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PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE 2018/06/25 PacketPUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018 – 6:30 P.M. MUNICIPAL SERVICES TRAINING ROOM AGENDA I.ROLL CALL/CALL TO ORDER Raymond Buschmann, Chairman Michelle Moreno Melanie Rummel II.APPROVAL OF THE APRIL 11, 2018 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES III.COM-ED UPDATE REGARDING CUSTOMER-OWNED FACILITIES – MIKE STRONG IV. DISCUSSION OF PROCESS / NEXT STEPS FOR LEAF BLOWER TOPIC – CHUCK MYERS V.DISCUSSION OF SMOKE TESTING PROJECT & PROCESS IF VIOLATIONS ARE FOUND – BOB ELLS & JIM LOCKEFEER VI. REVIEW & APPROVAL OF PROPOSED IGA WITH HIGHWOOD FOR SHARED WATER PLANT OPERATIONAL SERVICES – MICHAEL THOMAS VII. REVIEW & APPROVAL OF THE LOW BID FOR THE OLD MILL SANITARY SEWER FORCE REPLACEMENT PROJECT – BOB ELLS VIII. NOTIFICATION OF THE CITY OF LAKE FOREST'S REQUIRED IEPA STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN – JIM LOCKEFEER IX. OTHER – MICHAEL THOMAS & MIKE STRONG POSSIBLE LAKE ROAD CURB / GUTTER / STORM SEWER SSA POSSIBLE STONEGATE CURB / GUTTER / STORM SEWER SSA X.PUBLIC COMMENT XI. NEXT MEETING – July 23, 2018 – 6:30 p.m. XII. ADJOURNMENT PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018 – 6:30 P.M. MUNICIPAL SERVICES TRAINING ROOM MINUTES I. ROLL CALL/CALL TO ORDER Chairman Tack called the meeting to order at 6:32 P.M. Alde rmen Melanie Rummel and Michelle Moreno were in attendance. Staff in attendance included Michael Thomas, Director of Public Works; Dan Martin, Superintendent of Public Works; Robert Kiely, City Manager; Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks & Forestry; Karl Walldorf, Chief of Police; Supervisor of Engineering, Brian Joyce and Jim Lockefeer, Management Analyst. II. APPROVAL OF THE MARCH 8, 2018 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES Alderman Rummel explained that the spelling of Uihlein needed to be corrected throughout the meeting minutes. She explained that the correct spelling is Uihlein not “Uline”. She explained that the word “time” was also missing at one location in the minutes. Chairman Tack moved to approve the April 11, 2018 Public Works Committee meeting minutes as corrected. Alderman Moreno seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. III. REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL REVISIONS TO THE CITY CODE REGARDING GAS-POWERED LEAF BLOWERS – CHUCK MYERS Superintendent of Parks & Forestry Chuck Myers reviewed a presentation on leaf blower use in the City and the related noise ordinance. Superintendent Myers explained the current City code related to lawn maintenance equipment includes leaf blowers. He explained that the hours of operation of lawn maintenance equipment is outlined in the code. He then reviewed a timeline of when City Council had reviewed and discussed leaf blowers. He noted that in 2001, City Council revised the ordinance by combining the hours of operation for gasoline powered leaf blowers with those of lawn maintenance equipment in an effort to address the confusion that had been occurring with two different sets of operating hours. He explained that in 2002, a draft Ordinance was brought before City Council that would have banned leaf blowers. After a discussion by City Council, there was a consensus that the Council could not support the draft ordinance. He explained that in 2015, City Council was given a presentation by City Staff on lawn maintenance equipment hours of operation and noise generated from leaf blowers with no action taken. Alderman Rummel inquired about a more recent City Council presentation on this topic. Superintendent Myers confirmed that he did present to the City Council on the topic in January. The presentation did not occur until approximately 10:30 P.M. that night. Alderman Rummel requested that the January discussion be added to the timeline. Superintendent Myers reviewed nearby City and Village regulations. He explained that many communities have no regulations on lawn maintenance equipment hours of operation or have partial bans that prohibit the use of leaf blowers over summer months. The partial bans typically allow leaf blower use for spring and fall cleanups. He explained that Lake Bluff is similar to Lake Forest in having restricted operating hours. Superintendent Myers explained that time to time the City does receive complaints about the noise generated from leaf blowers. He explained that City maintenance operations involve the use of blowers at parks. On rare occasions he will receive complaints about the noise generated from City Staff operations. He explained that most of the complaints received are in regards to neighbor use or the neighbor’s private landscape contractor use. Superintendent Myers reviewed possible actions that the Public Works Committee could potentially recommend to the City Council. He explained the options staff has which includes: no action, education/training initiatives, regulation of the decibel levels, revising the City Code for the hours and / or days of operation for blowers, and a partial year ban for blowers. Superintendent Myers explained that the City could provide guidelines for residents and landscapers on the City code and the hours of operation. He explained that the City could utilize the existing landscape license certification process to educate the landscapers. He explained that around 400 landscaping firms are currently certified to work in Lake Forest. Superintendent Myers explained that regulating decibel levels would involve identifying a decibel level that leaf blowers would be required to operate at or below. He explained that a decibel level that is typically acceptable is 65 to 70 dBA. He explained that if the Public Works Committee would recommend pursuing this option, a code revision would be required. He explained that this change would be very challenging and difficult to enforce. Chairman Tack inquired about the percentage of landscapers currently operating at the 65 to 70 dBA level. Superintendent Myers explained that he did not have an exact statistic. He explained that he did believe that more and more landscapers are using leaf blowers that would register in that decibel level range. He explained that new leaf blower technology tends to operate at a lower decibel level then older equipment. He explained that most of the newer battery powered blowers operate in the 65 – 70 decibel level range. He explained that when discussing the noise produced from leaf blowers, pitch is another factor for consideration. A leaf blower maybe in the 65 – 70 decibel level range but it may have a high pitch that people find irritating. Alderman Moreno inquired if the complaints were originating from denser areas and neighborhoods. Superintendent Myers explained that he personally does not receive enough complaints to conclude that they are originating in denser areas but that he did believe that more complaints most likely occur in denser areas. Chief of Police Karl Walldorf explained that historically the Police Department has received very few complaints on leaf blower operations. Alderman Rummel explained that she had received a series of emails from a resident about the issue. She explained that he cited a New York Times article in one of his messages that reviewed the noise and air pollution generated from leaf blowers. She explained that the issue is also something that is a priority of the Mayor. She explained that because of this, the Committee should not recommend staying status quo. Alderman Rummel explained that she received numerous comments last spring from residents about the intrusiveness of the noise produced by leaf blowers. She suggested that leaf blowers not be allowed to be utilized on Sundays and holidays. Superintendent Myers reviewed options for potentially revising the City Code to adjust the hours of operation. He explained that one option could be to adjust the hours to Monday through Saturday 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and on Sunday no leaf blower use be allowed. He reviewed another option of reducing the hours Monday through Friday to 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., Saturday to 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., and Sundays and Holidays to 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. He explained that he spoke to landscaping firms about adjusting the hours of operation and they were in agreement that they would much prefer an adjustment of operating hours in lieu of a ban. One landscaping firm in particular explained that the complaints they tend to receive are complaints for beginning prior to 9:00 A.M. That landscaper recommended having a start time that begins at 9:00 A.M. Superintendent Myers explained that he also spoke to a large landscaping firm that explained that they would be able to adapt to a partial ban because of already having to do so in nearby communities that have already enacted bans. Alderman Rummel inquired about leaf blowers operating at half speed and being less noisy. Superintendent Myers explained that when he spoke to a representative of a large landscaping firm they did explain that this is something they educate their employees about. They are educating their employees to operate the leaf blower at full speed only when it is necessary to do so. Superintendent Myers explained that the current City Code restricting the hours of operation is not just for leaf blowers but all landscaping equipment. If the Committee would like to separate leaf blowers from other lawn maintenance equipment that would also need to be revised in the code. Alderman Moreno explained that in looking back on the five years that she has been an Alderman, she has never received a complaint from a resident in regards to leaf blowers being an issue. She explained that she believed that in more dense areas the noise would be much more of an issue. She explained that she believed adjusting the hours would be ok but that any change should be simple. Superintendent Myers explained that he recalled receiving approximately three resident complaints at Forest Park over the past five years. He explained that starting this year, Forest Park will be maintained utilizing battery powered blowers by Mariani Landscaping. He explained that they will also be maintaining the medians on Route 60 utilizing the same equipment. Alderman Rummel proposed the hours of 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Saturday and prohibiting the use of blowers on Sundays and holidays. She explained that these hours would only be for battery powered blowers or gas powered blowers at half power. Superintendent Myers explained that Alderman Rummel’s proposal would be considered a partial year ban similar to what Highland Park has in place. He explained that Highland Park’s partial ban is also in place for environmental purposes. Alderman Rummel inquired about restricting gas blowers to half power. Superintendent Myers explained that a restriction like that would be very hard to enforce. Director Thomas explained that the City Public Works and Parks & Forestry employees work from 6:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Under the current code they can begin operating leaf blowers and other lawn maintenance equipment at 7:00 A.M. If the code changes to 9:00 A.M. it would have an impact on City operations. He also explained that some residents maintain their own landscapes and may only be able to use Sundays as an opportunity to maintain their lawns. Alderman Rummel inquired about how many residents maintain their own lawns. Superintendent Myers estimated that about 75% of residents utilize a private landscaping firm and 25% maintain their own lawns. Director Thomas explained that if both private landscaping firms and homeowners that maintain their own lawns becomes backed up because of rain or other reasons, they would each work on Sundays in order to catch up. Chairman Tack explained that he also had not received many complaints in regards to leaf blower noise being an issue. He explained that he believed that any change made should be simple. The change should then be monitored and reviewed after the next landscaping season. He explained that he would be in favor of changing the hours from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Saturday. He explained that he would also be OK with prohibiting use on Sundays. He explained that an exemption should also be provided to the City for City maintenance operations. He explained that in his six year experience as an Alderman, he has never received a noise complaint about City leaf blowers operating in a park. Alderman Rummel inquired if Chairman Tack would exempt fall from the Sunday ban. He explained that he would. Chairman Tack explained that he believed any change should be simple and easy to enforce. He explained that he believed that the electric blowers were just as loud as the gas powered blowers. Alderman Rummel inquired about phasing the requirement for no emission blowers into the City code. Superintendent Myers explained that the City has already begun to do so through its own operations by purchasing some battery powered equipment. Alderman Rummel explained that it could be outlined in the code that after two years all leaf blowers would be required to be electric. Chairman Tack explained that he believed that the technology to support electric blowers is still expensive. He believed that any change at this point should be kept simple and then re-examined after a year. Superintendent Myers inquired if