Rockford Sun

City of Carlyle Park/Finance Committee and City Council met Aug. 7.

Here is the minutes provided by the committee and the council:

The meeting was called to order by Finance Chairman Don Perez at 9 a.m. at Case Halstead Library located at 550 6th Street, Carlyle, IL 62231. Finance Committee members present were Don Perez, Kent Newkirk, and John Hodapp. John Hodapp was the only Park Committee member present. Scott Diekemper and Jeremy Weh were absent. Others present included Jeff Miller, Shannon Petrea, Mayor Judy Smith, and Martha Reinkensmeyer. With no quorum of the Park Committee present, the meeting was conducted as a Finance Committee Meeting.

After reviewing the minutes from the July 27, 2020 Finance minutes, John Hodapp made a motion to approve the minutes. Kent Newkirk seconded the motion. After a voice vote, all were found in favor.

The first item on the agenda was the Parks Master Plan RFP. Andy began by stating that based on the proposals, that Planning Design Studio and MSA appeared to be the best options for the City. Planning Design Studio will also be working with Ballard King & Associates to conduct the feasibility study for the sports complex. John Hodapp stated that he believes the City needs to pick an option and have the master plan and the feasibility study completed. Having a master plan and professionally completed feasibility study will ensure that the city makes the best decision possible regarding the sports complex and will help with potential grant funding for future projects. Mayor Smith added that all the parks will be looked at and problems will be prioritized. After further discussion, Kent Newkirk made a motion to take awarding the RFP to create a Parks Master Plan to Planning Design Studio to City Council. John Hodapp seconded the motion. After a voice vote, all were found in favor.

The second item on the agenda was the Capital Improvement Plan RFQ. Andy reminded the Committee that they must select based on qualifications, and then rank the firms from most preferred to least preferred and negotiate with firms in that order. Andy and the Committee agreed that all three firms that submitted were qualified. Andy stated that he believed HMG would be the best option for the Capital Improvement Plan. HMG is already familiar with the City’s facilities and could possibly execute the project more easily than the other firms. The engineering that would subsequently be done for the projects that are included in the plan would also most likely be done more efficiently. John Hodapp stated that the City may benefit from fresh eyes conducting the plan. Shannon Petrea pointed out that both MSA and CDI included many examples of their experience in creating comprehensive capital improvement plans. John Hodapp asked how much had been budgeted for the plan. Andy stated that he was estimating between $40,000 and $50,000 depending on the scope of work, but that was just a guess. The final scope of work is what will determine the cost. Andy said that when they discuss scope, all aspects of improvements need to be included, but he really wants to focus on improvements involving water, sewer, streets, and City facilities. It will help prioritize projects and provide planning and insight on how to pay for the projects and apply for grants and other financial assistance. We are facing many necessary improvements in the future and properly planning for these improvements is a necessity. Discussion then turned back to which company was most qualified. The Committee members were adamant they believed they would benefit from fresh eyes for this planning project. Based on the submitted qualifications, they believed MSA to be the most qualified to create a Capital Improvement Plan. John Hodapp made a motion to send the following list of preference to City Council:

MSA Professional Services

Civil Design Inc.

HMG Engineers

Kent Newkirk seconded the motion. After a voice vote, all were found in favor.

There was no old business.

There was no new business.

There were no any other comments.

There were no public comments.

With no further business to discuss, Kent Newkirk made a motion to adjourn. John Hodapp seconded the motion. Finding all in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 9:28 a.m.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/carlyle/Board.nsf/Public