City of Lexington City Council met June 14.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
The regular meeting of the Lexington City Council was called to order at 7:00 P. M. by Mayor Spencer Johansen in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.
Mayor Johansen led the council in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll call was taken to find the following physically present: Mayor Johansen, Alderman Stover, Alderman Franklin, Alderman Little, Alderman Richard and Alderwoman Wilson. Members of the staff and public present were: Violet Wright, Chuck Wright, Chief Belvary, Amina Alimi, Arlind Alimi, Andy Arndt, Brian Graves, Nathan Poehlman, Jim Mattingly and Sue Davis.
It was moved by Alderwoman Wilson and seconded by Alderman Franklin to approve the minutes of the May 24, 2021 regular City Council meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
It was moved by Alderman Stover and seconded by Alderman Franklin to approve the Treasurer’s Report and paying of the bills in the amount of $40,881.76. Motion carried unanimously.
Public Input: Chuck Wright wanted to thank the council for their quick action on the placing of the garbage can at the park near his property. It has made a difference.
The mulberry tree has not been cleaned up yet. If the city will take the tree down he will be glad to clean it up. Alderman Richard commented that they are in the process of getting that job done.
Chuck also commented that he had driven down Memory Lane and felt that it needed to be cleaned up. None of the signs are visible. He would like to put out a public work day. He would be willing to work with other volunteers to get it cleaned up.
His last comment concerned an old water meter pit in front of the Castle. The line that comes into that is still an active line. He is afraid it will freeze up and he will have an issue. The problem is there is no shut off valve and that needs to be dug out. They did call Julie a year or so ago and it was marked but they did not get to it. He would like to see that line capped off because that water line feeds all the way to the basement of the Castle. If the water line is removed he will remove the pit.
SWEARING IN NEW COUNCIL MEMBER: JAMES MATTINGLY
Clerk Pease swore in new council member James Mattingly at this time who took the place of Alderman Schreiber.
Old Business:
DISCUSSION GOLF CART REGULATION UPDATE
Alderman Richard led this discussion. He had passed out some of the regulations that other towns have for their golf carts. He found that most of them were pretty much the same. He asked the other aldermen to send him their suggestions as to what they would like to see in the ordinance for the golf carts.
Some ideas would be to buy blank aluminum for a license plate. Ideas of where to stick on the vehicles. They sell brackets for miniature motorcycles and we could buy brackets to hang on golf carts for around $12. Some felt they must have windshields, if you transfer to a new person they need to come up and show proof of insurance. Also the city should keep a penalty page for violations and fines. After so many repeat offenses their licenses should be revoked.
DISCUSSION PROPOSAL FOR 510 W. MAIN STREET
Mayor Johansen commented that we had one proposal tonight for 510 W. Main Street and it was from Analytical Brewing, LLC. There was another interested party and the council would hear their proposal at the next meeting.
Nate Poehlman started the discussion about the brewing company. The three managers have been brewing beer in their homes since 2019. They grew up in a small community and would like to remain in a small community.
Analytical Brewing will craft beer using a 3 barrel system with close, personal oversight of each batch by their brewers.
They want to open a taproom at 510 W. Main. The Bloomington-Normal area has experienced a growth in the Craft Brewery market with significant success. They feel that Lexington provides the optimum atmosphere for the expansion of the craft brewery industry in McLean County, and they can positively contribute to the individuals and other businesses in the community. They plan to use the “give back” approach and hope to be a draw to the community not only for other retailers but business patrons and potential residents.
They will provide a comfortable, hometown feel in the taproom while offering high quality, refined craft brews. They intend to have 10 unique beers available upon opening and encourage patrons to bring in food items to support local businesses. Through business growth, they intend to expand into retail sales of their product and local distribution to supermarkets, bars, and other retailers.
Renovation of building, interior finishing of the taproom, and purchasing of the brewing equipment will be funded partially by individual contributions from each member and additional funds will be sought through TIF and/or private financing options.
Analytical Brewing’s mission will be to produce high quality craft beer with close attention to detail in the development of each original recipe. Each brew will be crafted with the finest ingredients utilizing an analytical approach to produce consistent, enjoyable styles. They are meant to be enjoyed in a comfortable atmosphere bringing together family and friends.
Their vision will produce excellent beers to be enjoyed by all customers in a destination taproom location focused on supporting each unique brew, the local community, and those who enjoy it.
Their values are: Quality, Innovation, Passion and Community.
Brian Graves spoke about their marketing strategy.
Despite the pandemic, the number of craft breweries operating in the US reached an all time high in 2020. Despite a decline in retail sales during the pandemic, craft beer still represents the growth segment of beer brewing amounting to 22.2 billion US dollars in 2020. Experts expect continued growth in this area for years to come. The chief economist for the Brewers Association indicated that the trend toward smaller breweries is demand driven and reflects consumer tastes shifting toward “support local” comparing it to trends seen in specialty coffee, distilleries, and wineries.
