Beautification and Improvement Commission — Skokie, IL
Date: 2024-02-01

Village of Skokie Beautification and Improvement Commission
 Meeting Agenda
 February 1, 2024, from 6:30 to approx. 8 pm (okay if you need to leave at 7:30)
 Rooms D & E (upstairs)
 I. Approval of November 2, 2023 Minutes

 II. Budget-Bob & Cathy

 III. New Initiatives Committee, Tree Canopy Campaign-Valarie

 IV. Education Committee, Spring Speaker, Edible Gardens, Rachel

 V. Ad Hoc Committee, Arbor Day-Quane

 VI. Report (optional) by Cathy Stevens, 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 – 2/1/24

Roll Call:

Commissioners Present:

 Robert Quane (Chair)

 Sherwin Ditlove

 Vernell Ellison-Smith

 George Hubchak

 Chuck Levine

 Frederick Lisiewicz

 Edward Potash

 Rachel Rosenberg

 Mitchell Sandler (Vice Chair)

 Valerie Shuman

 Brooke Sprague

 Ross Del Rosario

 Mike Madalinski

 William Oney-Paige

 Katy Darr



Commissioners Absent:

 Ann Goldsha� (Leave of Absence)

 William (Tony) Barney



 Forester Cathy Stevens – Present

 Trustee James Johnson - Absent



6:30PM – mee�ng called to order

 1. Chair Quane passes around “rough” budget to commission members, present
 a. This will not be the “ﬁnal” budget that is presented to the Village
 b. Budget is slightly over $10K
 c. Forester Stevens explains
 i. What the hor�culture & landscaping expense entails
 ii. Postage – reduced to $100
 iii. “Other commodi�es” (ﬂoat)
 iv. Trees
 d. Chair Quane goes into some more details in the budget regarding:
 i. Candy and S�ckers
 ii. “Beter” Skokie door hanger (beter than last years’) – showed example to group
 1. Possibly will enlist Meredith Gioia (Communica�ons Manager for the
 Village of Skokie) to design
 e. Plas�c bags were not an expense incurred by the commission per Forester Stevens
 f. Chair Quane discusses
 i. Expenditures for Arbor Day
 ii. Possible par�cipa�on in Farmers’ Market
 iii. Diﬀerent events for ge�ng names for marke�ng to people in the Village
 g. Commissioner Oney-paige asks what $5K is for
 i. Forester Stevens states for annuals and na�ve plan�ngs
 ii. Forester Stevens says money is partly for sprucing up downtown area
 h. “Spirit” of Budget is passed in commission
2. Commissioner Rosenberg discusses:
 a. Lisa Hilgenberg – edible gardening speaker from Chicago Botanic Garden
 i. She will be speaking at the Skokie Library for Beau�ﬁca�on Commission
 sponsored event
 ii. Library will pay an honorarium of $300
 iii. Talk will take place in business and community center.
 1. This is a smaller room at the library that can hold ~40 people
 iv. Registra�on starts 3/1
 v. Commissioner Rosenberg will host and introduce everyone to Lisa
 vi. There will be a tree related talk in the Fall
 vii. Possibly launching tree plan�ng
 viii. Commissioner Shuman ques�ons if we can get a larger room if we get more
 people?
 ix. Commissioner Rosenberg will see if library could move to a bigger room if
 necessary
 x. Lisa would need to agree to a zoom mee�ng
 xi. Chair Quane asks the team to reach out to “network” to get par�cipants
3. Commissioner Shuman: Skokie Roots for Trees
 a. Commissioner Sprague designed and presented logo
 b. Target – 1K Trees in 4 years
 c. 4 pieces of the program area explained
 d. Everything done in collabora�on with Village Forestry
 e. Village must match for every tree provided by grant
 f. What is the fastest way to get the most trees in the ground?
 i. Target large campus areas (educa�onal)
 ii. Forestry has already surveyed
 iii. Program covers various school districts
 1. Do we have contacts on the commssion with those school districts?
 iv. Commissioner Shuman goes over interests – what mo�vates people?
 v. Commissioner Shuman spells out the plans by quarter
 vi. Leters already sent out to schools per Forester Stevens
 vii. Forester Stevens went over the various districts
 viii. Forester Stevens has already met with 73 & Oakton
 1. 24 spots found at Oakton Campus for trees
 ix. Commissioner Shuman discusses planning for Arbor Day
 1. Partnering with Emily Oaks
 2. Possible tree theme for awards night in Fall
 3. Making it easier for people to get trees from the Village
 x. Vice Chair Sandler – Village must look at trademarking/licensing “Skokie Roots”
 for Trees logo
 1. Team must talk to legal/marke�ng
 xi. Commissioner Oney-Paige – Everyone should use our logo!
 xii. Logo is ﬁnalized
 xiii. Forester Stevens stated that the school districts include private schools
4. Chair Quane– Arbor Day
 a. Presents a bunch of ideas for Arbor Day
 b. Brainstorming on Arbor Day as well as parkway plan�ngs
 c. Arbor Day is last Friday of April (26th)
 d. Start at Ida Crown with plan�ng – program to emanate from this loca�on?
 e. Is there something also to do inside the school?
 f. Commissioner Darr – used to work for the Village of Niles – talked about birdhouses
 donated from THD
 i. Children painted and then displayed on fence around farm in Niles
 ii. Commssioner Shuman – possible “birdhouse hunt” for Village of Skokie?
 g. Capitalize on everything with photos/social media to promote
 h. Forester Stevens in 2000, the Village planted a tree at every school in town
 i. This con�nued but not in every school
 ii. Tree plan�ng ceremony
 iii. Grant money may not be ready for Arbor Day
 iv. Park District could help out
 v. Commissioner Madalinski – 25 year anniversary next year for trees planted in
 2000.
 i. Commissioner Shuman –Website automa�on would be great by Arbor Day
 j. Commissioner Hubchak – Can we work with metropolitan water district?
 k. Chair Quane envisions a kickoﬀ ceremony
 i. “blitz” of tree plan�ng
 l. Commissioner Shuman – Take a pic of kindergartners next to tree and then when they
 get to HS
 m. Memo included that was sent out to Maria Monastero regarding block party organizers
 n. Chair Quane needs to circle back with Maria to get a response
 o. Chair Quane wants to measure success via data
 p. Chair Quane presents some ideas for the block organizers with the trees
 i. This could be for both parkway and backyard trees (idea)
 q. Commissioner Shuman – Make noise in Spring so people can plant in Fall
 r. Commissioner Oney-Paige – Can we do something at the commissioner apprecia�on
 banquet to get people excited?
 s. Commissioner Madalinski – Large birdhouse walk for Skokie to promote ar�s�c
 birdhouses?
 5. Forester Stevens – Peace be with you, everyone!
 6. Chair Quane – goes over recep�on in March (and what to expect)
 a. Talks about recogni�on
 b. Commission to sit together
 c. No dress code
 d. No entry before 6pm
 7. Chair Quane – OMA training
 a. Everyone must do
 b. Calls out everyone who must do it

Mee�ng adjourned at 7:28Pm