Wells And Women Voters - Oswego Village Board Meeting Highlights

OSWEGO, IL — Tuesday night's Village Board meeting was the shortest one in months; it clocked in at just about 25 minutes. But short does not mean uneventful, and there were still some developments of which Oswego residents may want to take note. Here are five that stand out.

• Police Honor Public Information Officer
  • Cathy Nevara, the Oswego Police Department's Public Information Officer, was honored at the meeting for her 15 years of service. Nevara prepares press releases for the department, collates arrest reports for news outlets and fields questions from reporters, among other duties. She was not present at the meeting to receive her accolades personally, but Mayor Troy Parlier asked Police Chief Jeffrey Burgner to pass on the village board's thanks and congratulations.
    
• Feb. 14, 2020 Proclaimed 'A Day To Celebrate The League Of Women Voters'
  • This year, the nationwide non-partisan organization known as the League of Women Voters will celebrate its centennial anniversary. The League was formed concurrently with the women's suffrage movement of the early 20th century, and since its official founding on Feb. 14, 1920 in Chicago, it has sought to encourage women and their allies to be active participants in political life. In recognition of a century of national activism and educating, Mayor Parlier declared Feb. 14, 2020 'a day to celebrate the League of Women Voters' in Oswego.

• Local Students Recognized With 'Character Counts' Awards
  • Three students were awarded 'Character Counts' plaques at the meeting for their commendable actions as members of the School District 308 student community. The 'Character Counts Coalition of Oswego and Montgomery' is a group of community organizations in partnership with District 308, that seeks to honor students who demonstrate the so-called 'Six Pillars of Character:' trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
    • The youngest student, Grace Ziller, is a first grader at Fox Chase Elementary. She was recognized for putting her classmates' feelings above her own, and for going 'above and beyond' to help them whenever possible.
      
      
    • Peyton Johnson, a fifth grader at Fox Chase, was honored for working with a class of kindergartners as part of her school's 'safety patrol.' She helped the restless youngsters adjust to school life and expectations with what her own teachers called 'patience and compassion.'
      
      
    • The oldest student, a Freshman at Oswego High School named Ben Bergland, received praise for serving as the 'Polar Express Conductor' each December for District 308 elementary school students. His enthusiasm in creating a memorable experience for some of the district's youngest is something that makes his own former first grade teacher 'very proud.'
      
• Two Motions Passed
  • Only two tangible motions regarding new business were passed at the meeting.
    • The first was a resolution approving an 'Intergovernmental Agreement with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to update the village's zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations,' with the goal of eventually creating a 'Unified Development Ordinance.' Such a document could help streamline the village's zoning and planning protocols, but the process of creating it is expected to take at least two years. Input from developers, local elected officials and the public will all be taken into account in creating the document, Community Development Director Rod Zenner said.
      
    • The second motion passed was a resolution 'authorizing the execution of an agreement with Frank Marshall Electric, Aurora, IL for the Well 6 & 8 Electrical Upgrade Project Construction Phase.' The agreement is not to exceed $302,170. The resolution's name makes the project it describes sound arcane, but it simply refers to a series of improvements being made to the village's water system, namely electrical remodeling of village wells 6 and 8. Frank Marshall Electric was the company which won the bid to complete the project, Village Public Works Director Jennifer Hughes said.
      
• Mailbox v. Snow Plow
  • Village Trustee Brian Thomas asked Hughes how residents could claim restitution in the event that their mailboxes were knocked over or damaged by village snow plows. Apparently one resident had this happen to their own mailbox after last month's snow storms, and asked Thomas what could be done about it. "Is it something we repair if it happens or take ownership of it, or how does that work?" Thomas asked. According to Hughes, the village will compensate residents up to $75 for damaged mailboxes, if it can be established that the village was at fault. "What the village code says is that if a mailbox is damaged, to report it to the village within three business days," Hughes said. "The reason that's important is we try to go out and inspect [the damaged mailbox] in the condition that it was damaged, so we can look for evidence of... whether it was hit or whether it was snow damage."

To review the complete Feb. 4 meeting agenda and all associated materials, please follow this link from the Village of Oswego.