South Cook News

City of Palos Heights Business & Economic Advisory Committee met Sept. 20.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Grossart called the meeting of the Business/Economic Development Advisory Committee to order at 12:00 PM at the Recreation Center in Palos Heights. Present were: Bob Grossart, Ken Busse, Judi Weber, Lori Mazeika, Veronica Studnicka, Barb Bergamo, Rick Powell, City Administrator David Strohl, and Recording Secretary Tayler Swiedals.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Chairman Grossart made a motion to approve the minutes of the August 16, 2021 meeting. On a unanimous voice vote, the motion carried.

Holidays in the Heights

The HH sub-committee will have a meeting September 29th to determine whether to move forward with the event or not. Currently, there is $8,845.00 in the bank for the event. COVID protocol is still a concern with regards to enforcing mask mandates and social distancing. Ken Busse informed the BEAC committee of a federally funded Illinois grant geared toward tourism and special events for which the City is applying. The city is hoping to get $10,000.00 in grant money to supplement the remaining cost of the Holiday in the Heights event. The committee will be asking for $5,000.00 from the City, plus labor and other costs associated with Police and Public Works activities.

Welcome Back

The Welcome Back event was held at Trinity on August 25th. There were 15 participating businesses that will offer student discounts during the 2021/2022 school year. This is down from 77 businesses in the pre-Covid19 school year 2019/2020. Chairman Grossart suggested interns be used during summer 2022 to secure better participation going forward.

Business District

A consultant to the City is drafting a Business District report, and the next draft is expected to be done in October. Ken Busse has been meeting with the businesses to explain the benefits of the business district, and everyone he spoken with is in favor of it. Ken Busse will be meeting with the planning and zoning committee in October to present the draft Business District Plan.

Property Updates

Tiffany Square and Dominick’s have been sold. The south half of the Rini’s Drug store building is being built out as an indoor golf simulator for dinning and beverages.

Parking

The southeast quadrant of Harlem is in the biggest need of parking. Ken Busse is in communication with a few property owners about selling their properties. Ultimately, this will depend on City Council to move forward and purchase the properties. There will be a planning and zoning committee meeting October 26th to discuss the parking issue further. The committee members and business owners are encouraged to show support for the parking issue. Parking acquisition and improvements, as well as vehicular circulation are eligible expenses in a Business District Plan.

Projects

Chairman Grossart provided the committee with a packet showcasing the projects that the committee focuses on. The packet outlines what projects are completed, as well as the status of the projects that are in the works. Chairman Grossart will be setting a date to meet with City Administrator David Strohl to discuss the packet in further detail.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

https://palosheights.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_09202021-557