Evanston’s City Council tackled an additional-lengthy agenda Monday night, with many gadgets carrying over from the last meeting April 8 which didn’t attain an in-individual quorum because of sickness.
Leading the thousand-web page packet was a dialogue on the way forward for the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, which is in want of over $20 million in repairs and renovations, in response to the outcomes of a current feasibility examine. Council members broadly voiced their assist and appreciation for the historic constructing, however nonetheless grappled with learn how to steadiness the constructing’s wants with already-costly plans to interchange the Civic Center and police/fireplace headquarters. The RoundTable’s Caroline Neal studies on that full dialogue here.
Before that, although, council members heard an financial improvement presentation on “Putting Assets to Work,” developed by consultants from the Common Ground Institute, Urban3 and the Government Finance Officers Association. The examine identifies metropolis-owned properties which can be at the moment underutilized and recommends insurance policies to “unlock the value from those assets,” mentioned Common Ground CEO Ben McAdams.
The examine discovered that round one-third of Evanston’s land is tax exempt, however McAdams advised council members that proportion is “pretty much in line” with different cities they’ve studied, give or take about 5%. The Council accepted the playbook and positioned it on file, with referrals anticipated within the close to future for implementing particular suggestions.
Other notable votes from Monday’s assembly embody:
- Approving a $380,000 contract with BrightView Landscapes to wash and keep town’s enterprise districts, changing an expired contract with a totally different vendor referred to as StreetPlus. Council Members Clare Kelly (1st Ward) and Devon Reid (eighth Ward) mentioned they like this work be carried out in-home by metropolis employees sooner or later, and Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmezak mentioned his division will plan to incorporate that proposal within the metropolis’s 2025 price range.
- Approving the acquisition of a new aerial tower fire truck for $2.three million. Fire Chief Paul Polep advised the Council in March that the division has an growing older entrance-line truck and a reserve truck out of state for repairs, placing EFD “in a bad place.”
- Adding $55,900 to town’s contract with AECOM for the Civic Center and Police/Fire Headquarters Relocation Feasibility Study. The new funding pays for the advisor to carry out public engagement work on the different options under consideration, together with a statistically important survey of resident opinions over the subsequent three to 4 months.
- Directing employees to craft an open policy permitting individuals to position rented seashore chairs and umbrellas anyplace on the sand at Clark Street Beach. The metropolis is contracting with Bike and Roll Chicago to offer a pilot rental service this summer season.
- Approving a plan for implementing the “CARE Collective Program” to offer sources for Evanston college students between third and 12th grades utilizing funding authorized by means of town’s participatory budgeting pilot. The program might be administered by Northwestern’s Office of Community Education Partnerships, which developed a digital useful resource platform for District 65 that might be revamped for the CARE program.
- Authorizing hiring an environmental health technician to work 30 hours a week to assist town’s rodent management program and leaf blower ban enforcement. The place is absolutely funded for 2 and a half years by a state grant town has already secured.
- Approving a second lease amendment with the proprietor of the restaurant Estación, which rents house at a metropolis-owned constructing at 633 Howard St. The modification makes ultimate changes to assist the proprietor repay hire debt and proceed working; Zalmezak, town’s financial improvement supervisor, promised there might be “no third amendment” proposed except City Council requests it.
- Approving an operating agreement with landlord and housing developer Cameel Halim for an “apartment hotel” at 1555 Oak Ave., previously the King Home constructing. The settlement is required as a part of town’s Shared Housing Provider license, created in February 2023 forward of City Council’s May 2023 approval of a everlasting homeless shelter on the Margarita Inn, which sits throughout from the brand new residence lodge at 1566 Oak Ave.
- Allocating $1 million of federal aid to Connections for the Homeless to fund renovations to the Margarita Inn. The nonprofit’s total capital marketing campaign goals to safe $13.5 million to buy and rehabilitate the constructing, $7 million of which was offered by Cook County by means of an curiosity-free mortgage in September 2023.