leaf blowers should be separate from powered landscaping equipment. Chairman Tack explained that it should be left as is and combined together. Superintendent Myers explained that if powered landscaping equipment was left together, homeowners would not be able mow their grass on Sundays. Chairman Tack explained that he would be ok in prohibiting the use of equipment on Sundays. Alderman Moreno explained that because of her experience in not receiving complaints on this issue that she would like to make any changes simple. Alderman Tack inquired if the Committee should recommend limiting the hours or if the status quo should remain the same. Alderman Moreno explained that she felt the hours should be limited. Alderman Rummel explained that she would be in favor of changing the hours from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Saturday. She explained that powered lawn maintenance equipment should be prohibited on Sundays and holidays with the exclusion of Sundays in the fall. Alderman Rummel motioned to recommend a Code revision to the City Council to change the hours of gas powered lawn maintenance equipment to 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Saturday and prohibit the use of lawn gas powered lawn maintenance equipment on Sundays and holidays with the exclusion of Sundays in the fall. Alderman Moreno seconded the motion; which carried unanimously. IV. REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL THE PURCHASE OF A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – MICHAEL THOMAS Director Thomas explained that there currently are FY18 dollars budgeted to purchase a replacement vehicle for Community Development. Alderman Rummel inquired who in Community Development would be utilizing the vehicle. Director Thomas explained that the vehicle would be utilized by Building Inspectors. Director Thomas explained that traditionally the Police Department uses their Chevy police vehicles for 100,000 miles. The vehicles then move to Community Development to be used by the Building Inspectors. The vehicle is used by Community Development for approximately three years or to 120,000 to 125,000 miles. At that point, the vehicle will tend to begin to experience engine and transmission issues and at that time, the vehicle is sold. Director Thomas explained that back when the City’s Sustainability Plan had been finalized, City staff discussed potentially breaking the tradition of Community Development using older Police vehicles and instead looking to replace them with a more environmentally friendly option. Around this same time, the Police Department discussed and purchased an electric Community Service Officer vehicle (which it currently has in use). Director Thomas then reviewed a data sheet that contained a number of options the Committee could look to pursue. He explained that the first option would be at no additional cost to the City. He explained that the Police Department has three Ford Explorers that will be coming offline. One of these Explorers could be shifted to the Community Development Department for their use. A second option is a Chevy Impala that could be purchased through the State bidding program. He explained that purchasing an Impala would cost $22,500. He explained that a third option could be purchasing a Toyota Prius. According to the National Joint Purchasing Alliance (NJPA) that the City is a member of, a Toyota Prius would cost approximately $23,000. A fourth option could be to go completely electric with a Chevy Volt. That would cost $34,700 again through NJPA. The issue with this option is that only $24,000 has been budgeted for the replacement vehicle. Chairman Tack explained that he felt the Community Development Department should look to use one of the existing Ford Explorer vehicles at no cost. He explained that electric vehicle technology is still progressing and has not yet arrived. Alderman Rummel explained that she did not want to go over the budgeted amount and therefore would eliminate the Chevy Volt as a potential option. She explained that if the City were to look to purchase a vehicle using the available funds, she would recommend the Toyota Prius. She explained that she is also not opposed to using one of the existing Ford Explorers at no cost. Alderman Moreno explained that she would be in favor of using an existing Explorer at no cost. Chairman Tack motioned to recommend the first option of transitioning a Ford Explorer to the Community Development Department. Alderman Moreno seconded the motion; which carried unanimously. V. REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL OF THE F.Y. ’19 ASPHALT RESURFACING AND PAVEMENT PATCHING BIDS – BRIAN JOYCE Supervisor of Engineering Brian Joyce explained that the Public Works Committee reviewed the list of streets where patching and resurfacing would be occurring over the summer months. Since the last meeting the programs have been placed out to bid. He explained that the contracting firm, Peter Baker & Son Co., submitted the low bid for the resurfacing program and the contracting firm, Chicagoland Paving, for patching. He explained that if approval of the bid is recommended by the Committee tonight, the recommendation will be presented to City Council for approval. He explained that both programs and solicitation for bids are coordinated through MPI. He explained that the resurfacing program received two bids and the patching program received four bids. Both low bids were favorable to the City and came in below the City’s estimate. This allows additional areas to be added to both programs. Alderman Moreno inquired if the programs will be expanded to include additional areas of work to meet the allocated budgeted amount. Supervisor of Engineering Brian Joyce explained that additional work is added to utilize all the allocated program dollars. Alderman Rummel motioned to recommend approval of the FY19 asphalt resurfacing and pavement patching bids to Peter Baker & Son Co. and Chicagoland Paving to City Council. Alderman Moreno seconded the motion; which carried unanimously VI. OTHER Chairman Tack inquired if there was any conversation related to the privately owned overhead electric infrastructure ComEd issue scheduled for tonight’s agenda. Director Thomas explained that there was no agenda item on the topic for tonight’s meeting. He explained that Assistant to the City Manager Mike Strong sent the Committee an email update to say ComEd needs additional time to develop their materials for when they review the topic with the ICC. Alderman Moreno inquired if there were any concerns with Jim Dudek departing from ComEd. Director Thomas explained that City Staff has already met with Mr. Dudek’s current replacement who holds the exact same position with other nearby communities. He explained that this employee will now also serve Lake Forest as Mr. Dudek did, for the time being. He explained that this employee has years of experience similar to Mr. Dudek. On a separate topic, Director Thomas explained that the City’s Forestry Section removed trees along the north beach access road ravine. He explained that the removal of these trees were a part of the engineering plans for repair of the ravine and road. The removal of the trees will help other vegetation on the ravine banks grow. He explained that the engineering firm, AECOM, is also still working on the project design with the Army Corps of Engineers to obtain the necessary permit to finalize design. He explained that once the Army Corps of Engineers agrees with the preliminary design, AECOM will then finalize the design. It is the goal that project work begins immediately after Labor Day. Alderman Rummel inquired about the cost estimate of the project. Director Thomas explained that the current cost estimate is $835,000. Director Thomas explained that a grant for $25,000 was obtained from the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission for the North Beach Access Road’s Ravine Project (NBAR hereafter). Chairman Tack inquired about the recycling program cost issue that had been previously discussed by the Public Works Committee at a prior meeting. He asked if City staff intends to propose a new recycling fee to help generate revenue for the program. Director Thomas explained that since the Committee last reviewed the issue, the price had initially lowered, however the price has since returned to the costly expense. He explained that no proposal for a recycling fee has been developed by City staff. He explained that staff can examine a fee over the summer months while the budget for the next fiscal year is developed. Alderman Moreno inquired if we knew if recycling processors in the area were looking beyond China as the final destination for recycling to be processed. Director Thomas explained that they look at all market worldwide. Alderman Rummel inquired if the Lake County SMC grant was the grant that was originally obtained for the McCormick Ravine. Director Thomas confirmed the grant was originally obtained for the McCormick ravine but that it has transferred to the NBAR. VII. PUBLIC COMMENT There were no public comment. VIII. NEXT MEETING - TBD IX. ADJOURNMENT Alderman Rummel moved to adjourn the meeting of the Public Works Committee at 7:28 P.M. Alderman Moreno seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Jim Lockefeer Jr. Management Analyst COM-ED UPDATE REGARDING CUSTOMER- OWNED FACILITIES (no attachments) DISCUSSION OF PROCESS / NEXT STEPS FOR LEAF BLOWER TOPIC MEMORANDOM To: Public Works Committee From: Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks, Forestry and Special Facilities Date: June 21, 2018 Re: Leaf Blowers and Noise Ordinance Correspondence At the June 4, 2018 City Council meeting, the Council discussed possible amendments to Section 135.108(C), of the City Code titled “Noise, Generally”, relating to the use of gasoline powered leaf blowers and other types of lawn maintenance equipment. City staff requested approval of the final reading of the ordinance amending Section 135.108(C), based on the recommendations of the Public Works Committee. After discussion by the Council and feedback from residents, Council elected to remand this back to the Public Works Committee for further consideration and recommendations. In preparation for the June 25, 2018 Public Works Committee meeting, I have attached the following documents for your review: 1. Responses to Alderman Newman’s Facebook post regarding leaf blowers 2. Email Correspondence from Residents 3. Comments from Alderman 4. Additional Information Regarding Leaf Blowers and the Noise Ordinance 5. Power Point Presentation 6/7/2018 LF/LB Services RECENT ACTIVITY Tim Newman (2) LF/LB Services p )^^ ") I am writing to LF residents in my capacity as 2nd ward alderman and in association with 3rd ward alderman Jim Preschlack asking for opinions from residents on an issue that vexes the community, gas-powered leaf blowers. The ordinance was reviewed this past Monday at Council and remanded back to the public works committee for further study as there are no clear answers for how to deal with this. Jim and I have a different take on this and would like your opinion on the ideas. Some thoughts; We think it's not just leaf blowers. Electric blowers are nearly as loud and residential and commercial lawn mowers are just as loud or louder. We can't realistically ban any of these items as they help keep our yards looking good in the summer. We don't have a lot of data as only 2 complaints have been filed with the police department ion the last 5 years, so people seem to accept the use but still don't like them. What seems to be the issue is the interruption of the quiet enjoyment of one's own home at certain times of the day in the summer. Anecdotally, this seems to be late afternoon/ early evening on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays when people would like to be on the deck or patio having a glass of wine or hosting a dinner party. It's difficult to do when an army of leaf blowers and mowers is going on next door. We can't really ban any of these outright, nor can we ban Sundays, etc. in entirety as some people only have Sundays available to work on their yard. We can't curtail the commercial operations to any great extent or they will likely raise prices to compensate for the lost productivity. These are just realities. So here's an idea; What if we banned all noise including mowers and blowers, but also roofing nail guns and other loud devices Saturdays after 5:00 and Sundays and holidays after 4:00? This would allow residents to be confident they had at least this respite from noise at a time they would most likely like to be out on the patio or deck to enjoy some peaceful outside time. This is not a huge cutback, just a small window. I invite all LF residents to respond to this simple idea. Rather than clog this site with postings, please email me at newmant@cityoflakeforest.com. I hope you choose to respond. Thanks you all. What's Happening in Geneva IL? 23,069 members Join What's Happening in St. Charles IL? 29,960 members Join TIPS - RECIPES - SUPPORT PLEASE READ THE PINNED POST f KETOGENIC Diet Beginners 1 friend . 165,673 members Join Official Peloton Member Page 92,765 members Join Like Rick Lesser and 12 others Comment Deb Belcore I agree with this solution - but after all these years no one has invented a 'leaf blower muffler'? Like . Reply . 23h 3 Susan Kobza I think the noise is more annoying in the morning than in the later afternoon/evening, especially on the weekend. I didn't see the start time in your email, but maybe it should be Sam on weekdays? Like Reply . 