Beautification and Improvement Commission — Skokie, IL
Date: 2024-03-07

Village of Skokie Beautification and Improvement Commission
 Meeting Agenda
 March 7, 2024, from 6:30 to approx. 8 pm (okay if you need to leave at 7:30)
 Rooms D & E (upstairs)


 I. Approval of Feb 1, 2024, Minutes

 II. New Initiatives Committee, Tree Canopy Campaign & Arbor Day-Valarie

 III. Education Committee, Promotion of April Speaker, Edible Gardens-Rachel

 IV. Outreach Events: Festival of Culture, Parade, Farmers Market

 V. Spring planting-Bob

 VI. Report (optional) by Cathy Stevens, Assistant Director, Public Works

 VII. Report (optional) by James Johnson, Trustee Liaison

 VIII. Old Businesses

 IX. New Business

 X. Adjournment


Email me if you have an agenda item you would like to be considered for a future meeting.
Thanks.

Bob Quane, quane@siu.edu
847-271-3868

Minutes – 3/7/24 Beau�ﬁca�on and Improvement Commission

Roll Call:

Commissioners Present:

 Sherwin Ditlove

 Vernell Ellison-Smith

 George Hubchak

 Frederick Lisiewicz

 Edward Potash

 Mitchell Sandler (Vice Chair)

 Valerie Shuman

 Ross Del Rosario

 Bob Quane (Chair)

 Mike Madalinski

Commissioners Absent:

 Ann Goldsha�

 Chuck Levine

 Rachel Rosenberg (excused)

 Brooke Sprague (excused)

 William (Tony) Barney

 Katy Darr

 William Oney-Page (excused)

Forester Cathy Stevens – Present

Trustee James Johnson – Absent



Mee�ng called to order at 6:31PM

1. Minutes approved by commission

2. Commissioner Shuman (New Ini�a�ves)

 A. Talk about everything going on with the tree ini�a�ve

 B. Forestry page – request list to be live by 3/13/24 (per Forester Stevens)
 C. Plant your own tree page on B&I page – marke�ng to post before Arbor Day

 D. Website – LinkTree – our own page (separate from Skokie Website linktr.ee/skokiebi)

 E. Block captain event – 3/5/24 (Commissioner Sprague and Chair Quane atended)

 1. Talked to Block Captains about talking to people on their block, using handout

 2. Good response per Chair Quane– group was posi�ve

 F. Commission Recep�on

 1. No giveaways

 2. Two posters on easels

 3. Chair Quane will have butons for the team at the recep�on

 4. Posters will be reusable

 G. Arbor Day – what is B&I commission doing?

 1. Plan�ng possible at Madison School

 2. Forestry will plant one tree at all 8 schools (possibly)

 3. Chair Quane and Forester Stevens will be talking to Madison School regarding trees in
 their lesson plan

 4. Tree Raﬄe (process needs to be worked out)

 5. Float Poster (contest involved)

 6. How to share QR with students – needs to be ﬁgured out

 7. Chair Quane wanted to incen�vize adults to come out for Arbor Day

 H. Emily Oaks Plant Sale

 1. Follow up with Manager Lee Hansen at Emily Oaks

 2. Commissioner Rosenberg was supposed to talk to Manager Hansen (not sure if this
 happened).



3. Forester Stevens

 A. CJEST – 8 schools in the area eligible for free trees through this grant

 1. Leters went out form the Village to these schools, all but one has responded

 2. Spots for 45 trees between Lincoln and Madision

 3. Ida Crown – 50 trees
 4. East Prairie – 5

 5. Trees to be planted next Spring

 6. Forester Stevens explains the process of plan�ng the trees in front of the kids

 7. Ida Crown will not be open on Arbor Day due to Passover

 8. Forester Stevens already plan�ng 400+ trees this year

 9. Forester Stevens discusses tree advocates

 10. Watering was included in the grant proposal that Assistant to the Public Works
 Director Zimmerman wrote up

4. Commissioner Madalinski – asked if Skokie is already a “Tree City USA” town?

 A. Conﬁrmed, Skokie is.

 B. Tree City Flag is in the Village per Forester Stevens

5. Speaker in April – Chair Quane

 A. Registra�on started on 3/1 – 10 people signed up right away

 B. Chair Quane presents everywhere this will be adver�sed (the April speaker)

 C. April 16th – 6:30PM at Skokie Public Library

6. Spring Plan�ng – Chair Quane

 A. Proposals for poten�al Spring plan�ng

 B. Prep work done via public works

 C. Weekend event?

 D. Public works typically does the watering

 E. Co-ordina�on and planning in advance is the biggest hurdle per Chair Stevens

 F. Make ﬁnal decision on this in a subcommitee mee�ng

 G. Twix Wood Nursery – low priced na�ve plants

7. Fes�val of Cultures

 A. Tent facing east

 B. B&I Commission has to get out word about the contest early

8. Parade

 A. Chair Quane talks about some of the details

 B. Some brainstorming
9. Farmers Market

 A. Talk to Allison (Na�ve Plant Vendor) – she could possibly give out our s�ckers

 B. Idea to sell trees at cost at market (per Forester Stevens)?

 C. Chair Quane to check out what we can do at the market

 D. Possibly buy from local tree vendor?

10. No-Mow-May

 A. Same thing as last year from the Village – no changes

11. Link to sustainable plan�ng on Linktree, will be on the Village website soon

Mee�ng adjourned at 7:27PM