Community Promotion and Tourism
Village of Lombard
Meeting Minutes
Village President William J. Mueller, Chairperson, |
Trustee Jack O'Brien Alternate Chariperson |
Jill Payne, Edward Murphy, Steve Wilk, Sr., |
Ex-Officio Members: Monica Brown-Lombard Chamber of Commerce, |
Skip Strittmatter-DuPage Convention & Visitors' Bureau, Jim Romano-Yorktown |
Merchants' Association, Mary Eckhoff-Embassy Suites, |
Demetrius Hall-Hampton Inn, Jennier Evanoff-Studio Plus, Steve Cadaret-Amerisuites |
Renee Chakeen-Fairfield Inn, Nicole Norwood-Homestead Village, Frank Balisteri/Rashid |
Batti-Comfort Suites, |
Dave Compitello-Marriott Residence Inn and Eileen Libb-Towne Place Suites |
3:00 PM
Village Hall
Thursday, February 16, 2006
1.0
Call to Order and Roll Call
The meeting was called to order at 3:03 p.m. by Chairperson Village President William |
Mueller. |
Alternate Chairperson, Trustee Jack O'Brien, Edward Murphy and Jill Payne
Present:
Steve Wilk, Sr. and Monica Brown
Absent:
Committee members and Village staff in attendance included: William Mueller, Village |
President; Trustees John “Jack” O'Brien, Greg Gron, Dick Tross and Rick Soderstrom; |
Village Manager Bill Lichter; Jill Payne; Ed Murphy; Skip Strittmatter, Executive Director |
of the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau; Cindy Davies, Executive Director of the |
Lombard Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Joelyn Kott, Communications & |
Marketing Coordinator; Sharon Kuderna, Jim Hogan, Barb Ware, Daniel Adams, Ed |
Bedard representing Taste of Lombard, Inc.; Pam Bruns, Lunda Wilson, Eric Wilson, |
Heather Heim and Brian Bury representing the Lombard Jaycees; Andy Draus; Kathy |
Hogan; Mike Fugiel, Lombard Park District; Jeff Mills; Amy Wikoff, Embassy Suites |
Hotel; Deb Frederickson, Lombard Town Centre. |
PLEASE NOTE: THERE WAS NO QUORUM. Votes on recommendations were made after |
the meeting by contacting members not in attendance to obtain their votes. |
2.0
Public Participation
None.
3.0
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the January 19, 2006 committee meeting were submitted for approval. |
Ed Murphy made a motion to approve as submitted. Motion was seconded by Jill |
Payne. Minutes were approved as submitted. |
4.0
Unfinished Business
None.
5.0
New Business
060060
Recommendation of Community Promotion & Tourism Committee - Grant for |
Lilac Parade Committee |
Recommendation of the Community Promotion & Tourism Committee approving a grant |
request for $30,000 from Hotel/Motel Funds for costs associated with the 2006 Lilac |
Parade. |
Trustee Greg Gron, Lilac Parade Chairman, presented the grant request to the |
committee for the 2006 Lilac Parade. He presented the income and expense report for |
last year and indicated that the committee has incurred some expenses since last year, |
such as a storage unit to store the committee's supplies. |
It was moved by Murphy, seconded by Payne, that this matter be recommended |
to the Board of Trustees for approval . A phone poll to Steve Wilk Sr. and Monica |
Brown (2-17-06) concurred the motion. The motion carried by the following vote: |
Aye:
Murphy, Wilk, Sr., Brown and Payne
4 -
060067
Recommendation of Community Promotion & Tourism Committee - Grant for |
Lombard Garden Club 2006 |
Recommendation from the Community Promotion & Tourism Committee approving a |
grant request for $6,000 from Hotel/Motel Funds for costs associated with the Lilac |
Bush Program. |
A grant request for $6,000 was submitted by the Lombard Garden Club for costs |
associated with the annual free lilac bush giveaway. This program is a partnership with |
the Village and the Garden Club and the Lombard Park District. This grant would be |
used to purchase materials and supplies to give away 400 bushes during the Garden |
Club's plant sale. President Mueller indicated that last year 20-30 people were turned |
away as all the plants were given away. |
Ed Murphy raised the question as to whether or not the Village feels this is still a |
worthwhile program or has it run its course. Are we still achieving our goal of putting a |
lilac bush in every yard? Ed motioned to approve this grant this year but that it should |
be looked at every year, especially given the budget situation. |