23h 5 Suggested Pages See All Alison and 70 other friends like this. Gorton Center f;ORTON Community Center . Nonprofit Org... Monica Yaun Agree! Our neighbor's lawn guys begin BEFORE 7am on a weekday. That's just too earlyl Like-Reply-21h Write a reply... v Craig Koppmann Tim. Email sent. thanks! Like Reply 23h Chris Mitchell I think a bigger concern is 50 landscaping trucks blocking intersections and roadways all over town every day of the Like Page English (US) Espanol Portugues (Brasil) Fran(:ais (France) . Deutsch Privacy . Terms . Advertising . Ad Choices Cookies . More Facebook©2018 Chat (2) https;//www.facebook.com/groups/528247930638465/2/18 6/7/2018 LF/LB Services (2) LF/LB Services Susie Jubell Morgans I agree....much more annoying and dangerous too! Like Reply . 12h Write a reply... Chris Webb That would be a great start Tim Like . Reply 22h Rosemary Ranker I like the idea. I also believe there is an ordinance of not before 7:30am on weekdays, 8:30saturdays and 10am Sundays and holidays. I could be wrong on Saturdays. I wish it were later! Like Reply . 22h (. ~; Aneeqa Aqeel If so, how do we ensure that it is observed? A reminder to homeowners about this ordinance would be great, so that we can instruct landscapers to observe the laws of the city! Like . Reply . 22h Write a reply... ^- ^^" Lisa Burton Radzely I also am concerned how early they are allowed to start these extremely loud sounds. Weekend mornings should be opportunities to sleep in, not be awakened by mowers, blowers, and other loud equipment. I'd love weekday times to be later as well. Like . Reply . 22h ( Aneeqa Aqeel Ban noise also before Sam please! Our neighbours have landscapers who show up at 7am on a Saturday or Sunday! Like Reply-22h ( Jen Jeffries Mulloy Edward Mulloy Like Reply-22h Eileen Looby Weber Tim, thanks for reaching out and hearing from property owners. I am against a ban, and still wonder why the city still allows solicitors to ring your doorbell up til 9pm at night... if people have a problem with their neighbors noise, talk to them. Let them know you're having a dinner party and drop them a bottle of Like Reply . 22h 14 Sally Salzer I am with you Eileen. Open communication goes a long way. Just be neighborly. Like . Reply . 22h Liz Brandel I agree with you Eileen. Let's use our community resources for economic development and not chasing items that aren't really a problem. Like-Reply-21h ^ Write a reply... Lisa Lehmann I find the morning hours acceptable. It's the evening hours with loud parties and allowing dogs to continually bark that disturbed me more. Like . Reply . 22h : Linda Pearson Crowe I think we should give up a day of garbage pickup and be able to rake our leaves, etc to the curb and have the city pick them up once per week. Like-Reply-21h https://www.facebook.com/groups/528247930638465/ Chat (2) 3/18 6/7/2018 LF/LB Services (2) LF/LB Services "^ because the leaf blowers of neighbors r so loud- as the light is out Ion... See More Like-Reply-21h 2 Kate McLeod Lamontagne Honestly, I think this is a no win situation. Obviously everyone should be respectful of their neighbors when picking times for loud outdoor activities. However, if someone is busy and can not do these activities until the end of a day on a weekend.... See More Like-Reply-21 h-Edited 10 ^) Jonathan H Demas Well neighbors aren't considerate of their neighbors, or this wouldn't be an issue so the city should make restrictions same as they do on barking dogs, parties etc. highland park has hours they just accept it. Like Reply 21 h -^ Beth Kieffer Laufenberg I definitely need to find out what restrictions there are on barking dogs!! Like Reply . 19h Jonathan H Demas Years ago, in lake forest, I had a neighbor that kept a dog in an out door pen, It barked day and night, called the city once, it was taken care of immediately. Like Reply 19h r^ Beth Kieffer Laufenberg Jonathan H Demas thank you. Like Reply 19h Write a reply... Krina Hoopis Huddlestun Ryan Huddlestun you might want to weigh in on this Like Reply 21 h Ryan Huddlestun I applaud those that do yard work. Be courteous with common sense with tools. There's no need for yet another ordinance. Officials should focus energy elsewhere. Like. Reply 19h Write a reply... Krina Hoopis Huddlestun I thought the city already had a noise ordinance regarding this? Like-Reply-21h Reenee Gill Gotta I wish our elected officials and paid employees would focus on ways to decrease our property taxes, which is more important and vital to keeping our community relevant instead of spending time debating this silly issue. Some of us work full time, have family commitments and tend to our own lawn. Sometimes Saturday or Sunday late afternoons are the only time to mow. Banning that would be ridiculous. Like Reply-21h 12 ^) Jonathan H Demas I work 80 hrs a week and I don't find it necessary to to do yard work at night or on Sunday. Like Reply-20h Peggy Davitt Jonathan H Demas Wow. Good for you. Some are not as fortunate. Like-Reply 18h Write a reply... https://www.facebook.com/groups/528247930638465/ Chat (2) 4/18 6/7/2018 LF/LB Services (2) LF/LB Services Like . Reply . 20h » Heather Kerr John Shaul...That was very clever! Like . Reply 18h John Shaul Heather Kerr Tx. I can only look for reasons to laugh at this point. Like . Reply . 15h Write a reply... Kay Dollahan Friedberg If you live next to someone who is on their gas mower day and night, you might feel differently.. they are joyriding and disturbing any chance of peace and quiet Like Reply . 20h . Edited John Shaul My neighbor has thee loudest riding mower and is nice enough to do his mowing Saturday morning when we're all working on stuff. Like . Reply . 20>> Eileen Looby Weber They must have a big lot... what neighborhood? Like Reply 20h ^ John Shaul 1/2 acre Like Reply 20h j^; Eileen Looby Weber John Shaul sorry I was referring to.®'kay's neighbor. Glad you and your neighbors all work at the same time. We try to do that as well Like-Reply 19h Write a reply... George Chemers Perhaps an ordinace that is decibel based. An electric mower is typically producing less than 75 decibels while a gasoline lawn mower can be 95 decibels or more. Like . Reply . 20h Nancy Partenheimer Duffy We find that early Saturday is annoying. It is often the only day my husband has to sleep in. I would love to see noise banned until after 9:00 am every day of the week, and 10 on Saturdays and Sundays. Like . Reply . 20h 2 Jonathan H Demas I have lived in Ib/LF for over 35 years. I've owned several homes, and I've rented, and until I moved to whispering oaks I didn't have a problem or notice abuse of loud lawn equipment. It's likely that there r just pockets of lake forest that have this... See More Like . Reply . 20h Todd Curry About a month ago, I "summer-ized" my snowblower by starting & idling it until it ran out of gas - prob 30 minutes or so. That could have irritated a neighbor, but it wasn't a leaf blower, so would neighbors have had any recourse? Sure: ring me, yell... See More Like . Reply . 19h ^ Jonathan H Demas Typically I will hear loud lawn equipment next door for hours and several times a week. Typically the experience will be like this: walk home from train on a nice day at 6:30, 7:30pm there abouts, can't sit outside cause it's so loud. Typically a Friday night the leaf blower or blowers of neighbors go on for hours, some weeks days same. Always late- till dark. A half hour snow blower I would not even notice. Chat (2) https://www.facebook.com/groups/528247930638465/5/18 6/7/2018 LF/LB Services (2) LF/LB Services Jonathan, if the solution is less about a silver bullet rule and more about patterns and escalation. When there is noise, you report it and PD may investigate. When a constellation of complaints about a neigh... See More Like-Reply 17h Write a reply... Tim Newman The LF ordinance is M-F 7:30-7:30, Sat 8:00-7:30, Sun/Holidays 10:00-7:30. If you experience noise before or after these times, it's an issue we need to team about. Like Reply . 18h . Edited Lisa Burton Radzely I once went outside on a Saturday at 7:30 am to tell movers loudly banging things that they were in violation of the noise ordinance and needed to wait until 8. I also dialed the number on the truck and talked with the moving company. Should I have called someone with City of LF? If so, whom do you call on a weekend? Like-Reply 18h 1 Write a reply... Sally Bartholomay Downey My concern is that will lead to neighbors wanting no music or no parties/people over. I had old neighbors who had crazy loud teens in the summer when they swam but they are kids having fun so I didn't say anything. Why can't we try to be neighborly and if we would like quiet at a certain time then GO ASK YOUR NEIGHBOR. Like- Reply 15h . Edited Tim Newman We are not looking to over regulate. Some neighbors are oblivious. Just looking for input. There may not be an ideal outcome. Like . Reply 18h Sally Bartholomay Downey Just realized you asked us to email you. Sorry hlea. Rather than clog this site with postings, please email me at newmant@cityoflakeforest.com. I hope you choose to respond. Thanks you all. Like-Reply 15h ^ Write a reply... David Mays This is not needed. Like Reply 17h Kristen Saunders Lee Town quiet hours seem to make the most sense. Not to pile on, but I find it amusing that we are worried about leaf blower noise (with only two complaints) and no one seems remotely bothered that kids ride bikes sans helmets all over town. Like Reply-17h Liza Dhamer Jessen I couldn't agree more with this comment. When trying to teach my children bike safety, bike rodeo attendees etc... driving down Deerpath the other day they noted numerous kids riding their bikes without helmets. Why can't this be enforced in the commun... See More Like . Reply . 2h Linnie Biondi Hi, Liza! Ok, sounding off on MUCH more important issues that the city should address, how about ticketing people who don't use turn signals???? Around 80% of local accidents are caused by not signaling. The city could get HUGE revenue by ticketing those who ignore the law.....kinda like cell phones and texting while driving. In my https://www.facebook.com/groups/528247930638465/ Chat (2) 6/18 6/7/2018 LF/LB Services (2) LF/LB Services Like . Reply 5m Write a reply... Lori Jachimowicz Pepper In my neighborhood there isn't one day of the week when someone isn't having their lawn cut. Last weekend, Sunday night, 745pm. It would be nice if we (my neighbors) could all have our lawns done on the same day. I could deal with one day of excessive noise for 6 quiet days. Like-Reply 16h Jen Jeffries Mulloy Great idea, but not everyone has a lawn service. Due to work, my husband and I can only mow the lawn on weeknights or over the weekend. Like Reply 16h Jen Jeffries Mulloy That said we do try to be respectful and not use the mower or blower too early or too late. Like Reply-l6h View more replies Write a reply... Lisa Boehm Tadel There is no ideal outcome! The alternative are neighbors that don't do anything to their landscape. Be respectful, follow the city noise ordinance, be neighborly and appreciate that we live in a beautiful community where residence take pride in their landscape and home. Like . Reply . 14h Karen Rydstrom Larson I think if we have only had 2 complaints, we do not need to make a rule. 4 Like Reply 13h .ac. Shirley Moretti Following... Like Reply 12h Lisa Burton Radzely It's a valid issue even though only 2 complaints have been made because complaints would be about violations of the ordinance. That's different than questioning whether the ordinance is set in a way that's best for our community. Like-Reply 11h Jenifer Hansen Good luck with this. Then the next fight is these chores of your neighbors do not get done at all. Then the bigger picture is it lowers the Lake Forest property values even more than they already are because a homeowners can't afford clean their yard... See More Like-Reply 10h Cynthia Raymond Something to consider when making decisions on issues like this - I notice several people saying this is 'ridiculous' or 'not needed.' Obviously, you haven't had an issue with it,but it should matter enough if other neighbors have. There are likely only 2 complaints because most don't like to call the police and file complaints on their neighbors, even if it's a bothersome situation. Like . Reply . 10h Cynthia Raymond When I first moved here over 20 years ago from the city, the leaf blower noise really stood out - it was my alarm clock on weekends and startled any overnight guests. Crews and neighbors didn't pay attention to allowed times, continually. I doubt restricting the hours will lead to disheveled lawns. Like-Reply 10h Terry Maguire Klausmeier I've been housebound for four weeks now, and the noise around my area is deafening. You can't sit outside, you have to close your windows. Leaf blowers, lawn crews, https://www.facebook.com/groups/528247930638465/ Chat (2) 7/18 6/7/2018 LF/LB Services (2) LF/LB Services Like . Reply 1h Ry An 2 complaints in 6 years. There are bigger issues. Cmon there has to be better issues to tackle. Maybe having the city municipal building open past 430 is a great place to start. Like Reply-1h Elliott Delman In this high tech era, wouldn't you think some brainiac could come up with a way to make these nasty machines quieter? There's a gold mine in there somewhere, friends. Like . Reply . 