HIGHWOOD CITY COUNCIL’S 9.17.24 MEETING IN A NUTSHELL
Appearance
The owners of Aud Originals, an art gallery and studio located at 9 Highwood Ave., applied for approval of new business signage. The City Council voted to approve the request.
Development
The city purchased 420, 424, and 430 Sheridan Rd. for the purpose of revitalizing the area through redevelopment. The blighted buildings on these properties were subsequently demolished, and the sites are now used for temporary surface parking. Earlier this year, the city requested redevelopment proposals and received two. The project area includes the three city-owned properties and two adjacent privately-owned properties (412 and 416 Sheridan Rd.) that are currently used for business parking. The zoning in the project area allows for development between one and six stories, with retail and/or service uses in the ground floor and residential and/or office uses in upper floors. The two development groups presented their proposals. The City Council directed city staff to obtain additional information from the development groups and continued discussion to a future meeting.
Finance
The City Council voted to approve the payment of various bills totaling $485k.
City staff reported that they expect to soon have all of the information needed to prepare options for the 2024 property tax levy (click here to see a chart showing the last 5 years of city property tax levies).
Parks & Public Spaces
The city purchased 341 Waukegan Ave. for the purpose of creating a new park. The construction - which included environmental remediation of this former gas station site - is now substantially complete. The city expects to complete most of the punch list items this year, with a few remaining items (such as installing benches) to be completed next spring.
The city purchased 340 Green Bay Rd. for the purpose of expanding Everts Park. The blighted building on the property was subsequently demolished, and the site is now used for temporary surface parking. The design of the park expansion is complete and engineering work is underway (click here to see the preliminary design; additional renderings are forthcoming). The city expects to request construction bids this winter and ultimately begin construction next spring.
Recycling
Starting in October, the city will launch a new optional curbside recycling program in partnership with Lakeshore Recycling Systems, Reynolds Consumer Products, and the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County. The program aims to collect hard-to-recycle plastics and divert them from landfills. Importantly, this new program supplements conventional recycling, it does not replace it. A summary of how the program works is described below (additional information is forthcoming).
Purchase Hefty ReNew orange bags at Jewel-Osco, Menards, Sunset Foods, or Ace Hardware (click here to request a free starter kit).
Begin collecting accepted hard-to-recycle plastics in the orange bags.
When the bag is full, tie it up tightly and place it directly in your recycling bin.
The recycling center then separates these bags from the conventional loose recyclable materials and sends them to facilities that convert the hard-to-recycle plastics into various products (e.g., construction materials, park benches, feedstocks).
Township
State law allows government units to create, manage, and fund facilities and services to provide treatment for residents with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders. To fund these efforts, government units can levy an annual property tax of up to 0.15%; however, this tax must be approved by voters through a ballot referendum. Moraine Township notified the city that its Board of Trustees passed a resolution to place a referendum on the November 5, 2024, election ballot. The referendum will seek approval to levy a property tax not to exceed 0.03%. If the referendum is approved, the Moraine Township Board will then appoint a 7-member Community Mental Health Board, consisting of Township residents, to administer the funds before the tax is actually levied.
Other
The City Council voted to approve meeting minutes from September 3, 2024.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Connections event will be held on September 18th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Art Lab (421 Sheridan Rd.); additional information here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Docent Led Mural Tour event will be held on September 19th from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at the new pocket park (341 Waukegan Ave.); additional information here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Finale Party on the Rooftop event will be held on September 20th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Station 440 (440 Green Bay Rd.); additional information here.
Celebrate Highwood’s Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival event will be held from October 4th to October 6th at various locations in downtown Highwood; additional information here.
I had reprints made of the rare book, 28 Miles North: A Story of Highwood (Wittelle, 1953); if you would like a free copy, please reply to this email with your address and I will drop one off at your home before long.
Meeting Records