President Mueller added that given the number of people who wait early in the morning |
to receive their free lilac bush indicates that the program is still desirable by residents. |
Mike Fugiel agreed that by the attendance at the give-a-way, the program still merits |
consideration. |
It was moved by Murphy, seconded by Payne, that this matter be recommended |
to the Board of Trustees for approval . A phone poll to Steve Wilk Sr. and Monica |
Brown (2-17-06) concurred the motion. The motion carried by the following vote: |
Aye:
Murphy, Wilk, Sr., Brown and Payne
4 -
060062
Recommendation of Community Promotion & Tourism Committee - Taste of |
Lombard |
Recommendation of the Community Promotion & Tourism Committee approving a |
request from the Lombard Jaycees in an amount not to exceed $25,000 from |
Hotel/Motel Funds for the fireworks display at the Taste of Lombard. |
1. Taste of Lombard, Inc. Grant Request--$50,000 |
Lombard resident Kathy Hogan spoke on behalf of Taste of Lombard, a Inc. She |
indicated that she is not a Jaycee or with the Taste of Lombard but the wife of a Jaycee |
and a Taste of Lombard volunteer. She said she was hoping to answer the question |
that most people are probably asking, that of “Why?” She outlined that the Lombard |
Jaycees of the 80s was a family group of men who put on a quality event but that the |
Jaycees of 2006 are a non-resident group, 38% of the roster are non-residents. She |
indicated that the Park District and other groups require 67 or 75% of a roster to be |
considered resident to be from Lombard. She also recalled problems that the Jaycees |
were having in the past, that of the Lilac Queen contest, Easter Egg Hunt and the |
Pumpkin Patch. She pointed out several items that were not done adequately for each |
Regarding the Jaycees club house, Kathy reported that there is no working toilet and |
pictures show the house in disrepair and unclean. She further reported that the Jaycees |
have had problems with non-payment of bills, the past “Man of the Year” contest and the |
non-answering of mail and phone calls. For these reasons and more, Kathy said the |
Taste of Lombard, Inc., is now before the Committee. |
Kathy continues that there have been several incidents at the Taste of Lombard |
involving the Jaycees with unsafe behavior at the event and drinking. She reported that |
the Taste event started losing money over the past four years and that's when members |
who now compose the Taste of Lombard, Inc., began to tighten the belt with the giving |
away of free beer. |
Kathy indicated that over the past two years, profits made from the Taste have been |
handed over to the Jaycees and while some of the money has been donated to |
charities, most of the funds have been used to for the benefit of the Jaycees, not the |
community charities. Kathy said that for the past 10 years, members of Taste of |
Lombard, Inc. has run the Taste of Lombard and they are a resident group, committed |
to running the Taste, giving all profits to charities. |
President Mueller said that he didn't expect this to come to this today. He said that he is |
not here to decide the problems between the two groups but rather to discuss the grant |
application for the Taste of Lombard. He indicated that he had offered both groups in |
the past that he would mediate for them and no one took him up on the offer. He also |
said that he did not appreciate that he is getting calls from residents he doesn't even |
know about this situation. From here on out, President Mueller will let one Jaycee have |
an opportunity to respond to the comments given by Taste of Lombard, Inc. but no other |
comments unless they address the grant application in question. |
Dan Adams, representing Taste of Lombard, Inc. was the next speaker. He went over |
the 2006 Taste of Lombard Proposal (see attached.) There were no questions for Mr. |
Adams. |
Jim Hogan, President of the Taste of Lombard, Inc. spoke next. He circulated copies of |
the Articles of Incorporation and the By Laws for the Taste of Lombard, Inc. He said |
that the original grant application requested $50,000--$30,000 for the fireworks and |
$20,000 as a loan for start up costs. He said that he would gladly withdraw the loan |