58m Write a comment... Mary Birkhauser 15hrs Recommendations for home security companies? We have ADT but our contract is up so we'd like to shop around! TIA! Like Comment i Becky Bernstein Zelken I'm wondering the same-except don't want to invest in all new equipment. Is there any company that can use same door and window sensors? Like Reply 12h Karen Rydstrom Larson I love Vivint. ^ Like Reply 12h Tracy Hucker We have Tech Systems and have for years. Owned by a local family too. Like Reply-12h Tracy Mucker 847-787-7036 Like Reply . 12h Write a reply... Constantina Papas Boufls Tech Systems had it for home and business' for over 15 yrs. Like Reply 11 h Bo Harper Simplysafe.com SIMPLISAFE.COM Home Security Systems from SimpliSafe Like-Reply 11h tf.- Denise Andresen Vivint! Like-Reply 10h Todd Curry SimpliSafe. $25 a month. Great app. Smart sensors. Like . Reply 2h Matt Nielsen Following Like . Reply . 5m Write a comment... Atison Magnani Bastianelli Yesterday al 9:04am https://www.facebook.com/groups/528247930638465/ Chat (2) 8/18 Banks. Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newmanjimothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:33 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: noise ordinance Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: beth mynhier <bethmyn(%gmail.com> Date: June 6, 2018 at 3:52:26 PM CDT To: newmant cit oflakeforest.com Subject: noise ordinance Tim, Thanks for tackling this issue. It's a pet peeve of mine and of Jim's for sure, as we have what feels like a solid week of leaf blowing at our neighbor's home every spring! I like the idea of curtailing the use of motorized lawn equipment, and would suggest thinking about adding a "not to exceed" niunber of hours in any given day. Perhaps no more than 2 consecutive hours without a 30 minute break or similar. If nothing else, this might get our landscapers to consider reducing the use of leaf blowers instead of what appears to be thought - less noise production! Thank you, Beth Mynhier bethmyn@flmail.com Banks, Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman.Timothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:33 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: Leaf blowers, loud noise Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: Suzanne Stumo <suzibeh icloud.com> Date: June 6,2018 at 1:44:40 PM CDT To: newmant cit oflakeforest.com Subject: Leaf blowers, loud noise Hi, saw your post in MP services I am greatful for the invite to weigh in on the use of leaf blowers. First off the regulations u mention are to lax so why bother. North shore towns have tighter noise regulation on lawn equipment than what u propose. If u make an ordinance that is so lax it will just make it more difficult to make a more reasonable or one that more closely matches the 9- 5ish of the rest of the north shore. So I'm against the what I consider pointless regulation presently up for a vote or whatever. Most importantly, gas backpack Leaf blowers, wheel mounted leaf blowers, all those things r very dirty and polluting emitting more toxic fumes than cars, trucks, even more than tractor trailers. For pollution reasons alone I don't understand why home owners use them at all or why they r not regulated in the manufacturing phase like automobiles and such. This noisey archaic lawn care technology is mostly used by illegal immigrants who don't understand things like standards, that's probably why the products r completely unregulated. Technology is generally as advanced as those who operate it. In general I feel overly polluting things should be banned. I have an electric leaf blower it is very powerful and also very quiet. It was more expensive but myself I don't like noise so I don't tend to make much of it. My last comment will probably be confusing to you but I believe it is accurate. People don't want to live in the suburbs or this one either because suburbs are to loud. I've lived in NYC, and Chicago. I raised my kids in both cities and then moved here beginning 6th grade for them. I've lived in lake forest for 8 years. I find it loud here. I have a condo in the city and it is much more quiet and people aren't noisy late at night and all weekend. This last two years Ive been driven over the edge by the leaf blowers, day and night, I'm ready to leave and yes based on that. My son felt the same and his ffiend Nico who lives in west lake forest also finds where he has moved on to be much quieter. I've had guests from out of town time to time, they have balked at the noise here. I wear earplugs all fall when I am in LF at home. I dread getting off the to-ain after work in summer and fall-1 work at Northwestern down town- it is a loud walk home at 5pm, waking thru all the noise and tmcks. I go to the city for peace and quiet and I can't wait to leave for good and be able to sleep in on a Saturday morning. I'll miss my fiiends, I'll have to leave two boards. I will miss being part of this wonderful town, but I really can't handle the noise all summer and fall, it's not worth it. Thanks again, Suzanne Banks, Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman,Timothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:34 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: Your Request For Input Re: Noise Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: Wuff<wuff ameritech.net> Date: June 6, 2018 at 1:36:21 PM CDT To: newmant cit oflakeforest.com Subject: Your Request For Input Re: Noise Alderman Newman- I think that the suggestion of limiting use ofloud-noise producing tools at the times you mentioned in your narrative posted in the FB Services group, is fine. Can it be enforced? I frequently see people texting and/or on cell phones, whether I'm driving around town or on foot. -Alice Moulton-Ely Banks Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman,Timothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:34 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: Noise Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: "Baker, Lori" <Lori.Baker cbexchan e.com> Date: June 6, 2018 at 12:17:02 PM CDT To: "newmant cit oflakeforest.com" <newmant cit oflakeforest.com> Subject: Noise I AGREE with your suggestion Tim. After 5:00 & After 4:00 Lori Baker Coldwell Banker 847.863.1791 *Wire Fraud is Real*. Before wiring any money, call the intended recipient at a number you know is valid to confirm the instructions. Additionally, please note that the sender does not have authority to bind a party to a real estate cont-act via written or verbal communication. Banks, Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman,Timothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:34 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: leaf blowers Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: Glennon Family <'knkca lennon aol.com> Date: June 6, 2018 at 11:37:18 AM CDT To: newmant cit oflakeforest.com Subject: leaf blowers Any help you could give to stop the constant whir of machinery during all hours of the day and night would be appreciated. In full support of the proposed Saturdays after 5 and Sundays/holidays after 4 ban!!! Kathy Glennon Banks Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman,Timothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:35 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: Leaf blowers, lawnmowers, and other landscaping device noise. Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch htt ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: S Aneeqa Aqeel <saa eel umich.edu> Date: June 6, 2018 at 11:10:33 AM CDT To: newmant cit oflakeforest.com Subject: Leaf blowers, lawnmowers, and other landscaping device noise. Dear Mr Newman, Thank you for reaching out to LF residents on the LF/LB Services page on Facebook regarding the issue of excessive noise made by landscaping equipment. As many are commenting below your post on Facebook, we agree that a new or reiterated City Ordinance to restrict the timings that such equipment may be used is an excellent idea. I would like to request that the City strictly enforce that there should be no noise before Sam, especially on weekends. In our street, at least two neighbours enaploy commercial landscapers who show up at 7am on a Saturday or Sunday morning! Thank you for your consideration and your attention to this matter. Regards, S. Aneeqa Aqeel 1427LakewoodDr., Lake Forest. Sent from my iPhone Banks, Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newmanjimothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:35 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: Noise Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch htt : fa.ml.com newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: carol jones <c'oneshouse comcast.net> Date: June 6, 2018 at 10:53:27 AM CDT To:<newmant cit oflakeforest.com> Subject: Noise Thank you for tackling this issue. I am a Third Ward resident. Your suggestion sounds like a perfect solution to me though I am certain someone can find fault. I agree that morning is another issue to address, but if the rule is 8:30 or 9 on weekends, then enforcement is the issue. Currently, we do tolerate the noise on all sides. We only use a service twice in summer which makes hearing the noise feel like total overkill, but we respect our neighbors' choice to have impeccable yards. As a 61 year resident, it is sad how much noise, light, and bank (kidding) pollution has changed our quiet little enclave. Oh well. Carol Jones, Third Ward Lifer Banks, Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman.Timothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:35 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: leaf blowers Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch htt : fa.ml.com newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: Greg Adamo <adamo ccmlaw er.com> Date: June 6, 2018 at 10:51:03 AM CDT To: "newmant cit oflakeforest.com" <newmant cit oflakeforest.com> Subject: leaf blowers Tim/ I saw your post on facebook asking for input on leaf blowers. I live in the fourth ward of Lake Forest, but I thought I'd email you anyway: I do not care about this. This isn't an issue that resonates with me. To the extent there are problems with leaf blowers/ mowers/ weed whippers/ etc./1 would hope that civil neighbors could be able to work out some arrangement outside of any regulation. Seems like this isn't really worth using governmental resources to craft a policy and then enforce through the police. I suspect most LF residents actually agree with me. I also suspect that very few of them are likely to write to you to tell you this. Frankly, It seems implausible that leaf blower regulation will enhance anyone's property value and no subset of the city population will swing any votes in any election because of leaf blower rule. Perhaps there will be a loud, vocal minority calling for some form of regulation or something. . As a general rule/ governance by loud/ vocal minority produces many bad outcomes. The city has limited ability to police politeness. It shouldn't try. It's an impossible game you cannot win. It's too paternalistic and you'll end up w^ith a spiral of crazy regulations and bizarre enforcement predicaments. .. I hope/ for your sake/ that this issue simply goes away rather than become the topic a dozen local paper letters to the editor and of four/ hour public meetings. Cordially, Greg Adamo Gregory P. Adamo Partner Clingen Callow & McLean, LLC 2300 Cabot Drive, Ste. 500 Lisle, IL 60532 adamo@ccmla er. corn P: 630-871-2611 F: 630-871-9869 Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newmanjimothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:36 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: noise pollution Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: Lisa Burton Radzely <lisalbr ahoo.com> Date: June 6, 2018 at 10:43:46 AM CDT To: "newmant cit oflakeforest.com" <newmant cit oflakeforest.com> Subject: noise pollution Dear Alderman Newman, Thank you for raising the issue of noise pollution in LF. I was dismayed when I moved here to discover the loose noise ordinances. I want my children to get a decent night's sleep, and being awakened by leaf blowers, mowers, and other loud equipment disrupts it sometimes. On weekends, all of us want the opportunity to sleep late and catch up from a long week. The teens in particular desperately need that catch-up sleep. There is too much schoolwork on top of other activities to get a decent night's sleep during the week, and sleeping in on weekends is key. However, it's common to be awakened as soon as the noise ordinance permits. The morning times are more important to me to restrict noise than early evening. However, I concur that it would be nice to read 3 book outside, eat dinner on the deck, or do outdoor activities in the early evening without hearing loud equipment such as leaf blowers and mowers. I appreciate your looking out for the quality of life in LF. Lisa Burton Radzely 1820 S James Court N, Lake Forest Banks. Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman,Timothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:36 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: Leaf Blowers Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: DIane B Newman <dbnew comcast.net> Date: June 6, 2018 at 10:25:42 AM CDT To:NewmanT cit oflakeforest.com Subject: Leaf Blowers Love your idea and fully support it. D Diane B. Newman 847 604-8305 home 847 602-8305 cell 847 604-9322 fax Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman,Timothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:36 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: mechanical noise and how to curb it. Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch htt : fa.ml.com newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: "craig koppmann" <cwkoDDmann@Bmail.com> Date: June 6, 2018 at 10:24:20 AM CDT To:<newmant cit oflakeforest.com> Subject: mechanical noise and how to curb it. Tim! I applaud the attempt to gather the community input. I for one would like to see this: "...What if we banned all noise including mowers and blowers, but also roofing nail guns and other loud devices Saturdays after 5:00 and Sundays and holidays after 4:00?..." As a homeowner and a DF^er, this would impact me on both sides of the fence. I do my fair share of noisy work; i.e. Wood Chipper, band saw woodwork, generator/compressor usage, and lawn mowing/etc. But; I also enjoy the peace and quiet of our neighborhood WHEN we can find it; which of late seems to be a narrowmg window. Having a cutoff time is a very fine idea. Aside from logistics of enforceability; it would serve as a friendly and neighborly reminder that we are all.. . nei hbors... and as such we all need to find a comproinise. Best, Craig Koppmaim Banks, Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newmanjimothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 5:36 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: mowers loud Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: Kay Friedberg <kay.fi-iedbere(%gmail.com> Date: June 6,2018 at 10:15:09 AM CDT To: newmant cit oflakeforest.com Subject: mowers loud Hi Please please make this ordinance in LF.. we have neighbors who are on their gas mowers for hours with grandkids joyriding through every outside celebration we have... we cannot enjoy our beautiful surrounds with any peace Kay Friedberg 1680Trillium Lake Forest IL 60045 Sent from my iPhone Banks, Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newmanjimothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 6:26 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: leaf blowers Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou ass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: "Renee Settels (Personal)" <renee brunset.com> Date: June 6,2018 at 6:23:29 PM CDT To: "newmant cit oflakeforest.com" <newmant cit oflakeforest.com> Cc: " reschlack cit oflakeforest.com" < reschlack cit oflakeforest.com> Subject: leaf blowers Hello Mr. Newman, Thank you for your post on Facebook Services about the gas-powered leaf blowers. The advantage of an electric leaf blower would be air quality. The smell of these gas-powered blowers is pretty significant and is toxic. You would take that out of the equation with the electiic blowers. I would like to see cutting and pruning trees with machines included as well. They can make a lot of noise too and typically takes much longer than a leaf blower. Even though it has not been an issue in my neighborhood, I would be in favor of more quiet time on the weekends. Saturday's at 5 and Sunday at 4 seems very reasonable to me. I would rather see that 4 pm respectively 3 pm on those days, but also understand that that can be hard for people that are in charge of their own lawn. The mentioned start times seem already reasonable. I would also like you to know that a double stacked very long freight train makes much more noise in my backyard (that is almost half a mile away from my patio!!!) than a leaf blower in my neighbors yard. This is probably hard for you to understand but it is one of those things that if you have never experienced it that it is hard to imagine. But it is an overwhelming sound that would absolutely surprise you and if ever experienced probably makes you think or feel differently about these types of freight trains. So many people are bothered by this, and this is not a day time noise pollution only like the leaf blowers, this takes place during day and night, and it wakes many people up at night. Even the fire fighters that sleep over in West Lake Forest are having bad sleep over this. Call them if you don't believe me. It is the double stacked freight trains that cause this extreme noise especially. The regular ones (the ones we grew up with) have accqitable noise levels. I would love to see more energy put into that sound pollution as well!!! And wish it would have as much energy devoted to it as the leave blowers have gotten in the past year or so. Thank you for getting in touch with your fellow citizens! Sincerely, Renee Settels Meadowood Banks, Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman,Timothy Wednesday, June 06, 2018 6:26 PM Banks, Susan Fwd: Lawn equipment noise Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: Edward Mulloy <edwardmullo hotmail.com> Date: June 6,2018 at 6:07:45 PM CDT To: "newmant cit oflakeforest.com" <newmant cit oflakeforest.com> Subject: Lawn equipment noise Tim I agree some residents choose or can not afford to contract out their lawn work. I am one of the people in this community doing everything I can do to afford being here. Doing my own lawn is one of the activities that allows my family to have some ( not all) of the perks of living in LF. Having two people in the entire community registenng complaints does not justify making an ordinance bamiing lawn equipment. Like many families, we have multiple activities on the weekend and time to tight. I may work outside at 8:00 AM or 5:00 PM. The key is to respect and communicate with your neighbors. Less is more in this situation. Respectfully Ed Mulloy 1095 FairviewAve Sent from my iPhone Banks, Susan From: Sent: To: Subject: Newman,Timothy Thursday, June 07, 2018 8:52 AM Banks, Susan Fwd: Noise post Tim Newman Wealth Management Advisor Merrill Lynch h ://fa.ml.com/newman dou lass 847-502-8304 C 847-582-7808 0 847-613-4469 F Begin forwarded message: From: Nick Papadakes <nick Onwentsiaclub.or > Date: June 7,2018 at 5:50:07 AM CDT To: "newmant cit oflakeforest.com" <newmant cit oflakeforest.com> Cc: Wade Miller <WMiller Onwentsiaclub.or >, "srvmcent(%gmail.com" <srvincent(%gmail.com> Subject: Noise post How would this proposed noise ordinance affect the golf courses in town? Nick Papadakes Golf Professional Onwentsia Club 847-810-0710 Sent from my iPhone, please excuse any errors Pasted in from FB Messenger. Liz Moore on Vine. Hi Tim, I walk early in the morning and have stopped at lawn service trucks that violated the current ordinances-I have even called a company directly. I have had several times in my neighborhood where it is too early and I did not call the police. I figure by the time they get out there they will be done (I don't always know which neighbor it is and not going to go around searching). In talking with friends about this - we all just don't call the police to report. I do feel that 9am-5 for leaf blowers on Weekends is appropriate. I wish it could be later on weekdays too but would be happy with just weekends. ***************************************************************************** Dear Tim, Just following up my leaf blower comments, on a more serious note...when I moved to LF, I found the leaf blowers and lack of consideration for neighbors obnoxious. It was louder than the city streets I lived on prior. I begrudgingly got used to them - however, if we're trying to attract younger residents, they usually go out on weekends and don't like a leaf blower in their ear on Sunday. I often work from home and can't keep windows open in the summer if I actually expect clients to hear me on calls (I had an office in River North and the el near my window was quieter than LF leaf blowers). Comments similar to 'it's fine for me, who cares' are selfish - my feeling is if it's something that can be remedied and does no harm to others who don't care, then we should do it. Shorter hours shouldn't raise prices in the long run - crews and pricing will adjust, supply and demand. If it were up to me, I would allow crews from 9 am until 5 pm weekdays, earlier 1 pm ish cut-off on Saturday's, zero Sunday's and holidays (though allow for residents to do their own work any day, longer hours - electric blowers are not as loud and it's just the noise of one as opposed to several crew guys with gas blowers). This also keeps crew trucks off the streets during busy drive times. I can't imagine too many will complain about the resulting tranquility. Cindy ***************************************************************************** Hi Tim, I’m in Ward 3 (and I’m one of Diane’s “walking friends”). Leaf blower nuisance noise is not s problem for us (King Muir neighborhood). My next door neighbor has been removing buckthorn with loud power tools, but it hasn’t ruined our quality of life... and we could say something to him if it was unbearable! He obviously had a 24 hour stump grinder rental and had a very long day of it. We we’re glad that it wasn’t US out there working! We do call the police about barking dogs late at night. There is one neighbor with a number of guard dogs, and her caretaker sometimes forgets to bring the inside at night while she’s in Florida. They would bark all night long if the police didn’t intervene. I am not reluctant at all about calling the police, especially since she’s out of town. In fact, incessant dog barking in the daytime during a weekend pool party is the only thing I remember that has even approached the nuisance issue you brought up on Facebook. We suffered through it. The dog obviously belonged to a weeklong houseguest of the neighbor. It went away when the family’s houseguests left town again. Hard to legislate about that. Thanks for all you do! Nina Strnad ***************************************************************************** I support your proposal in LF/LB Services Sue Kitzerow ***************************************************************************** Saw your FB post. I think I’m in Ward 2, also. We do not need additional regulations on this. Neighbors having problems can speak with neighbors or call the city or police. 2 complaints is not a real issue. This is a ridiculous use of time and resources. Janita Reehl ***************************************************************************** Email Correspondence from Residents Dear Mayor Lansing: I’m an attorney and Lake Forest resident writing to again express my concerns about the decibel level of leaf blowers that seem to be in use 9 months a year in our city, despite partial-year bans in neighboring communities like Highland Park, Evanston and Wilmette. Affluent communities such as ours across the United States have similar bans and partial-year bans. This information is available here: List of cities.htm. An article appeared recently in the New York Times about communities who have enacted or are considering enacted bans: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/realestate/on-banning-on-leaf- blowers.html?mcubz=1 If the City has ordinance prohibiting loud noise, which it does not seem to enforce: 1. It shall be unlawful to cause or to make reasonable loud noise in any depot, store, theater, street, alley, sidewalk, park or other public place or any place frequented by the public in the City. It shall further be unlawful to cause or make unreasonable loud noise at any point on or beyond the boundary of any lot, whether privately owned or public, which such unreasonable noise interferes with the quiet enjoyment of Sec. 26-7. Is there anything your administration can do to address this very serious problem? Should residents report violations to the police in the interim? Should we bring suit against a landscape company individually and as representative of a defendant class (or against the City for failure to enforce its own noise ordinance)? I look forward to your response. Sincerely, William M. Sweetnam Some further thoughts on this issue. While I understand that some with landscaping services may oppose a partial-year ban, the landscapers are the problem. They typically used 2-4 gas powered blowers at the same time on lots that are 1/3 acre and houses are only 25 feet apart. This is unbearable in the summertime. We have a barking dog ordinance but no way to complain about the noise from this machinery. In my opinion, an ordinance can take into consideration lot size by exempting properties on, say, 1 acre or larger lots. Also, an ordinance could be written to prohibit the use of more than one blower at a time on smaller lots, regardless of the time of year. You can imagine that when 6 or more crews descend on a street with each employing 2-4 blowers the sound is like living next to an airport. They are doing this for profit and should be subject to reasonable regulations. It’s a nuisance and must stop. William M. Sweetnam ***************************************************************************** Cathy: Thank you for your reply we appreciate the quick response to our concern's with the proposed code change. Although we realize that the proposed language would only focus on the use of gas powered leaf blowers many in our neighborhood that do our own landscaping also use gas powered blowers as part of the clean-up operations. More specifically during the fall months the operation of a gas powered leaf blower for heavy cleanup is critical. Based on the proposed change in the code language this would limit working parents to only one day, Saturday, to perform clean-up operations. It was for this reason specifically that the language seems a bit restrictive. As we stated in our previous email, we understand the principle of the change however we and many of our neighbors who do this work believe that by extending it an additional 1 1/2 hours during the week would allow a reasonable flexibility to perform general landscaping maintenance work. The proposed hours as they are stated for the use of gas