NORMAL –Love them or hate them, since Normal’s two main Uptown streets were redone two years ago, Town Council members have heard plenty about the bump-out concrete barriers between parallel parking spaces.

Bump-outs are pre-cast concrete planter curb extensions, and were designed to serve as additional planting areas while also adding a decorative touch to the revamped Uptown. But for varying reasons, motorists found bump-outs to be obstructions that were not helping them park their vehicles with ease.

Council members have heard strong reaction against bump-outs since they were installed, and at Monday’s regular meeting at City Hall, unanimously approved a contract to Bloomington-based Rowe Construction Co. for the removal of the bump-outs. The project will cost the Town $72,847.83.

“There’s no luke warm about these,” Mayor Chris Koos told Council members in beginning the group’s discussion before voting on the matter. “People either want them in or out.”

Council member Adam Nielsen said the concrete planters that went with the bump-outs were not part of the original concept for Uptown in the design phase. Koos disagreed, saying bump-outs were part of the original design for Uptown.

Responding to a question from Council member Chuck Scott, City Manager Mark Peterson said once the bump-outs are removed, parallel parking spaces will be slightly longer than normal because the planters will have been subtracted.

Comcast Cable Rates Discussed: One item on the Council’s omnibus agenda – items handled collectively – was an ordinance regulating rates for basic cable TV and cable equipment and installation. Comcast Cable was seeking Council approval to increase its rate for basic service from the current $15.99 to $17.74. The proposed rate increase falls within guidelines established by the Federal Communications Commission.

A public hearing was held on the subject of the rate increase prior to the beginning of the Council session. At the hearing, Deborah Piscola, regional director for government affairs and franchising for Comcast Cable, based in Schaumburg, told Council members asking for the rate increase was a “predominately procedural” action on the part of the cable operator. Other than Piscola, no members of the public addressed the hearing.

Following the hearing, Council members discussed the proposed increase. Peterson, in response to a question from Council member Jason Chambers, explained that were the Council to vote against the increase, Comcast could go directly to FCC to ask to increase the rates. Peterson said the Town does have the option of bowing out of participating in the rate-setting process.

Peterson told Chambers Comcast “wants the ability to go to the maximum rate available if they choose to. We don’t know that that’s going to happen.”

Council member Sonja Reece said she likes the fact the Town is still a part of the process. The ordinance passed by a 5-1 vote, with Chambers voting against it. Council member Cheryl Gaines was absent from Monday’s meeting.

High Speed Rail Improvements Coming Within Weeks: Residents will soon see evidence of work being done on local railroad tracks as part of the preparation for the Twin Cities foray into high speed rail. Uptown Development Director Wayne Aldrich told Council members work to be done includes collecting old ties and rail, and laying down new ties and rail.

The work will be done by a machine called a Track Renewal Train, and will be working through town from south to north. That work is slated to begin at the beginning of May, Aldrich said.

Funding for the work on the track is part of a $1.1 billion Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Grant, also referred to as a TIGER Grant, Aldrich said.

Aldrich explained that numerous rail upgrades were being made with TIGER Grant funding, including track removal and replacement; train station improvements; and signal and safety improvements.

He said work will be done with the Illinois Department of Transportation closing two railroad crossings at a time throughout the Twin Cities.

There will be one area of track in town where the more typical method of laying track will be applied. That construction will run from Fell Ave. to Beech St., and will be done that way due to the track grade needing to be lower, in part because of construction of the Multimodal Transportation Center.

Aldrich said residents can keep track of progress by checking the website www.idothsr.com, and suggested Amtrak passengers consult with amtrak.com concerning train travel during the time of the rail work being done.

Final Plat For “The Lodge On Willow” Approved: Council members unanimously approved a resolution conditionally and partially approving the final plat of The Lodge On Willow subdivision. Developer Ralph Endress will tear down 10 older model rental properties and construct a 79-unit apartment building, which will have 306 bedrooms. The older properties are at the northeast corner of School and Willow Streets – 400, 402, 404, 404 ½, 406, 408, and 410 N. School St., and 210 and 214 W. Willow St.

Council Approves Resolutions Concerning Public Comments At Meetings: Council members approved a pair of resolutions regarding conduct of audience members at Town Council meetings. The first resolution passed was to adopt a public comment policy in accordance with the State of Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Up until the resolution was passed, the Town had no formal written rules for comment during public meetings. A number of guidelines were proposed by Town staff for public comment at meetings. Among the guidelines:

• The individual public comment period for any single meeting shall not exceed 10 minutes.

• No individual speaker shall speak for more than two minutes at any single meeting.

• No individual representing a group shall speak for more than five minutes at a single meeting.

• The meeting’s chair shall determine the order of speakers.

• Individuals wishing to address a public body shall provide the City Manager’s office one week’s advance notice of intent to speak.

While researching the topic of public comments, Town staff discovered that other cities had specific ordinances penalizing persons who disrupt public meetings. To that end, Council members unanimously passed an ordinance that would make it an offense for any person to knowingly “disrupt, disturb or interrupt” any meeting of the Town of Normal.

The ordinance would apply to meetings of Town Council, Zoning Board of Appeals, Normal Planning Commission, and other Town boards and committees. The ordinance provides authority to the chair of the meeting to have the disruptive person removed from the meeting location. Use of this ordinance will be up to meeting chairs, so long as free speech is not restricted, but so that order and decorum are observed.

Liquor Commission Levies Fines Against Two Stores: A special meeting of the Normal Liquor Commission was held prior to the Council session. As a result of a Town liquor audit conducted March 30, two businesses had fines levied against them. This was the first offense for both businesses.

The businesses cited as a result of the audit were: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., doing business as Wal-Mart Supercenter #1125, 300 N. Greenbriar Dr., Normal; and Casey’s Retail Company, doing business as Casey’s General Store#2934, 1301 S. Main St., Normal.

It was a first offense for each business. Casey’s #2934 paid a $250 fine for their first offense, but it was discovered during the audit that the Wal-Mart employee who sold the liquor was only 19-years-old. The legal age in Illinois for either selling or consuming liquor is 21. Because of the seller also being underage, Wal-Mart incurred the stiffer fine.

Omnibus Agenda Items Approved: Omnibus agenda items approved by the Council included:

• Approval of minutes of the Regular Meeting of April 4, 2011.

• Approval of Town of Normal expenditures for payment as of April 13, 2011.

• A motion to waive the formal bidding process and approve the purchase from Evergreen FS, Inc. for diesel fuel in the amount of $317,948.

• A motion to waive the formal bidding process and purchase turf maintenance equipment through the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Purchasing Program for a total cost of $277,087.87.

• A motion to waive the formal bidding process and accept a quote in the amount of $20,848 from Normal-based Frontier Communications for the maintenance of the phone system.

• A resolution executing an agreement with Columbus, Ohio-based Boss Display Corporation for the construction and installation of a new water table exhibit at the Children’s Discovery Museum in the amount of $85,000.

• A resolution approving an agreement with Manhattan, Kan.-based CivicPlus for website redesign services associated with www.normal.org and various sub-sites.

• A resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation for the use of Federal Transportation Enhancement Funds in the amount of $112,000 for the Gateway Plaza Construction Project.

• An ordinance regulating Comcast basic cable rates and cable equipment and installation rates.

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