Municipal Group 5 Meeting #1 - May 14, 1998
 
MEETING SUMMARY
The first meeting of Municipal Group #5 was held at the North Chicago Village Hall on May 14, 1998 at 7:30 P.M. The following municipalities were invited to attend: 
  • Village of Beach Park 
  • City of North Chicago 
  • City of Park City 
  • City of Waukegan 
  • Village of Winthrop Harbor 
  • City of Zion 
The meeting focused on the following topics: 
  • Overview of the project process and schedule 
  • Overview of the public involvement program 
  • Selection of the Municipal Group representative to the Technical Advisory Group 
  • Findings from the project focus groups 
  • Discussion of transportation issues 
  • Next Steps 
The project team provided an overview of the project process and schedule, the role and responsibilities of the representatives and reinforced the importance of Municipal Group representation for the project.  The public involvement program—intended to provide opportunities for groups and individuals to contribute to the decision-making process—was also discussed.  The modes of participation for the general public, interest groups, and policy/technical/regulatory leaders were specified.  The opportunity to provide technical input—through the Technical Advisory Group (TAG)—was also outlined.  After qualifications for TAG membership were suggested, the attending municipal officials chose a TAG representative and an alternate.  

The findings from focus groups were presented, including perceptions of transportation problems in the county.  The project team then solicited comments from the municipal representatives on transportation issues.  After the municipal representatives made comments, comments were received from others at the meeting.  The following concerns were voiced during this exercise: 

  • Lack of money to maintain existing facilities 
  • Funding priorities 
  • Complete the Amstutz Expressway 
  • Not enough infrastructure development on the northeast side of the county 
  • Extend 14th Street—Pulaski to the I-94 (However, there are some environmental issues with this proposal) 
  • What authority will the municipal groups have in terms of decision making power with respect to projects deemed necessary by the study? 
  • Establish the priorities. A number of projects in North Chicago have been studied--for example, the Amstutz Expressway—however, no improvements have been made. 
  • Improve the lack of transportation from the North Chicago to jobs, located near O’Hare. 
  • Explore the ability to put bikes on public transportation 
  • Create more bike paths 
Project activities that will be taking place over the next six months (illustrated on a display board) were discussed.  At the conclusion of this meeting, the project team thanked the municipal group representatives for their comments and suggestions, as they are critical to the success of the project.  The project team informed the representatives that there would be similar meetings in the future, and encouraged the municipal representatives to attend.