight fit and the panic bar did not
work. A new door and hardware was ordered to tighten up the gaps. Payment was being
withheld until the door is installed properly.
 Metra Station Door. The door has an electric time lock on the top portion and people try
to pry the door open which has damaged the door. Scott has a contractor who will install
a reinforced hinge down the entire side of the door which will keep the door square and
in alignment. This will also prevent people from trying to get in when the door is locked.
 Salt Storage Building. The excavation was completed, the panels were on order, and the
footing would be poured the next day. The project appears to be running on schedule.
 HVAC. There was a miscommunication with the contractor, Pro-Temp, for supporting
the truss structure to install the new unit back on the roof due to the age of the building.
In working with a structural engineer and a consultant, the contractor did some recalculations and re-adjusting of the beams and has to come back out to do some welding,
hopefully over the upcoming weekend. Scott hoped the new HVAC system would be
installed within the two weeks. He noted there might be some extra cost involved.
 Tree Inventory. Scott explained that a tree inventory will identify which trees are in the
City right-of-way, the condition of the trees, the species, and suggestions for areas that
require re-planting and/or adding trees. They will not tag the trees but will use a GIS grid
inventory on the computer to give the City. Scott was hoping to obtain a grant for the

inventory, but there were no funds available. Scott had received a few proposals, and
after review, would like to use Davy Tree at an approximate cost of $24,000. That cost
included all the City ROW’s, parks and other city properties. The inventory would be
done by certified arborists. Scott explained the purpose for having a tree inventory was
good for grant purposes, especially with tree removal due to the Emerald Ash Borer.
Scott will check with Attorney Brown to see if this would be considered a Professional
Service Contract. Scott would like to pay for part of the cost from this year’s budget and
allot the remainder of the balance in next year’s budget. The committee had no objections
with Scott moving forward. Scott said he would contact Tom Brown and keep the
committee informed of the progress.
Recreation Picnic Shelter. The old playground equipment had been removed to
accommodate the installation of the new picnic shelter. Alderman Kramarski questioned
if the playground equipment was going to be replaced. The City Administrator believed
new equipment had been included in a grant application for the Community Park
Improvements.
Motor Vehicle Maintenance: Bob Draves
Bob reported there had been a couple major repairs the past month: 1.) the rear cylinder
on the backhoe had to be repaired at a cost of $1,800, and 2.) the blacktop roller broke down with
a repair cost of $2,400. He said they were also getting city vehicles ready for winter and several
vehicles needed new tires. Chairman Basso questioned all the tires being stored on the racks in
the PW yard. Bob explained that those were snow and spare tires. Bob mentioned the difficulty
in ordering tires, especially the one for the Lake Katherine tractor which had been on order
months. The price of tires is expected to go up 24% by January 1.
Aldermen’s Questions/Comments
Alderman Kramarski inquired about the Navajo Tree Plating Program. Scott said that the
City had worked with the Homeowner’s Association in finishing the entrance off of 127th Street
and the program was closed out. She also inquired about the holiday decorations on Harlem
Avenue. Scott said Folger’s would be putting them up around Thanksgiving. The banners that
were currently up would come down November 8.
Alderman Prestinario had several items: 1.) He inquired if the Governor’s Hometown
Award sign for the Half Marathon could be installed on the sign by the Jiffy Lube below the
award for the Classic Car Event. Scott thought the City would have to look at a new location for
the signs with the new Jewel, Wendy’s and stop light going in. There were actually a total 3
award signs which included the one that Channel 4 received. There was some discussion of
placement of the signs. The City Administrator said he would look into a new location to
accommodate all three signs, 2.) He asked Scott if he would start working with IDOT on the
permits for the Half Marathon road closure for next year. Scott said he needed the date and
times. 3.) He said he was approached by a resident who asked if the medians down the center of
Ridgeland Avenue could be landscaped liked the ones on Harlem. Alderman Prestinario thought
it would be a nice asset to have this major road through Palos Heights landscaped nicely. He had
mentioned it to the Mayor who said he would talk to Cook County Commissioner Joan Patricia
Murphy. Alderman Prestinario would like to see if there was any potential grant money available
to do this. There was some discussion on what type of plants should be planted in the medians
and the maintenance of the medians after they were landscaped.
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Old Business
Scott said neither he nor the Mayor had heard a response from MWRD regarding storing
the woods chips on the Lake Katherine property. The City Administrator said they were looking
into another location if MWRD denies the latest request from the Mayor.
Adjourn
There being no further business, Chairman Basso moved to adjourn the meeting,
seconded by Alderman Kramarski. All in favor.
Meeting adjourned at 7: 38 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
__________________________
Patricia M. Sheppard
Recording Secretary
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