powered mowers seems to restrictive and causes an undo burden on working families. James and Emily Bernahl ***************************************************************************** Good evening Aldermen! Unfortunately I am unable to attend the ward 4 meeting tonight but wanted to share my comments regarding the ordinance change regarding gas powered leaf blowers. As a lifelong resident of Lake Forest in the Lasker Estate neighborhood, I have grown up caring and maintaining my parent's and now my own yard at 1053 Old Barn Lane. I work full time managing Lake Forest Flowers which is open 6 days a week, Mon-Sat 9am - 5pm and many Saturday nights and some Sundays handling wedding and event set up. My schedule and many of my neighbors who also work full time, managing their children's activity schedules on the weekends and meticulously caring for their yards do this in the evening hours and on both Saturdays and Sundays. I am completely opposed for the regulation of gas powered leaf blowers for homeowners/residents. Please go ahead and regulate landscape companies, but please do not hinder my ability to keep a beautiful yard in which I take pride. The first reading of the ordinance discriminates against those who have a full time job and maintain their own property. I hope you will seriously take this into consideration as this issue will be addressed again at your June 4th meeting. I will be leading a program at Lake Forest Library that evening on floral design and thus cannot come and speak during public comment. I would be happy to speak with you further and can be reached at the number below. Thank you and enjoy this beautiful weather, Eileen Weber ***************************************************************************** Dear Alderwomen Rummel, The CLF current hours of permissible hour of landscape hours has been in place for many years and has worked well. The proposal you are considering will negatively effect every landscape contractor that provides service to residents of Lake Forest. Most landscapers begin their work day at either 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. daily. We arrive at our first job around 7:30 a.m. depending on location. One of the first things our crew does is to blow all debris from the planting beds, driveways and patios into the lawn area so the mowers can pick debris up as we being mowing. The proposal will cost every landscape contractor as well as seasonally services like sealcoaters and other construction companies jobs. I will be forced to shorten my crews day as we will be over an hour delayed before we can start work. This will cost me customers and my workers hours. Will this plan apply to snow blowers in the winter? They are as loud or louder than leaf blowers. 7:30 a.m. Monday - Saturday is not an unreasonable hour to begin work. Singling out a single tool on a select group of contractors is not a good idea nor quite honestly fair.The CLF does many things very well. Your tree inspector Mike Glomski and your entire staff at the Municipal building are a pleasure to work with, I respectfully request you and the city counsel do not fix what is not broken. Sincerely, Dan Rogers Rogers Nursery ***************************************************************************** Alderman Buschmann, Thank you for sharing the mayor's comments with me. My concerns continue to grow as I have not seen the research compiled by Public Works Cmte and City Staff in this ordinance update. Is this available for public viewing? This spring I engaged in discussion with Mike Strong re: concerns over door to door solicitation. We had people coming to our door and ringing the doorbell after 8pm. I proposed that the hours should be limited to daylight or until 6pm - so not to disturb private residences. Mr. Strong reported back to me that the Council looked at this and felt the ordinance should stay as it is. So when I compare these issues, strangers ringing my doorbell after 8pm on a dark night to an hour or two of leaf blower humming - I start to wonder, what is worse? All a matter of opinion I guess. I just hope that our elected officials collect feedback from property owners and represent them in future discussions and not just one or two neighbors who have a tiff. Again, I appreciate your willingness to engage in discussion vs. blowing us off (no pun intended) as some officials have done in the past. Sincerely, Eileen ***************************************************************************** Hello. Ideally, we, the citizens of Lake Forest, would govern ourselves so as to need only the minimum laws necessary. Common courtesy and thinking of ourselves as part of a larger community are pretty basic things. However, when they are not practiced, there becomes a need for laws in order to maintain a peaceful society. The leaf blower ordinance is an example. I think that everyone would agree that the noise that the gas-powered ones emit is obnoxious. But okay, it does a job and a reasonable person might agree that they should be allowed. But the problem becomes when. We live near two large estates, and both places (one in particular) consistently use their leaf blowers beginning around 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, except when they are having guests/a party. So every Saturday and Sunday, after we have spent the day working in the yard and are ready to sit down and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Lake Forest, we hear the incessant sound of the neighbors' leaf blowers. They will use the blowers for as long as 2-3 hours and up until 7-7:30. The noise is so loud that we cannot sit outside and hear one another. So no dinners, no quiet conversations, no sitting outside to read a book. It is too much. There is no peace. There is no quiet. Additionally, a friend, another LF resident, lives in close proximity to a neighbor who insists on maintaining a spotless driveway (that runs alongside the lot line). The poor leafblower-using man appears to have a case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or has nothing else to do, so runs his leaf blower many times (3-4x) per day - up to 7pm andmore frequently on Sat/Sun than any other day. My friend has to plan activities in his own yard, based on the leaf blower use of his neighbor. Recently, several reasonable people - all LF residents - agreed that there are certain limits that must be put in place, so as to avoid confrontations with neighbors (who point to the current allowed hours when asked to stop) and to provide respite from the blowers after 5 pm on Saturdays and all day on Sunday. I offered to email you with our thoughts. Please feel free to call me with any questions. (847) 721-296 Respectfully, Margaret Nugent Comments from Alderman From: "Preschlack, Jim" <Preschlack@cityoflakeforest.com> Date: June 5, 2018 at 3:15:17 PM CDT To: "Kiely, Robert" <KielyR@cityoflakeforest.com> Subject: Re: Questions regarding agenda item 6: 1. Consideration of an ordinance amending section 135.108(C), title "Noise, Generally" Hi Bob, I just wanted to pass along my feedback via email as PWC reconsiders this ordinance: • It would be great if we could get more data on “the problem” to confirm what times of the day and what days are really bothering people across the majority of the town. Is it evenings on the weekends after 5pm, 7pm on weekdays, etc. It feels like with only 80 official police complaints a year and a smaller portion of that being from lawn maintenance, in a town of 19,000, there is probably some work we can do to flush this out, if we believe a problem exists with current code. It will always be “subjective” to a certain extent, but more data points and or resident feedback to pinpoint the specific problems would be great. • Since all lawn equipment seems to be an equal opportunity offender for contributing to undesirable noise, I think it makes sense to keep the usage limits the same on all lawn equipment and not single out a device, which could lead to confusion like pre 3/15/01 • The logical place to start for me would be to consider shortening the weekend times across the board to 5pm on all equipment and then see what happens • I think it would be tough to outlaw all activity on one day like a Sunday, since folks work and or are busy on with kids on Saturdays, but I’m open to considering Tim’s suggestion. Chances are that would cause more plow back than we got on just the gas leaf blower restriction on sundays and holidays • It comes down to a basic utilitarian question, what’s the greatest good for the greatest number? Do residents prefer some relief on all days or 100% on a specific day or some mix of both? And given preference is there a limited amount of unintended consequences from any new restrictions? • I’m also open to keeping it the same for now and gathering more data this summer to see what we learn and revisit next fall Thanks! Jim ***************************************************************************** On Jun 5, 2018, at 6:19 PM, Newman,Timothy <NewmanT@cityoflakeforest.com> wrote: I was thinking along the same lines. A hard stop on all equipment Saturday’s at 5:00, Sunday’s and holidays at 4:00. That’s only a loss of 5 hours from current times. I would also consider nothing before 9:00 on Sundays and holidays. Tim Newman ***************************************************************************** From: "Morris, James" <MorrisJ@cityoflakeforest.com> Subject: Re: Questions regarding agenda item 6: 1. Consideration of an ordinance amending section 135.108(C), title "Noise, Generally" Date: June 6, 2018 at 6:06:17 AM CDT To: Jim Preschlack <jimpreschlack@gmail.com> Jim - excellent comments. From my perspective a gradual tightening of hours may be appropriate. I have heard many Ward 1 comments like the lady who was the last to comment on the noise. Perhaps a start at 7:30 and stop at 5 on Monday - Saturday. Then Sunday 9 - 4. I think the focus on leaf blowers is due to the lawn mowers being perceived as more quiet, but a total ban on lawn equipment may be appropriate. Jed Additional Information Regarding Leaf Blowers and the Noise Ordinance In 2015, a survey was sent to 38 licensed landscape firms that are licensed within Lake Forest, 8 responses were received.  0 of the 8 firms were opposed to moving up the stopping time to 7: 00 pm, 50% were opposed to that time moving up to 6:30 pm.  On weekends and holidays, 0 of the 8 firms were opposed to moving the stopping time to 7:00 pm, 1 of the 8 firms said it would be opposed to that time moving up to 6:30 pm.  Every firm opposed moving the start time up to 8 am.  On Saturdays 50% of the firms opposed moving the start time up to 8:30 am. 75% opposed moving that time up to 9:00 am.  25% of the firms opposed moving up the start time to 10:30 on Sunday  No firm opposed the banning of leaf blowers on Sundays. ************************************************************************************ Police Department History of Noise Complaints Based on your request for noise complaints we have had and the relationship to leaf blowers, this is what I found. I checked noise complaints from January 1, 2014 to June 3, 2018; total 371 We don’t differentiate what type so I only looked at complaints from 0600-1900 hrs. Of the noise complaints during those times, only 2 were for leaf blowers (1 was a city crew) (both were in 2016). So 2 leaf blower complaints out of 371 total complaints, over a 4.5 year range……..you do the math. Majority of the complaints during this time frame are (ranked by frequency): 1. Loud music/parties 2. House/car alarms 3. Loud cars/trucks / motorcycles (motors or mufflers) 4. Construction noise from building (hammering, banging, saws, etc) 5. Pumps/generators/etc. 6. Snow removal noise Hope this helps, Rob Deputy Chief R.D. Copeland Lake Forest Police Department CHUCK MYERS, SUPERINTENDENT OF PARKS, FORESTRY & SPECIAL FACILITIES Leaf Blower Use in the City and Related Noise Ordinance Current City Code Under section 135.108 of the City’s code, “It is unlawful to cause or make loud noise through the operation of lawn maintenance equipment including, but not limited to, lawn mowers, tractors and gasoline-powered leaf blower equipment before 7:30 a.m. on weekdays, 8:00 a.m. on Saturdays and 10:00 a.m. on Sundays and holidays after, 7:30 p.m. on all days, except as authorized by the City Manager”. Noise Level Possible Actions 1.No Action 2.Education/Training Initiatives 3.Regulate Decibel Levels Allowed (65/70) 4.City Code Revision for Hours/Days of Operation for Blowers 5.Partial Year Ban for Blowers (typically May 15 -Sept.30) Requested City Code Revision Current Permitted Times of Use New Times Allowed* Mon-Fri: 7:30am-7:30pm Sat: 8:00am-7:30 pm Sun/Holidays: 10:00am-7:30 pm Mon-Sat: 9:00am-5:00pm Sun/Holidays: No Blower Use Allowed *Applies to gasoline powered leaf blowers only, not other lawn maintenance equipment Background 1991 -City Council passed first ordinance that restricted the hours of operation of lawn maintenance. 1995 -City Council modified the noise ordinance to draw a distinction between leaf blowers and other types of lawn maintenance equipment. 2000 -City Council and City Staff reviewed and discussed noise generated by leaf blowers, with no changes occurring to the City’s code. 2001 -City Council revised the ordinance by combining the hours of operation for gasoline- powered leaf blowers with those of lawn maintenance equipment, in an effort to address the confusion the different hours of operation caused with residents and police officers alike. 