amount as since that time they have secured credit and credibility with vendors. He also |
reported that several offers of personal loans from people in order to get the event under |
the leadership of Taste of Lombard, Inc. |
2. Lombard Jaycees Grant Request--$25,000 |
Pam Bruns, representing the Lombard Jaycees indicated to President Mueller that she |
would not address the comments made by Taste of Lombard, Inc., as she did not feel |
that it was the time or the place to do so but would rather keep her comments to the |
grant application. |
Pam passed out a report on the proposal of the Jaycees for the Taste. She said that the |
Jaycees are financially stable, the only group with the rights to the name, “Taste of |
Lombard” and the website. She also said that they have the manpower to do the event. |
Pam will be the chairperson for this year and after their recent chapter meeting, they |
have a full force of people and committees ready to go. She said the Jaycees have the |
wherewithal, manpower, experience and will continue to run community events by using |
their leadership and training. |
Upon the Village of Lombard's approval, the Jaycees plan to advertise to get more |
members and volunteers to help with this year's event as it is a community event. She |
said that there would be a lot of small one percent changes throughout, in order to make |
it a better event. There is also some consideration to a benefit night for a new golf cart |
for the Fire Department. |
Pam referred to the Jaycees Chairman's Planning Guide which they use for all their |
events. This gives a blueprint for a successful event and as the Jaycees is a leadership |
training organization, they use it all the time. The Taste committee will be chaired by |
members with experience and a newer member who will commit to learning for next |
year. |
This year's co-chair will be Scott Mahalo, a nine-year veteran of the Jaycees, said |
Bruns. He will be groomed to be the 2007 chair, in true Jaycee fashion. Pam indicated |
that they would ensure success by sticking with what works-safe, clean environment, |
family environment, good entertainment and the same look and feel as previous years. |
Pam said that the Jaycees stand proud and ready to go for 2006. |
President Mueller opened it up for questions. Committee member Ed Murphy |
responded to the presentations by saying that both organizations have made |
enlightening presentations. It appears that both can do a marvelous job in running this |
event; however, the Taste of Lombard has been entrusted to the Lombard Jaycees for |
the past many years and he hasn't seen enough not to let them run it again this year. |
Committee member Jill Payne agreed. |
President Mueller thanked everyone for working on the Taste of Lombard over the years |
and for volunteering. He said that the Village appreciates all that they have done. He |
indicated that he had asked both groups to try and work this out-and that didn't happen. |
President Mueller also relayed to the group a similar incident that happened years ago |
with the Lilac Parade Committee and as he did then, he stood by the committee and that |
is what he would recommend to do now. His position is that he has to support the |
organization that has done the event for all the past years, the Lombard Jaycees. Other |
committee members will be polled and a recommendation will go to the Board of |
Trustees on March 2, 2006. President Mueller indicated that he still hoped the two |
groups could work together and do the Taste of Lombard together and if there was |
anything that he could do, to please contact him. |
It was moved that this matter be recommended to the Board of Trustees for |
approval to the the Lombard Jaycees in an amount not to exceed $25,000 from |
Hotel/Motel Funds for the fireworks display at the Taste of Lombard. |
A phone poll to Steve Wilk Sr. and Monica Brown (2-17-06) concurred the motion. |
The motion carried by the following vote: |
Aye:
Murphy, Wilk, Sr., Brown and Payne
4 -
6.0
Other Business
None.
7.0
Information Only
None.
8.0
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:54 p.m. with a motion by Ed Murphy, seconded by Jill |
Payne. |
Communications & Marketing Coordinator |