Forest Park council approves routine measures, selects water-tower logo direction and moves to closed session

Forest Park — The Village Council on Oct. 11 approved a slate of routine minutes, resolutions and entertainment licenses, authorized a maintenance agreement for the village’s parking payment terminals and gave staff direction on a new logo for the North Water Tower before adjourning into closed session to discuss collective bargaining.

Village Administrator Moses Amade asked the council to choose between horizontal and vertical versions of the village logo for the North Water Tower and emphasized that the decision will be long-lasting. "I did not want to make the choice ... I'd like the council to opine on that and give us direction," Moses said, asking the council to consider consistency with the already painted South Tower.

Commissioners generally favored keeping the same horizontal design if it can be scaled to fit the North Tower. "In the essence of consistency I suppose keeping them the same sounds like a good idea to me," Commissioner Nero said, adding that scaling and aesthetic fit were the primary concerns.

On motions and votes, the council moved and unanimously approved minutes for the Sept. 26 regular, special and closed-session meetings and adopted the resolution to dispense with reading individual bills. The council also approved a resolution waiving competitive bidding and authorizing a maintenance and monitoring agreement with Total Parking Solutions for the village’s multi-space parking payment terminals; during review a commissioner flagged a clause for graffiti and sticker removal and was told the contractor's maintenance agreement includes such duties.

Other approvals included an intergovernmental agreement for environmental health inspection services and a series of event- and entertainment-license actions: the Forest Park Arts Alliance 2023 stoop-sessions request was approved; the mayor’s execution of Hispanic Heritage event contracts was ratified; a request from Foundry FP to use the public way was approved with an instruction that staff verify ADA access and clear pathways; entertainment licenses for Le House (26 Le Avenue) and Scratch Kitchen (7445 Madison) were approved for November events; and the council ratified an October entertainment license for O’Sullivans Public House, noting that the license application arrived late but that the event is a long-running fundraiser that supports suicide-awareness efforts and scholarships.

Administrator Amade also announced that Berwin Development Corporation will be on-site the following day to assist local small businesses applying for the Cook County small-business "Grow Grant," and reminded residents that curbside leaf collection is for leaves only, not grass clippings, which can cause sewer blockages.

The meeting concluded when the council voted unanimously to adjourn to closed session under Illinois statute 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2) to discuss collective bargaining. The council did not return to open session.

Votes at a glance: the motions recorded and passed included approval of the Sept. 26 regular, special and closed-session minutes (unanimous), adoption of the bills resolution (R-9-22) (unanimous), waiver and authorization for the parking terminal maintenance agreement (R-91 D22) (unanimous), approval of an intergovernmental environmental health inspection agreement (R-92 D22) (unanimous), approval of the Arts Alliance stoop sessions request, ratification of the mayor’s Hispanic Heritage contracts, approval of Foundry FP’s public-way request, entertainment licenses for Le House and Scratch Kitchen, and ratification of O’Sullivans Public House’s October entertainment license.

The council’s next steps include implementing the council’s direction on the North Water Tower logo and proceeding to closed session on collective bargaining.