2002 -A draft Ordinance was brought before City Council that would put a ban on leaf blowers if incorporated. After a discussion by City Council, there was a consensus that the Council could not support the draft ordinance. 2015 –City Council given presentation by City Staff on Lawn Maintenance Equipment Hours of Operation and Noise Generated from Leaf Blowers, with no actions taken. City/Village Regulations Community Regulation (Permitted Times of Use) Lake Forest M-F: 7:30am-7:30pm Sat: 8am-7:30 pm Sun/Holidays: 10am-7:30 pm Lincolnshire No regulations Lake Bluff May 15-Sep 30 M-F: 8am-5pm Sat/Sun/Holidays: 9am-5pm Oct 1-May 14 M-F: 8am-6pm Sat/Sun/Holidays: 9am-6pm Highland Park Gas powered blowers not permitted from May 15-Oct 1 Libertyville No regulations Northfield No regulations Deerfield No regulations Glencoe Gas powered blowers prohibited from May 15-Sept 15 Wilmette Gas powered blowers prohibited from May 15-Sept 30 Education/Training Initiatives Increase public information Provide guidelines for residents and landscapers Utilize certification process for training and guidelines Regulate Decibel Levels Allowed Regulate decibel levels allowed, typically 65/70 dBA. Requires City Code revision Example:“Leaf blowers shall not exceed a decibel level of 65 dBA as measured at 50 feet from the point of operation.” Could include restrictions on number of blowers used on properties <0.5 acres Enforcement issues DISCUSSION OF SMOKE TESTING PROJECT & PROCESS IF VIOLATIONS ARE FOUND Smoke Testing Background •March 2018, Finance Committee reviewed the Smoke Testing Project •April 2018, bids for Project received and reviewed •Two bids received, low bid RJN group (conducted past smoke testing for City) •May 2018, City Council awarded the Smoke Testing Project to RJN Group in the total not-to-exceed amount of $102,330 Smoke Testing Follow Up –City Code Data collected through testing will be used to address stormwater inflow & infiltration into the City’s sanitary system •The inflow & infiltration data will be available by address and by type (i.e. downspout, sanitary lateral, private “storm” sewer system) •City Code Section 51.033 of the City’s Code (Cross-Connections; Service Termination Procedures) •“The City shall have the right to enter at any reasonable time, any property served by a connection to the City’s water supply for the purpose of verifying the presence or absence of cross-connections” •“The City is authorized to turn off a property’s water where any prohibited connection is found” •Items not specifically identified in City Code; requesting Public Works Committee Direction •Public Works Department notify residents via certified mailing of prohibited connections issues •Repair to be completed within 90 days •Building permit fees will be waived for repairs •Due to minimal infiltration volume, staff does not recommend requiring the repair of sanitary service inflows What is Smoke Testing? •Smoke testing consists of blowing non-hazardous/non-harmful smoke into the City’s sanitary sewer line through sanitary manholes •Smoke travels the path of least resistance and quickly shows up in areas that allow rain water inflow What is the Process to Smoke Test a Neighborhood? •Via RFP process, City will contract with an engineering firm to conduct smoke testing •Engineering firm and City work together to produce communication materials to ensure residents are notified of testing •Mailings •FAQ sheet •Door Hangers •Engineering firm conducts testing during dry weather months and records all public and private infiltration and inflow locations Why Smoke Test? To reduce/eliminate stormwater from entering the City’s sanitary sewer system •City flood data from the July & October flooding events •Numerous reports of basement flooding due to sanitary backups •City sanitary manholes were also surcharged during both events •City Stormwater Management Policy 1 •Basement Flooding -Sanitary 2 •Street Flooding 3 •Yard Flooding When and Where has the City Smoke Tested? When and Where has the City Smoke Tested? 1997 •RJN Engineering Group conducted study •Testing area was from Green Bay Road to the lakefront, north of Westleigh Road •130,175’ of sanitary sewer was smoke tested •Based on a 1-Year, 30-Minute Storm Event (.93 inches of rain) •141 sources of public inflow (893,977 Gallons Per Day) •70 private violations found, 65 corrected •Private downspouts were found to have the largest inflow effect on the sanitary system (1,161,000 GPD) When and Where has the City Smoke Tested? 2000 •RJN Engineering group conducted the study •Testing area was south of Walden Lane to the south City limits and east of Sheridan Road to the lakefront) •18,900’ of sanitary sewer •Based on a 1-Year, 30-Minute Storm Event (.93 inches of rain) •8 sources of public inflows (26,035 Gallons Per Day) •12 private violations found, no records of # corrected •Private downspouts were found to have the largest inflow effect on the sanitary system (14,400 GPD) When and Where has the City Smoke Tested? 2001 •RJN Engineering Group conducted study •Testing areas were King Muir/Ahwahnee and Whispering Oaks (north & south) •85,000’ feet of sanitary sewer was tested •Based on a 1-Year, 30-Minute Storm Event (.93 inches of rain) •66 sources of public inflow (384,380 Gallons Per Day) •22 private violations found, all were corrected •Private downspouts were found to have the largest inflow effect on the sanitary system (748,800 GPD) Where is Staff Proposing to Smoke Test Where is Staff Proposing to Smoke Test Where is Staff Proposing to Smoke Test Staff Recommendation Via RFP process, staff will recommend engineering firm to conduct smoke testing in proposed areas Timeline •April 2018, RFP process •May 2018, City Council approval of contract •July 2018, Begin smoke testing •September 2018, Complete testing Budget •FY19 CIP budgeted $162,000 •Possibly additional dollars from NBAR savings •Staff to re-evaluate need for FY20 Questions/Discussion REVIEW & APPROVAL OF PROPOSED IGA WITH HIGHWOOD FOR SHARED WATER PLANT OPERATIONAL SERVICES CnYOFHIGHWOOD MEMORANDUM OF UnDERSTANDING TO: Robert Kiely Jr., CHy Manager - City of Lake Forest FROM: Scott Coren, City Manager - City of Highwood DATE: February 9,2018 SUBJECT: WATER PLANT - TEMPORARY OPERATIONAL SERVICES The following Is a memo of understanding ("MOU") between the City of Lake Forest ("Lafte Ftoresf) and the City of Highwood 1'Hlghwooif') for tsmporary operational services at the Highwood water plant (Lake Forest and Highwood are collectively referred to as the "Parties'). Services and Schedule Lake Forest shall endeavor to provide a person or persons to assist with the operations of Highwood's water plant and associated facilities e.g. the elevated storage tank system, in compliance wnth I.E.P.A. and U.S.E.PA Regulations, subject to the person or person's availability and the safe operation of Lake Forest's own water facilities ("Senrfces"). These Services are limited solely to the following: Operating the plant on Fridays and Saturdays, for the number of hours necessary to fill and monitor the water tower, examine logs, complete any necessary reports, make minor repairs, and generally assist in plant operations and maintenance. On-call services to assist the Highwood plant operator with scheduled tasks that require two individuals. This may require scheduling on alternate days. Waiver of Claims Highwood waives any claims for losses, damages, liability, penalties, fines, and expenses (including attorneys' fees) against Lake Forest and its employees that relate to the performance of the Services described in this MOD ('Claims"), except to the extent that such Claims were the result of willful and wanton conduct by Lake Forest or one of its employees. This waiver of Claims does not waive any lawful immunities available to the Parties or their employees, and the Parties intend to preserve all lawful immunities available to them and their employees. Term The initial term of this arrangement Is 90 days. Starting February 12, 2018 and ending May, 19, 2018. Prior to the end of the term both parties will evaluate continuation of this arrangement. Payment Existing The City of Highwood will pay the City of Lake Forest $63.88 (the overtims rate for an hour. Signed and agreed, ^'cS£J<^s- Scott Coren, City Manager DRAFT 6.22.2018 1 INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF LAKE FOREST AND THE CITY OF HIGHWOOD REGARDING SHARED WATER PLANT OPERATIONAL SERVICES This INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT ("Agreement") is made and entered into this _____ day of ___________, 2018, by and between THE CITY OF LAKE FOREST, an Illinois home-rule municipal corporation (“Lake Forest”) and the CITY OF HIGHWOOD, an Illinois municipality (“Highwood”). IN CONSIDERATION OF the recitals and the mutual covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement, and pursuant to Lake Forest’s home rule powers and Lake Forest and Highwood’s statutory and constitutional powers, the parties agree as follows: SECTION 1. RECITALS. A. Article VII, Section 10 of the 1970 Constitution of the State of Illinois provides that units of local government may contract among themselves to obtain or share services and to exercise, combine, or transfer any power or function in any manner not prohibited by law or by ordinance. B. The Illinois Intergovernmental Cooperation Act, 5 ILCS 220/1, et. seq. provides additional powers to units of local government that work together. C.Lake Forest employs personnel to operate its water plant and associated facilities. D.Highwood is in need of assistance with the operation of Hig hwood’s water plant and associated facilities. E. Lake Forest has agreed to provide water plant operational personnel services to Highwood under the terms and conditions of this Agreement. F. The City Councils of both Lake Forest and Highwood have determined that it is in the best interests of both communities to enter in to the terms of this Intergovernmental Agreement. SECTION 2. TERM OF AGREEMENT. The initial term of this Agreement is three years from the effective date, as defined in section 7.E of this Agreement. This Agreement may be extended for two additional terms of one year each upon agreement of the parties in writing at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the term of this Agreement or any extended term. SECTION 3. SERVICES. Lake Forest agrees to provide personnel to assist with the operations of Highwood’s water plant and associated facilities (e.g., the elevated storage tank system), in compliance with the IEPA and USEPA regulations, subject to the availability of such personnel and the safe and necessary operation of Lake Forest’s own water facilities which remains a priority for Lake Forest (“Services.”). The Services are limited solely to the following: A. Assist with the operations of the Highwood water plant on Fridays and Saturdays for the number of hours necessary to fill and monitor the water tower, examine Proposed DRAFT 6.22.2018 2 logs, complete any necessary reports, make minor repairs, and generally assist in plant operations and maintenance. B. Provide on-call services to assist the Highwood water plant operator with scheduled tasks that require two individuals, which may require scheduling on days other than Friday or Saturday. C. Assist with the operations of the Highwood water plant on days when the Highwood water plant operator is on vacation, provided Highwood provides sufficient advance notice to Lake Forest and the parties agree to the dates and times for these Services. SECTION 4. PAYMENT FOR SERVICES. In consideration for Lake Forest providing the Services, Highwood will pay to Lake Forest $80.00 per hour of Services provided to Highwood. Lake Forest will send invoices to Highwood on a monthly basis, and payment must be received within 30 days of the invoice and is subject to the Local Government Prompt Payment Act. SECTION 5. WAIVER OF CLAIMS. Highwood waives any claims for losses, damages, liability, penalties, fines, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) against Lake Forest and its employees, officials, and officers that relate to the performance of the Services, except to the extent that the claims were the result of the willful and wanton conduct of Lake Forest or one of its employees. This waiver does not waive any lawful immunities available to the parties or their employees, officials, and officers, and the parties intend to preserve all lawful immunities available to them and their employees, officials, and officers. SECTION 6. TERMINATION. Either party may terminate this Agreement for any reason upon 180 days written notice to the other party. Notwithstanding notice of such termination, Highwood will remain responsible for payment to Lake Forest for all fees due to Lake Forest for Services provided through and including the effective date of termination. In addition, Lake Forest has the right to terminate this Agreem ent for cause by written notice to Highwood in the event of Highwood’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 4 relating to payment for billed Services. SECTION 7. GENERAL PROVISIONS. A. Notice. Any notice or communication required or permitted to be given under this Agreement must be in writing and shall be delivered (i) personally, (ii) by a reputable overnight courier, (iii) by certified mail, return receipt requested, and deposited in the U.S. Mail, postage prepaid, or (iv) by email to the following: To Lake Forest: City Manager The City of Lake Forest 220 East Deerpath Lake Forest, IL 60045 Email: KielyR@cityoflakeforest.com To Highwood: City Manager City of Highwood 17 Highwood Ave. DRAFT 6.22.2018 3 Highwood, IL 60040 Email: scoren@cityofhighwood.org B. Governing Law. This Agreement is governed by, and enforced in accordance with the internal laws, but not the conflicts of laws rules, of the State of Illinois. C. