MWRD Board Elects 2021 Officers

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
January 7, 2021

Board Action: 

• #1-3- 21-0018-0020  Election of 2021 Board officers: President, Commissioner Steel - Vice President, Commissioner McGowan and Finance Chair, Commissioner Garcia.
• #4-  21-0021  Board suspended the Rules of the Board and moved the appointment of the Chair & Vice Chair of standing committees to the next regular board meeting.

The following contracts were withdrawn from the consent agenda for further discussion. Many of the questions centered on resource recovery and on verifying that all green options were being actively pursued.

• #21-  21-0030- This contract involved collection, shipment and analysis of water samples at Thornton and McCook reservoirs. Commissioner Spryopoulos questioned why this was not done in-house. Staff said that MWRD does not currently have the special equipment required. 
• #22- 21-008 - Commissioner Davis pressed to broaden and expand the resource recovery in scavenger service contracts. Traditionally, much of the refuse has gone to landfill. Glass is one product that can be recovered.
• #28- 21-0036- The Board granted authority to enter an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Village of Chicago Ridge for construction of a Permeable Paver-Parking Lot. Commissioner Davis asked how early in the process they could put green infrastructure on the map. Can it be built in at the conceptual stage? Staff agreed that this was possible.

Deferral Of Agenda Item #27- 21-0037

• Authority was being sought to lease 21+ acres of Cal-Sag Channel Parcel in Alsip. It would  be used to construct a parking lot for semi-trucks. One public comment asked that this not be granted, or at least deferred. Several commissioners questioned whether environmental impact studies had been done. Staff assured them that all tenants are expected to follow requirements. Legal stated that there is no current MWRD need for the property. Commissioners Davis, Sepulveda, Shore and Spryopoulos all urged for deferral. Roll Call vote: Ayes  9   Item deferred.

New Business:

• Commissioners made remarks in reference to the January 6 assault on the U. S. Capitol. 
• Commissioner Shore asked for Board support in two areas: 1) Joining the Strategic Plan working group. 2) Joining the ethics study session where many administrative items need to be completed. 
• Commissioner Spryopoulos asked staff to look into the Water Resource & Development Act to ascertain what grants the MWRD might be qualified for. 

Observer - Georgia Gebhardt                                             Length of Meeting: 110 minutes