South Cook News

Village of Homewood Community Relations Commission Met April 5.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

CALL TO ORDER:

Meeting called to order at 7:08 PM, by Chairman Phil Kosanovich

ROLL CALL: Community Relations Commission met for the first time at Village Hall, since the COVID shut down. Present at the meeting Phil Kosanovich, Nancy Spaniak, Gianni Sansone, Troy O’Quin, Robert Pascarella, Tom Hamilton.

In attendance from the Village Board: Trustee Lauren Roman. Village Staff Liaisons in attendance, Allisa Opyd.

Not in Attendance: Andre Thames, Heather O’Malley, Shannon Olison, AJ Roundtree, Keith Harris

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Kosanovich motion to defer the minutes from the March 1 meeting until the April 5 meeting. The minutes will include the updates from Commission Chair Kosanovich. Pascarella second the motion.

Kosanovich would like clarification if the group is the Community Relations Committee or Community Relations Commission.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no public comments.

DISCUSSION ITEMS:

A. Community Relations Commission Review

The group determined to pass on the committee review in order to give more time to the other agenda items.

B. Homewood Events

Opyd reviewed the upcoming events with the commission:

∙ May 8-Opening day of the outdoor farmers market.

o Committee member O’Quinn suggested possibly having police at the farmers market for safety.

∙ June 4 and 5- Homewood Artisan Market

The Farmers’ Market and the Homewood Artisan Market will follow all safety guidelines provided by the CDC, IDPH, and CCDPH.

Cancelled events:

∙ Rail Fest

∙ Memorial Day Parade

∙ July 4th Parade

C. Home Tweet Homewood, Birding for Science

There is still time to purchase a birdhouse and participate in the Homewood Science Center fundraiser/community art installation. The birdhouses will be displayed at the Homewood Artisan market. After the market, the birdhouses will be displayed throughout downtown Homewood for the summer, and auctioned at Fall Fest.

D. Restaurant Week-April 11-17

This event will give customers an opportunity to experience all of Homewood's independently owned restaurants. Applies to dine-in and carryout only and does not include orders from food delivery services.

Participating Restaurants

∙ 5th Quarter

∙ Asian Harbor

∙ Culture

∙ EmpandaUS

∙ Lassen’s Tap

∙ LaVoute Bistro

∙ Redbird Café

∙ Riveria Tacos (formally Vida Tacos)

∙ Twisted Q

E. Community Relations Mission

Quirke reviewed The Community Relations Commission was created to investigate unfair housing practices of the 1980s. Currently, the Community Relations Commission is not researching any claims of unfair housing practices in Homewood. The commission at some point transitioned into representing the community with planning and volunteering at events, very different from why the commission was created.

The commission then discussed how they could be more than event planners and return to assisting the Village with messaging, methods of communications, and representing the entire village, including those that are not engaged with the Village’s policy and initiatives.

Comments from the Commission:

The Community Relations Commission used as a springboard for more inclusive messaging. When the Village is dealing with a crisis, the commission would assemble to assist with the messaging to the public.

The commission to develop a messaging policy to reach all age groups and demographics. The messaging needs to be more than the website and e-news, but include social media and face-to-face communications and meetings.

O’Quinn used the example of Home Rule; the messaging was not clear as to the benefits of Home Rule.

Stronger communications will assist in preventing smear campaigns against the village, more transparency.

The Community Relations Commission would be influencers for the Village. The commission would assist in communicating the messaging to the community. They will have a better understanding of issues or initiatives the public may not understand.

The Village staff and Board participated in a strategic planning session and thoughts were to develop a neighborhood representative program to assist with communicating village information.

Quirke ended the discussion with the thoughts and ideas of the commission will be reviewed with the Mayor and Village Manager.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

Sansone would like the results of the data collection from the community focus group meetings. 

NEXT MEETING: Monday, May 3, at 7:00PM, at Village Hall.

ADJOURNMENT: Spaniak put forth a motion to adjourn the meeting and Hamilton second the motion. 

https://www.village.homewood.il.us/home/showpublisheddocument/2517/637617888786630000