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire Agreement between the Parties and supersedes any and all prior agreements and negotiations between the parties, whether written or oral, relating to the subject matter of this Agreement. D. Amendment and Modifications. No amendment or modification to this Agreement shall be effective until reduced to writing and approved and executed by all parties to this Agreement in accordance with all applicable statutory procedures. E. Effective Date. It is understood that this Agreement shall be effective after adoption by the respective City Councils of both parties of a resolution authorizing the execution of this Agreement and the execution of this Agreement by all parties. IN WITNESS THEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement on the day and date appearing before their respective signatures. Dated: _____________________, 2018 Dated: _____________________, 2018 THE CITY OF LAKE FOREST CITY OF HIGHWOOD By: ______________________________ By: ______________________________ Its ______________________________ Its _______________________________ Attest: ___________________________ Attest: ___________________________ 4841-8223-6011, v. 3 REVIEW & APPROVAL OF THE LOW BID FOR THE OLD MILL SANITARY SEWER FORCE REPLACEMENT PROJECT Award of contract for Southwest Lift Station Forcemain Replacement Project STAFF CONTACT: Robert W. Ells, Superintendent of Engineering (847-810-3555) PURPOSE AND ACTION REQUESTED: Staff requests awarding the contract for the Southwest Lift Station Forcemain Replacement Project to IHC Construction Companies LLC. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: The project involves replacing existing aged forcemain located along the Southside of Old Mill Road. The Southwest Lift Station Forcemain project limits are from West Fork Drive to just east of Estate Lane. The existing 12” cast iron forcemain will be replaced with 12” poly pipe. Each year, as part of Capital Improvement Program budget, staff evaluates the condition of existing sanitary sewer system infrastructure in terms of age, capacity, and repairs. A majority of the Southwest Lift Station Forcemain will be installed utilizing a trenchless, directional drilling technique, thereby creating less excavation and disturbance in the construction area. The preparation of plans and specifications including performing field surveys and design were prepared by Bleck Engineering. The Engineering staff will provide daily inspection services. BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT: Bids for the Southwest Lift Station Forcemain Replacement Project were received and opened on June 5, 2018. City received a total of two (5) bids. The following is a summary of the bids received: BIDDER BID AMOUNT IHC Construction Companies LLC $345,560.00 Apollo Trenchless, Inc. $352,785.00 RJ Underground Inc. $441,600.00 RA Mancini Contractors $515,000.00 Berger Excavating, Inc. $631,800.00 Engineer’s Estimate $475,000.00 The low bidder, IHC Construction Companies LLC has completed similar projects for other municipalities. If awarded, the project would commence the beginning of August and be completed by the end of September. Upon confirming the start date of the project, a letter will be sent to the residents within the limits of the project two weeks prior to start of construction. The City website, under Construction Updates, will also provide details on the construction schedule. 2 Below is an estimated summary of Project budget: FY2019 Funding Source Account Number Amount Budgeted Amount Requested Budgeted? Y/N Water and Sewer Fund 508-0001-4410-75-01 $525,000 $400,000 Y COUNCIL ACTION: Staff recommends awarding the contract for the Southwest Lift Station Forcemain Replacement Project to IHC Construction Company in the amount of $345,560.00 plus authorization to expend, if necessary, an additional amount not to exceed the amount of $400,000.00 for unforeseen change orders that may occur during the administration of this project. NOTIFICATION OF THE CITY OF LAKE FOREST'S REQUIRED IEPA STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN Lake Forest Stormwater Management Program Plan (SMPP) What is a SMPP? •Existing procedures and practices that are implemented by a municipality that reduce the discharge of pollutants within stormwater runoff What is the purpose of a SMPP? •To meet the minimum standards required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program Why does Lake Forest need a SMPP? •Federal regulations through the USEPA require that all Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s), located partially or fully in urbanized areas, obtain stormwater permits for their discharges into receiving waters What information can be found within the SMPP? •Outreach efforts •Education efforts •City Stormwater Management Policy •City operations Lake Forest Stormwater Management Program Plan (SMPP) How did City Staff develop the City’s SMPP •Using a SMPP template provided by the Lake County SMC •Help via a consultant with prior career experience with the IEPA and USEPA Where is the City’s SMPP located? •Located on the City’s website on the Flooding and Stormwater Management webpage POSSIBLE LAKE ROAD CURB /GUTTER/STORM SEWER SSA From: "Strong, Mike" <StrongM@cityoflakeforest.com> Date: June 20, 2018 at 4:12:55 PM CDT To: LOWELL DIXON <glowelldixon@comcast.net> Cc: "Lansing, Robert" <LansingR@cityoflakeforest.com>, "Thomas, Mike" <ThomasM@cityoflakeforest.com>, "wbunn@coladv.com" <wbunn@coladv.com>, "drschopp1@gmail.com" <drschopp1@gmail.com>, Roger Goddu <rgoddu@brentwood.com> Subject: RE: Lake Road Updates Mr. Dixon – I trust this message finds you well. I wanted to touch base with you and the others regarding this project. Over the last couple weeks, Mike Thomas and I have been working with ComEd to learn more about the potential of undergrounding the existing overhead lines near Spruce Avenue. As you might imagine, this process, while simple in nature, can become quite complicated when you start involving potential public improvements. Currently, we are in the process of verifying the potential location of the future storm sewer between Spruce Avenue and the bridge north of Woodland. We hope to submit this information to ComEd by early next week to determine preliminary who might be responsible for the costs to underground their facilities. This could take a few more weeks for ComEd to make this determination. With regard to the Special Servicer Area process, I appreciate your email below and thank you and the others for reaching out to the City with this interest. Over the next week or so, we will be putting together a tentative schedule outlining the next steps in this process. A couple things I would like to review/remind you of: 1. Scheduling of Neighborhood Meeting – We need to start looking at potential dates for a neighborhood meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to review the scope of work, potential costs, and project schedule. This essentially kicks‐off the petition period (outlined below). Since we have already prepared some of the material, we could look at potential meeting dates in July, so please discuss with your neighbors and let us know if there is a preferred date. If possible, we would like to provide at least 10 business days’ notice to the neighbors. While high participation in this meeting is desired, there does not need to be 100% participation. Once a time, date and location is established, we can distribute letters to the property owners. 2. Official Petition Period – Once we host a neighbor meeting, there is a 60‐day “petition‐period”. During this period, an official petition (written statement) signed by at least 2/3 of the number of property owners and registered voters for the area will need to be received by the City. The petition should outline your interest in pursuing a special service area for public improvements as you’ve outlined below (i.e. storm sewer, curb/gutter, resurfacing). If you would like to discuss these items in more detail, please give me a call directly at 847‐810‐3680. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Have a great week! Best, Mike P. Strong Assistant to the City Manager The City of Lake Forest 220 E. Deerpath, Lake Forest, IL 60045 P: (847/810-3680) | C: (224/229-2827) | strongm@cityoflakeforest.com Family – Education – Tradition – Philanthropy From: Lansing, Robert Sent: Saturday, June 2, 2018 4:40 PM To: LOWELL DIXON <glowelldixon@comcast.net> Cc: Strong, Mike <StrongM@cityoflakeforest.com>; Thomas, Mike <ThomasM@cityoflakeforest.com>; wbunn@coladv.com; drschopp1@gmail.com; Roger Goddu <rgoddu@brentwood.com> Subject: Re: Lake Road Lowell — Yes, our get together was productive from the City’s perspective, as well — The request for estimating the costs and funding alternatives for curb and storm sewer on Lake Road between the Woodbine Bridge on the south to Spruce is received by the City — Mike Thomas and Mike Strong will be in contact soonest regarding the process and the next steps — Thank you for bringing forward this civic endeavor — Best Regards to All, Rob Lansing Sent from my iPad On Jun 1, 2018, at 7:30 PM, LOWELL DIXON <glowelldixon@comcast.net> wrote: Mayor Lansing, Thanks from all of us for meeting this morning regarding our interest in adding improvements to Lake Road, in particular curbs, gutters, and widening and repaving the road. We were very impressed with the preparation the City staff did for this morning's meeting. Our discussion on a wide variety of subjects was very helpful. Please accept this Email as a formal request to the City to start the process of establishing a Special Service Area for these Lake Road improvements. We appreciate your help in this matter. Best, Lowell Dixon PIN AODRESS I PROPERTY OWNER 12-28-202-027 1421 LAKE RD ANNE HUNTING 12-28-207-021 1390 LAKE RD DAVID R & LYNDA M SCHOPP 12-27-304-009 1020 LAKE RD ELISABETH LAW ROBERTS 12-28-207-014 1416 LAKE BD HAROLD MARSHALL 12-27-101-002 1315 LAKE RD JAMES W & JUDITH REID-ANDERSON 12-27-101-003 1315 LAKE RD JAMES W & JUDrTH REID-ANDERSON 12-27-304-012 SOOWOODBiNELN JOHNH&BRENDAJ DICK 12-27-304-007 1060 LAKE RD JOHN J & MAUREEN A DUGAN 12-27-304-008 1060 LAKE RD JOHN J & MAUREEN A DUGAN 12-2S-207-019 788 E WOODLAND RD JOHN V CP.OWE 12-27-301-003 1124 LAKE RD MATTHEW & SUSAN SHATTOCK 12-23-207-023 12-28-207-024 1350 LAKE RD PAMELA L MILES 1350 LAKE RD PAMELA L MILES 12-27-304-006 1086 LAKE RD PAUL F & ViCTORiA H MEDVEC 12-27-302-007 975 LAKE RD ROGER & KATHERiNE GODDU 12-27-302-028 999 LAKE RD RONALD G & KARENA K GARRIQUES 12-27-302-012 1101 LAKE RD STEPHEN X & MERCEDES A FOLEY 12-27-302-013 1101 LAKE RD STEPHEN X & MERCE3ES A FOLEY 12-28-404-005 1200 LAKE RD THOMAS A BARTLETT 12-28-202-026 1435 LAKE RD WILLARD & JEANNETTE W BONN, III 12-27-101-006 1345 LAKE RD ATG TRUST 12-27-102-001 1211 LAKE RD CHICAGO TITLE LAND TRUST CO 12-28-207-017 1310 LAKE RD ELM TREE ROAD LLC 12-28-207-018 1310 LAKE RD ELM TREE ROAD LLC 12-28-202-046 1381 LAKE RD FRANK HEURICH, TRUSTEE 12-28-202-029 1401 LAKE RD G LOWELL DIXON, TRUSTEE 12-27-302-002 1133 LAKE RD HYNEK & MARK DVORAK DYNASTf TRUSTS 12-27-304-011 900 WOODBINE LN J DICK B DICK 12-28-202-028 1411 LAKE RD M SCHABACKER Y SCHABACKER-KOPPEL 12-27-302-001 1161 LAKE RD TRUST 9257 12-27-301-001 31 Parcels 1150 LAKE RD WARREN & LALIE HARSHBARGER, TRUSTEE 25 Owners POSSIBLE STONEGATE CURB /GUTTER/STORM SEWER SSA Alderman: Prue Beidler Alderman: James Morris City Manager: Bob Kiely City Engineer: Bernard Pondexter The undersigned are all the homeowners or their proxies with property adjoining North StonegateRd (North of Illinois Rd.). Individually we have complained over the last decade of the conditions that exist, particularly after even a moderate rain on this road (photo attached). Because the road doesn't conform to the current city standard as to width and curbs, service vehicles of necessity park on the soft shoulder leaving ruts in the mud (inadequate drainage). Despite effort by some of us to deter this damage with rocks or markers, the narrow width only forces service vehicles to crowd onto the west side inflicting greater unsightly damage there. Several years ago, we were startled to find a city crew tearing up some 150 of curbing on the east side of Mayflower and North side of Illinois by that intersection. The curbing was perfectly serviceable with very few cracks but was of the older more rectangular style used widely in Lake Forest. They then installed a similar length of curbing in the same place but with the new profile. No work appeared to involve the storm sewers that might have justified this replacement. We have been scratching our heads as to why the city gave the above curb working priority over the much more needed improvements for the four families with entrances facing Stonegate. We would hope that simply the very long period of neglect to Stonegate would justify moving an improvement project (for what is essentially our front drives) to near top of the list for the coming years. We hope you agree. Sincerely, Name: g/^J.W^ y KM0ERLY LAYDEN tA^,. ^0^-£</t\^Ul^N &, J^'WS^ Address: ^9/1,. $^w^^- I'o^TONE^ATE R^AP v~i~! ^-ro^c <^TEL t[ <:;fT>N<-l£J'^L/C- L-k I 6TWW ^ Date: ^7-%^;>fc Ln ^^/3/wy ^/z/^/S M. (=>1^f &>1 l-?^f? (, y/^/zo/y r'v- -<-Na -^ ^s^' " ".r I.: v \[-^^'^'^' ''^^..s'v^'^^'^o^c.^ U- r"S^r ^ \ Sit 'esh£fyi^Vii^-i '...