Deerfield trustees approve special use for Ultimate Ninjas, authorize multiple public-works contracts and equipment purchases

Deerfield trustees on Jan. 12 approved a special-use ordinance allowing Ultimate Ninjas Academy to operate at 775 Waukegan Road and cleared a series of Public Works contracts and equipment purchases that village staff said are needed to advance infrastructure projects and routine operations.

The board voted unanimously to authorize the special use for Ultimate Ninjas Academy in the Deerfield Village Center planned-unit development after village counsel and the applicant agreed on conditions to address parking. Village attorney Ben described two key conditions: employee parking to be located in the East Parking Lot and a six-month review to reassess parking impacts while avoiding language that would unduly hinder the applicant’s operations.

In a series of majority roll-call approvals, the board also authorized procurement and contract work tied to wastewater processing and street work. Public Works staff asked for and received permission to purchase a polymer used in dewatering biosolids (budgeted at roughly $37,000) and to award biosolids removal services to the low bidder, Dom Enterprises, for $97,000 to cover projected hauling. Bob, the Public Works presenter, described the wastewater operation and the need for ongoing dewatering materials, saying, “It was about a $4,000,000 project,” when summarizing the scale of recent street work tied to these systems.

The board approved a developer-reimbursed construction oversight contract for the 5 & 8 Parkway North development (phase 3 engineering services, not to exceed $229,460) and adopted a Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) resolution to apply state MFT dollars toward the Hazel Avenue infrastructure project. Trustees also renewed a two-year agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation that lets the village carry out construction/maintenance work on Waukegan Road and approved an intergovernmental agreement with IDOT to maintain traffic signals at a cost of about $32,032.

Fleet and equipment authorizations included purchase approvals for three Freightliner chassis to be outfitted as 5-ton salt trucks, a trailer-mounted leaf-collection machine ($186,000) and a truck-mounted leaf vacuum (~$149,341 planned for 2026 budgeting). Public Works said the new leaf equipment should reduce crew size and injury risk and that the trailer will not arrive before the 2025 season. Trustees also approved a bid waiver and contract with Lionheart Critical Power Specialists to replace a failing police communications standby generator with a turnkey 150-kW MTU diesel unit (proposal $128,910 plus estimated permits/fees).

The approvals came after routine staff presentations and limited trustee questioning; in several cases staff noted supply-chain lead times and that final outfitting costs will be presented when available. The board recessed to adjourn after brief community updates and a unanimous voice vote to close the meeting.