They feel they will be helping Lexington with people visiting the craft brewery and the other retailers.
The Bloomington Normal community will soon have six breweries starting in 2017. Many of those businesses have seen rapid expansion in growth requiring increased production in as little as one year from opening and expansion of their facilities. Lexington is located 12 minutes from Normal and provides the optimal environment to participate in the growth of this industry.
Many craft brewery visitors often travel to locations to visit specific brands that offer unique, genuine brews and/or atmospheres. Lexington’s close location to Bloomington Normal offers an additional opportunity for individuals wishing to explore the craft beer market. The age group of craft beer drinkers most likely to drink the beverage weekly was 35-44 year olds with an average household income of $75,000-$100,000 per year.
The goal is to create a relaxed comfortable environment that is family friendly. One of the things that you will see is that it is a place for people to gather and have a beer and play games. More of a family reunion type of feel.
They plan to start with 10 taps of different varieties to appeal to all tastes and grow from there. They do not intend to serve food, and they intend to promote local food establishments for carry in options. They feel that their product and environment will invite a respectable clientele consistent with those including families, and they will therefore offer beverages for individuals of all ages.
They are going to renovate the building keeping some of the history of the building focusing on more of the industrial setting. Renovation would include concrete flatwork, electrical and plumbing finishes, interior painting, construction of the bar, and furnishings including tables and chairs. Roof and gable repair, masonry repairs, doors/windows, painting, green space and ADA restroom construction.
Their timeline is to have the brewery operating by March 2022 and the taproom open by May barring any supply issues.
New Business:
DISCUSSION/VOTE RESOLUTION 2021-4: MOTOR FUEL
We had to amend the Motor Fuel resolution that we passed earlier this year because of some extra expenses. This is a formality and cleans up the last one we passed.
Motion was made by Alderman Stover and seconded by Alderman Franklin to approve Resolution 2021-4: Motor Fuel. Motion carried unanimously.
DISCUSSION/VOTE RESOLUTION 2021-5: CLOSED MINUTE REVIEW
Motion was made by Alderman Franklin and seconded by Alderman Richard to approve Resolution 2021-5: Closed Minute Review. Motion carried unanimously.
DISCUSSION NEW COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Mayor Johansen has assigned new committees for the upcoming year. There are no big changes. He did assign Alderman Mattingly to some committees and he did add a Closed Session Review committee. He wants to do more assignments to the committees.
Committee Reports:
Mayors Report: Mayor Johansen reported on the following items: They have closed on the old Fire Station and the building where the police vehicles were stored. They are still working on the plans for the Post Office and we should have those soon.
The Coffee Hound anticipates that Brandt will be out of the office by August and they plan to get started right away.
He has met with BP and they would like to expand their operation. They would like to buy 15 acres. The first phase will be to add diesel lanes and truck parking, the second phase would be a hotel and another possible fast food restaurant. They have included that service road in front as their entrance which is a state right of way and the state is not going to let them use that. They will need to put a detention basin in.
Doll Face Desserts had a model of what their building would look like on the empty lot next to Tom Shields. He has set a meeting with them.
A question was asked about the old Fasking building on Main Street. Mayor Johansen replied that the city is in talks with him about developing the parking lot into public parking. He is going to make some improvements to his building. The Post Office will also have plenty of parking and he has been in talks with the county about putting in a pedestrian crosswalk.
He and Star have met with a representative of the broadband fiber optic network. They have done several of the small towns around. They are very interested in coming to Lexington to offer an alternative to our internet. He asked the council to look over the information and if interested they will come to a council meeting. By the end of the summer they will have some type of TV service to go with this.
Police: None
Building/Insurance Alderman Franklin commented on the following items: They have closed on the two buildings around the park.
He had a call from someone at Timber Ridge that they had heard the city was putting speed bumps out there. That was a false rumor put out on facebook and the city does not put out speed bumps.
He had a neighbor call him about the condition of the old Water Plant. There were kids playing on the piles of rock. He did not think it was his responsibility to go over there. There are a lot of tall weeds behind that building. Mayor Johansen will get this taken care of.
He knew that Star was getting a software package soon and they do have a permit module that would allow us to do the permits for the golf carts and also building permits.
Brandt’s is getting close to finishing their office. We had talked about putting a new drain in for that road because the drain was higher than where the water was collecting. Mayor Johansen suggested that he talk to the guys. They were going to do it and the city was going to supply the material.
Finance /TIF None
Water/Sewer/Sanitation None
Street/Alley: Mayor Johansen reported that they have been busy getting equipment out of the buildings around the park.
There being no further business, motion was made by Alderman Franklin to adjourn at 7:58 P.M. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
https://www.lexingtonillinois.org/images/Minutes_June_14_2021.pdf
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